The HomePod Mini Experiment

Recently, Jason Snell wrote about using a stereo-paired set of HomePod mini speakers with his Mac. I reported on a similar experiment on the latest episode of Mac Power Users.

Specifically, I wanted to see if AirPlay-paired HomePod minis could replace my existing wired speaker system. My current system is nice. They’re Focal speakers with a powerful subwoofer on the floor. I reviewed those speakers, along with their 30-pin connector, in 2009. Rather than sending them back to the manufacturer, I sent back a check and kept the speakers. I’ve been using them every since.

Nevertheless, the siren song of those cute little orange HomePod minis called out to me, and I bought a pair as an experiment. Everything Jason says is right. These speakers sound better than expected for something so small. When paired together, you do get separation and good sound for a minimal footprint.

They don’t match the quality of my subwoofer-enhanced Focals, but to do so would defy the laws of physics. They did, however, sound good enough that I was willing to consider using them as my new full-time speakers.

The problem, for me, was lag in the AirPlay connection. Every time I hit play, there was a slight delay between me pushing the button and the music starting. If I only needed speakers for music, that’d be fine.

Unfortunately, the lag showed up in other places too. For example, I often dictate voice-to-text on my Mac. I use the built-in Siri dictation for this. When I engage the dictation, my Mac makes a pleasing “boop” sound. When I’m done, I push the button again, and my Mac then makes the “beep” sound. The feedback from those sounds makes dictation easier. With AirPlay-connected speakers, however, I got no boop, just the beep.

To make matters worse, I also use those speakers to edit audio and video files. In those cases, I’m looking at an audio wave file while I make the edits. The audio that comes through my speakers must match with the waveform on my screen. With the HomePod minis, it did not. When I pressed play, the waveform started scrolling, and the audio lagged behind a second or two. So when I saw a gap in the waveform (indicating silence), the speakers were still making noise and vice versa. (Interestingly, I do not see a similar delay when editing with AirPods.) I could have just witched to headphones, but I’m not willing to only edit video with headphones.

So the unsurprising answer is that AirPlay is not yet ready for use in video production. I liked my tiny orange speakers with their orange cords, but they had to go back in the end.

I now have a newfound love for my Focal speakers, which I plan to keep using … at least … for now.

One last thought that occurs to me is that no matter how good AirPlay gets, the audio input port on the Focal speakers continues to serve me well. Just think how much more versatile the HomePod could be with an audio input in addition to AirPlay.

MacSparky Field Guides Thanksgiving Sale

As a lot of Americans prepare to spend some time off tomorrow, I do think the idea of setting aside time to give thanks is a good one. One of the biggest things I have to give thanks for is the success of MacSparky. The fact that you listen to my shows, read my words, and buy my Field Guides is a precious gift.

So I am doing a sale this year. I don’t run these holiday sales every year and don’t know when I’ll do one again. But starting today through Monday, the code TURKEY21 will get you 20% off any of The MacSparky Field Guides at Learn.MacSparky. That’s nearly $10 off most courses. You have my permission to go nuts.

SaneBox (Sponsor)




My thanks to MacSparky’s sponsor this week, SaneBox. My plate is full enough as it is, but I’ve got SaneBox to help me clear my plate by managing my inbox. I’ve tried using rules before, but things would slip through that weren’t supposed to, so rules didn’t work for me. What works for me, what does the work for me, is SaneBox. It takes some training, but SaneBox manages the emails that I don’t need to read immediately and moves these distractions into folders like SaneLater, and moves the unwanted and annoying ones into SaneBlackHole.

If you’re looking to manage your workflow more productively, try SaneBox with a free trial. You’ll get a $10 credit you can use towards a SaneBox subscription. Don’t waste your time on the clutter and unimportant emails. Spend time on working on what are actually your priority messages and what’s important to you. 

