iMessage is one of the stickiest parts of the Apple ecosystem, and on this week’s episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I discuss some of its features, explore its security credentials, and share some tips for making it run smoothly.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
I’m a little late with this one, but I wanted to congratulate my friend Brett Terpstra on the release of Conductor. This new command line utility is an add-on for Brett’s successful Marked app. As the name implies, this utility acts as a train conductor for Marked 2, allowing you to set up and run custom processors to make Marked 2 even more powerful and automation-friendly.
Brett goes deeper into Conductor in this post. He even added some functionality a few days ago.
In this week’s episode of The Lab Report: Some new Vision Pro experiences, Copilot+ Windows PCs are here, I tell you about searching your notes using Alfred, … This is a post for the Early Access and Backstage MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
We’re heading into a new year, and I’m guessing over the holidays you took a few pictures. How’s your Photos library doing? If it’s anything like mine, it’s a mess right now.
Did you know there is an app to help you out with that? PowerPhotos is here to the rescue.
PowerPhotos works with the built-in Photos app on your Mac, providing an array of tools to help you get your photo collection in order. Find and eliminate duplicate photos, split up your library into smaller ones, merge libraries together, open libraries in separate windows, export photos/albums, and more.
Best of all, PowerPhotos 2.0 is now available! There are some great new features in version 2.0:
– Convert your old iPhoto or Aperture library to an equivalent Photos library
– Advanced export of photos/albums
– Full support for iCloud Photos
– New visual duplicate detection engine library groups
– Global menu bar item
– Multiple windows
PowerPhotos adds all the features to Photos that Apple never will. You can download PowerPhotos for free to check it out, and purchasing a license will unlock all the features of the program. MacSparky readers can get a 20% discount with the coupon code MACSPARKY23, and existing iPhoto Library Manager and PowerPhotos 1.0 users can also use their old serial number to receive upgrade pricing, 50% of the normal price.
So make the Photos app work harder for you with PowerPhotos 2.0. You can get it today.
MacWhisper has been updated to version 8 with some new features, including a video player. Multiple apps use the Whisper model to perform transcription. I bought a license for MacWhisper early, and I’ve been using it a lot ever since.
One example: We use a Notion database to manage all the MacSparky content (this blog, the MacSparky Labs and Field Guides, etc.). With the addition of Notion AI, we’ve found value in keeping text transcripts of released content in the database. This allows us to ask questions like, “When is the last time I covered MacWhisper?”
MacWhisper 8 adds new features:
A new inline video player has been added that allows transcribing video files. The video player can be popped out into its own window. Subtitles display directly on the video, and translations appear as separate subtitles, too. This will make the above Notion workflow even easier
You can now choose different Whisper engines like WhisperKit for your transcriptions. WhisperKit offers distilled models for faster transcription speed, and transcriptions stream in real-time. WhisperKit can be enabled in Settings → Advanced.
There are a bunch of other improvements keeping MacWhisper at the top of my list for transcribing audio on my Mac.
I will be curious to see if Apple incorporates the Whisper technology into the Mac operating system at WWDC. It seems like it should be built into the operating system. Moreover, if they incorporated it onto the chip, it could really scream. But it’s too early to tell exactly what Apple’s vision is for incorporating AI into macOS, and this may be a bridge too far. In the meantime, I’m very happy to have MacWhisper around.
Ugmonk founder Jeff Sheldon is back on Focused to talk about designing and building physical products, how our environments shape our ability to focus, and finding joy in the analog.
This episode of Focused is sponsored by:
Microsoft has made a big deal about releasing its newest lineup of ARM-based PCs, which appear to be testing in the same ballpark as the M3. With the arrival of the M1, Apple caught the rest of the industry with its pants down. To compete, Microsoft needed an ARM-based platform, which it had been working on for a long time but really wasn’t ready for prime time.
This new lineup feels like a response to Apple’s M1 chip. In terms of processing, they appear competitive with the base M3 chip in performance. Moreover, several manufacturers are getting ready to adopt this platform with hardware that will be released as early as next month. That means there will be tablets and PCs with similar attributes to Apple silicon but running Windows. Microsoft is branding them as Copilot + PCs, with an emphasis on AI (like everyone else seems to be doing these days).
The above link contains videos and links to manufacturers, so if you’re curious about this, I recommend checking it out.
The net result of this will be that we get a lot of new hardware that runs in the ballpark with the M3 MacBook Air. It will be running Windows, but ultimately I think the competition will be good for Apple, and maybe encourage them to take a few risks with the types of platforms they use with their M-series SoC.
When Logitech added AI Tools to their Logi Options+ software, I decided to get off that train.
… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
I enjoyed the latest iFixit teardown for the new iPad Pro. Apple made several improvements, including the ability to remove the batteries without taking the entire thing apart.
Also, you’ll see that the CPU runs down the center of the device, which makes it a lot more stable and allows it to cool more easily. In years past, the CPU was on the side. There’s also a cover over the CPU, giving additional rigidity across the long axis but not the shorter one, explaining why the iPad is doing better in bend tests along the long axis. Overall, it looks like a solid design.
John Buck published a book covering the “Apple Technology Group,” a division within Apple that operated back in the 1980s and 1990s and experimented with many forward-looking bits of technology that we take for granted today. Join Stephen and me on this episode of Mac Power Users as we talk to John about his book Inventing the Future.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by: