Mac Power Users
1,304 episodes - English - Latest episode: 15 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1.3K ratingsLearn 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.
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Episodes
552: HomeKit in 2020, with Mikah Sargent
September 06, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBSince its introduction, HomeKit has steadily grown into a wide-reaching ecosystem for smart home devices. This week, Stephen and David talk with Mikah Sargent about HomeKit hardware and software, as well as ways to extend what Apple allows it to do in its default app.
551: Writing Music for the Picture Business, with David Metzger
August 30, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 90.8 MBDavid and Stephen are joined by orchestrator and composer David Metzger, whose resume includes *Frozen,* *Muppets Most Wanted,* *The Avengers,* *Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2* and more. He shares his setup, which includes multiple Macs networked together, numerous music applications and (eventually) a full-blown orchestra.
550: The World of RSS
August 23, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 75.7 MBRSS can bring news, blog posts and even podcasts to you, without needing to visit a bunch of different website. This week, Stephen and David talk about the rise of numerous RSS services and apps they've seen over the last few years, and share how this web technology makes their lives better.
549: Brett Terpstra's New Robe
August 16, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 71.1 MBBrett Terpstra returns to the show to talk about the Touch Bar, regular expressions, Markdown and what Apple Silicon Macs will mean for macOS applications and utilities.
548: Jumping Into Markdown
August 09, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 67.4 MBFrom jotting quick notes to writing for the web, Markdown has become a very popular choice for formatting plain text. It's syntax is human-readable and easy to learn. This week, David and Stephen teach Markdown 101 covering the more complex things the language can do.
547: Of a Certain Age, with Jim Metzendorf
August 02, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 83.9 MBThis week, the editor of Mac Power Users, Jim Metzendorf, talks to Stephen and David about his background in audio and photography, and how the gear and workflows have changed in those fields over the years.
Mac Power Users 547: Of a Certain Age, with Jim Metzendorf
August 02, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 83.9 MBThis week, the editor of Mac Power Users, Jim Metzendorf, talks to Stephen and David about his background in audio and photography, and how the gear and workflows have changed in those fields over the years.
Mac Power Users 546: The Best Listeners
July 26, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 91 MBOn this feedback show, David and Stephen go through some listener email, revisit notes apps and discuss remote troubleshooting iOS devices.
546: The Best Listeners
July 26, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 91 MBOn this feedback show, David and Stephen go through some listener email, revisit notes apps and discuss remote troubleshooting iOS devices.
545: State of the Apple Watch
July 19, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 94.3 MBThe Apple Watch has undergone massive changes since its introduction in 2014. This week, Stephen and David review some of that history, then launch into a conversation of the platform's strengths and weaknesses and how they use their Watches.
Mac Power Users 545: State of the Apple Watch
July 19, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 94.3 MBThe Apple Watch has undergone massive changes since its introduction in 2014. This week, Stephen and David review some of that history, then launch into a conversation of the platform's strengths and weaknesses and how they use their Watches.
544: The Notes Roundup
July 12, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 83.3 MBThe market for note taking applications is huge. There are options that just deal in plain-text, apps that serve as "everything buckets," and still others focused on automation. This week, David and Stephen cover some of the better options out there and share how they keep up with various bits of digital information in their lives.
Mac Power Users 544: The Notes Roundup
July 12, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 83.3 MBThe market for note taking applications is huge. There are options that just deal in plain-text, apps that serve as "everything buckets," and still others focused on automation. This week, David and Stephen cover some of the better options out there and share how they keep up with various bits of digital information in their lives.
543: A Developer's Summer, with Underscore David Smith
July 05, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 81.7 MBThis week, Underscore David Smith joins the show to talk about what life as a developer is like between WWDC and the fall when new versions of Apple's operating system ship.
Mac Power Users 543: A Developer's Summer, with Underscore David Smith
July 05, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 81.7 MBThis week, Underscore David Smith joins the show to talk about what life as a developer is like between WWDC and the fall when new versions of Apple's operating system ship.
542: Beta Tales
June 28, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 69.8 MBIt's beta season, and David and Stephen have reported for duty with reports of new features and general thoughts on macOS Big Sur, iOS and iPadOS 14 as well as watchOS 7. Plus, a brief announcement about something coming in July.
