iStat Menus, Version 6

iStat Menus, version 6, is now available. If you’re not familiar with iStat Menus, it is a Mac utility that gives you a ton of system information in your menubar. It’s been in development for years and every update seems to add a few new features that you quickly think you can’t live without. This one is no different.

Version 6 adds a weather applet giving you the current temperature, hourly forecast, and weekly overview. You may have another application already providing you this information, but if you don’t, the weather support iStat Menus is just fine.

The ways in which iStat Menus displays data have also improved. Graphs are bigger, there are more color themes, and overall, this update gives you more information than you had before.

My favorite new feature is the addition of a Notification Center widget. The widget is compact and yet still gives you a great deal of information on your system.

I have been running iStat Menus for years on my system. As a power tip, I keep the iStat Menus menubar items hidden behind Bartender. I don’t feel I need that information visible at all times but appreciate having it only a click away.

You can buy iStat Menus new for $18 or upgrade from the prior version for $10. You can learn more at Bjango.com

A Few Notes on High Sierr

It’s kind of hard to believe that Apple released a major update to macOS this week. It just didn’t move the needle much in geek circles. I remember when we used to go to the Apple Store on the night of a new Mac OS X release and it was a big deal. (I still have my 10.4 Tiger T-shirt somewhere.)

All that said, I’ve been kicking the tires on the beta for a bit and here’s my collection of notes.

My APFS transition on both the laptop and iMac went off without a hitch. I know APFS is much better its predecessor and once you get on the APFS, your data is safer. However, you really won’t notice any performance differences until you start making copies of files
Duplicating files with APFS is jarring. I keep waiting for the progress bar but it never shows up, because it’s not necessary. (APFS doesn’t need to save until you make changes to the copy.)
While everyone talks about the importance of Metal 2 at the high end, I’m curious about what it does at the low end. Will these developments make smaller Macs (with long battery lives) a viable option?
Photos gets the most improvement. That makes sense in light of the fact Photos is a relatively new product. While there are several new features, I think people will be surprised at significant improvements of the advanced editing tools. It still isn’t Aperture but it’s a lot closer.
At the other end of the spectrum, for people that don’t know what editing curves are, more Moments is good. I’ve observed a lot of non-geek family members spending time with Photos’ Memories feature. The feature solves a problem that we all have with way too many photos. I expect even more of that going forward.
Another relatively young app that made progress this year is Apple Notes. For two straight years Apple Notes has seen significant attention and it shows.
I like all the improvements to Safari but stopping auto-play video gets a special place in my heart.
It’s taken years but the way Apple Mail handles replies and composing while in full screen finally gets it right.
For a more in-depth review of High Sierra, check out Stephen Hackett’s weighty review.

In answer to the emails I’ve received asking whether you should upgrade, I’d say you are fine upgrading (provided you have a few backups first). I expect High Siera adoption will be slower than some of the prior Mac operating system updates. High Sierra has a lot more under-the-hood tuning than fancy paint and chrome. However, those features that were added, like the new photo and video formats and Notes improvements, are also on iOS so leaving your Mac behind could get frustrating.

Free Agents 30 – Tito Needs to Pay the Rent

In the latest episode of Free Agents we address working at home in a house full of other people. It can make working from home difficult, to say the least. We discuss the good and bad of working around kids (and others) who are in your house with you.

Sponsors include:

Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy.
Timing: The automatic time tracking app for macOS

Mac Power Users 397 – More on iOS 11 and High Sierra

The latest episode of Mac Power Users is up. I spent a lot of time in the betas this year and this show dives deep on my favorite new features and how to put them to work for you.

Sponsors include:

Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
1Password Have you ever forgotten a password? Now you don’t have to worry about that anymore.
Fujitsu ScanSnap ScanSnap Helps You Live a More Productive, Efficient, Paperless Life.
Fracture Bring your photos to life.

Rich Mogull on the Equifax Fiasco

Things are tough enough these days, and now we need to spend a lot more time and effort dealing with identity theft. By far, the best thing I’ve read about the Equifax mess was by Rich Mogull over at TidBITS. The post doesn’t have a happy ending, but I’d call it required reading anyway.

Learn Ulysses

I know that Ulysses is the subject of some controversy lately as a result of their switch to a subscription model, but I have been using the app quite a bit in my large writing project workflows. One of the things I like about Ulysses is its relative ease of use. However, like all great apps, there are some hidden depths there. If you are using Ulysses and would like to get better at it, I recommend the Sweet Setup’s new Learn Ulysses course. Shawn Blanc and team did a great job on these instructional videos.

Bluetooth 5.0 and the New iPhones

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One thing I haven’t seen much written about is the addition of Bluetooth 5.0 to iPhone 8 and iPhone X. According to the Bluetooth standards commission, the big change with version 5.0 is increased range. (The last few updates have focused on reduced battery usage.) With Bluetooth 5.0, the range is now supposed to be up to 800 feet (240 meters).

Bluetooth 5.0 also has increased bandwidth, allowing you to have a Bluetooth connection to two devices at one time. In theory you’d be able to send your music to two different Bluetooth speakers or two sets of headphones.

To me, however, the biggest deal is the increased range. Hopefully that translates to the Apple Watch and AirPods. I’m looking forward to testing this out when I get my new iPhone X.

Austin Mann’s iPhone 8 Plus Camera Review

Austin Mann has been writing iPhone camera reviews for years and they’re great. It’s really nice seeing what a professional photographer can do with the new iPhone hardware. This year he took a trip to India and has some great examples of the new portrait features and comparisons to prior iPhone hardware. I can’t wait to see what he does when he gets his hands on an iPhone X.

Austin is a very nice fellow. He guested on Mac Power Users a few years ago and shared some great iPhone photography tips.

Apple Watch Series 3 Review and Thoughts

The Apple Watch series 3 reviews are starting to show up online. My favorites were from John Gruber and 9to5 Mac. There also appears to be some sort of bug with unauthenticated Wi-Fi networks but I expect that will get sorted out.

While Apple’s marketing is focused on the fact that the cellular Apple Watch makes telephone calls, I think the more relevant point for nerds is the always on Internet connection. Having your watch be able to use Siri, connect to the Internet, and otherwise interact with the world without having to first go through the middleman of your iPhone seems to be a significant benefit. All of this said, the cellular companies charging $120 a year for the connection seems pretty steep.