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Fantastical 3.6: Openings, Proposals, and Quarterly View Plus Demonstration Videos

Today Flexibits released Fantastical version 3.6 with several big updates:

Openings

This lets you create a link where Fantastical’s web server can see your availability but not your appointments and then let folks schedule appointments with you against that. This is the first time I’ve seen someone pull off a feature like this without requiring you to hand over your account credentials. Nicely done.

Proposals

These have been in Fantastical for a while now, but this latest iteration also lets you create a link so you can have multiple people weigh in on your proposed times. It even reports the results to you directly in Fantastical.

Quarterly View

I’m going to take some credit for this one. I’ve been requesting/begging/harassing the Flexibits team. I like to work in quarters, and there were no calendar apps that would display your calendar in a quarterly view … until now.

I know many folks don’t like the subscription software model, but it is here to stay. I will say, however, that Flexibits is doing it right. All of these features are now just in the app. There is no upgrade fee or requirement for a higher subscription tier.

I made the demonstration videos for Flexibits. You can watch them below.

The Six Colors 2021 Apple Report Card

Today Jason Snell published his annual Apple Report Card. The story this year isn’t particularly surprising. On the big picture level, people are loving the new Mac hardware and frustrated with Apple software in general. I can’t help but think digging out of this perceived software hole is going to be a much longer turnaround for Apple than our collective reversal on Apple Hardware.

Part of the problem is that different people have different reasons for being unhappy with Apple software. The other reason is that software, now more than ever, is complicated. In the days of MacPaint, the team just had to make an app that could paint with the Mac. Modern Apple software needs to work on screens ranging from watch size to iMac size, utilize input methods ranging from fingers to keyboards, and play nicely with the Internet. That’s a tall order and I think most people that think seriously about these things know that. Still, I believe Apple could do better.

Mac Power Users: 626: It’s Like Two Dozen Calendars

In this Mac Power Users feedback episode, Stephen and I revisit Dropbox, photo management, calendar sets, and more.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • SaneBox: Stop drowning in email!
  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
  • Memberful: Best-in-class membership software for independent creators, publishers, educators, podcasters, and more. Get started now, no credit card required.

Jason Snell on the Rumored Apple Headset

Jason Snell writing for Macworld:

Apple’s been getting ready for this for years. And while Apple’s first VR device will be expensive and underpowered compared to its second, third, and fourth, it will still be the culmination of at least five years of effort. I have to admit, I’m interested to see Apple’s vision for virtual worlds–and I hope that, somewhere in there, there’s room for a friendly poker game among Memojis.

I’m with Jason and find myself curiously optimistic. I own the first generation Oculus Quest and my big stumbling blocks with it are the limited uses (beyond gaming) and the poor screen resolution. Those are two problems that Apple could easily solve. I hope that 2022 is the year Apple starts tuning its cards over in this space.

SaneBox (Sponsor)

New year, new you going as planned? If you resolved to declutter and clean up your inbox for the new year, consider giving SaneBox a try. You can test it out for yourself with their 14-day free trial.

There’s nothing to download, and SaneBox works with any webmail/email client. So, why SaneBox? SaneBox will learn from you how to manage your inbox.

They have powerful A.I. that analyzes your email history and learns what is important to you. Not every email needs to be read immediately. There are some that you can read and respond to later, and SaneBox will automatically move those to your SaneLater folder after some training. That leaves only the important messages in your inbox so distractions are kept to a minimum.

Then, SaneBox will send you a daily digest, which summarizes the new email in your SaneLater folder, and here you can check if there any mistakes or emails you need to move or re-train. Not all email is created equally.

Give SaneBox a whirl for free for 14 days and get the robots to help manage distracting unimportant email. 

Focused 144: Enough, with Patrick Rhone

Patrick Rhone joins Mike and me on this episode of Focused to talk about analog productivity, knolling, mise en place, and staying focused while wearing many hats.

This episode of Focused is sponsored by:

  • Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post.
  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
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AirTags and Kids

I’m in the midst of a short stay at Walt Disney World this week. Something that I didn’t expect to see, but I keep seeing, is kids wearing AirTags. There are kids with AirTag necklaces. There are kids with AirTags hanging off their clothes. I even saw one little girl with an AirTag connected to her shoe.

When they were first released, a common question was “Can I use AirTags on my flight-risk dog?” According to Apple, No. And there are, frankly, better options. The question I never heard at the time was, “Can I use AirTags on my flight-risk kids at theme parks?” I know Apple doesn’t want you to use an AirTag to track people, but parents of small children are using Apple’s tracker for just that.

Mac Power Users 625: Apple as the Measuring Stick, with Austin Evans

YouTuber and podcaster Austin Evans drops by Mac Power Users to talk about his content business, how Apple is competing in the wider marketplace, and the gear he uses to get work done with a growing team.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • TextExpander from Smile: Get 20% off with this link and type more with less effort! Expand short abbreviations into longer bits of text, even fill-ins, with TextExpander from Smile. 
  • Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post.
  • Memberful: Best-in-class membership software for independent creators, publishers, educators, podcasters, and more. Get started now, no credit card required.

Wizards No Longer United

I was too old to understand Pokémon Go, but I was interested in Niantic’s “Wizard’s Unite” game that came out a few years ago. The game was set in the Harry Potter universe and required you to catch digital creatures out in the real world. My enthusiasm for the game lasted about a week. I found that I preferred engaging with the actual world around me more than the little window on my phone. It sounds like I was not alone as the game is shutting down today.

All that said, I do think these reality interactive games are going to be huge in the future as technologies like VR/AR glasses evolve into something that you don’t have to literally strap to your face.

Automators 94: Legal Nerd-ness with Jeff Richardson

On this week’s episode of Automators, Rosemary and I are joined by Jeff Richardson: lawyer by day, automator for life. 

This episode of Automators is sponsored by:

  • Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that fits you. Get 25% off your membership.
  • Doppler: Sync environment variables at scale.
  • New Relic: Monitor, debug, and improve your entire stack. Sign up now and get 100GB of data free, forever – no credit card required.