Mac Power Users 542: Beta Tales
June 28, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 69.8 MBIt's beta season, and David and Stephen have reported for duty with reports of new features and general thoughts on macOS Big Sur, iOS and iPadOS 14 as well as watchOS 7. Plus, a brief announcement about something coming in July.
541: WWDC 2020
June 23, 2020 02:30 - 1 hour - 88.7 MBRecorded just a few hours after the WWDC keynote, Stephen and David share their reactions to iOS 14, macOS Big Sur, and the Mac's transition to Apple-designed processors.
Mac Power Users 541: WWDC 2020
June 23, 2020 02:30 - 1 hour - 88.7 MBRecorded just a few hours after the WWDC keynote, Stephen and David share their reactions to iOS 14, macOS Big Sur, and the Mac's transition to Apple-designed processors.
540: Subroutine in the Brain
June 14, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 89.4 MBOn this feedback episode, David and Stephen talk more about email and working from home, but also get into what it takes to make a MacSparky Field Guide and some weird problems they've recently encountered with their tech.
Mac Power Users 540: Subroutine in the Brain
June 14, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 89.4 MBOn this feedback episode, David and Stephen talk more about email and working from home, but also get into what it takes to make a MacSparky Field Guide and some weird problems they've recently encountered with their tech.
539: Back to Email
June 07, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 104 MBDavid has finally roped Stephen into talking about email. Topics include email services, apps and strategies. Later in the show, they are joined by Rosemary Orchard and Myke Hurley to hear about two specific apps they use every day.
Mac Power Users 539: Back to Email
June 07, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 104 MBDavid has finally roped Stephen into talking about email. Topics include email services, apps and strategies. Later in the show, they are joined by Rosemary Orchard and Myke Hurley to hear about two specific apps they use every day.
538: I Predate the Home Computer, with James Thomson
May 31, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBPCalc developer James Thomson joins David and Stephen to talk about his background with the Mac, and what it take to build and maintain the same application over multiple decades.
Mac Power Users 538: I Predate the Home Computer, with James Thomson
May 31, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBPCalc developer James Thomson joins David and Stephen to talk about his background with the Mac, and what it take to build and maintain the same application over multiple decades.
537: The Photos Field Guide and Apple Photos
May 24, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 85.5 MBFrom the early days of iPhoto to now, with Photos.app and iCloud, Apple has offered increasingly-robust photo management tools for its users. This episode, David and Stephen walk through the features and tools you should know about.
Mac Power Users 537: The Photos Field Guide and Apple Photos
May 24, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 85.5 MBFrom the early days of iPhoto to now, with Photos.app and iCloud, Apple has offered increasingly-robust photo management tools for its users. This episode, David and Stephen walk through the features and tools you should know about.
536: Our Bags
May 17, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 65 MBA nerd's bag can say a lot about them. This week, David and Stephen empty theirs to talk through their choices and how they've changed over the years.
Mac Power Users 536: Our Bags
May 17, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 65 MBA nerd's bag can say a lot about them. This week, David and Stephen empty theirs to talk through their choices and how they've changed over the years.
535: State of the Platform: Apple Services
May 10, 2020 22:15 - 1 hour - 85.9 MBFrom iCloud to Apple TV+, Apple's range of services is broader then ever, but how do they all stack up? Is this shift to services changed how users should view the company?
Mac Power Users 535: State of the Platform: Apple Services
May 10, 2020 22:15 - 1 hour - 85.9 MBFrom iCloud to Apple TV+, Apple's range of services is broader then ever, but how do they all stack up? Is this shift to services changed how users should view the company?
534: The Business of Emoji, with Jeremy Burge
May 03, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 79.6 MBEmojipedia founder Jeremy Burge joins David and Stephen to talk about emoji, how they're made and why they've found such huge success. Then, he explains how tech needs change when one lives on a ⛵.
Mac Power Users 534: The Business of Emoji, with Jeremy Burge
May 03, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 79.6 MBEmojipedia founder Jeremy Burge joins David and Stephen to talk about emoji, how they're made and why they've found such huge success. Then, he explains how tech needs change when one lives on a ⛵.
