The Case for the iOS 14 Public Beta

Apple has now released the public beta for the new iOS 14, iPad OS, and macOS Big Sur. This is where everybody who writes about this stuff tells you how you should not install the betas. I am feeling contrary this year.

I have been running the beta on my iPhone and iPad since it was initially released, and I have had very few problems. The battery life is a little worse, but my apps all seem to work, and I’ve had no restarts or crashes. Everything seems to be working fine. I talked about this on the Mac Power Users recently. In my opinion, this year is more about the paint job than the engine. Granted, it is quite an extraordinary paint job, but it’s still paint. As a result, this beta feels pretty stable. I also suspect it is because they released it later in the year. Usually, WWDC happens in the first week of June, and this year didn’t happen until much later.

I have had a lot of fun trying these new beta widgets, and iOS 13 already looks old to me. Don’t blame me if you install it and your iPhone catches on fire, but a lot of us are stuck at home and having something new and shiny on our phones may be just the distraction we need.

SaneBox for Email Disruption in Any Email Client (Sponsor)



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There is a lot of talk lately about email disruption and tools to let you deal with email on your terms. I have to smile when I see this because I took control of email years ago when I signed up for SaneBox, this week’s sponsor. I use SaneBox every day to manage my email. SaneBox acts as your email assistant, sorting your inbox for you, so you only see the most important emails with less important emails relegated to other mailboxes for later.

I’m not the only one who relies on SaneBox. It is also used by companies like eBay, Coca-Cola, adidas, and LinkedIn to help their employees stay on top of the most important email.

SaneBox has many additional features, like the ability to track and notify you if people don’t respond to your email and defer incoming email until later. It serves as a set of power tools to make every aspect of using email easier, and it works with just about any email platform including iCloud, IMAP, Google, and Exchange. No matter what system, platform, or app you use for email, SaneBox can help. It is like a feature upgrade to every email application. If you would like to become the boss of your email, sign up for a free SaneBox trial today and use the links in this post to get a significant discount when you sign up.

Logitech’s New Mac-focused Products

Logitech just released versions of their MX Master mouse and keyboard aimed directly at the Mac. 9to5 Mac did a generally positive review of the whole set.

My Logitech Journey

I have always been hesitant to use the Logitech gear because I had a bad experience with their driver software years ago. Nevertheless, about six months ago I bought a Logitech Craft keyboard and MX Master mouse. Now I’m in love. I am going to make a video on how I use them, but for now I will say that all of the extra buttons are getting used. For instance, when I push down on the Craft Keyboard’s volume dial and twist right or left, I switch desktops.

Best of all are the multiple Bluetooth radios. On the keyboard, band 1 goes to my Mac, band 2 goes to my iPad, and band 3 goes to my iPhone. I use this keyboard to type on the iMac and iPad multiple times every day. (See my desk setup below.) Likewise, the mouse also has separate Bluetooth bands, and now that the iPad has mouse support, I’m good there too.

My concerns about the Logitech software were without merit. While its interface does not feel particularly Mac-like, it runs fine and has not caused any problems. I am going to make a video to explain more, but since Logitech is now embracing the Mac, I thought I would weigh in with a thumbs up.


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Focused 103: Systems and Challenges



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On the latest episode of Focused, I’m tweaking my shutdown routine and prepping for my for sabbatical. Mike’s unpacking his hybrid productivity system. And we each have our own productivity challenge to complete.

This episode of Focused is sponsored by:

  • Drafts: Where text starts. Try it free now.

  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

  • Ahrefs: SEO tools and resources to grow your search traffic. Get a 7-day trial for just $7.

Mac Power Users 543: A Developer’s Summer, with _David Smith



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This week on Mac Power Users, Underscore David Smith joins the show to talk about what life as a developer is like between WWDC and the fall, when new versions of Apple’s operating system ship.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • TextExpander from Smile: Get 20% off with this link and type more with less effort! Expand short abbreviations into longer bits of text, even fill-ins, with TextExpander from Smile.

  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

  • DEVONthink: Get organized—unleash your creativity. Use this link for 10% off.

Introducing More Power Users


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Starting today, Stephen and I are premiering even more Mac Power Users. For all Relay FM Members that directly support Mac Power Users, we are upping the member benefits.

There is now a specially dedicated feed for MPU members that includes ad-free episodes, as well as regular bonus segments, more focused on news or current happening in the Apple community. This is something we don’t get to do very often on MPU, and we’re excited to have these conversations together. We are calling this members version More Power Users, because you’re going to get more MPU.

If you are interested you can sign up here. One of the casualties of Covid-19 was a lot of podcast advertising budgets. Stephen and I both appreciate your support.

The iPhone Sans Charger Debate

The Internet has been losing its mind the last several days over a rumor that Apple will ship the next iPhone without a charger or cable. The argument for is, of course, that you need a charger and a cable if you want to keep using your phone past the first charge. The case against is that nearly all consumers already have multiple chargers and cables, and the costs of shipping (and later disposing) of all of that is a lot more than you’d think. MKBHD did an excellent job summarizing (below).

This story is interesting to me in a few ways. In a lot of ways, I think your reaction to this story gives a good indication of your general thoughts about Apple. It is also curious to me how worked up people are getting over a mere rumor. Does Apple even know for sure how they’ll be shipping later this year? It is 2020, after all, and every day seems to bring new surprises.

If I were Apple, I’d be looking at ways to ship the phone without a charger or cord, but also have some mechanism where, if customers need those things, they get them with zero delay, friction, or cost. Apple is a pretty smart company. They can figure it out.

One last point is that if true, Apple will have effectively also ended the debate/outrage we all feel every year when they continue to ship $1,000 iPhones with 5W chargers.

Work Smarter, Not Harder with TextExpander (Sponsor)



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I love it when tools I use every day want to sponsor MacSparky.com. A case in point is this week’s sponsor, TextExpander. I use that application every day. I am currently working on a complicated transaction where we have a pile of exhibits, all with absolutely crazy names. So I made quick TextExpander snippet to rename the files. It inserts the date, puts in a transaction code, and even moves the curser to exactly the right place for me to type in a brief description. It took me about a minute to make the snippet and it saved me at least an hour. Just another day with TextExpander.

TextExpander makes you more productive. With the ability to add tokens for dates, get fill-ins from the user, and even run AppleScript, it is way more powerful than you’d think. With TextExpander you’ll see your snippets everywhere. It syncs between your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Windows PC instantly.

They’ve got free snippet groups for all sorts of folks including job recruiters, freelancers, airport codes, brand names, and more at the TextExpander website (or you can download some of mine).

TextExpander even lets you run AppleScripts. For example, I use TextExpander to auto address emails with Apple Mail.

Best of all, with TextExpander you don’t have to work alone: TextExpander for Teams lets you manage and share snippets with your coworkers or the entire company. Use this link to get 20% off. 

More Apple Stores Closing During Pandemic

As COVIC-19 comes roaring back, Apple is closing Apple stores in multiple states (including my home state, California). All of the work Apple has done to improve the online Apple Store experience over the last few years is paying off for them. Thus far, Apple has been paying its retail employees during these shutdowns. I know that is not true for a lot of employers and this is one area where I think we are all glad to see Apple spending its money.

I can’t help but wonder what the long term effects of this pandemic will be on an already suffering brick-and-mortar segment of retail sales. Microsoft announced plans to shutter its retail stores permanently last week and while I don’t think that will be the case for Apple, I’m not sure anyone else in retail sales is safe at this point.