621: Sparky Freedom
After 15 years of living a double life, David has closed down his law practice and is now working on MacSparky projects full-time.
Jan 03, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 621
Mac Power Users
Learn about getting the most from your Apple technology with focused topics and workflow guests. Creating Mac Power Users since 2009, one conversation at a time. Hosted by David Sparks and Stephen Hackett.
Episodes
620: The State of Apple in 2021
As the year draws to a close, David and Stephen survey the landscape and talk through the products, services and policies that have shaped Apple and its users over the last year.
Dec 26, 2021•2 hr 19 min•Ep. 620
619: Home Studio Updates
David had to move his home office, while Stephen built a cabin. This week, the guys compare notes on how their studios have evolved over the last couple of years.
Dec 19, 2021•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 619
618: Making Movies at Pixar, with John Soliman
Stephen and David chat with John Soliman, a 2nd Assistant Editor at Pixar about his workflows and how collaboration works at the studio.
Dec 12, 2021•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 618
617: Back in Whack
David and Stephen are joined by Apple's Jeremy Butcher to discuss the company's new Business Essentials program. Then, the guys revisit iCloud storage management, clipboard apps and email providers. USB-C hubs and migrating to an Apple silicon Mac are also discussed.
Dec 05, 2021•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 617
616: The Quality Will be Ensured, with Daniel Jalkut
Stephen and David are joined by Daniel Jalkut. After his absence is blamed on an innocent co-host, Daniel chats with the guys about his indie development career, the new MacBook Pro and the many options developers face when picking a method for writing a macOS application.
Nov 28, 2021•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 616
615: The Clipboard Manager Roundup
There is a range of applications to supercharge your copy and paste game. This week, David and Stephen explore some of the best options for macOS and even the iPad and iPhone.
Nov 21, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 615
614: The 2021 MPU Gift Guide
Believe it or not, it is time for the annual MPU Holiday Gift Guide once again.
Nov 14, 2021•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 614
613: The Future of Work, with Sean McCabe
David and Stephen talk with Sean McCabe about how he runs his businesses from what can only be described as a Mac battle station while stitching together macOS apps and several cloud services to be more productive.
Nov 07, 2021•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 613
612: macOS Monterey & MacBook Pro Impressions
David and Stephen review macOS Monterey and cover the features and changes it brings to the Mac. Then, the guys give their impressions of the new M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pros.
Oct 31, 2021•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 612
611: Unleashed, Indeed
This week, Stephen and David talk through Apple's new batch of MacBook Pros, powered by the M1 Pro and M1 Max systems on a chip.
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 611
610: iPad Workflows
Fresh off the release of iPadOS 15, David and Stephen cover the update's revised multitasking system and talk about some of their favorite workflows for the iPad.
Oct 14, 2021•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 610
609: "Sir, Get out of the E-waste"
In this feedback episode, Stephen and David discuss recent updates to iWork, more on various editions of DEVONthink and go through some listener feedback.
Oct 10, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 609
608: DEVONthink & New Apple Hardware
David's newest Field Guide covers DEVONthink, and this week he and Stephen discuss the application, some example uses and the basics anyone looking at it should know. After that, they review the new iPhone and iPad mini.
Oct 03, 2021•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 608
607: iOS & iPadOS 15
iOS and iPadOS 15 have arrived, bringing new features to Apple's mobile devices, including Focus modes, Live Text, new Home screen widgets, Safari extensions and a lot more. David and Stephen discuss their experiences with the beta and outline what's best in this year's upgrade.
Sep 26, 2021•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 607
606: California Streaming
Apple has unveiled new versions of the iPhone, Apple Watch and a couple different iPads. This week, David and Stephen talk through the news and their thoughts on the new products.
Sep 19, 2021•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 606
605: File Management in the Cloud Era
Files and folders have been with the Mac user since the very beginning, but today, file management has gotten a lot more complicated. This week, Stephen and David tackle the topics of tags, search, backups, cloud services and more, all in the hope of untangling the mess that storage has become for so many.
Sep 12, 2021•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 605
604: Workflows with Jay Miller
Jay Miller, from Relay's new Conduit podcast, joins to share some knowledge about the best workflows for video meetings, getting more out of the emerging Craft app and even more uses for a Mac mini.
Sep 05, 2021•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 604
603: Workin' with iWork
Starting with a pet project for Steve Jobs, all the way to a modern, web-infused set of applications across multiple platforms, iWork has expanded into a suite of tools more than capable of meeting almost anyone's needs. This week, Stephen and David talk through Keynote, Pages and Numbers, giving tips and comparing them to office suites offered by other companies.
Aug 29, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 603
602: Was that a Rabbit Hole?
In this feedback episode, Stephen and David discuss website redesigns, quote applications, encryption, virtualizing Windows and a whole lot more.
Aug 22, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 602
601: Soup Blasphemy with Kathy Campbell
Kathy Campbell is all over the Internet, as both a content creator and a business owner. She's a podcaster, artist, task-doer and so much more. Stephen and David talk with her about how she uses a mix of an iPad Pro, iMac Pro and a bunch of apps and services to keep all the plates spinning.
Aug 15, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 601
600: Mac Migration & Settings
The Apple silicon transition continues to march on, so David and Stephen sit down to talk about how to migrate to a new Mac, and what settings and preferences they recommend changing from the defaults.
Aug 08, 2021•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 600
599: A Man of the People, with Dr. Drang
Dr. Drang returns to the show to discuss his recent Mac renaissance, the way he manages notes and some of his favorite utilities.
Aug 01, 2021•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 599
598: Home Networking
Our homes and businesses have become more technology-dependent, and having a solid network is more important than ever. This week, the guys talk about what goes into designing and maintaining reliable wired and wireless networks, and give some advice if you're looking to upgrade yours.
Jul 25, 2021•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 598
597: A Ray of Sunshine, with Brett Burney
This week Apple enthusiast and lecturer, Brett Burney, joins Stephen and David to discuss differences between iWork and Microsoft Office, give presentations with your iPad and how to rock a TRS-80.
Jul 18, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 597
596: 30 iPhone Apps Under $10
The App Store is a big place, and the iPhone can become anything you want it to be. Today, Stephen and David talk about 30 apps worth checking out — all on a budget.
Jul 11, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 596
595: The Poetic Mike Vardy
Mike Vardy returns to the show to update David and Stephen on where he's found balance between the iPad and the Mac. Mike also discusses how he blends analog and digital tools, and how he shares tasks and ideas with his remote team.
Jul 04, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 595
594: A Third Alternative
It is feedback time, so David and Stephen are here with listener questions, their experiences with Apple's current crop of betas and the future of Day One.
Jun 27, 2021•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 594
593: It’s All Based on Stickies, with Paul Kafasis
Stephen and David are joined by Paul Kafasis to talk about Mac software development in the modern era, some of Rogue Amoeba's history and the tools Paul uses to get his work done.
Jun 20, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 593
592: WWDC 2021 and the Future of Mac Automation
WWDC 2021 has brought new versions of all of Apple's software platforms, with a large number of features coming to them all at once. This week, Stephen and David talk through the changes, and speak to Apple's Vivek Bhardwaj about the new Shortcuts for Mac and what it means for traditional (and future) Mac automation.
Jun 11, 2021•2 hr 10 min•Ep. 592
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