The MacSparky Wall of Love

While I have never had a problem making content as MacSparky, I struggle with all the other little bits of running the business. I just want to make stuff. It’s my sincere desire to keep doing this for the duration and I acknowledge that if that’s to happen, I also need to work on the business parts of MacSparky, so one of my goals has been to (slowly) get better at that.

As part of that effort, I’ve set up a Testimonial system that I’ve been slowly rolling out and it’s going really well. I now have MacSparky Walls of Love for both the Field Guides and the Labs. If you have a moment and would like to leave a testimonial for the Fields Guides and/or the Labs, I’d sure appreciate it.

Farewell, Big iMac

In Jason Snell’s (excellent, as usual) review of the new M3 24” iMac, he reports on the currently-non-existent large iMac: “Apple told me that it has no plans to develop a 27-inch iMac again.”

Apple said the same thing to The Verge.

I have received many emails and messages from listeners and Labs members wanting to get a large iMac and asking how long they will have to wait. Based on this reporting, my answer will be, “Don’t wait; it’s not coming.”

I used to be a large iMac guy. I owned several of them over the years. If they released one today, I would not be interested. I’ve found I prefer the new world of separate computers and displays. My current display (a Pro Display XDR) has now worked with three different Macs. While there’s a higher cost going in, I think the math works out over time. Moreover, you can avoid that higher cost if you buy a non-Apple display.

When you look at the Mac compared to the iPhone, it is a blip on the Apple product line. Moreover, I expect if we had the numbers, you’d find that desktop Macs are but a blip compared to laptop Macs. So, when it comes to desktop Macs, we’re talking about a blip of a blip. I can understand why Apple doesn’t want to spend the time and resources to make a large iMac.

In hindsight, their messaging on this has been pretty straightforward: They view the 24-inch iMac as halfway between the little one and the big one and good enough for an iMac. I bought my daughter (a teacher) an M1 iMac as a graduation present (in yellow!). She loves it. I asked if she thinks it should be bigger, and she declined, “It fits perfectly on my desk.”

If you want something bigger, they want you to buy a Mac mini or Mac Studio along with one of their displays. Many people will not be happy with this decision but that is the reality. That doesn’t mean Apple isn’t capable of changing its mind. Remember when they got out of the display business? But if you need new hardware, I would not plan on waiting for that day.

I don’t think Apple is being coy. I think they view themselves as out of the big iMac business.

Focused 190: Overdosing on Gratitude, with Karl Staib

Process consultant Karl Staib joins Mike and me on this episode of Focused to talk about process design, delegation, and the power of gratitude.

This episode of Focused is sponsored by:

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Audio Hijack Is the Mac’s Best Audio Recorder, and So Much More (Sponsor)

Audio Hijack lets you record any audio on your Mac, from individual applications like Safari or Zoom, hardware audio devices like microphones and mixers, or even the audio output of the entire system. If you can hear it, you can record it. Whatever you need to do with audio on your Mac, Audio Hijack can help.

  • Record conversations from Zoom, FaceTime, and other VoIP apps
  • Save streaming audio from the web
  • Create podcasts, both remote and in-studio
  • Digitize vinyl
  • And so much more

To say Audio Hijack is essential to me for my work is an understatement. But my family and I find uses for Audio Hijack all the time. For example, my wife is now in the Disneyland Candlelight Christmas Choir. She wanted to practice but didn’t have any recordings. So we got last year’s concert on YouTube and downloaded the audio with Audio Hijack so now she can practice in the car.

Last week, Rogue Amoeba shipped Audio Hijack 4.3 with a brand-new Transcribe block to turn any spoken audio into text. The Mac’s best audio recording tool now also gives you unlimited transcription, without ongoing charges. Transcribe audio from a mic, an app, or a file. It’s great for video meetings, podcasts, and so much more. Read all about it in the Audio Hijack 4.3 blog post.

Through the end of November, MacSparky readers can save 20% by purchasing with coupon code SPARKS20. Visit the Audio Hijack site to download the free trial.