As I started trimming some of the content, I spotted something in the background. There was a font that I didn’t recognise and it was little wonder, as it was a custom font Allison had created that was based on her own handwriting.

I consider myself reasonably adept at most things tech, yet for some reason this blew my mind as I didn’t even realise this was a thing!

So I carried out some deep and lengthy research (which means I queried ChatGPT quickly) and found out that the process of creating a custom font is extremely simple.

You just need to check out Calligraphr, download a template that you fill in with your own letters and numbers, then upload and create a font. So easy.

So I created a short video on how to do it - which you can check out here:

After trying out macOS Tahoe and being largely impressed with what I found, I couldn’t wait to get started on iPadOS 26. Now this one was slightly more difficult for me as met spare iPads have pretty much found their way to the girls over the last couple of years, meaning it was a case of using my production iPad, or bust. 

So I figured now was the time to be just a little bit irresponsible, and I decided to go for it. Any videos for ScreenCastsONLINE that need to be done on iPad between now and September will simply be done using the beta. I’m sure I’ll be forgiven for this. 

macOS Tahoe is working well in testing, so am I as happy with iPadOS 26? Well, the answer is both a Yes and No. I’m happy, because the multitasking capabilities it’s given me are fantastic. No question, being able to use a menu bar, resize multiple windows on the fly and use the traffic light buttons in the top left hand corner of the window feels like I”m flying when I’m using it - which is amazing given how long it’s just been the way of working on any laptop since I left school. Why has it taken so long? I’m quite keen to say ‘Who cares” because I”m just happy to see it now. 

The traffic lights are particularly pleasing as I don’t actually use them on macOS - well, extremely rarely anyway. I use Moom by Many Tricks with keyboard shortcuts for moving windows so it’s not often I need to navigate to the corner like a caveman, however with no window management tools like this on iPadOS it’s actually reminded me that the macOS built-in ones are really good for all users. 

When it comes to the points that need improvement - it’s clear that this is still a Development Beta. An early one at that, so these are in no way complaints as I know they will be improved moving forward. Some of the menus are trying too hard with the glass effect and need to be toned down. A good example is the sidebar in Music which can be a little tricky to see properly when there are tiles below with any degree of colour. I think I prefer a more solid sidebar if it’s on show. Also when using the new menu bar (which is amazing might I add) the same can be said when the menus overlay particularly dense content below. This is purely a kink that will be worked out I’m sure, as is the occasional crashing which always comes. 

Also, I guess maybe I’m a little unhappy that I may be changing some of my workflows to incorporate this (now) wonderful device! So often used for media and as a sidecar-style additional display, I could genuinely rest my MacBook Pro at times now when at home and use the iPad Pro instead. I just need to ascertain which tasks it may now be best for. I guess this can only be a good thing and it might be nice to be sat on the couch with the iPad now in the evenings when I’m catching up rather than the MacBook Pro. 

For a short video on my thoughts where I show off some of the multitasking capabilities, check here on our ScreenCastsONLINE YouTube Channel or watch below

Rather than sacrifice a perfectly good production machine to the beta gods, I made use of my Parallels subscription and installed Tahoe as a virtual machine. Yes, this setup comes with its fair share of limitations—chief among them, not being able to log into most Apple services (I still can’t get into the App Store, so this experiment may be short-lived). But for getting a first impression? It works surprisingly well. Especially being able to compare two macOS versions side by side—it’s an incredibly efficient way to test some features.

Now, let’s talk looks. The new design has split the crowd, but I’m firmly in the “yes, please” camp. The glass effect on the menu bars, Control Centre, and especially the dock icons is beautifully executed. There’s a real (and dare I say, clear) attention to detail, and it shows.

I didn’t think I’d be a fan of monochrome widgets and transparent dock icons, but honestly? It works. And the dark versions are just as striking.

The changes to Spotlight came out of left field—and I mean that in the best way. It’s rare that a WWDC feature feels like a surprise anymore, but this one did. It’s not going to dethrone my Alfred Powerpack any time soon, but it’s definitely heading in the right direction. The inclusion of a clipboard manager is long overdue, and very welcome. I expected it to handle text and images—but when I command-clicked three folders, copied them, and saw them appear as a ‘stack’ in clipboard history (and then pasted them flawlessly)? That was a nice surprise. It’s far more polished than I was expecting.

That said, my muscle memory still defaults to Alfred for text snippets, and I rely on Paste via Setapp for heavier lifting—like copying ScreenFlow assets or app-specific content that Alfred or macOS’s clipboard manager can’t grab. So I probably won’t be switching, but it’s a great fallback to have.

Quick Actions are another welcome addition. They’re still clearly in beta, with a few quirks here and there, but I can already see how they’ll help regular users level up. I was able to send messages without opening the Messages app—and thus avoided the avalanche of unread chats I didn’t want to dive into. Plus, being able to assign Quick Keys to trigger these actions? That caught me off guard in the best way.

And then there’s Shortcut Automations. This is a lovely touch—being able to run your favourite shortcuts at specific times of day or when connecting to certain Wi-Fi networks opens up a lot of potential. So far, my tests have gone off without a hitch.