533: Feeling Frisky with my Money
April 26, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 77.1 MBOn this feedback episode, David shares some about an upcoming studio move, and Stephen talks about recent experimentation with a teleprompter. Also on the docket: connected home cameras, more on working from home and the iPhone SE.
Mac Power Users 533: Feeling Frisky with my Money
April 26, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 77.1 MBOn this feedback episode, David shares some about an upcoming studio move, and Stephen talks about recent experimentation with a teleprompter. Also on the docket: connected home cameras, more on working from home and the iPhone SE.
532: BetterTouchTool
April 19, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 73.4 MBBetterTouchTool takes a Mac's input devices and turns them into automation triggers. It can transform the Touch Bar into a customized set of tools and make a Trackpad or Mouse much more powerful. This week Stephen and David dive into this utility and what it can do.
Mac Power Users 532: BetterTouchTool
April 19, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 73.4 MBBetterTouchTool takes a Mac's input devices and turns them into automation triggers. It can transform the Touch Bar into a customized set of tools and make a Trackpad or Mouse much more powerful. This week Stephen and David dive into this utility and what it can do.
531: Teaching with GoodNotes, with David MacDonald
April 12, 2020 22:15 - 1 hour - 93.9 MBDr. David MacDonald is a musician and professor with a unique way of using the iPad, Apple TV and GoodNotes together to engage and equip his students.
Mac Power Users 531: Teaching with GoodNotes, with David MacDonald
April 12, 2020 22:15 - 1 hour - 93.9 MBDr. David MacDonald is a musician and professor with a unique way of using the iPad, Apple TV and GoodNotes together to engage and equip his students.
530: Working From Home
April 05, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 70.8 MBAll of a sudden, many people are working from their homes for the first time. This week, Stephen and David tap into their combined decade of experience to share some of what has worked well for them at home.
Mac Power Users 530: Working From Home
April 05, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 70.8 MBAll of a sudden, many people are working from their homes for the first time. This week, Stephen and David tap into their combined decade of experience to share some of what has worked well for them at home.
529: State of the Mac
March 29, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 90.7 MBFor many of us, the Mac is the center of our computing lives, and it's no secret the Mac has had its up and downs over the last decade. This week, David and Stephen discuss the current hardware and software that makes up our beloved computing platform. As a bonus segment at the end, they talk about the 2020 iPad Pros.
Mac Power Users 529: State of the Mac
March 29, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 90.7 MBFor many of us, the Mac is the center of our computing lives, and it's no secret the Mac has had its up and downs over the last decade. This week, David and Stephen discuss the current hardware and software that makes up our beloved computing platform. As a bonus segment at the end, they talk about the 2020 iPad Pros.
528: The Merlin Awakens
March 22, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 106 MBMPU Hall of Famer Merlin Mann returns to discuss using plain text, home automation, the Apple TV and more.
Mac Power Users 528: The Merlin Awakens
March 22, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 106 MBMPU Hall of Famer Merlin Mann returns to discuss using plain text, home automation, the Apple TV and more.
527: Dictation and Text Capture
March 15, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 85.6 MBMuch of computing revolves around writing and text input, but most of us don't think about how to make that process more productive. This week, David and Stephen explore tools and techniques that make text easier to work with.
Mac Power Users 527: Dictation and Text Capture
March 15, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 85.6 MBMuch of computing revolves around writing and text input, but most of us don't think about how to make that process more productive. This week, David and Stephen explore tools and techniques that make text easier to work with.
526: I Don’t Aspire to Anything Else
March 08, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 82.2 MBIt's feedback time! David celebrates his 5th year of being independent, while Stephen has settled on an application to manage his tech history research. Then, more on Do Not Disturb and a whole bunch of listener questions.
Mac Power Users 526: I Don’t Aspire to Anything Else
March 08, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 82.2 MBIt's feedback time! David celebrates his 5th year of being independent, while Stephen has settled on an application to manage his tech history research. Then, more on Do Not Disturb and a whole bunch of listener questions.
525: Workflows with David Wain
March 01, 2020 23:00 - 1 hour - 69 MBWriter and director David Wain returns to the show to share how his creative process has changed over the years, and walks Stephen and David through the steps of making a show like *Medical Police.*