The force is strong with this one.
“Let Loose” Event Meetup on Wednesday
Next Tuesday May 7, Apple is holding an event called “Let Loose,” which is presumably all about the new iPads. It sounds to me like it’s time for a gathering of the MacSparky Labs tribe to discuss what we think of the announcements.
… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
The Lab Report for May 3, 2024
It’s time for the Lab Report, covering this week’s Apple news, rumors, and more… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
Apple’s Looming International Struggles
As I continue to follow news reports about the regulations arising from Europe and decreasing sales in China, in Q1 2024, Apple experienced a 25% year-over-year decrease. I can’t help but think that Apple has some heavy rowing ahead with respect to international markets. As governments are starting to take an active role in regulating smartphones and related technologies, Apple is increasingly under scrutiny.
I expect it’s only a question of time before some government demands that Apple give them a backdoor into user privacy as a condition of selling in their market. At that point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple just pulled out of that market. Indeed, I would expect it.
For years, smartphone (and social media) businesses were allowed to expand without regulation or oversight. It looks as if that is coming to an end.
Fixkey: Grammar Correction Anywhere with One Keystroke (Sponsor)
Grammar correction is, in my opinion, one task where AI shines. This week’s sponsor, Fixkey.ai, is an excellent implementation of grammar-correcting AI that you can use anywhere on your Mac. Fixkey is an app on your Mac that, with a single keystroke, will grab your text and check it against an artificial intelligence grammar checker. It can then rewrite an entire sentence, without you having to click on individual issues; it just fixes them. It can even show you what it’s changing. You don’t need to click on single words to correct them. Just trigger Fixkey and let it do its work.
I’ve been using Fixkey for several months, and I’m impressed. I love that it works everywhere and gives me a way to quickly clean up and improve my writing. Its ubiquity is what really makes it work. Type anywhere on your Mac, and you have the Fixkey AI copilot at your back.
With Fixkey Pro, you can access all the new features, get 24-hour support, as well as unlimited use of AI models to translate many languages into English. You can even set up custom prompts. Best of all, the gang at Fixkey.ai will give you a 30% discount with coupon code MACSPARKY30.
New Ringtones and Building Your Own
In this video, I share some of the new built-in ringtones for iPhone. I also teach you how to build your own ringtones right on your phone using downloaded sounds and GarageBand.
… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
Tasks are Stored Intentions
I recently heard my friend, Kourosh Dini, explain tasks as “stored intentions”. I think that’s a wonderful outlook for tasks. Too often, we think of tasks as obligations or future sources of guilt. And really, all they are is unfulfilled intentions.
Intentions, like tasks, can change. They should adapt as circumstances change. This flexibility is more important than any task management tool. It reminds you that your attitude towards task management and your choice to commit to a task are personal and can be adjusted to suit your needs.
Building Virtual Seneca
As I’ve been playing more with AI tools, I decided to see if I could build my own virtual version of the Roman philosopher Seneca, to occasionally give me advice.… This is a post for the Early Access and Backstage MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
This Month in the MacSparky Labs
Here’s what took place in the Labs for the month of April 2024:
- 2024-04-30 – Building Virtual Seneca (Levels 2-3)
- 2024-04-26 – The Lab Report for April 26, 2024 (Levels 1-3)
- 2024-04-24 – Relative Dates with OmniFocus 4.2 (Levels 1-3)
- 2024-04-23 – Podcast – FOD – Visit-based Productivity with Kourosh Dini (Levels 2-3)
- 2024-04-23 – Video – FOD – Visit-based Productivity with Kourosh Dini (Levels 2-3)
- 2024-04-19 – The Lab Report for April 19, 2024 (Levels 1-3)
- 2024-04-17 – Using TimeZone in Alfred (Levels 1-3)
- 2024-04-17 – April 2024 Deep Dive – Ideal Weeks (Level 3)
- 2024-04-16 – Testing Godspeed Task Manager (Levels 2-3)
- 2024-04-12 – The Lab Report for April 12, 2024 (Levels 1-3)
- 2024-04-10 – Stream Deck Profiles and Focus Modes (Levels 1-3)
- 2024-04-09 – Should I Ditch My ScanSnap? (Level 2)
- 2024-04-08 – My Current Infatuation with Whisper-based Transcription (Level 1)
- 2024-04-05 – A Few Ideas from Q2 Planning (Levels 1-3)
- 2024-04-05 – The Lab Report for April 5, 2024 (Level 1)
- 2024-04-04 – Q2 2024 Planning Session (Level 3)
- 2024-04-03 – Labs Meetup – April 2024 (Level 2)
- 2024-04-03 – Launching Shortcuts with Alfred (Level 1)
- 2024-04-02 – Using Shapr3D to Design for 3D Printing (Level 2)
If you’d like to be a part of the MacSparky Labs, you can get more information and join right here.
Hypothetical M4 iPads
Mark Gurman is now reporting that the new iPad Pro we’ll get next week may include the M4 chip. Because that particular chip is expected to have new AI features, the argument is that adding it to the new iPad Pro would help boost sales as Apple goes deeper into AI at WWDC in June.
While I think Apple will turn the M4’s AI features into a selling point, I find it hard to believe we’ll get one next week. They still haven’t released the M3 chip for all the existing Mac hardware. Wouldn’t it be strange if an iPad had an M4 while the Mac Studio was still on an M2? The good news is we don’t have to wait long to find out.