First Impressions: Kensington’s StudioDock Aims to Turn Your iPad Pro into an Expandable Desktop Workstation

The Kensington StudioDock.

The Kensington StudioDock.

Nearly a year ago in the middle of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic here in Italy, I published an article that would turn out to feel obsolete in less than a month: in my Modular Computer story, I detailed my experiments with various accessories for the iPad Pro and how the device was capable of filling different roles in my computing life thanks to the Smart Keyboard Folio, an external 4K monitor, Apple’s Magic Trackpad, and a set of kickstands. About a month later, my laptop setup for the iPad Pro was upended by the arrival of Apple’s Magic Keyboard; as a result of the Magic Keyboard’s floating design and integrated keyboard/trackpad approach, I’ve preferred using my iPad Pro in laptop mode more often, even when I’m sitting at my desk.

A year later, Italy is going through the so-called “third-wave” of the pandemic (with a terribly mismanaged vaccine rollout and, for whatever reason, a different government) and I’ve spent the past 24 hours testing Kensington’s long-anticipated StudioDock, a $400 docking station1 that aims to turn the iPad Pro into a desktop workstation with support for display rotation, expansion via USB-C, USB-A, and SD card slots, and integrated Qi charging for iPhone and AirPods. And just like last year, I find myself torn between appreciating the potential of this product and concerned about its timing given rumors of an impending iPad Pro refresh just around the corner.

A day of usage2 isn’t enough time to evaluate this kind of product and its long-term impact on an iPad user’s daily workflow. I feel particularly uncomfortable giving MacStories readers any sort of buying advice here because of the price tag (again, $400 for the StudioDock version I tested) and the short amount of time I was able to spend with the accessory. For these reasons, I’ll try my best to focus on what the StudioDock is, what I like about it in the context of modularity and converting the iPad Pro into something it’s not (or, at least, something Apple probably didn’t anticipate), and a few features it’s missing.

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Goodbye Spotlight, Hello Raycast [Sponsor]

Raycast is a native Mac productivity tool that defies definition because it’s so much more than just a replacement for Spotlight. By invoking Raycast from your keyboard, you can launch any app, but you can also:

  • Search for and access your files
  • Use third-party apps and services like G Suite, GitHub, Jira, Asana, Linear, and more
  • Check your schedule
  • Start, schedule, and join Zoom meetings
  • Access the clipboard
  • Set a reminder
  • Take a quick note
  • Control system functions on your Mac
  • And a whole lot more

Raycast is extensible with scripts too. Plus, the development team is working on an API that’s already in alpha that will make it easier than ever to get the most out of Raycast. See for yourself what you can do:

Raycast is a native app, which means it behaves as you’d expect on your Mac and is fast and responsive. The app also respects your privacy. There’s no login to use Raycast, your data doesn’t leave your Mac, and your credentials for third-party services are safely stored on your Mac in Keychain.

By letting you control your most important tools with just a few keystrokes, Raycast keeps you focused on what’s important to you. You avoid inefficient context switching and eliminate clutter, summoning what you need when you need it, so you can work smarter and more efficiently all day long.

Download Raycast for free right now to give it a try and level up your productivity.

Our thanks to Raycast for sponsoring MacStories this week.

Apple Has Discontinued the Original HomePod→

Matthew Panzarino at TechCrunch broke the news late Friday that Apple has discontinued the original HomePod. In a statement to TechCrunch Apple said:

HomePod mini has been a hit since its debut last fall, offering customers amazing sound, an intelligent assistant, and smart home control all for just $99. We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini. We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be available while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple will provide HomePod customers with software updates and service and support through Apple Care.

Already, the Space Gray HomePod is unavailable for delivery from Apple in the US, although you may be able to find one for pickup at your local Apple retail location.

The HomePod mini.

The HomePod mini.

As much as I’ve enjoyed my HomePod minis, and recognize the benefits of having more of them distributed throughout my home than I could afford to do with the original HomePod, I’ll miss it a lot. The mini is fundamentally more versatile than the original HomePod because of its size. However, despite sounding great for such a small speaker, its audio fidelity is no match for the larger model.

I hope this isn’t the end of Apple’s efforts in the high-end speaker market. Between the HomePod and the AirPods Max, the company has proven that it has the technical expertise to create superior speakers and headphones. This feels a lot like Apple is clearing the decks in advance of an event. Perhaps we’ll see an Apple soundbar paired with a new Apple TV or some other audio product before the end of the month.

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MacStories Unwind: Adobe Fresco, a New Portable Sonos Speaker, The Fitness+ Studio, and Podcast News

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Sponsored by: DEVONthink – Get Organized to Conquer the World

This week on MacStories Unwind:

MacStories

Club MacStories

  • MacStories Weekly
    • Federico shares three Taio automations
    • John on how to incorporate Twitter into your RSS reader
    • IINA Mac media player
  • MacStories Unplugged
    • Breaking dishes and other pandemic phenomena
    • Apple Arcade check-in

AppStories

Unwind

Sonos Announces the AirPlay 2-Compatible Roam Portable Speaker

Sonos has officially announced the Sonos Roam, a battery-powered, portable speaker that supports AirPlay 2 and several other interesting features. The speaker, which comes in white and black, doesn’t ship until April 20th, but you can preorder it now.

It remains to be seen how the Roam sounds, but the specs are interesting. The $169 speaker is a small, portable speaker at 6.61 x 2.44 x 2.36 inches and weighs in at just under one pound. The Roam is also designed for outdoor listening with its IP67 water resistance rating and can be paired with a second Roam speaker for stereo sound when connected over WiFi.

