Workflow Update and Status


This week Workflow got a middling update. The update includes lots of bug fixes and improvements for iOS 11. This is further evidence that Apple is committed to keeping the lights on for Workflow at least for the next year.

Last week when I was at the CMD-D conference I got to spend time with some of the Workflow developers and they were actively soliciting ideas and thoughts about the application from me. They weren’t acting like someone who thought their app already had one foot in the grave.

I have no idea what’s going on at Apple. If I was a betting man, I would say that some version of the Workflow feature set is going to somehow get incorporated into a future version of iOS, but until that time it seems that Apple is happy to keep paying people to keep the current version working.

I still get emails from people suggesting I’m nuts to keep using Workflow after it’s been acquired by Apple. My reply is that I think I would be nuts not to use it. One of a few things is going to happen:

  1. Apple will continue to support workflow for the foreseeable future until shutting it down without some sort of replacement.
  2. Apple will continue to support workflow for the foreseeable future until replacing it with some new technology (hopefully) incorporating a lot of the ideas and motivation behind Workflow.

In either of those scenarios, Workflow will continue to work for the foreseeable future. This week’s update supports iOS 11 and supports this point even further. Workflow is, in my opinion, the most powerful utility available on the iPhone and iPad. It quite literally allows nonprogrammers to develop their own custom apps that can speak with multiple applications and make their lives easier.

An added benefit of many Workflow users is that it sends a message to Apple that iOS users want automation and power tools, just like Mac users. More of that … please!

Best of all, the application is now free. Even if you’ve never picked up Workflow, now is a great time to kick the tires.

Get Started Outlining with OmniOutliner Essentials (Sponsor)

This week MacSparky is sponsored by OmniOutliner, my favorite outlining application for the Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Recently the Omni Group has released OmniOutliner version 5. One of the best things about this new version is the addition of OmniOutliner Essentials. It includes several of OmniOutliner’s key features, like keyword filtering, document stats, distraction-free mode, resource search, touch bar support, dark mode, opml mode, and pro file compatibility. 

I use OmniOutliner often. It’s a fantastic tool for collecting ideas and organizing them. Whether you’re taking notes, making lists, brainstorming, or starting your book, OmniOutliner can help you out.

With OmniOutliner Essentials, you get all these features for just $10. OmniOutliner Essentials is a great deal and if you have any interest in adding a world-class outliner to your tool belt, go get OmniOutliner Essentials today.


Future Chips and Hardware

Intel recently announced its 2018/2019 CPU, called Icy Lake. AnandTech explains the new chip in detail. To summarize, Intel is putting the hammer down on making their chips smaller and faster. I’m sure Apple and other competing chip designers/manufacturers are taking note.

As I was growing up with computers, CPU improvements were all about speed. Computers didn’t change the way they looked so much as they got a lot faster … often. I can’t help but feel that as 10nm chips become “the thing”, the speed improvements will end up taking a back seat to the ways these new chips liberate hardware manufacturers to rethink the kinds of hardware we can put these small, fast chips in. Future chips are not about getting faster (although they will get faster) so much as they are about further evolving the idea of what a computer is. I can hardly wait.

Mac Power Users 391: Workflows with Artist Jason Kimes


The latest episode of Mac Power Users is live. Our guest, Jason Kimes, is an accomplished artist (and geek) who uses Apple technologies to plan and create his sculptures.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
  • Eero: Never think about WiFi again. Use code MPU for free overnight shipping.
  • Fracture: Bring your photos to life.
  • 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? Now you don’t have to worry about that anymore.

Ulysses Moves to the Subscription Model


This week Ulysses moved to a subscription model. As Dr. Drang has already observed, this will lead to much gnashing of teeth and navel gazing concerning subscription pricing.

At this point I feel as if I’m over it. I use Ulysses every day. I’ve already signed up for the discounted pre-owner subscription and I’m back to work. If you don’t want Ulysses in your life, you should take a pass.

What you shouldn’t do is trash the app in review because you’re not happy with the business model. Here’s Ulysses’s rating as of a few minutes ago. This App deserves so much more than 2.5 stars.


While I’m on the subject of Ulysses, I should mention why I subscribed. I use the heck out of this app. It syncs great between iOS and Mac. I like the opinionated design. Of increasing importance to me, it works great with automation on iOS. For example, one of my tricks is that when I set up a new podcast project, Workflow (among other things) creates the skeleton text and links for me in Ulysses so when the show publishes, the post is already half written … by robots!

