And Now the AR/VR Goggles Silly Season Begins

If the rumors are to be believed, Apple is inching toward releasing their AR/VR goggles (early?) next year. As such, you can be assured the circle of trust at Apple is growing as they ramp up for manufacturing, marketing, and selling the new product.

Unfortunately for Apple, not everyone in that expanded circle will be trustworthy. I expect we’ll be getting more rumors about the new product than we’ve heard in the past. As an example, The Information is now reporting it will include iris scanning biometrics. I’m sure some of the rumors we’ll start getting will be true, and some will be entirely fabricated. Regardless, expect to hear a lot more about Apple’s AR/VR goggles.

Today’s Virtual Meetup Moved to 12:00 Pacific

I’m sorry about this change, but today’s Virtual Meetup has moved back 2 hours to 12:00 Pacific. Below is a NEW zoom sign-in link to get into the Virtual Meetup today at noon Pacific. If you can’t make it, I will get out the audio and video recording afterward. I’m sorry about the last-minute reschedule… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Tier 2 (Backstage) and Tier 3 (Early Access) Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?

Airline Luggage and AirTags

It’s not entirely clear whether or not Lufthansa is banning the use of AirTags in luggage stowed on their planes. It seems, however, they at least don’t like the idea.

I’ve been using AirTags in airline luggage since AirTags first showed up, and I plan on continuing to do so. Apple’s tiny tracker confirms for me when my luggage gets on the plane and then later gets off my plane. AirTags also come in handy to know exactly when my luggage makes its way to baggage claim and confirm that it doesn’t leave baggage claim without me.

I keep my luggage AirTags on the inside of my luggage, and I’ve never had a problem with reception. They come in very handy when traveling.

Mac Power Users 661: Our Desks & Bags

With me settling in at my new studio, Stephen and I use this episode of Mac Power Users to talk about our desk setups, what’s in our bags, and what we carry with us daily.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore. 
  • TextExpander: 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.
  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
  • Electric: Unbury yourself from IT tasks. Get a free pair of Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones when you schedule a meeting.

Sparky’s Monday Brief (MacSparky Labs)

I hope you are heading into a week that Wayne Campbell could only call “Most Excellent.” This is a podcast-heavy week for me with us recording episodes of MPU, Automators, and Focused. I’m looking forward to Focused this week when we’ll be talking to Joey Cofone about Creativity…

This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?

Capture Any Text on Your Mac with TextSniper (Sponsor)

My thanks to TextSniper for sponsoring MacSparky.com this week. TextSniper is a Mac OCR app that can extract text anywhere on your Mac’s screen and automatically save it to your clipboard so you can paste it anywhere you need it. It can even read the text to you. The whole thing works a lot like the built-in screen capture on the Mac, just way more powerful.

Moreover, in an era where so much software is more about data mining than giving you a service, TextSniper doesn’t collect your data. The text recognition is processed on your Mac and does not require an internet connection. 

With TextSniper, you can:

  • Quickly get a text from PDFs, Zoom calls, Presentations, and Videos. 
  • Copy text from anywhere, even images and websites that don’t let you select text.
  • Quickly grab data like email addresses, phone numbers, and links.
  • Read QR codes and barcodes.
  • Get text out of just about any image format, including JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, and BMP.

I use TextSniper constantly. Anytime I need text from an image, TextSniper comes to the rescue. You can even use your iPhone or iPad camera to take a photo for TextSniper to perform its magic.

TextSniper works with macOS Catalina and later and also works with Parallels Desktop

Get TextSniper now and enjoy the fastest way to copy uncopyable text, wherever it may be. Use promo code TS2022 to get an additional 25% off. 

Automators 112: iOS 16 Focus Modes

Join Rose and me on the latest episode of Automators as we dive deep into the new iOS 16 Focus Modes. Do you think we’re just using a portion of the new Focus Mode features? Of course not! We’re going straight into the deep end.

This episode of Automators is sponsored by:

  • Amazon Pharmacy: The pharmacy that really delivers. Learn more now.
  • TextExpander: Your Shortcut to Efficient, Consistent Communication. Get 20% off.
  • Electric: Unbury yourself from IT tasks. Get a free pair of Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones when you schedule a meeting.
  • Hover: Make a name for yourself. Get 10% off any domain name.

Quarterly Review Preparation (MacSparky Labs)

It’s less than an hour until my Quarterly Review session with Early Access members. Below is my prompt list. I thought it would be a good jumping-off point for the call and hopefully give you inspiration for developing your own prompts…

This is a post for MacSparky Labs Tier 3 (Early Access) Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?