OmniFocus 3 Now Available for iPad and iPhone – Sponsor


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This week, MacSparky.com is sponsored by OmniFocus. Check out the new OmniFocus, version 3 for iPad and iPhone. It’s everything you’ve always loved about OmniFocus, just more powerful and easier to use. 

The new version allows you to add tags to your tasks, like location, person, energy level, and priority. You can even sort by multiple tags to build perspectives that get exactly the tasks you need in front of you right now. 

Speaking of perspectives, there are some useful built-in perspectives with the new version including forecasts but if that’s not enough for you, with the pro version you can make your own custom perspectives. I use these every day to get my work done.

I’ve been hearing from readers that are worried about upgrading to the new version on iPad and iPhone while they’re still using version 2 on the Mac. This is not a problem. The Omni group spent a lot of time making sure that the files will work just fine across version 2 on your Mac and version 3 on your iPad and iPhone period. (Version 3 for the Mac should arrive later this summer.)

So stop waiting and get yourself set up with OmniFocus, version 3 for iPad and iPhone and let them know you heard about it here at MacSparky.com.

Mac Power Users 436: MPU+: These Things Are Like Tribbles


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In this episode, we launch the new MPU Discourse community and talk about Siri Shortcuts. Katie got a HomePod. I share my thoughts on the iOS Beta and my recent visit to Apple Park. We also tackle listener questions about messages in the cloud, iPad accessories, and kids in college. 

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? Now you don’t have to worry about that anymore. Save up to 20% using this link.
  • The Omni Group: We’re passionate about productivity for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. 
  • Gazelle: Sell your iPhone for cash at Gazelle! 
  • FreshBooks: Online invoicing made easy.

SummerFest App Sale

The SummerFest app sale is now live. This is a collection some of my favorite Mac Apps (including apps liked Tinderbox, DEVONthink, Scrivener, TextEapnder, HoudahSpot, PDFpen, and Timing) and they are all 25% off. Take a look and get a deal.



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MPU Meetup in London – July 9

We’re having a MPU meet up in London on July 9th, at 6PM London time at the Wetherspoons just outside of Victoria station 5. Weatherspoons is a basic pub where we can walk around and converse. There’s no dress code – MPU attire is optional! I’ll be there, Rose Orchard will be there, and while Katie Floyd hasn’t agreed to attend yet, I’m working on it.

Your nearest Apple Store will be Regent Street which has been refurbished to be a flagship store.

Also, if you come, make sure to ask me for some stickers!


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Apple Extends Repair Period for MacBook Keyboards

There are so many stories about keyboards going bad on MacBooks and MacBook Pros over the last few years. My 2015 12-inch MacBook is now on its third keyboard. Apple’s now announced they’ll continue to fix keyboards on several of these machines. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise but I’m glad Apple is doing the right thing. 

The curious part is where they go next. Are they going to abandon the new butterfly keys that are in the effected models? I don’t think so. With several years of data on the new switches, I suspect they probably are pretty close to having the problems licked. My guess is that they continue with the butterfly keys and brag at how they continue to improve while quietly continuing to repair the machines built during that learning curve. While that makes perfect sense for the minimalist MacBook, I’d prefer they abandon the butterfly keys and put something more robust in the MacBook Pros but that’s more a wish than a prediction. 

The New MPU and Free Agents Forums



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Today we released the brand-new Discourse-based forums for Mac Power Users and Free Agents found at talk.macpowerusers.com. I’m really excited to share this news. A lot of work went on behind the scenes to make this happen. The new forum is based on the open source Discourse project and gives us a really nice place to share thoughts and ideas. 

We’ll be explaining the change further on this week’s show but suffice it to say the new forum is better, more organized, more searchable, and (hopefully) more fun for our listeners. Please go log in and check it out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Special thanks go to Joe Buhlig at ProCourse.co for helping us build the new forum and Rosemary Orchard in helping with the transition.

Simultaneously with the formation of the new forum, we are shutting down the Facebook Group because … well … Facebook.

Smile Software Celebrating 15 Years – Sponsor


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This week MacSparky is sponsored by Smile Software, makers of TextExpander and PDFpen. This month Smile is celebrating 15 years of bringing its productivity software to the world. They’ve had several products over the years and there is an excellent series of blog posts over on Smile’s website about how the company formed and their journey.

Of course, I have an affinity for companies passionate about making productivity software and Smile has been delivering the goods to me (and a lot of other users) for a long time.

Have you checked out Smile’s current software lineup? If not, you should. 

TextExpander is a text replacement application, but so much more. As a result of Smile’s hard work, TextExpander is exponentially more powerful than a normal text replacement application. Here are just a few examples of what I do with TextExpander.

PDFpen has been my only PDF app on the Mac for years. I use it every day to review and markup contracts and otherwise get work done.

Thanks Smile for an amazing 15 years. I can’t wait to see what you do next.