Apple Mail is finally consistent in showing flags count across devices. Hooray! In this video I explain how that can be useful and how I automate it.… This is a post for the Early Access and Backstage MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them
The new Microsoft Surface Arm laptops are in the wild now and getting properly tested. The Verge did a full set of benchmarks that conclude with a few relevant points:
- It runs a little faster than a MacBook Air and quite a bit slower than a MacBook Pro. These really are aimed at the MacBook Air.
- Battery life is behind the MacBook Air’s. This isn’t a surprise, as I suspect they have a lot of experience with the MacBook Air.
Together, these two points make sense. They upped the clock cycle count to outperform the MacBook Air — which is an admittedly sexy headline for Microsoft — at the expense of some battery life. Regardless, I think it’s great news that people running Windows now have an option that’s competitive with MacBook Air performance and battery life. Now, if it just ran a better operating system…
Mac Power Users 752: Exploring Apple TV’s Efforts, with Sigmund Judge
Stephen and I are joined by Sigmund Judge to discuss Apple TV hardware, tvOS, Apple TV+ content, and more on this episode of Mac Power Users.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
The Lab Report for July 5, 2024
In this week’s episode: More information on Apple Intelligence, OpenAI adds Phil Schiller to their Board, some rumors (or course), and a great book by Matthew Crawford.… This is a post for the Early Access and Backstage MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
The Lab Report for July 5, 2024 (Early Access)
It’s time for the latest Lab Report. In this week’s episode: Perplexity’s big fumble, the new iPhone Mirroring app working great out of the gate, and an interesting AI-focused book by Ethan Mollick.… This is a post for the Early Access MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
Focused 207: What Would Sparky Say?
In this Focused feedback episode, Mike and I revisit scheduling, journaling, delegation, and lots of listener thoughts on slow productivity.
This episode of Focused is sponsored by:
- Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FOCUSED.
- Indeed: Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast.
Hyperlinking to Apple Notes
I’ve had some questions about generating direct links to Apple Notes — can it be done? The good news is that you can do it. … This is a post for the Early Access and Backstage MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
Mac Power Users 751: Vision Pro Check-in
On this episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I discuss Apple’s youngest platform and where it stands a few months after launch. We share some of our favorite apps and how spatial computing fits into our personal and professional lives.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
- Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code MPU.
Apple Mail and Flags
For years now I’ve had a secret struggle with flag count in Apple Mail. Every year we get a new set of betas and every year I try again, hoping that I can reliably use flags in Apple Mail. However, before long, the count always gets off.
What I mean is I may show 17 flagged emails on iPhone, 6 on my Mac, and 22 on iPad. For whatever reason it has been very difficult for Apple to keep that flag count reliable and in sync. I hesitate to make this post so early but so far, throughout beta 1 and now beta 2 of this year’s operating system updates, Apple Mail’s flag count has remained consistent.
Assigning flags is a lot easier than moving emails to separate folders. Moreover, since I have a few different email accounts, flags can work across all of them very easily. So my idea is to use flags as a sort of triage mechanism — but only if I can rely upon the flag count to work.
This year, for the first time, so far so good.
Automators 158: Hijacking Audio Automation with Paul Kafasis
In this episode of Automators, Rosemary and I are joined by Paul Kafasis from Rogue Amoeba to talk about automating audio, as well as his personal magic.
This episode of Automators is sponsored by:
- ScreenCastsONLINE: Get The Most Out of Your Apple Devices. Save 20% on your plan.
- ScriptRunner for Jira: The ultimate Jira automation and customisation toolset. Get 6 months free.