Of course, there’s more to Tahoe than just this. The Phone app is a nice addition and seems to work as expected. The new-look Control Centre is gorgeous. And while a lot is happening under the hood, what I’ve seen so far has me feeling very optimistic about the final release.

If you’d like to see my first impressions in action, check out the video here.

As I write this, my iPad has just finished installing iPadOS 26, so I know exactly what I’ll be exploring next week.

And honestly? I’m buzzing. I’ve wanted to use my iPad as a ‘proper’ machine for ages, and I have a feeling this might be the year I can finally take it on holiday without bringing a backup Mac—confident it can pull its weight.

We shall see.

It’s been a challenge, I can tell you. However, during this time, I’ve been hankering to get back into BBEdit and just type. Whether it’s emptying my head of thoughts I want to pass on or jotting down tidbits of information that might help anyone who happens across this small site, I set up MyProductiveMac years ago as my personal space for thinking and escaping. One thing the downfall of Twitter/X has taught me is that it’s important to have something that is mine. Every post I have here is backed up—it’s my safe space. And I’ve been typing for maybe two minutes now and already, I’m smiling and can feel that sense of freedom that good old-fashioned blogging provides.

So even if it’s just once a week, I plan to get on here and express. It could be nonsense. It could be the next article that breaks the internet (my money is very much on the former). However, it’s important that no matter how “busy” I find myself (and I detest the word—honestly, I do. Let’s swap it for “contended.” I like that), I reward myself with half an hour a week of just writing.

As for the video content—well, it shouldn’t surprise you that my YouTube output is now under the ScreenCastsONLINE moniker. And whilst the channel is mostly previews of the shows we have in our library, I’m planning to release stand-alone content that requires no subscription at all. Little hints and tips, here and there. In fact, this Sunday I’m planning a quick macOS Tahoe video that shows you what I think of the first developer beta (spoiler alert—it’s pretty cool).

I’m happy to be back!

Links are below - I hope you like

Searching with DEVONthink

I was surprised. When chairing meetings, I actually found it really fluid, being able to hop between dedicated layouts of apps when screen sharing, so I figured I’d create a quick video to show how it works.

I hope you like…

Well if you use Alfred, there is a workflow you can download and install to solve this problem for you. Once installed, simply type emoji plus the name of the emoji you want, and Alfred will return the result, ready for you to paste into your application.

Here is a very short video showing you how to use it.

I use it to archive my emails, manage my paperless office, pull in RSS feeds and a lot more and despite the cost, the value I’ve pulled in from the app is amazing.

I decided to switch up the format and release a small series of videos that will help you get started if DEVONthink is something you have heard of, but never taken the plunge in trying out. The first one - Creating Databases with DEVONthink - is now available, and more will be following in due course that cover Importing and Indexing files, Backing up your Databases, Classifying documents and much more.

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel to get notified when any new content like this drops!

This is a small quality of life improvement I’ve been looking for and totally the kind of thing I can get behind. I’ve tried it, it works great and is well worth checking out.

There are two elements to the process - an app that is installed on your Watch via your iPhone, then a small menu bar companion app for macOS.

Worth a look

One feature of Anybox is the Anydock, which is a floating bookmark bar that persists on your desktop and allows you quick access to a number of your links. Here, you can find a short video on how to set it up and use it.

Todoist can now convert a recurring task into a habit and let’s you build streaks as you complete them. It’s fool-proof, and very easy to implement so I created a short video showing you how to do it.

It’s awesome, and here is a quick video on how to use it.

Use code BFR20 - to get this offer.

Anyhow, Gabe has recently published a lengthy article on how he uses Keyboard Maestro to manage the windows on his 38-inch monitor. Such a lot of effort and planning went into how he got it to work, I just had to share it.

Here it is.

Well played sir.

Last week, version 5.1 was released which helped tidy up a couple of issues on macOS Monterrey that were (understandably) encountered during the beta process with the main change being support for Shortcuts on Monterrey as well as the ability to now use AppleScript to control Hazel’s run status. 

A full list of release notes can be found here - check it out.

Recently, Microsoft made their Xbox Game Pass subscription accessible on iOS and macOS. Admittedly, this wasn’t via a dedicated app, as that’s not how Microsoft wanted to play. Instead, when using your iOS or macOS device, you need to navigate to a dedicated webpage to stream the game you want to play. 

When I read this, I was hesitant, and it’s taken me several months to decide this was something I wanted to try out. I was hesitant because:

• it’s another expense that I could, probably, do without when I’ve got so many other games, on other platforms, still to play

• How can the quality be any good if the content is streamed? Surely there would be lag, and the experience would be unplayable?

Well, last week, I signed up. 

Wow. 

I wish I’d tried it sooner. 

Let me walk you through my experience. 

iOS Streaming

Let me lay a bit of context here. So this is the hardware currently in use to support this feature

• iPhone 13 Pro Max

• Raser Kishi for iPhone Controller

• Fibre is a Virgin Media connection coming in at 350Mbps on average

The last part about the fibre connection is vital because there is a lot of data coming down. Of course, internally, it’s essential to ensure you have a strong Wi-fi connection from your phone to the router/modem itself as you can still drop packets there. If your connection is poor, this may not be for you. 