Sonos is claiming 10 hours of playback on one charge and 10 days of standby time. The speaker can be charged wirelessly with an optional Qi charging accessory or any other Qi charger that is large enough to accommodate it. The speaker can also be charged using a USB-C cable.

The Roam supports both WiFi and Bluetooth, switching automatically between the two depending on the type of connection available. Using a technique similar to Apple’s original HomePod, the Roam uses Sonos’ Trueplay technology to adjust audio output depending on the acoustics of its surroundings. The speaker also supports AirPlay 2 and Sonos’ Sound Swap, a feature that uses inaudible, high-frequency sound to pass the music off to another nearby Sonos speaker. The Roam also works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, as well as Siri if you’re using AirPlay 2.

I’ve used Libratone’s Zipp 2 portable speaker in the past, which also supports AirPlay 2, and I loved using it outdoors last summer. If Sonos can deliver the quality of sound that it’s known for at a reasonable volume, the Roam could play a similar role in a smaller package than the Zipp.

Adobe Fresco: A Fun and Powerful iPad Drawing and Painting App For Pros and Novices

I’m not an artist by any stretch, so when I started poking around Adobe’s Fresco, the drawing and painting app for the iPad and iPhone, I approached the app with trepidation. I shouldn’t have.

Fresco is undeniably a ‘pro’ iPad app. The app has a deep set of sophisticated features and integrations with Adobe’s other Creative Cloud apps and services. However, the app is also designed to scale with its users, meeting them where they start and growing with them, whether they are absolute beginners or seasoned pros.

Adobe accomplishes this in a couple of ways. The first is with Fresco’s business model. I’m sure many people who see an app of Fresco’s caliber assume it must be part of an expensive subscription, but it’s not. The app is free, and although there are benefits that only come with a Creative Cloud subscription, their absence from the free version of the app doesn’t detract from its core experience. You can go a long way with the free version, which makes it excellent for beginners and a good way for Adobe to attract new users.

Free is powerful, but it only goes so far. The second reason Fresco works for a broad spectrum of users is the app’s design. From the spot in the app to which every user is taken when they open their first canvas to the many ways to learn and draw inspiration from experienced users, Fresco’s thoughtful design provides a focused approach to drawing and painting that works for users at all levels.

Ultimately, it’s Fresco’s design that convinced me that this was a review I should write. I’m as guilty as the next person of assuming apps like Fresco are only for pro users. I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that that’s not true for Fresco. So let’s dive into what makes Fresco such a good place to start if you want to try drawing and painting with your iPad and iPhone.

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Apple Launches Kid-Friendly Podcast Collections

Apple has partnered with Common Sense Media to curate collections of podcasts for kids in the US. The shows are picked by Common Sense Media, an organization whose editors have a long history of helping parents and educators find age-appropriate media for children.

The shows currently highlighted in Apple Podcasts’ new collections are from a wide variety of creators like Tinkercast, American Public Media, Gen-Z Media, Pinna, Tumble, Highlights, WNYC Studios, Rebel Girls, and Nickelodeon. The collections will be updated monthly and will feature podcasts organized by age groups and themes. Currently, there are four themed collections available:

  • Common Sense Media Picks, a collection of some of the organization’s all-time favorite podcasts
  • One More!, a collection of mysteries and action-packed stories
  • Kids Know Best, shows picked by kids themselves
  • Story Time, which includes stories designed to spark kids’ imaginations
Some of the shows spotlighted in the One More! collection in Apple Podcasts.

Some of the shows spotlighted in the One More! collection in Apple Podcasts.

With the large number of podcasts available today, the guidance provided by these new collections is a terrific resource for families. There are a lot of shows here that I know my kids would have enjoyed when they were younger.

DEVONthink: Get Organized to Conquer the World [Sponsor]

DEVONthink is the one-stop, comprehensive solution for all your document and information management needs on the Mac and iOS. With DEVONthink, all of your documents, snippets, bookmarks, and more are available in one place, paired with powerful tools for organizing, managing, and searching it all. And right now, MacStories readers can purchase DEVONthink for 10% off.

The Mac app takes advantage of integrated artificial intelligence to assist you with filing new materials finding them with the app’s powerful search. Advanced Boolean operators and smart groups of saved searches make it easy to create refined searches that you can return to whenever you need them.

Managing your collection of documents and information is easy with DEVONthink smart rules and flexible reminders system too. Instead of manually managing everything, set up rules once and let DEVONthink take care of filing, renaming, imprinting PDFs, and other repetitive tasks. It’s surprising how leveraging just a few rules can automate the process, keeping your database organized.

DEVONthink also includes built-in OCR, so every PDF you save, whether it’s user manuals or a personal database of academic research papers, is fully text-searchable. Combined with DEVONthink’s powerful search capabilities, it’s the perfect solution for collections of reference materials of all kinds regardless of their size.

Synchronizing DEVONthink’s databases is flexible too. You can do so locally or with cloud-based services. Either way, everything is encrypted and fast.

What’s more, with DEVONthink’s brand-new iOS app, you have access to everything in your database right at your fingertips, no matter where you are. The iOS app has been completely overhauled with an elegant, modern UI, integrated OCR, extensive Shortcuts support, and much more.

There’s never been a better time to bring order to your documents, webpages, bookmarks, and everything else. Visit devontechnologies.com/macstories right now to learn more about how DEVONthink can help you gain the upper hand on your data and take advantage of a special 10% discount for readers.

Our thanks to DEVONthink for sponsoring MacStories this week.