The Focus Timer

There is an existing Kickstarter for the Focus Timer and I’d recommend checking it out. The Focus Timer’s inventor contacted me a few months ago and sent me a beta unit. It took some convincing on his part because I’m not a fan of adding things to my desk. This thing really landed with me though. I run it several times a day, and it’s a great way to get yourself block scheduling. Here’s a little video explaining further.

https://youtu.be/BbCgAepau8Q

Wither iPhone Mini

The rumors all seem unanimous in their opinion that this year the iPhone mini will go away, and in its place we’ll get a bigger (non-pro) iPhone to match the size of the iPhone Pro Max.

I suspect a bigger iPhone will sell more units than the iPhone mini. Many people buy the Pro Max iPhones not for the “Pro” but for the “Max.” I’m sure there are a lot of other folks who would buy a bigger non-pro iPhone if one were available.

What makes me scratch my head, however, is why it needs to be one or the other, Max or mini? Why not both? Apple is a company that understands how to make electronic gizmos. For two years they have been making and selling iPhone minis that many people like. While I appreciate that proportionally, the iPhone mini crowd is probably the smallest number, cumulatively, that’s still a lot of iPhones.

A lot of people are passionate about smaller size iPhones. It seems a shame that they will no longer be able to buy the latest and greatest. My question, sincerely, is why? What is the reason that Apple can’t make the entry-level iPhone in three sizes instead of two? Is it because of the global supply chain problems? Or maybe they don’t have enough manufacturing bandwidth? It seems like such a no-brainer to me and I’m really curious as to why Apple doesn’t keep the iPhone mini and add a Max iPhone simultaneously.

Mac Power Users 650: Craft Deep Drive

On this episode of Mac Power Users, I share my impressions of the M2 MacBook Air, then Stephen and I talk through Craft. While it can be used for simple note taking, it also packs a lot of powerful personal knowledge management tools for users who need them.

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. 
  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
  • Sourcegraph: Universal Code Search. Move fast, even in big codebases. Try it now.
  • Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free.

Manage Email Distractions with SaneBox (Sponsor)

Better email management. You want it? This week’s MacSparky sponsor, SaneBox, can help you get it. SaneBox uses A.I. to analyze your email history and identifies what is important to you, making sure you’re seeing the important emails in your inbox. 

You don’t have to come up with rules for your email. You’ll train SaneBox, which is really easy. You’ll move emails from your inbox and Sane folders, and SaneBox’s A.I. will learn to get it right the next time. Have email filtered to @SaneLater, which you can check once a day to see which of the emails you actually have to process. You know all of those newsletters you get? Send them to @SaneNews, so you can read them when you’re ready for them, and not have them interrupt or distract you when you’re trying to get work done.

SaneBox will help you get back your sanity and your time. Get straight to the emails you actually need to deal with, and have SaneBox deal with the ones that don’t require your immediate attention. Get those distractions out of your way with SaneBox. You can try it for yourself and sign up for a free trial, and you’ll get a $10 credit you can use towards a SaneBox subscription. Try it out for a better email life.