There’s a new episode of the Free Agents podcast. In this episode we discuss why the sign of a true professional is ensuring that they’re being compensated. Why is getting paid so hard? How do we handle billing? When you’re on your own, you’re the one who has to make sure that the money is flowing in. If you don’t get paid, you won’t be an independent worker for very long.
This week I guested on Brett Terpstra’s Systematic podcast where I talked about being too busy.
It took us 365 episodes but Katie and I finally got to an indepth look at at the available mapping and navigation options for your Apple gear.
This episode is sponsored by:
This week MacSparky has a new sponsor, TableFlip. No matter what app you’re working in, creating tables is a pain in the neck. TableFlip solves that problem with you letting you create tables using Markdown and getting a live preview right in the app.
After you create your table you can update the underlying Markdown file or the table preview and both the TableFlip and Markdown files update automatically. I like setting up the table in TableFlip to begin, and then going back to the Markdown file for quick changes.
If you don’t want to use Markdown, you can also use TableFlip independently to create a table and later use it in Markdown or CSV. (Additional formats are on their way.)
You shouldn’t have to open Excel every time you need a table. Check out TableFlip
Last month I wrote about the iPad and how I felt, fundamentally, the problem is software. The iPad hardware is plenty powerful. However for people who want to get their work done with an iPad, quite often they run into software-based obstacles that push them back to a Mac or PC.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only person thinking about it. I had a couple long drives the last few days and several of my favorite podcasters are also weighing in on the fate of the iPad. One of the most interesting points was by Myke Hurley who explained last year Apple sold 45 million iPads and 18 million Macs. So last year for every Macintosh Apple sold, almost 3 iPads went out the door.
I think a significant number of those iPads were sold to people that wanted to get work done on them. I’ve talked to non-geek friends who bought iPads to do work on but, over time, gave up on being productive with their iPad for the reasons I explained in my earlier post. In those cases, the iPad did end up a largely content consumption device but that was not by design as much as it was software limitations.
I think Apple has a big opportunity. The iPad could be an important piece of the future of computing. As things stand, the iPad hardware is awesome and the iPad software is too constrained. The first time an iPad user realizes she has to save 20 email attachments to Dropbox one file at a time, she is going back to her Mac. This is a solvable problem.
The trouble is that the iPad’s role diminishes the longer Apple takes to give the iPad the software power it needs. People will move on as Microsoft ups its own hardware game and the general perception of the iPad further solidifies as something to surf on, not work on. The irony of this is that for years, other lawyers used to make fun of my Macintosh computer as a “toy” computer. Apple already knows how difficult it is to break that particular stereotype.
A few years ago I spent a lot of time banging on about cloud services and how Apple needed to get its act together. Right now I feel the same way about iPad software. There’s so much power in there to unlock. Now’s the time.
Today Apple announced that they are moving Worldwide Developer Conference back to San Jose. The move puts WWDC much closer to Apple’s campus and makes it a lot easier on Apple engineers attending and participating. San Jose hotels are also a lot less expensive than San Francisco hotels and will save attendees significant amounts of money.
There are already questions in the community as to whether moving to San Jose will put a damper on the more social aspects of WWDC. Despite the fact that San Jose is a lot sleepier than San Francisco, I don’t think there will be a problem. I tried a case in San Jose a few years ago and spent several weeks in the city. There are nice restaurants and things to do. Moreover, I’ve always felt that the energy at WWDC parties comes from the confluence of Apple nerds way more than anything particular to San Francisco. I hope to see you there.
Are you going to be near Chicago on March 15, 2017? If so, you should join me and Katie Floyd along with 90 other Mac Power Users Listeners. We’ve opened up some additional space for a fun night.
MacPaw, makers of SetApp, is sponsoring so there will be plenty of grub and good times. Go sign up. If it’s full, sign up for the waiting list. We’re working on getting more folks in.
This week on Mac Power Users we dive deep into calendars and discuss the various cloud calendar services, sharing, calendar apps, best practices, and scheduling services.
This week MacSparky is sponsored by the app that I use as my own personal graphics toolbox, OmniGraffle. OmniGraffle was created as a diagramming tool but it is so much more. Using OmniGraffle’s powerful, but easily understandable tools, I am able to not only make diagrams but also maps, flow charts, court exhibits, garden plans, countless school projects, and even the family Christmas card. If I’m doing something that involves moving pixels around the screen, OmniGraffle delivers.
OmniGraffle users range from artists to data mappers to (even) geeky lawyers. The tools are fast and easy to learn and there are versions of OmniGraffle for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. I frequently hear from readers that are OmniGraffle-curious. They are interested in the app but not sure whether it is something they need. My answer is always the same. If you have OmniGraffle, you will find uses for it and the diagrams you make in it will look professional and better than anything you’ve been making before.
The OmniGroup has recently released OmniGraffle version 7 and the app has so much polish now. Everything is cleaner and easier to use and access to Stenciltown (where you can import and use other folks’ art work in your diagrams) is easier than ever. Best of all, there’s a free trial so you can download and try it risk free. Up your diagram game today with OmniGraffle.
Apple has a few new ads spots showing off iPhone 7 Plus Portrait Mode. Now that the shiny newness has worn off Portrait Mode, I’m curious how much it has stuck with users. I’m still using it, but deliberately. I need to plan taking a portrait shot, which is probably what Apple intended.
Another observation is that my non camera-fidly friends love Portrait Mode shots while my friends that own fancy cameras aren’t so easily impressed. I consider the fact that I can get a shot like this with my phone an absolute win.
