Habit tracking apps have proliferated across the App Store in recent years, but Streaks by Crunchy Bagel, which is the first one I ever tried and reviewed, is still one of my favorites. This week it’s been updated with a trio of highly-customizable widgets, a library of watch faces, plus some design changes, new iPad features, and other updates.
Q&A
Question: I subscribe to a few email newsletters that invariably end up cluttering my inbox. Can you recommend any apps that provide a “dummy” email to consolidate my newsletters? (Andrea)
You have at least a couple of ways to approach this. One is using an RSS service like Feedbin or Inoreader. Feedbin provides its...
App Debuts
UpNote If you’re looking for an alternative to Apple’s notes app, one option worth considering is UpNote. The app is available for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac and has a striking clean design that makes fantastic use of white space. Notes are organized into notebooks that can be arranged however you like in the...
Introducing the iPad Pro mini
I’m seriously considering replacing my iPad mini with the iPad Air. Here’s why. I recently gave my mini to my wife, who broke the screen on her too-old 2nd gen model. She mostly uses the mini for messaging, reading, playing casual games, and web browsing. Still, even for those fairly lightweight uses, her aging mini...
MusicHarbor Unveils a New Mac-Ready iPad Design and Widgets
MusicHarbor by Marcos Tanaka has single-handedly kept me on top of my favorite music artists since I first learned about it from Federico. Tanaka has been updating the app regularly, refining the UI and adding handy new features. With the release of iOS and iPadOS 14, MusicHarbor has a brand new look and several widgets.
CARROT Weather Gains Flexibility with iOS 14 Widgets, Watch Complications, and Watch Face Sharing
The weather can vary a lot day-to-day in Chicago, so I’ve always had a weather app on my iPhone’s Home screen. For the past few years, I’ve used CARROT Weather, one of the most comprehensive such apps available on the App Store. CARROT’s Today widget and Watch complications are among the best of any app category, but with the release of iOS 14 and watchOS 7, developer Brian Mueller has taken CARROT Weather’s widgets and Watch complications to a new level.
iOS 14 widgets and watchOS 7’s more flexible complications and watch face sharing feel like they were tailor-made for an app like CARROT. The variety of data available in weather apps makes them perfect for creative widget and watch face implementations, which is precisely what you get with CARROT Weather. Let’s dig into what’s new.
Apple’s September 2020 Event: All The Little Things
Apple events are always full of little details that don’t make it into the main presentation. Some tidbits are buried in footnotes and others in release notes. Yesterday was no exception, so after having a chance to dig in a little deeper, here is an assortment of details about what Apple announced yesterday.
The New iPad Air and 8th Generation iPad: The MacStories Overview
During an online-only event from Apple Park in Cupertino, Apple introduced a new iPad Air that looks as though it will rival the iPad Pro in many respects. The company also took the wraps off its 8th generation base-model iPad, which features a faster SoC.
The previous-generation iPad Air was unveiled in March 2019 as a mid-tier iPad between the base model and iPad Pro. That model was essentially a cheaper version of the discontinued 10.5” iPad Pro updated with new internals. The older model Air started at $499 and supported many of the same features as the iPad Pro with the notable exceptions of Apple’s ProMotion technology and the second-generation Apple Pencil.
Replay Apple’s September 15, 2020 Keynote and iPad Air Video
If you didn’t follow the live stream or announcements as they unfolded at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino today, you can replay it on Apple’s Events site and catch the iPad Air and Apple Watch Series 6 videos on YouTube.
The keynote video can be streamed here and on the Apple TV using the Apple Events app. A high-quality version should be made available soon through iTunes on the Apple Events video podcast or you can watch it on YouTube. New this year is an American Sign Language version of the event, which is available here.
Apple also posted videos introducing the new iPad Air and Series 6 Apple Watch, which are available on the company’s YouTube channel and after the break.