I’ve also moved all of my text-bank style text into Ulysses and out of Apple Notes. I like the organization in Ulysses better and in Ulysses I can even assemble different text snippets into a starting place for documents without too much effort.

In addition to Ulysses, Disney also announced this week that they are pulling their content out of Netflix to start their own service that will … of course … be a separate subscription. This subscription model is only getting bigger in the years to come.

Thoughts on the CMD-D Conference


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Yesterday I spent the day attending the CMD-D: Masters of Automation conference in San Jose.

It was a great deal of fun. The content covered both current scripting techniques along with several up-and-coming methods to automate your Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Highlights included:

  • Multiple talks from Sal Soghoian. My favorite was all about the new push at the Omni Group to implement JavaScript automation that works across all Apple devices and even from the web.
  • Many excellent speakers talking about all forms of automation on macOS and iOS.
  • Learning about the origins are of AppleScript from Jon Pugh, one of its original developers.
  • An automation shoot-out where several attendees took the stage to share their favorite automation workflows.

The content ran into the evening and capped off with a podcast recording among the various speakers talking about where automation currently stands and where it is going.

The entire experience was a good one for me. I feel like I have a better idea where automation technologies are headed and I learned a trick or two. Best of all, there was an overwhelming sense of love in the air. Attendees ranged from people with no experience (but a lot of enthusiasm) to automation veterans and the content was broad enough to offer something for everyone. The sense of community between everyone was awesome and reminded me of the old days at Macworld Expo.


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Free Agents 27: Bird in the Bush


One of the truly nice things about being self-employed is the ability to pursue a “passion project” without seeking the approval of others. Passion projects, however, can be a tricky thing. Both Jason and I believe they are important, but we also both believe they can be your undoing. This episode dives deep on the topic of passion projects and how to manage them.

This episode of Free Agents is sponsored by:

Timeline 3D Updates for iOS


I have always been a fan of the Timeline 3D application. I started using it on my Mac but later switched to iOS as the app went multi-platform. Timeline 3D is an engine to make quick, pretty timelines. I like the way the application makes it easy to add new events to your timeline, and I particularly like the way it renders a finalized timeline in three dimensions. This is a great trick if you give lots of presentations. While the application has been around a long time, it continues to get updated with the latest version going up last month.

They have also made some changes to the business model. The developer renamed the classic application Timeline 3D: Education Edition. That is a paid up-front version. If you already bought it, you’re fine. There is also a new Timeline 3D application that is free to download and uses in-app purchases to unlock all the exporting features. If you are new to Timeline 3D, this is the one to download. It lets you get your feet wet with no cost.



Get Control of Your Email with SaneBox (Sponsor)


This week MacSparky is sponsored by SaneBox, the email service that can make you the boss of your email. How are you doing with your inbox these days? Are you the boss of it, or is it the boss of you? For a lot of folks, email is a constant pain, and it doesn’t need to be. With SaneBox, you add a powerful set of email tools that can work in just about any email client. SaneBox allows you to:

  • Wake up everyday to find that the SaneBox robots have automatically sorted your incoming email for you so you can address the important and ignore the irrelevant. 
  • Defer email for hours, days, or weeks so it is out of your life until a more appropriate time.
  • Set secret reminders so if someone doesn’t reply to an important email, SaneBox gives you a nudge to follow up.
  • Automatically save attachments to the cloud (like Dropbox).
  • Use their SaneForward service to automatically send appropriate emails to services such as Evernote, Expensify, and Kayak.
  • Move unwanted email to the SaneBlackHole and never see anything from that person again.

The list goes on. Why not straighten out your email today? I’ve been a paying subscriber for years and can’t imagine getting by without it. If you sign up with this link, you even get a discount off your subscription.

ScreenFlow Updates to Version 7.0


The best screencasting application for Mac, ScreenFlow, recently released version 7.0. There are several new features in this update including:

UI Input

The user interface has some updates and a new dark theme.

Custom Key Mapping

Amen.

30 and 60 FPS

You can now bump it up to 60 fps.

Play in Reverse

This is a feature I’ve needed several times over the years and glad to see it’s now in.

Text Animation Effects

Choose from a handful of built-in animation effects for all of your text boxes.

Better Audio

This follows up with audio improvements in version 6. You can now edit mp4 files. There are better mixing tools and support for Apple Audio Units.

Touch Bar Support

The new MacBook Pro Touch Bar now works with ScreenFlow.

ScreenFlow is an essential tool if you have any interest in screencasting. Buy it new at $129. Upgrade for just $39 if you purchased a prior version. If you purchased it in the Mac App Store, Telestream has a mechanism to help you upgrade.