2025-07-28 10:16:49
Five of my favourite non-Apple accessories for all my Apple tech.
Although I tend to skew towards Apple-branded accessories, there are times when Apple doesn't have the accessory I'm looking for or when their accessory sucks (looking at you, Apple Leather Sleeve with MagSafe). In this entry, I wanted to share five non-Apple, Apple-adaptive accessories. These are all products I have tried, tested, and loved for years.
Disclosure: None of the products mentioned below are sponsored or part of any paid promotion.
This is by far the Apple accessory I get asked about the most. The Satechi DeskMate is a 23 x 12.2-inch vinyl mat that I use under my keyboard and as a trackpad in the office. Why do I love it? Because it closely resembles the brown leather mats used in Apple Store setups, such as the Apple Watch Studio try-on stations. It features a beautiful stitching around the border that adds to the premium look and feel of the device. For under $40, it's a fantastic deal.
Pros
Looks incredible & premium feeling
Durable vinyl resists discoloration
Easy to clean
Great value for cost
Solid mousepad
Cons
Mat tends to move & slide around on the desk
Where to Buy?
You can always get them off Satechi website. I got mine off Amazon.
I have a penchant for putting my Apple products in cases and then putting those cases in other cases. Spare me your armchair psychology, but I like having my devices well protected.
Take my iPad Pro, for example. It lives in a Magic Keyboard case, and when I travel, I slip the whole setup into a Byrd & Belle felt sleeve. Made from thick wool in grey or charcoal, the sleeve offers complete coverage against dust and scratches and is sized to fit the iPad with both the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil attached. It does add some bulk, but it still slides easily into most tablet pockets in bags.
The particular model I have has a full flap closure, but the company also makes slide-in sleeves that leave one edge of the iPad exposed. The build quality is terrific - I've been using Byrd & Belle products for years, and all their cases and stitching have held up wonderfully. And because the iPad dimensions haven't changed significantly, I've been able to use this particular sleeve for multiple generations of iPad. Lastly, the sleeve can also serve as a mat to place the iPad on, although it can be a tad wobbly.
If you're ordering from outside the US, please note that the product can be subject to higher delivery fees and potentially tariffs, which can add to the overall cost of the order.
Pros
High-quality, thick wool provides all-around protection
Includes a small front pocket for storing a cable or document
Sized up to fit Apple Pencil & Magic Keyboard.
Cons
Slightly bulky
Duties & taxes outside of the US can increase costs significantly.
Where to buy?
You can buy them off Byrd & Belle’s website though as of July 27 their shop features very limited stock due to a move.
A tilting iPhone charger & Standby display, an Apple Watch dock, and a MagSafe pad for your AirPods. A phone charger, an Apple Watch dock... are you getting it? These are not three separate devices; this is one device... the Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe!
The HiRise has replaced my old MagSafe Duo as an all-in-one charging hub for my pocketable Apple gear. It sits neatly on my nightstand, with a small footprint of 3.4 x 6.3 inches. Thanks to its tilting MagSafe charger, it also doubles as a great StandBy display for weather, calendar, or photos. The magnets hold the phone securely in place (except for the iPhone SE, which doesn't use MagSafe), and after more than two years of use, I can't recall ever accidentally knocking it off the elevated platform. Additionally, the Apple Watch charging puck can fold down, allowing the watch to charge flat for those who prefer it parallel to the nightstand.
If you're looking for a minimalistic charging station and have at least an Apple Watch & MagSafe iPhone, this is a great option to consider.
Pros
Minimal, sleek vegan leather design.
Small footprint leaves more room on the nightstand for snacks.
Strong magnets keep the iPhone and Apple Watch in place.
Simultaneously charges three devices at once.
MagSafe and Apple Watch chargers also support compatible AirPods.
Cons
Expensive (retail price of $150, but can be found on sale)
Not very travel-friendly (doesn't fold up).
iPhone SE can’t attach magnetically to the MagSafe charger.
Where to buy?
You can find this stand on Twelve South’s website or through Apple or Amazon.