PIxelmator 2.3, Uses AI to Remove Backgrounds


Today Pixelmator dropped version 2.3 of Pixelmator Pro. There are a few highlights of note:

• AI-powered automatic background removal: With just a click, users will now be able to remove the background from any image

• AI-powered automatic subject selection: Again with just a click, users will now be able to automatically select the subject of an image

• A Select and Mask tool for advanced selections: This is designed to make it easy to select the most challenging image areas of all – hair, fur, and other objects with very complex edges.

These new features are powered by ML algorithms that are integrated into Pixelmator Pro using Core ML. As a resul, they are very fast on M1-powered devices. For example, background removal takes around 2-5 seconds on M1 devices and up to 30 seconds on Intel devices for an average image.

I spent some time with the pre-release version and the background removal is remarkably good with the press of just one button. I love how Pixelmator has been jumping on the use of artificial intelligence to make image editing easier (and better). In celebration of the new release, Pixelmator is 50% off starting today and for a limited time.

Mac Power Users 615: The Clipboard Manager Roundup




There is a range of applications to supercharge your copy-and-paste game. This week’s Mac Power Users has Stephen and me exploring some of the best options for macOS and even the iPad and iPhone.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Hullo: A simple, natural pillow designed for comfort. Try it for 60 days.

  • 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.

  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

  • Capital One: Machine learning at Capital One. What’s in your wallet?

Automators 89: Kelly Guimont, iPhone Automator




In this episode of Automators, Rosemary and I are joined by Kelly Guimont and dive into getting started with automation, fun seasonal lighting, and the trouble with tribbles, er HomePod mini multiplication.

This episode of Automators is sponsored by:

  • LinkedIn Jobs: Post a job for free by visiting this link.

  • Hunter Douglas: Take advantage of Hunter Douglas’ ‘Season of Style’ rebate savings event – until December 6, 2021.

  • Hover: Make a name for yourself. Get 10% off any domain name.

Time Track with Timing (Sponsor)



Timing App Screen Shot


This week MacSparky is sponsored by the Timing App, the time tracking app that tracks time for you automatically. It’s that “automatic” part you should really pay attention to. Because I do so much work at my Mac these days, I’ve been using Timing and it is really nice being able to have the application keep track of exactly how long I spent in this Word document or on that Website. It makes my time tracking data so much easier (and more accurate).

Also, the app recently got a new “Activities” screen which gives you everything you need to know including App usage and project time spent. Other new improvements include the ability to start and stop timers right inside the app and growing support for automation. For instance, I’m working on a Shortcut that will call out to the Timing web API and automatically start and stop timers from my iPhone and iPad. (It’s still a bit ugly but I’ll share it here soon.) If you’re curious, you can get started with Timing’s  web app to track time from anywhere, and combine that with Timing’s sample Siri shortcuts to start and stop timers as quickly as possible. 

If you want simple, accurate time tracking data and you work on a Mac, look no further. You can download the free 14-day trial today and get 10% off for the first year.

Hazel 5.1

I’ve longed talked about Hazel being one of the best tools available to automate using your Mac. Noodlesoft, the makers of Hazel, have released an update with Hazel 5.1, which now supports macOS Monterey. Features include:

  • New “Run Shortcut” action to run Shortcuts workflows on Monterey.

  • AppleScriptable: You can use AppleScript to control Hazel’s run status as well as the active status of any rules.

  • Support for newer modes of SFTP for the “Upload” action.

  • Various fixes and other improvements.

If you purchased Hazel 5, the update is free. If you’re running version 4 or earlier, the upgrade is $20.

Nonprofit Productivity Summit



Non-Profit Productivity Summit Banner


I’m excited to be joining Michael St. Pierre for the upcoming Nonprofit Productivity Summit, which is from December 7-9, 2021. Other guests include Mike Vardy, a past guest of Mac Power Users and Focused (back when it was Free Agents), and the father of Getting Things Done (GTD), David Allen, a past guest on the Mac Power Users. If you’re interested in learning more about how to be productive, reserve a spot today and join us. It’s free and virtual.