In this review, I want to tell you of three podcasts that I have found indispensable. They range in length anywhere from 7 minutes to 15 minutes. They have in common one thing: revealing hidden, extremely productive features cloaked in Apple’s apps. Features that turn what you thought was a basic, mundane, unimaginative app into a tiny, powerful gem.

And that’s the reoccurring theme that draws me to all three of these podcasts. You’ll find that Apple has quietly “borrowed” features from other third-party apps and incorporated them into their stable of included apps to make them that much more valuable. You only have to know where the treasure is buried.

1.) ScreenCastsOnline. (DISCLAIMER: I’m a contributor to their monthly magazine.) ScreenCastsOnline has been around forever. Every Tuesday, they produce short tutorials on Fridays they produce half hour deep dives. ScreenCastsOnline has numerous presenters who will walk you through apps that you never heard of and show you how they could possibly fill a hole in your everyday computing life.

But I would like to focus on the short-length Tuesday episodes. These cover a range of topics. Many episodes introduce you to apps that you weren’t aware of that are included in your Setapp subscription. Once introduced to said app, you’re then taken through its paces and how it could be beneficial to your daily routine. And when Apple releases a new macOS, they like to point out new features added to some app as basic as Notes.

(ScreenCastsOnline requires a subscription which avails you to a back catalogue of their podcasts and magazines. It also has it’s own Mac, iOS, and AppleTV apps for consumption.)

2) Macmost. Hosted by Gary Rosenweig, Gary takes this idea and gives it a slight twist. He’ll not only show you things that you didn’t know you could do with something as Number’s tables, but proposes simple yet innovative ways to incorporate them into either your professional or personal workflow.

The fun part is he starts with “I was wondering if… “. He then proceeds to tell you what he’s setting out to achieve, explains his thought process on how to accomplish his objective, and finally the solution he arrived at to make it a reality. Even if you don’t wind up using the formula he figured out, it’s fascinating to simply watch his process of sussing out the problem. He reminds me of Bill Nye, the Science Guy, only with a keyboard.

3) Proper Honest Tech (YouTube). I stumbled on this channel a month ago but was immediately hooked. So much so, after one episode I started in with binge watching. The host uncovers so many buried features in Maps alone, I have watched that episode alone numerous times with iPhone firmly in hand, learning every uncovered function available.

It’s not unusual for me to finish an episode of any of these podcasts and start
deleting apps that actually can be accomplished with Apple’s provided apps once you know how to achieve the same outcome you had procured the third-party app for. One less app means more space on your drive and possibly one less thing to irritate your collection of apps or your OS.

Take part of your afternoon and check them out. You won’t regret it.

©2022 Frank Petrie