Relay

Mac Power Users

Learn about getting the most from your Apple technology with focused topics and workflow guests. Creating Mac Power Users since 2009, one conversation at a time. Hosted by David Sparks and Stephen Robles.

Author

Relay

Category

Technology

Podcast website

relay.fm

Latest episode

Jul 5, 2026

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Episodes

556: Video Conferencing Deep Dive, with Liana Lehua 04.10.2020

Liana Lehua joins in this week to share the best workflows and gear for improving video conferencing and home audio and video. Liana and David also discuss business apps, widgets, and revisit the iPad vs. MacBook question.

555: iOS 14 Extravaganza 27.09.2020

iOS 14 is here, bringing new features like widgets, the App Library, increased privacy and a lot more. This week, David and Stephen review the release and talk about how Apple could take some of these features farther in the future.

554: Read-it-later Services 20.09.2020

Read-it-later services can be a great way to save and enjoy an article later, away from the noise of social media or an overflowing RSS client. This week, David and Stephen talk about some of the popular choices, and how to keep them from becoming just another thing to check. Then, a recap of Apple’s recent media event.

553: Sparky's Wrong ... Again 13.09.2020

On this feedback episode, Stephen and David talk more about HomeKit, Dropbox, photo management and much, much more.

552: HomeKit in 2020, with Mikah Sargent 06.09.2020

Since its introduction, HomeKit has steadily grown into a wide-reaching ecosystem for smart home devices. This week, Stephen and David talk with Mikah Sargent about HomeKit hardware and software, as well as ways to extend what Apple allows it to do in its default app.

551: Writing Music for the Picture Business, with David Metzger 30.08.2020

David and Stephen are joined by orchestrator and composer David Metzger, whose resume includes *Frozen,* *Muppets Most Wanted,* *The Avengers,* *Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2* and more. He shares his setup, which includes multiple Macs networked together, numerous music applications and (eventually) a full-blown orchestra.

550: The World of RSS 23.08.2020

RSS can bring news, blog posts and even podcasts to you, without needing to visit a bunch of different website. This week, Stephen and David talk about the rise of numerous RSS services and apps they've seen over the last few years, and share how this web technology makes their lives better.

549: Brett Terpstra's New Robe 16.08.2020

Brett Terpstra returns to the show to talk about the Touch Bar, regular expressions, Markdown and what Apple Silicon Macs will mean for macOS applications and utilities.

548: Jumping Into Markdown 09.08.2020

From jotting quick notes to writing for the web, Markdown has become a very popular choice for formatting plain text. It's syntax is human-readable and easy to learn. This week, David and Stephen teach Markdown 101 covering the more complex things the language can do.

547: Of a Certain Age, with Jim Metzendorf 02.08.2020

This week, the editor of Mac Power Users, Jim Metzendorf, talks to Stephen and David about his background in audio and photography, and how the gear and workflows have changed in those fields over the years.

546: The Best Listeners 26.07.2020

On this feedback show, David and Stephen go through some listener email, revisit notes apps and discuss remote troubleshooting iOS devices.

545: State of the Apple Watch 19.07.2020

The Apple Watch has undergone massive changes since its introduction in 2014. This week, Stephen and David review some of that history, then launch into a conversation of the platform's strengths and weaknesses and how they use their Watches.

544: The Notes Roundup 12.07.2020

The market for note taking applications is huge. There are options that just deal in plain-text, apps that serve as "everything buckets," and still others focused on automation. This week, David and Stephen cover some of the better options out there and share how they keep up with various bits of digital information in their lives.

543: A Developer's Summer, with Underscore David Smith 05.07.2020

This week, Underscore David Smith joins the show to talk about what life as a developer is like between WWDC and the fall when new versions of Apple's operating system ship.

542: Beta Tales 28.06.2020

It's beta season, and David and Stephen have reported for duty with reports of new features and general thoughts on macOS Big Sur, iOS and iPadOS 14 as well as watchOS 7. Plus, a brief announcement about something coming in July.

541: WWDC 2020 23.06.2020

Recorded just a few hours after the WWDC keynote, Stephen and David share their reactions to iOS 14, macOS Big Sur, and the Mac's transition to Apple-designed processors.

540: Subroutine in the Brain 14.06.2020

On this feedback episode, David and Stephen talk more about email and working from home, but also get into what it takes to make a MacSparky Field Guide and some weird problems they've recently encountered with their tech.

539: Back to Email 07.06.2020

David has finally roped Stephen into talking about email. Topics include email services, apps and strategies. Later in the show, they are joined by Rosemary Orchard and Myke Hurley to hear about two specific apps they use every day.

538: I Predate the Home Computer, with James Thomson 31.05.2020

PCalc developer James Thomson joins David and Stephen to talk about his background with the Mac, and what it take to build and maintain the same application over multiple decades.

537: The Photos Field Guide and Apple Photos 24.05.2020

From the early days of iPhoto to now, with Photos.app and iCloud, Apple has offered increasingly-robust photo management tools for its users. This episode, David and Stephen walk through the features and tools you should know about.

536: Our Bags 17.05.2020

A nerd's bag can say a lot about them. This week, David and Stephen empty theirs to talk through their choices and how they've changed over the years.

535: State of the Platform: Apple Services 10.05.2020

From iCloud to Apple TV+, Apple's range of services is broader then ever, but how do they all stack up? Is this shift to services changed how users should view the company?

534: The Business of Emoji, with Jeremy Burge 03.05.2020

Emojipedia founder Jeremy Burge joins David and Stephen to talk about emoji, how they're made and why they've found such huge success. Then, he explains how tech needs change when one lives on a ⛵.

533: Feeling Frisky with my Money 26.04.2020

On this feedback episode, David shares some about an upcoming studio move, and Stephen talks about recent experimentation with a teleprompter. Also on the docket: connected home cameras, more on working from home and the iPhone SE.

532: BetterTouchTool 19.04.2020

BetterTouchTool takes a Mac's input devices and turns them into automation triggers. It can transform the Touch Bar into a customized set of tools and make a Trackpad or Mouse much more powerful. This week Stephen and David dive into this utility and what it can do.

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