Mac Power Users 704: “The Details Matter,” with Shahid Kamal Ahmad

Video game industry veteran Shahid Kamal Ahmad rejoins Mac Power Users to catch Stephen and me up on his work and evolving setup. Then, we dive into gaming on visionOS, the current state of Android, and a lot more.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

1Passwor d: Never forget a password again.
MacPa w: Introducing Moonlock, the new cybersecurity division at MacPaw, and the upgraded CleanMyMac Malware removal module.
Squ arespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code MPU.
Tailscal e: Secure remote access to shared resources. Sign up today.

The Second Screen Experiment (MacSparky Labs)

On a recent Mac Power Users episode, I boldly proclaimed how much I love my big screen, and I had no interest in a second monitor.… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?

August Live Events in the MacSparky Labs

We’ve got a lot on deck in the MacSparky Labs for August

The Notifications Webinar a few days ago went great. I’ll be releasing a video for members in the next few days
August 11 – Focus Session (Levels 2-3)
August 17 – Q3 Midpoint Planning Call (Level 3)
August 19 – Monthly Meetup (Levels 2-3)
August 24 – Deep Dive on Planning Your Ideal Week (Level 3)
August 31 – Focus Session (Levels 2-3)

If you are an Early Access or Backstage member, you should have received an email with all the details and links. If you’d like to get access to these live events, why not join the MacSparky Labs?

Apple Watch Survey and the MacSparky Newsletter

I’ve been working on improving the MacSparky newsletter lately, and it’s getting pretty good. If you haven’t subscribed, please consider. This week’s newsletter covered the Apple Watch and how I think everyone uses it differently. I included a survey, and I’d love for you to fill it out. I’ll be reporting back on the results in a bit.

The Lab Report – 4 August 2023 (MacSparky Labs)

It’s time for the latest Lab Report from MacSparky, covering this week’s Apple news and updates…This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?

This Month in the MacSparky Labs

Here’s what I sent out to Labs Members in July 2023:

2023-07-31 – Notification Week Announcement (Levels 1-3)
2023-07-28 – The Lab Report – 28 July 2023 (Levels 1-3)
2023-07-28 – Obsidian Field Guide Status Update (Level 3)
2023-07-26 – Using CleanShot X (Levels 1-3)
2023-07-25 – Testing AudioPen (Levels 2-3)
2023-07-24 – The July MacSparky Labs Meetup (Levels 2-3)
2023-07-21 – The Lab Report – 21 July 2023 (Levels 1-3)
2023-07-19 – Apple’s New Autocorrect and Predictive Text (Levels 1-3)
2023-07-18 – Renaming Files with Name Mangler (Levels 2-3)
2023-07-17 – Addressing AI with Friends (Levels 1-3)
2023-07-14 – The Lab Report – 14 July 2023 (Levels 1-3)
2023-07-12 – Changes to Apple Notes in the 2023 Betas (Levels 2-3)
2023-07-11 – Sparky’s Prime Day Purchases and a Few Recommendations (Levels 1-3)
2023-07-10 – Setting Up and Using Downie (Levels 2-3)
2023-07-07 – July Meetup Details (Levels 2-3)
2023-07-07 – The Lab Report – 7 July 2023 (Levels 1-3)
2023-07-06 – Q3 Planning with Sparky (Level 3)
2023-07-04 – The OS Betas Deep Dive (Level 3)
2023-07-03 – A Stream Deck Intervention (Levels 1-3)
2023-07-01 – Q3 Planning with Sparky (Level 3)

If you’d like to be a part of the MacSparky Labs, you can join right here.

Notification Strategies (MacSparky Labs)

Here is an explanation of just a few of the concerns when coming up with an organized system for managing notifications on your Apple devices.… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?

Focused 183: Practicing Focus

Join Mike and me on this episode of Focused as we discuss how we inject focus into our workdays, and Mike shares about his tiny house retreat experience.

This episode of Focused is sponsored by:

V itally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting.
NetSuite: The leading integrated cloud business software suite. Get a special one-of-a-kind financing offer: no interest, no payments for six months.
Indee d: Join more than three million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast.

A Cellular MacBook

I don’t usually comment on Apple patents because there are so many of them, and they typically don’t mean what you think they mean.

However, this one about improved cellular technologies in MacBooks has me taking the bait. The case for a cellular MacBook in the Intel days was good. The case for a cellular MacBook in the age of Apple silicon is infinitely better. Apple already makes devices with Apple chips that have cellular radios. Indeed, quite a lot of them. In my opinion, at this point, every MacBook purchase should have a “Would you like a cellular radio with this?” checkbox on it, just like the iPads do.

If I had to guess, Apple is waiting to release its own long-awaited cellular radio chip before taking the plunge. However, if Apple still doesn’t have a cellular radio option for the MacBook when that day arrives, I’ll be out of ideas as to why not.

Notifications Audit (MacSparky Labs)

Here are some further details on wrangling notifications and my initial attempt at getting some of the noisier apps out of my notifications… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Level 3 (Early Access) and Level 2 (Backstage) Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?