“Scary Fast” Apple Event on October 30

Apple is full of surprises this week with the announcement of a barely-October-almost-November event on October 30 at 17:00 Pacific. The new time is interesting, but I expect it is more than an experiment.

The graphics hint is the Mac Finder icon so expect Mac news. The question is which Macs are the news?

  • The 24″ iMac is still on the M1 chip and the M3 chip is rumored to be heading our way. Maybe we see new colorful M3 iMacs just in time for the holidays?
  • It seems early for an M3 MacBook Air and that’s a popular Mac. I have to wonder if they are getting M3 chips at sufficient scale to move that one up to M3 yet.
  • The rumor mill seems to think we’ll get M3 MacBook Pros. There are a lot of good reasons for that, but it would be strange seeing the new M3 chips on the upper end Macs before the lower end ones.

I don’t know anything more than what all the rumors are saying at this point. If it is a move to the 3nm M3, I approve. Back in the Intel days it took years for speed bumps. Maybe that comes faster in the age of Apple silicon?

I will add to the prediction list that if Craig Federighi makes a substantive appearance (it may just be about hardware, not software), they’ll find some way to put him in a Halloween costume. (I’ll go out on a limb and say vampire.)

Lastly, if you are in the MacSparky Labs, check your email tomorrow. I’m going to plan a Labs meetup for the day after.

Focused 189: Focus and AI

On this episode of Focused, Mike and I consider how various AI tools can help protect our focus and share what we’re using to boost our productivity and creativity.

This episode of Focused is sponsored by:

  • Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FOCUSED.
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Mac Power Users 715: To Gridfinity and Beyond

It’s feedback time on Mac Power Users. Stephen surprises me with a secret project after we wade through some follow-up. I then return the favor by booking Stephen’s 3D printer for the foreseeable future.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • TextExpander: 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.
  • CleanMyMac X: Your Mac. As good as new. Get 5% off today.
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  • NetSuite: The leading integrated cloud business software suite. Download NetSuite’s popular KPI Checklist, designed to give you consistently excellent performance.

AppleScript to Toggle Desktop Widgets

I’m a fan of the new Sonoma Desktop Widgets. However, I also make a living making screencasts and having all those widgets on screen can sometimes be a pain. There is a setting you can toggle under the Desktop & Dock settings:

The problem with this, of course, is that it’s a pain in the neck to get there. Who wants to do all that mousing and clicking? I wanted to automate this button so I can run a script that sets me up for screencasting and, among other things, turns off Desktop Widgets. So here’s a script that does just that. This was built with help from the AppleScript Sensei himself, Sal Soghoian. Below is a link to the zipped script file, as well as the script in plain text. I run it as part of a Keyboard Maestro macro that I’ve tied to a keyboard trigger. Enjoy.

Toggle-desktop-widgets-1Download

tell application "System Settings"
	activate
	reveal anchor "Widgets" of pane id "com.apple.Desktop-Settings.extension"

	repeat
		set currentPane to get current pane
		if currentPane is pane id "com.apple.Desktop-Settings.extension" then
			exit repeat
		else
			delay 1
		end if
	end repeat
end tell

delay 1

tell application "System Events"
	tell process "System Settings"
		set targetControl to checkbox "Show Widgets" of group 6 of scroll area 1 of group 1 of group 2 of splitter group 1 of group 1 of window 1
		click targetControl
	end tell
end tell

tell application "System Settings" to quit

DEVONthink, The Best Database Solution on Apple Platforms (Sponsor)

This week MacSparky is sponsored by DEVONthink. There are a lot of ways to manage a database on your Mac, but in my opinion, there is no better tool than DEVONthink. Just a few of the things I use DEVONthink for include:

A reliable repository of research documents. DEVONthink will hold as many documents as you can throw at it. In addition, it makes import (and export) easy, so you can have all that power without feeling trapped.

A research assistant. DEVONthink uses artificial intelligence to analyze and connect your documents in ways that may not otherwise occur to you. This isn’t that new-fangled-kinda-dumb AI. This is search AI that finds shockingly relevant documents. It’s spooky.

An OCR Tool. Everything you store in your DEVONthink Pro library gets OCR’d. It just happens.

An Automation Tool. DEVONthink lets you build powerful automation subroutines into your library to help tag, move, and organize documents.

DEVONthink supports multiple sync methods and lets you even use your own sync password, so everything is encrypted. If you’ve got an iPad or an iPhone, you can access your DEVONthink data there, too, with DEVONthink To Go.

It is this combination of power and security that makes DEVONthink the clear winner. You can think of DEVONthink as your paperless office. You can automate your workflow from capture to filing, editing to publishing. It stores all your documents, helps you keep them organized, and presents you with what you need to get the job done.

And of course the DEVONthink team never stops making improvements. The latest update (3.9.3) improves quoting, working with custom metadata, viewing computer code in Markdown, and preserving image quality when running PDFs through OCR. (There’s a bunch more)

Interested? MacSparky readers can get a 20% discount on DEVONthink. Use the code MACSPARKY2023 at checkout. This is a limited-time offer (and about to run out!), so check it out now.

The New Apple Pencil

New Apple Pencil

This week, Apple released a new budget Apple Pencil ($79 US) that dumps the Lightning connector for USB-C. I like that they took the trouble to change the design. The old Lightning pencil had the plug at the top, leaving me with a (nearly) irresistible desire to turn my iPad into the world’s most expensive and precarious lollipop. This new design saves us from the temptation.

This also marks another step in Apple removing the Lightning connector from the line. When considering what is next for the transition to USB-C, my money’s on keyboards, trackpads, and Magic Mouse. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Apple Mouse got a redesign in the process to something that doesn’t have to be turned on its side to charge?