It's a soft silicone Apple Pencil sleeve that resembles an HB Pencil. What more do I need to say to convince you to stop reading and buy it immediately?
First, I love the look of the sleeve. Second, it makes the Apple Pencil a bit grippier and easier to hold and fidget with. And third, I had issues in the past when the pencil was docked, which, over the years, led to a few scratches from dust appearing on the iPad's chassis (though this doesn't seem to be a problem I regularly see online). The sleeve doesn't inhibit you from using the squeeze function of the Apple Pencil, with a slight indentation exists to help you tacitly locate it. And while some reviews raised concerns about reduced magnetic grip to the iPad, I haven't experienced this as a problem.
Pros
It looks like a HB pencil.
Cheap (under $10)
Improved grip of Apple Pencil
Cons
Slight decrease in magnetic attachment
Where to buy?
You can buy these pencil sleeves off Amazon.
Over the years, I've dabbled with all types of cases from Native Union to Woolnut, Herschel to Waterfield, but for the past year I've been using the carrying case by tomtoc.
At around $35 CAD ($24 USD), the tomtoc case is affordable and offers some of the best corner protection and durability. Its outer shell is water-resistant and has proven incredibly durable in repelling stains, grease, and signs of wear, while the inner padding and added corner protection makes me feel confident that my laptop is safe from any forms of abuse (tomtoc claims this case passed the MIL-STD-810H drop test which involves 26 drops from a height of 4-5 feet onto a hard wood or concrete surface).
But why I picked this case over others I've tried is, oddly enough, the handle. I move my laptop around all the time: from bedroom to office to living room, to work and beyond. And I liked the idea of having a laptop case that I could grasp without needing to securely cradle from room to room (you're beginning to see that I'm a little paranoid about my tech). Additionally, the case features an oversized front pocket, allowing you to toss in a charger or cable and turn this into a portable briefcase.
However, Tomtoc also sells a pocketless/handleless laptop sleeve, the Defender-A13 Laptop Sleeve, so check that out if anything I've written about this case has piqued your interest in the brand.
Pros
Water & grime resistant.
Extremely well padded corners and all-around protection
Cost effective (around $35)
Retractable Handle
Expanded front pocket for storing cables and accessories.
Cons
Bulkier (because of padding and front pocket)
Where to buy?
You can find these on the tomtoc website or through a retailer like Amazon
2025-07-25 04:35:16
Introducing Crystals, the perfect wallpaper complement to usher in the new era of Liquid Glass.
Maybe it's all the Final Fantasy XVI I've been playing lately, or perhaps it's just been thinking about what to make for Apple's Liquid Glass UI overhaul, but I've had crystals on the brain, and the result is this tiny wallpaper pack, Crystals.
The collection of Crystals wallpapers is available below, free of charge and in full resolution, but if you can support the work I do, I am also making the collection available for $2.99.
The Crystals collection includes five wallpapers: Sky Blue, Slate, Silver, Aqua, and Off Air for your Mac, iPad, and iPhone. This set also comes bundled with three dynamic Day/Dark versions for Mac (Aqua/Slate, Silver/Slate, Sky Blue/Slate) that automatically switch to match your system’s Light or Dark mode. Thank you so much for your continued support.
Read more about my approach to making wallpapers available for purchase over at The WinRAR Approach.
Once purchased, a download link will be emailed to you to download the .zip file (137.2MB) containing all five versions for Mac (6016 × 3900), iPad (2752 × 2064), and iPhone (1320 × 2868) along with three dynamic .HEIC files for the Mac.
The digital download link will expire 24 hours after the first download. If your link expires and you need to redownload the files, please send me an email with your order number and I can send along a new link for you.
Crystals comes in the middle of a creative doldrum. Summer has made it harder to find time to sit down and create, and a mix of work and family stress hasn't exactly helped me get into the right creative headspace either. To get back into the groove, I've been experimenting with a few designs in different styles and revisiting some older wallpaper concepts, and I've slowly found myself generating more new ideas for late summer and early fall. So stay tuned.