The controller is essential as well, and there are several options out there. However, I love the Kishi and have used this one for around six months now. It’s straightforward to attach to the phone, with a clasp at the back that you click to extend the phone. There is a Lightning port in the case, so you can charge your phone as you play, and it’s incredibly comfortable, allowing for long sessions of play

Once in, you need to navigate to https://xbox.com/play and log in with your Xbox account credentials. 

Follow the instructions, tap the Share icon and add the Xbox Cloud Gaming service as an icon to your Home Screen.

Once done, you can tap to open the list of games available to stream, and away you go. 

Now I will say that the experience on the iPhone, whilst amazing for the size of the device, is the weakest of the platforms I’ve played it on - namely because of - the size of the device! When playing Forza Horizon 5, the response times were great; I had no issue with a lag; however, when you’re used to playing games like Forza on the big screen, it can’t help but feel condensed. That said, games like What Remains of Edith Finchplay superbly on the smaller form factor, and I’m sure that if I were to spend time going through the catalogue, I’d find more examples of titles that almost look as if they were made for the iPhone screen. 

iPadOS

Onto iPad now, the main difference here comes in the controller that I used. Now I had one of the original Steel Series Nimbus controllers that I purchased back when gaming on the Apple TV was introduced (RIP to that - at least in my eyes. We hardly knew yow). Sadly, the experience was less than optimal. There seemed to be a delay when pressing the A button, as an example. When playing Marvel Avengers (I know it’s been criticised, but I enjoy it), you can’t push down on the left analogue stick to Sprint because it’s not recognised - all in all, not great. 

So I purchased the official Xbox One Wireless Controller and connected that up. All other issues were resolved. 

The iPad I have is the 2018 3rd Gen 12.9 Pro, so not the latest or greatest as I essentially use it as a media consumption device. 

And now game streamer. Because the quality is fantastic, I have Marvel Avengers installed locally on the Xbox One in my utility room, and when I have my morning coffee, I will sit there for half an hour and play as I wake up. The load times can be annoying, whereas one advantage of streaming is within almost 5 seconds of me tapping the game button, I’m smashing people up as Hulk, and that feels good sometimes. 

MacOS

Finally, onto MacOS, and this is where, naturally, the best experience is. So I’ve got one of the new M1 Pro devices, and it’s hooked up to a couple of 28-inch 4K monitors in my office. Once I’ve mapped the Xbox Controller to it, it’s pretty much the same process as iOS; you don’t need to create any shortcut. Just go to https://xbox.com/play - and go to town. 

I don’t need to say much more. It works amazingly.

I tried it with a Windows 10 VM, using Parallels as well, and the experience was excellent - added to by the fact there are more games available on Game Pass for the PC than elsewhere. Titles like Age Of Empires, Fallout 1 and 2 and more mean it’s just another outlet I’ve got if I need it. 

I know my site generally focuses on Productivity, so you may be wondering why I’m writing about the above? Well - we all need downtime. We all need to do the things that bring us joy without feeling guilt, at not working on something that brings in an income. Gaming has, forever, been my outlet and where I go to switch off. There are times when I’m in a repetitive race on Forza where my brain drifts off, and I find myself having some of my best ideas. 

Game Pass iOS/iPadOS and MacOS is, in my eyes, a triumph, and I’m so surprised to find myself saying that.

Hook supports a lot of applications yet recently, it was able to crack the case of Photos, meaning there is now an easy method for users to reference photos in their library from any application. 

By invoking Hook over the photo you wish to reference

Then pasting it into the document that you wish to reference from

It’s easy to now create a simple reference to the contents of your image library without having to carry out a series of fiddly export/copy/paste actions. It may seem simple, but this is something that we have been missing for the longest time and the team at CogSci Apps have slipstreamed this feature in with the minimum of fanfare. 

It is not possible to share the links with Shared Albums - so creating that Christmas List, and sending it to loved ones with links to photos you’ve taken whilst out and about shopping is not supported. This is because Apple Photos lacks any kind of automation for this to take place. 

However the latest version of Hook allows for the links to work across Macs for the same iCloud account. I’ve tested this on my Mac mini and MacBook Pro and it works like a charm. 

That’s good enough for an update and a feature set that allows you to take control of the links to your photos, however it goers one step photo. Those of you who use Hook regularly will know it’s benefits stretch beyond the ability to link content together. Bookmarking items you have previously hooked means that you have a whole list of bookmarked photos at your disposal. All you need to do is:

• Invoke Hook

• Press ⌘F

• Type in url:photos

And if you haven’t renamed the image file in Photos (which - let’s be honest, you probably won’t have done) - then use the Rename in Hook option to make this subset of photos that are most important to you even easier to identify. 

Being able to copy deep-links to your photos library has the potential to be a game-changer. I’m using the feature already when creating articles and researching. I need to occasionally get quick access to an iOS screenshot which now happens in less than seconds.