Vision’s Future

Mark Gurman reports that Apple is looking at some interesting ideas for a more affordable visionOS headset, including tethering the device to an iPhone or a Mac. Tethering to an iPhone doesn’t seem much different from being connected to a battery, as it currently does. Tethering to a Mac, however, feels like an entirely different kettle of fish.

medium close up of vision pro device on its custom stand, in an apple retail store.

Photo by Mylo Kaye

If Apple is rethinking its Vision strategy, my two cents would be to make the currently shipping hardware more attractive:

  • More immersive content
  • More sports
  • More immersive concert footage
  • More environments
  • More productivity software and workflows

There is a lot of blue sky left for Vision and visionOS, but a more compelling software and content story needs to come first.

Turn Your Long Form Reading into a Podcast with Listen Later (Sponsor)

This week MacSparky is sponsored by Listen Later, one of my personal favorite uses for artificial intelligence. Listen Later is a service that converts stories and articles you send them to a personalized podcast feed using their AI-based (and very believable) reader. You can take that long-form article you’ve meant to read and listen to it on your next drive. It’s a great service. I’ve been traveling this week and I was able to catch up on a lot of my long form backlog via the Listen Later podcast. This is so much better than spending your down time on vapid social media or doom scrolling the news.

Their state-of-the-art AI not only narrates but brings life to the articles with a quality that I’d never heard before from an AI voice. You really should try it. Access your personalized podcast episodes on all devices through any podcast app. Stay connected with your preferred content anytime and anywhere, ensuring you never miss out on insightful articles.

Beyond articles, Listen Later can also convert emails and PDFs into podcasts. This feature is perfect for transforming work documents, newsletters, or any textual content into listenable formats.

Listen Later not only converts but can also translate content into multiple languages, making global content accessible and enjoyable in your preferred language.

Sign up for the service today, and you’ll get $2 of free credit. That’s an easy way to try it out for yourself at no risk. Go check it out.

Beta 2 Updates and iPhone Mirroring

Yesterday, Apple released the second beta of the new operating systems, as announced at WWDC.

There are still no signs of Apple Intelligence. The most interesting addition is the ability to mirror your iPhone to your Mac via Continuity. I’ve just started testing it, and the feature feels solid enough for an early beta. Interestingly, the feature doesn’t work if your iPhone is active, which makes sense.

A Mac desktop with a gray background showing a Drafts window on the left side, and an iPhone visible using the new iPhone mirroring app available in the beta two version of macOS Sonoma.

There are some limitations. I tried to use Whisper Memos to record dictation onto the iPhone app via the Mac in mirroring mode, but it didn’t take. Nevertheless, keeping your iPhone on your Mac screen is excellent.

Convert Articles to a Custom Podcast with Listen Later (Sponsor)

This week, I’m welcoming a new sponsor to MacSparky, Listen Later. It’s always nice when a new sponsor arrives for which I’m already a paying customer, and that’s the case with this one. Listen Later is a service that converts stories and articles you send them to a personalized podcast feed using their AI-based (and very believable) reader. You can take that long-form article you’ve meant to read and listen to it on your next drive. It’s a great service, and I’ve been enjoying it.

Their state-of-the-art AI not only narrates but brings life to the articles with a quality that I’d never heard before from an AI voice. You really should try it. Access your personalized podcast episodes on all devices through any podcast app. Stay connected with your preferred content anytime and anywhere, ensuring you never miss out on insightful articles.

Beyond articles, Listen Later can also convert emails and PDFs into podcasts. This feature is perfect for transforming work documents, newsletters, or any textual content into listenable formats.

Listen Later can also translate content into multiple languages, making global content accessible and enjoyable in your preferred language.

Sign up for the service today, and you’ll get $2 of free credit. That’s an easy way to try it out for yourself at no risk. Go check it out.

Mac Power Users 750: Our Betas Era (Summer 2024)

Stephen and I have been running iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and watchOS 11, so you don’t have to. This week on Mac Power Users, we discuss some of the new features coming to Apple’s platforms later this year.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • NetSuite: The leading integrated cloud business software suite.
  • Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free.
  • Ecamm: Powerful live streaming platform for Mac. Try it for free today.