Crystals is a small wallpaper pack consisting of one design in several different colours: Sky Blue, Slate, Silver, Aqua, and Off Air. Each is available for the Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Enjoy!
iPad | Mac | iPhone | Dynamic Mac (Aqua/Slate)
iPad | Mac | iPhone | Dynamic Mac (Aqua/Silver)
iPad | Mac | iPhone | Dynamic Mac (Aqua/Sky Blue)
I’m a one-person operation, working in healthcare by day & running this site as a passion project in my off time.
If you enjoy what I do, the articles, the wallpapers, or just the overall vibe, consider leaving a tip to support the site. Your generosity helps keep everything I create ad-free and freely available. I’ve also started offering the option to purchase wallpaper packs as another means to support my work when and if you can. Every bit is truly appreciated!
☕️ Tips2025-07-10 07:40:38
TL;DR: Parcel, Poolsuite FM, & Handstime.
It's been a few months since my first Favourite Apps entry back in April, and I figured I'd return for the summer and share another collection of delightful apps. The trio this month are Parcel, Poolsuite FM, and Hands Time.
Parcel is the best cross platform package tracking app.
Available on: macOS, iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, watchOS
Parcel markets itself as "the best delivery tracking app," and well, it is. I was a longtime Deliveries user, but a few years ago, I switched to Parcel after Deliveries started experiencing more frequent issues accessing tracking information from carriers like FedEx and DHL. I haven't looked back and have been really happy with the product ever since.
Parcel is a cross-platform package tracking application that tracks parcels carried by dozens of international couriers, from Australia Post to Yodel, in a simple, list-like interface. To date, I have tracked hundreds of parcels from major carriers, including FedEx, Amazon, Intelcom, UPS, and DHL, and all have been recognized without fail. Many smaller outfits are also recognized, and Parcel touts support over 300 carriers worldwide (and if your carrier is not on the list, there's always the option of emailing the developer to see if it can be added). You can receive push notifications about your package's progress as it arrives at different ports, track its progress on Apple Maps, and be notified of any delivery exceptions and confirmations.
And being cross-platform, anything added on one device automatically syncs across all your devices, so you have access to all your tracked packages from Apple Watch to Vision Pro. Additionally, features like the Amazon Integration to automatically add orders to the app, Push notifications, Calendar integration, clipboard detection, and some adorable alt. icons created by Matthew Skiles round out this convenient tracking app.
Parcel the ability to track a limited number of parcels (3) for free, and users can upgrade to a yearly subscription for approximately $5. Even if you're someone who only receives or sends 2-3 parcels a month, the app will quickly become a staple on your Home Screen, helping you effectively manage and keep track of all your yearly parcels.
This app is too cool for me, but I’m doing my best to keep up.
Crank up the nostalgia, slather on some sunscreen, and dive headfirst into this pixel-soaked app straight out of the '80s and '90s. Poolsuite FM isn't just any internet radio service; it's a time machine in short shorts and mirrored shades.
Available since 2014 but gaining popularity in 2019 (the app was also recently updated in 2025), Poolsuite FM offers a collection of chill, sunny, and ambient tracks that oozes Summer vibes. Inside the app users can stream from one of six stations:
PoolSuite FM (The ultra-summer essentials)
Toyko Disco (future funk from Shibuya 2005)
Friday Night Heat (all-out disco, all night long)
Hangover Club (gentle ambience for hazy recoveries)
Latest 20 Tracks (the most recent additions to all playlists)
Indie Summer (breezy & surfy)
Balearic Sundown (transport yourself to late '80s Ibiza)
My personal favourite is Hangover Club, and I rotate between them while at work, having a BBQ, or even as ambient background noise around the house (streaming via AirPlay). The app's clean, retro interface feels like a love letter to the Nokia 3310 era and best of all, it's completely free. Give it a spin this summer.
A clock face widget app with a hidden retro gem.
