This week Apple will be shipping the new generation 2 HomePod. While I know this is a relatively small product in Apple’s lineup, I think it is essential that they get this one right…
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The Software Club talks about Fantastical and how it compares to Apple’s default Calendar application on this episode of Mac Power Users. Michael Simmons then joins us to discuss Fantastical’s history and the changes he has seen in the Apple software ecosystem over the years.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
I’ve had a number of questions lately about various Mac settings. Here’s one on the Desktop and Dock, which answers several questions I’ve received lately… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?
Rosemary and I spent some time looking at Raycast, the latest Mac launcher to arrive on the market, and on this episode of Automators, we compare it to our current favorite launcher, Alfred.
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It’s time for the latest Lab Report from MacSparky, covering this week’s Apple news and updates…
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iCloud Shared Photo Library has been in the wild now for a few months. Here’s a walkthrough of why you should consider it and how to set it up.…
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I know you all think I’m in the bag for OmniFocus, but I’m always interested in seeing progress with task apps in the Apple ecosystem, and Culture Code just made a nice update to Things.
You know I’m a big fan of Shortcuts, and Things 3.17 has vastly enhanced integration with Shortcuts on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. They’ve rebuilt the app’s actions with the new App Intents framework. They’ve added nine entirely new actions that deliver way more power. You can now create full-blown projects with headings and to-dos. You can query their database, edit items, duplicate them, and much more. The more developers that embrace Shortcuts, the happier I am. For those of you using Things, it just got a lot more automation-friendly.
I did a webinar last week with Shawn Blanc as part of his Focus course all about False Urgency. A number of you attended, but I know several of you could not.* So here’s the video, just for you… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?
Here’s a short video breaking down how this morning I dealt with a Phishing attempt combined with an iCloud outage. That’s exactly the kind of combination that can get people in trouble.
Here’s my short video explainer. I made this a public link so you can share it with friends and family that may not have known better.
Mark Gurman is reporting that our next major iPad revamp will be next year with a design overhaul to the iPad Pro, possibly with a glass back, instead of the current aluminum design.
I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m always interested in new designs, but I dig the current design. And an extra 11” (or 13”!) piece of glass would be heavy and much more prone to breaking than the current aluminum back.
There have also been rumors of bigger iPads up to 16 inches. I’d like to see that. The iPad needs a Hannah Montana to Wrecking Ball sort of transformation, and a bigger one would help that along. Personally, a larger iPad on my desk acting as a Sidecar screen/Universal Control device/status board would be cool.
And while the hardware team continues to march forward, we still have all these questions about the iPad software stack. It could be so much more.