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Jonathan Reed

Contributor

Mastodon: @jonathanreed@techhub.socialEmail: jonathan@macstories.net

Jonathan is a graphic designer at DesignStudio. As well as being a long-time Apple user he is a huge film and television aficionado and is very interested in the intersection between the two mediums and technology. He lives in London with his wife and daughter and is writing his bio in the third person.

467 — May 23, 2025

OneMenu →

MACSTORIES RECOMMENDS

Great apps, accessories, gear, and media recommended by the MacStories team.

OneMenu

The proliferation of small but mighty menu bar utilities for the Mac continues. My latest favorite is OneMenu. It focuses on four core features: window management, system monitoring, clipboard history, and keyboard cleaning. Let’s start with the simplest of them all.

Keyboard Cleaning

After it’s installed, the OneMenu app will appear in your menu bar. From there, you can access all of its functions and tweak its preferences. The menu contains a singular switch that will block all input from your keyboard when activated. This allows you to… well, I think you can guess. When you’ve finished cleaning, simply use the mouse to access the menu and turn the switch off.

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466 — May 16, 2025

Tips for Navigating Tech as a Parent

MACSTORIES EXTRAS

More stories for Club members.

Tips for Navigating Tech as a Parent

After last week’s clash of technology and personal family matters, I thought I’d change it up this week and talk about some positive tech that has influenced my family life. I’m a (relatively) new parent of three years, and the way my daughter and I interact with tech is something I constantly think about.

This comes to me in two ways: how we use technology – be it apps or physical products like iPads – and how technology can help me and my wife parent. I’ve accumulated some tips throughout the process thus far, and I thought it would be good to share them with any readers who have children or might be planning to.

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466 — May 16, 2025

Interesting Links

INTERESTING LINKS

Great reads and links from around the web.

Motor Trend takes an in-depth look at CarPlay Ultra and what it means for the auto industry. (Link)

Leica’s pro iPhone camera app, Leica Lux, was updated this week to allow users to simulate the styles of famous photographers. It’s a nice app, but significantly more expensive than an app like Halide, which is just as capable. (Link)

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465 — May 9, 2025

An Apple Intelligence Nightmare and the Value of Trust

MACSTORIES EXTRAS

More stories for Club members.

An Apple Intelligence Nightmare and the Value of Trust

Some of you may have seen my posts last week in which I went on a mini-rant (caution: strong language) about an upsetting incident involving a notification summary. Let me provide a more detailed – and calmer – backstory. My dad woke up last week with some mobility problems on the right side of his body, which prompted a hospital visit. My mum was keeping me and my brothers updated in our iMessage group (the one group I’ve managed to transition from WhatsApp) when my iPhone decided to summarize one message as, “Dad had another stroke; waiting for doctors.”

As you can imagine, my heart sank, and I immediately tapped on the message. What I then read was a message from my mum informing us that they had seen the doctors and were unsure what the issue was. His medication could have caused it, or he might have had a mini-stroke. We had already thought one of those causes might be to blame, but we’re not experts.

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464 — May 2, 2025

App Debuts

APP DEBUTS

Noteworthy new app releases and updates, handpicked by the MacStories team.

Simple Color Palette

Prolific app developer Sindre Sorhus is back with a simple app to create and edit color palettes in an open-source, JSON-based file format called Simple Color Palette. This app speaks directly to my heart. Not only can you use it to create and edit color palettes, but you can also open Adobe’s proprietary ASE-formatted color palettes. This opens up the format to many people who don’t use Adobe products but are sent design resources containing ASE files. The app itself is easy to use (par for the course for Sindre’s apps), it syncs across iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud, and best of all, it’s free.

Lately

Lately is a new utility designed to get you back on schedule if you’re the type of person who’s always late for stuff. The app relies on live countdowns in the Dynamic Island/Live Activities to show exactly when you need to leave, sends you notifications, and even has an Apple Watch companion app so you can’t miss those alerts. With a Lately Premium subscription, you can unlock recurring timers for routines you’re having trouble sticking with. I know a couple of people in my life I can send this to.

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464 — May 2, 2025

The Apple Watch SE Needs to Become ’Special’

THE EXTENSION

Exploring topics beyond our day-to-day coverage.

The Apple Watch SE Needs to Become ’Special’

Image: Apple. (Modified by me.)

Information leaked this week about updates Apple will potentially introduce to the Apple Watch SE 3, rumored to be released alongside the Series 11 and Ultra 3 models in the fall. The leaked display sizes seem to indicate that the Apple Watch SE will take on the size – if not the form – of the Series 9.

The thoughts that first sprang to my mind were, “Boring,” and then, “Why?” For years, the Apple Watch SE has been the model that achieves a cheaper price point by scrimping on some banner features from the main Series line. Features like the Always On screen, blood oxygen sensor, and temperature sensor are left out. Add to that a slower chip, and the general vibe is that the SE is a repackaged Apple Watch from a few years ago. The next version seems to be following that same track.

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