Issue #172 | Subscribe

It's that time of the year, and Apple's OS lineup is getting a fresh coat of paint — or rather, liquid glass.

The new design has received mixed reactions on social media, but I believe there are elements that enhance the user experience.

For example, Safari's compact tabs mode gives more space to the web page, and the floating controls look fantastic:

Image Credit: Apple

But what I'm most excited about these new releases are:

1. Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence

The Shortcuts app is already a powerful way to automate tasks on an Apple device, and the new Apple Intelligence action in the app will make connecting AI to our workflows easier.

I have built a shortcut that currently relies on ChatGPT to convert my dictated tasks for the day into actual to-do items in the Reminders app.

With this new Apple Intelligence action, I can swap out ChatGPT with on-device AI assistance that is much faster and doesn't require a stable internet connection.

Also, Automation support, i.e., running shortcuts automatically in response to app actions or at a time of the day, was missing from macOS. The new version adds that feature.

2. Spotlight is more powerful now

I switched to Raycast a few months ago to make certain parts of my newsletter and blog post workflow easier and faster, such as downloading the thumbnail of a YouTube video, converting article titles to Title case, and cleaning up links, among other tasks.

But Spotlight on macOS Tahoe can do many of the actions that Raycast does, and with Shortcuts, I could make my existing workflows work on Spotlight:

Image Credit: Apple

3. Apple Notes has Markdown support

On the new OSes, at least on macOS Tahoe and iPadOS 26, Apple Notes will allow importing and exporting notes in Markdown format.

This seems like a minor change, but it's great for note portability and long-term note safety — similar to what Obsidian promotes, the file-over app philosophy.

I use Apple Notes as my note-taking app for everything. Now, instead of my notes being locked inside the Apple Notes app, I can export them in a .md format, which I can back up on external storage or pass them through an AI app or automation step to make more use of my notes.

I'm excited to try these new OS updates.

How about you? Do you like the new updates?

By the way, I'm building a macOS app.

It's built on a Japanese philosophy that I've been fascinated by for a while, and I'll share more about it in next week's newsletter issue.

Now, speaking of good workflows, have you seen Forage Mail yet?

Before you move on to the rest of this newsletter issue, here are a few words from:

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Your Next Read

Thriving

The Notebook

I've been interested in using notebooks and notecards more often to write down ideas, tasks and other short notes. If you're in a similar stage, try this book.

Apps & Services

(Not Boring) Camera

A fun, 3D-ish camera app for iPhone

(Not Boring) has a reputation for turning regular apps into fun-to-use alternatives. And this new camera app is no exception. Assemble your 3D retro camera in the app and use it to capture photos with no overprocessing, added film grain and pre-loaded professional styles. Available on iOS and is free to start.
Scrum Planning

Plan task estimates with your team

At my previous office, we used to plan task estimates through a voting session on Zoom, where everyone sent their estimates in the meeting chat. This app makes the task of scrum planning easier and more fun. Create a room where people can join and vote anonymously. Once everyone has voted, you can reveal all votes. Available on the Web for free.
Pixeldrop

Pixelate sensitive stuff on your photos

If you’ve ever wanted an easy way to redact sensitive information from screenshots or photos or pixelate faces for privacy, this app is the one. Load an image and redact anything by pixelating a portion of it. Uses local processing for privacy. Available on iOS for free.

Handy Shortcut

⌘

E

Quickly edit the current item in the 1Password macOS app.

Interesting Reads

Automating Boring Tasks with AI

19 min read

Making AI Work

In Part III of the Making AI Work series, I'll show you many approaches where you can offload a part of your existing workflows or entire tasks reliably to the available AI tools in the market. Make more time for work that interests you by letting AI do the boring bits.
6 Paradoxic Truths of Life

7 min read

You may have heard of these truths, but they’re worth remembering because these are timeless lessons that apply to most of us. Here’s the one that has had the most impact on my life: “You can’t *change* the people around you, but you can change the *people* around you.”
How to Prep an Emergency Go Bag On a Budget

5 min read

I’ve never thought of making a go bag for emergencies, but this short guide seems like an approachable and budget-friendly way to make one. What about you? Do you have a go bag?
Knowledge Work Is Dying — Here’s What Comes Next

13 min read

The primary takeaway from this article is that being knowledgeable about a topic isn’t going to be enough anymore, but rather how you blend your knowledge with personal experiences to solve real problems. Read on for more nitty gritty.

Watch Next

A short film by Hugh Clegg, where he wanders around London asking people, “Do you feel lonely?” to find answers to his feelings of loneliness.

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