I’ve been using an M1 iMac review unit since early June and haven’t fallen for a new Mac quite as hard as I did for the M1 iMac in a long time. It wasn’t the first M1 Mac I’d tried, but the iMac’s design sets it apart from earlier M1 Macs in a way that...
AppStories, Episode 251 – Obsidian In Depth: The Basics (Part 1)→
This week on AppStories, we introduce part one of a new series on Obsidian, explaining what the app is and does, why it’s important, the compromises that come along with using a non-native app, and how we are using it.
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On AppStories+, John says goodbye to his M1 iMac review unit and reflects on how it has changed the way he uses the Mac, and Federico explains how he’s using Spark with Apple’s Reminders app.
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Apple Podcasts Names Its Best Show and Newcomer of 2021
On the heels of the Apple Music Awards, Apple has announced its picks for the Best Show of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, along with the Top New Show, Top Free Channel, Top Show with Subscription, and Top Channel with Subscription. 2021 saw Apple move into subscription-based podcasts and channels that allow podcast producers to create collections of shows, both of which are reflected in the top charts announced today. According to the company’s press release:
“2021 marked the start of a new chapter for podcasting with shows that moved us in ways unlike ever before,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “We are honored to recognize the phenomenal creators who are redefining podcasting with this year’s best shows, and to help more listeners around the world discover, enjoy, and support their inspiring work.”
The 2021 Apple Podcasts Awards winners are:
- Best Show of the Year: “A Slight Change of Plans” with Maya Shankar from Pushkin Industries
- Newcomer of the Year: “Anything for Selena” with Maria Garcia from WBRU and Futuro Studios
Apple’s Podcasts editorial team has also created a curated collection of Top Shows and Top Episodes of 2021 and reported the year-end Top Charts of the most popular free and subscription-based shows and channels. Those lists, along with the award winners, can be found in a special Best of 2021 section of the Apple Podcasts app.
Podcasts continue to be one of the hottest media categories, experiencing rapid growth and experimentation with new business models, including subscriptions like Apple Podcasts program. Apple Podcasts Subscriptions got off to a rocky start earlier this year, but it also isn’t nearly as difficult to use as some people suggest in my experience. I expect that over time, Apple Podcasts Subscriptions will continue to grow as podcasters explore new ways to build sustainable shows.
Apple Announces the 2021 Apple Music Awards
The Apple Music Awards are back, honoring artists in several categories. This is the third year Apple has held the awards and, as was the case the past two years, honors were bestowed for Global Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Top Song of the Year, and Top Album of the Year. This year, however, the company also named five Regional Artists of the Year for Africa, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia:
“The past 12 months have proved to be a remarkable year for music, and we’re thrilled to honor the artists who are shaping culture and connecting with fans around the world on Apple Music,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “This year we’re also recognizing more regional artists, showing the world the impact of extraordinary talented musicians who are making waves globally.”
Each Apple Music Award is commemorated with a unique award featuring a 12-inch silicon wafer suspended between a sheet of glass and anodized aluminum. Similar to last year, Apple is celebrating the annual awards with “interviews, original content, and more” on Apple Music and the Apple TV app beginning December 7th.
The 2021 Apple Music Awards winners are:
- Global Artist of the Year: The Weeknd
- Breakthrough Artist of the Year: Olivia Rodrigo
- Top Album of the Year: SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo
- Top Song of the Year: drivers license by Olivia Rodrigo
- Songwriter of the Year: H.E.R.
- Artist of the Year (Africa): Wizkid
- Artist of the Year (France): Aya Nakamura
- Artist of the Year (Germany): RIN
- Artist of the Year (Japan): OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM
- Artist of the Year (Russia): Scriptonite
It’s not surprising that Olivia Rodrigo won multiple awards this year. Few artists have had the immediate impact on music streaming services that Rodrigo has. It’s also good to see Apple add regional Artists of the Year for the first time. Music is a global media force, but that hasn’t diminished the importance and impact of the medium on a regional level. I hope Apple expands the regional Artist of the Year category to other countries and regions in the future.
Also, it will be interesting to see what Apple has in store beginning December 7th. Events like the Apple Music Awards are the sort of opportunity for integration across multiple Apple services that the company hasn’t done a lot of to date. I’d love to see interviews, live performances, music video collections, playlists, album commentaries by the winners, and podcasts brought together in a unified package that makes it easy to access all related content.
Jason Tate’s Dedicated Now Playing Mini-Computer→
As you can imagine, Jason Tate, Chorus.fm’s founder, listens to a lot of music. He wanted a dedicated device that displays the music he listens to throughout the day, so as a weekend project, he built what he wanted:
A small Raspberry Pi powered screen that displays what I am currently listening to. It sits, unassuming, next to my computer on the desk. When no music is playing it displays my most listened to albums from the past week, as well as some my music listening stats pulled from Last.fm.
The device consists of a Raspberry Pi Zero WH, a 4” screen, a 3D-printed enclosure, and other parts. The Pi runs Linux, serving a purpose-built website hosted on a Chorus.fm server that periodically polls the Last.fm API to fetch the currently playing song. The Now Playing screen’s design looks fantastic and is inspired by Marvis Pro, an Apple Music client for the iPhone and iPad that I wrote about last week in MacStories Weekly. If nothing is playing, the device shows Tate’s Last.fm listening stats and top albums played during the past week.
A nice final touch is that Tate’s creation can be controlled entirely with a shortcut that run shell scripts on the Raspberry Pi, allowing it to be shut down, rebooted, and refreshed, or the screen to be turned on and off separately.
I love projects like this and immediately began thinking of ways it could be extended using Apple’s MusicKit framework. Tate is using the device he built on his desk, but the size would work in a lot of environments like a kitchen countertop or bedside table. With the cold weather descending on Chicago, this seems like the perfect sort of project to dig into after the holidays. If you’re interested in learning more and building your own, Jason Tate’s story includes everything you’ll need.
Obsidian In Depth: The Basics (Part 1)
Federico
AppStories Episode 251 - Obsidian In Depth: The Basics (Part 1)
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This week, Federico and John introduce part one of a new series on Obsidian, explaining what the app is and does, why it’s important, the compromises that come along with using a non-native app, and how they are using it.
This episode is sponsored by:
Links and Show Notes
Getting Started with Obsidian
- Obsidian
- Obsidian Discord and Forum
- Federico’s Obsidian Setup Series for Club MacStories
- My Obsidian Setup, Part 1: Sync, Core Plugins, Workspaces, and Other Settings
- My Obsidian Setup, Part 2: Themes, Mobile Quick Action and Toolbar, and Third-Party Plugins
- My Obsidian Setup, Part 3: My ‘Dashboard’ Note for Quick Links, Todoist Tasks, Saving Ideas, and Keeping Track of Current Projects
- My Obsidian Setup, Part 4: Templates for Weekly Posts and Custom Mobile Toolbar
- My Obsidian Setup, Part 5: Appending Text and Webpage Links to Specific Sections of My ‘Dashboard’ Note
- Other Club MacStories Obsidian Coverage
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