The Omni Group in 2018 (Sponsor)

This week, MacSparky is sponsored by the Omni Group. Did you know that the Omni Group is going to do some amazing work this year on all of the Omni apps that you love? Ken Case recently did his 2018 Roadmap post, and we have a lot to look forward to:

OmniFocus 3 for Mac and iOS

Tags … check.

Manual sorting … check.

Flexible scheduling … check.

Improved notifications … check.

Updated design … check.

Collaboration … check.

OmniFocus for the web … check.

OmniFocus 3 is easily my most anticipated new software app of 2018.

OmniGraffle

They recently released the 7.6 update for Mac that makes using Stencils easier than ever. I use Stencils often in OmniGraffle when building diagrams, and you should too. Later this year, they will be releasing an update that makes improvements to diagramming tools.

OmniOutliner

We just got OmniOutliner 3 for iOS last week. It’s great!

OmniPlan

There are several updates for OmniPlan in the works. There will be a new “Project Summary Inspector”, and they are making improvements to the “Publish & Subscribe” sync functions.

JavaScript-Based Automation

Best of all, the Omni Group is pushing forward with its JavaScript-based automation tools across the board with its apps. Using these tools, you will be able to automate these already powerful apps with your own custom scripts, which will work in both Mac and iOS versions. Dust off your JavaScript chops, ladies and gents. This will be fun.

This is why I love Omni Group apps. As powerful as these apps are, the Omni team never rests. Go check out the Omni Group today and make sure to read the full 2018 Roadmap.

MPU 418 – Workflows with Rose Orchard

Rose Orchard joins us this week to discuss her transition from teacher to master automator including creating workflows, maximizing efficiency on Mac and iOS. We discuss the Sonos One and the Apple HomePod, travel tips and more.

Sponsors Include

PDFpen from Smile With powerful PDF editing tools, available for Mac, iPad, and iPhone, PDFpen from Smile makes you a Mac Power User.
The Omni Group We’re passionate about productivity for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Sanebox Stop drowning in email!
Fracture Bring your photos to life.

Farewell Interact

This week Greg Pierce announced the end of life for Interact, my favorite Contact management app for iPhone. Reading Greg’s post, the reason isn’t primarily financial but instead difficulties and bugs with iOS contact management frameworks. I never had trouble with Interact and use it several times a week. However, I also keep all of my contact data in iCloud so I’m hardly an edge case.

I spent some time trying other third party contact apps following the announcement and none of them impressed me. If there is a silver lining, Greg concluded his post saying he’s putting all his time into Drafts 5. Since I happen to be writing these very words in Drafts, that makes me pretty happy.

The HomePod Table Tattoo

This story about people’s HomePod leaving a ring on their table is kind of crazy. How did Apple, a company that’s been shipping home electronics since the beginning, ship something that can damage your furniture? If they did know this was possible, they should have addressed it. If they didn’t know about it, that’s even more concerning. I’m probably making a bigger deal out of this than I should, but I expect more from Apple.

I don’t know how big (or small) of a problem this is but the pictures are damning. I’ve had mine on my wooden desk for a week, and there is no sign of a ring but I like this desk, and I don’t want to damage it. If you are coaster shopping, you can go crazy with something like the Pad & Quill solution or you can just cut out a piece of firm cardboard, or use an existing coaster. Ultimately, I spent $5 on a cork plant coaster from Amazon that should do the job.

OmniOutliner 3 for iOS

This week the Omni Group released OmniOutliner 3 for iOS. It’s a worthy update that brings a lot of new features to iOS including password protected outlines, an improved slide-in inspector, focus & section lists, printing and pdf support, and some great looking themes. The update also gives you an iPhone X-friendly design.

The update came out this week. I was able to easily transition using my OmniPresence outlines.

I’m most excited about this upgrade’s inclusion of the new Omni Group scripting language into this new version. I can now design scripts to build template and script-based outlines and run them on either Mac or iOS.

The Essentials version is $10, and the Pro version is $40. However, if you have OmniOutliner 2 installed, the Pro upgrade drops to $20. The new version is worth the upgrade.

Putting Focus on AR Kit

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Apple’s got a new page featuring Augmented Reality iOS apps. I think that’s a good idea. When I speak with my non-geek friends about Augmented Reality, they first don’t understand what it is, and then they don’t know what it’s for. I end up rambling about education and gaming, but I do a poor job of it.

I thought with the way that Pokemon blew up, the general public was ready to see AR in a lot more apps, but despite Apple’s powerful tools, it still feels like it is at the novelty level. The more attention Apple can put on this the technology, the better for all of us.

Also, did you know that Apple recently announced AR Kit 1.5? It adds several new features, including vertical spaces. This is notable for a few reasons. First, they are making a significant update mid OS cycle, which is unusual. Second, the number, “1.5”, implies a “2.0” isn’t far behind. Apple isn’t done with AR yet.

MPU 417: Workflows with Manton Reece

This week programmer and entrepreneur Manton Reece joins the Mac Power Users this week to share how he’s using Apple gear to program and run his own business.

Sponsors include:

The Omni Group We’re passionate about productivity for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Fujitsu ScanSnap ScanSnap Helps You Live a More Productive, Efficient, Paperless Life.
1Password Have you ever forgotten a password? Now you don’t have to worry about that anymore.
Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

HomePod as Mac Speaker

I’m digging my HomePod. The speaker itself is excellent, and while Siri has its limitations, the features it does include are working solidly. (I do wish it could tell me my calendar appointments though.)

One unexpected benefit of the HomePod, which sits on my desk in my home office, is just how well it works with iTunes on my Mac. To play music from iTunes to your HomePod, there is a simple toggle in iTunes for the Mac. You can set volume from Mac and seriously upgrade your tunes. I always need background noise while working so often I’ll play the sound of the ocean or a thunderstorm when I want to focus. Thunder from the HomePod turned up literally shakes my desk. My iMac never did that.

Things and Productivity Training From Shawn Blanc

I prefer OmniFocus but if you like Things, The Sweet Setup has a really nice course they’ve just released. I watched it and was impressed. My favorite part, however, is the additional materials where Shawn shares some of his own productivity and planning workflows. That material is useful no matter what apps you use.