Posts Tagged → mac power users

Mac Power Users 850: Overcast Transcripts and 48 Mac minis with Marco Arment

On this episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I sit down with Marco Arment to talk about what happens when a podcast app developer accidentally builds a data center. Overcast now transcribes podcasts on demand, and the hardware behind that feature is 48 Mac minis running in a rack. Marco walks us through how the system works, how he manages it all remotely, and what he’d do differently if he started from scratch.

We also catch up on the rest of Marco’s life, including the three-year-old MacBook Pro he refuses to upgrade and the restaurant he now helps run. There’s a good stretch on using AI in an actual development workflow and where Marco hopes Apple takes things for developers.

Episode Links

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • NetSuite: The leading integrated cloud business software suite.
  • Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free.
  • 1Password: Never forget a password again.

Mac Power Users 849: Managing Photos

On this episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I dig into the wide and messy world of Apple photo management. We talk about pruning enormous libraries, what’s worth keeping, and the cleanup apps we trust to help. We also get into iCloud Shared Photo Library trade-offs and the fact that Apple’s 5 GB free tier is older than the iPad.

There’s a long section on scanning legacy prints with Google PhotoScan and the Epson FastFoto, plus the mail-in services we recommend and the one we’d skip. Set up Apple Digital Legacy Contact and 1Password Families emergency access tonight if you haven’t. The lightning round covers HEIF, Live Photos, and the one Apple setting we both wish we’d flipped years ago.

Episode Links

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Ecamm: Powerful live streaming platform for Mac.
  • 1Password: Never forget a password again.

Mac Power Users 848: Jason Snell on E-Readers

On this episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I welcome back Jason Snell to talk about e-readers in 2026. Jason’s our resident e-reader guy at Six Colors, and he reads about a book a week, so he’s earned the chair.

We get into Kindle versus Kobo, library reading with Libby, color screens for comics, and the smaller, weirder devices like the BOOX Palma and the tiny Xteink X4. Jason also walks us through the AI pipeline behind his new Six Colors audio newsletter, and Stephen plays a cloned version of his own voice that was somehow less haunting than I expected. By the end of the conversation, Jason had me ready to pick up a Kobo Libra Colour, which means I’m giving up on the long-standing dream of an e-reader that also handles my Readwise highlights and RSS feeds. Sometimes the unitasker really is the right answer.

Episode Links

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free.
  • Ecamm: Powerful live streaming platform for Mac.
  • 1Password: Never forget a password again.

Mac Power Users 847: Actually Useful A.I.

This week, Stephen and I made an episode about AI. I know. We tried to just talk about what’s working for each of us right now. We get into dictation, AI browsers, MCP, what Apple Intelligence might become, and the smaller weirder projects we each have running.

Stephen wrote an app that finds you good coffee. I wrote an app that helps you say no to things. Both made it into the App Store, somehow. My robot is now resetting Field Guide enrollments while I do something more interesting. It also picks my outfits, and my wife noticed before I told her. I’m calling that one a win.

Episode Links

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free.
  • Ecamm: Powerful live streaming platform for Mac.

Mac Power Users 846: Apple Watch

On this episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I go deep on the Apple Watch. We cover watch faces and share our current favorites, talk bands, dig into the best apps for getting things done from your wrist, and explore how the health and safety features have worked their way into our daily lives. We also spend some time on the big Apple news: Tim Cook stepping down as CEO and John Ternus stepping up to lead the company.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free.
  • Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code MPU.
  • 1Password: Never forget a password again.

Mac Power Users 845: Patrick Rhone

On this episode of Mac Power Users, David and Stephen welcome back their old friend Patrick Rhone after far too long. Patrick is a writer, an Apple consultant, the author of Enough, and the guy who taught David how to dress like a grownup. They get into why Patrick’s 2020 M1 MacBook Air still handles everything he throws at it, his “Amish approach” to technology as a long-term tester, and how he keeps his phone in his pocket on purpose. They also talk about the minimalist phone movement, raising kids around technology, and a healthy detour into vintage Apple gear and the Timex Sinclair.

Episode Links

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Ecamm: Powerful live streaming platform for Mac.
  • NerdWallet: Compare real financing offers from trusted lenders — all in one place. Get VIP treatment using this link.
  • 1Password: Never forget a password again.

Mac Power Users 844: Apple Home

On this episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and David compare notes on their Apple smart home setups and cover what you need to know to build one yourself. They get into the weeds on Matter, Thread, HomeKit Secure Video, smart locks, and which cameras are actually worth buying. David also shares his ongoing tension between a HomeKit-only setup and Home Assistant. If you’ve spent any time with HA, you already know the feeling. Plus a lightning round of their favorite devices and a walkthrough of the best automations to get running first.

Episode Links

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free.
  • Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code MPU.

Mac Power Users 842: Feedback

On this episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I dig into the feedback bag. We cover everything from Stephen’s secret Cloudflare image-hosting shortcut to the great Raycast vs. Spotlight vs. Alfred debate, Stream Deck setups (and whether that new XL is too much Stream Deck), iCloud security with Advanced Data Protection, and how I’m using Keyboard Maestro conflict palettes for window management across two monitors. We also announce something new for More Power Users subscribers: monthly bonus episodes starting with a Star Wars movie ranking that may test our friendship.

Episode Links

Mac Power Users 841: Robot Assistant Field Guide

This week on Mac Power Users, Stephen and I go deep on the robot assistant system I’ve been building with Claude Cowork. We cover the whole journey — from why chatbots never quite delivered on their productivity promises to the combination of skill files, MCPs, and managed agents that finally made AI genuinely useful for the donkey work of running a creative business. I walk through practical examples including automated file renaming, email processing, sponsor invoicing, and podcast post-production pipelines. Stephen also shares his new Studio Display XDR setup and we dig into Perplexity Computer as another emerging option. Fair warning: I also confess to switching back to Gmail, so prepare your hot takes.

Episode Links

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • SaneBox: Take back control of your inbox.
  • Ecamm: Powerful live streaming platform for Mac.

Mac Power Users 840: Finder and File Mgmt

On this episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and David take on the Finder. They compare their wildly different file management philosophies, dig into Finder toolbar customization, extensions, Quick Actions, and the apps that make file management actually enjoyable (or at least less painful). Stephen also reveals that he’s written what may be the shortest AppleScript in history, and David’s screen apparently grew a right ear. Plus, there’s a new Apple hardware roundup because they announced a lot last week. Of course, money was spent.

Episode Links

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Ecamm: Powerful live streaming platform for Mac.
  • 1Password: Never forget a password again.