Available on: iOS (also works with iPadOS/macOS)
Hands Time is a clock widget for iOS that features a collection of minimal analog and digital watch faces to use across your devices. The app initially caught my eye after they released a watch face very reminiscent of the Swiss Railway clock Apple used on the iPadOS 6. That face has since been removed (boo!), though it's been replaced with a similarish "World Railway" face.
Upgrade offer promotion from 1995. I kinda feel bad for everyone that opted for Conflict Catcher 3 instead of that beautiful Apple Watch.
However, consoling me through the loss of that iconic Railway face was the introduction of macOS Retro, a watch face that looks exactly like the Apple Watch Apple gave away as an incentive to update to Mac OS 7.5 in 1995. The face features a green triangular hour hand, a red, rounded rectangle minute hand, and a yellow, squiggly-lined second hand on a white plate surrounded by a blue metal bezel. The rest of the faces included with the app are pretty meh, but these two were enough to support this app.
Please note that the app offers monthly ($1.99), yearly ($9.99), and lifetime ($19.99) subscription options.
2025-06-25 08:02:21
Skyline II: Another wallpaper collection inspired by clouds.
Just over a month ago I released Skyline I, a wallpaper collection featuring various gradients and cloud formation. Now here’s Skyline II, another stunning collection of five wallpapers for your Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Enjoy!
The collection of Skyline II wallpapers is available below, free of charge and in full resolution, but if you can support the work I do, I am also making the collection available for $2.99. Additionally, a pack featuring both Skyline I & Skyline II wallpaper collections is also available for $4.99.
The Skyline collection includes five wallpapers: Blush Overcast, Cloudburst, Skytrace, Cold Vortex, & Tangerine Fade for your Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Thank you so much for your continued support.
Read more about my approach to making wallpapers available for purchase over at The WinRAR Approach.
Once purchased, a download link will be emailed to you to download the .zip file (64.5MB) containing all 5 versions for Mac (6016 × 3900), iPad (2752 × 2064), and iPhone (1320 × 2868).
The digital download link will expire 24 hours after the first download. If your link expires and you need to redownload the files, please send me an email with your order number and I can send along a new link for you.
I’m a one-person operation, working in healthcare by day & running this site as a passion project in my off time.
If you enjoy what I do, the articles, the wallpapers, or just the overall vibe, consider leaving a tip to support the site. Your generosity helps keep everything I create ad-free and freely available. I’ve also started offering the option to purchase wallpaper packs as another means to support my work when and if you can. Every bit is truly appreciated!
☕️ Tips2025-06-24 00:39:39
Documenting the evolution of macOS system icons over the past several decades.
With macOS 26, Apple has announced a dramatically new look to their UI: Liquid Glass. Solid material icon elements give way to softer, shinier, glassier icons. The rounded rectangle became slightly more rounded, and Apple eliminated the ability for icon elements to extend beyond the icon rectangle (as seen in the current icons for GarageBand, Photo Booth, Dictionary, etc.).
With this release being one of the most dramatic visual overhauls of macOS's design, I wanted to begin a collection chronicling the evolution of the system icons over the years. I've been rolling these out on social media over the past week and will continue to add to and update this collection slowly over the summer. Enjoy!
Note: Beta icons won’t be included. Occasionally, an icon may receive slight design tweaks during the beta cycle, but these temporary variations won’t be part of the collection.
June 23, 2025: Added System Preferences/Settings, Folders, Stickies, Notes, Messages, Calculator, Game Center, Dictionary
June 26, 2025: Added App Store, Maps
June 29, 2025: Added Podcasts, Photo Booth
July 06, 2025: Added Chess, Reminders, Apple Books
July 17, 2025: Added Time Machine, Trash - Empty, Trash - Full, iCal/Calendar
July 26, 2025: Added FaceTime, Mail
July 27, 2025: Updated Maps, Reminders, Books, Settings, Stickies, and Calculator icons with the updated icons from macOS 26 Beta 4
2025-06-10 06:19:58
A not very exciting behind-the-scenes look watching WWDC. Here’s a look at how I juggled prep, posts, pins, and one no-so-patient pup.
WWDC is one of the most exciting Apple-related days of the year. It's months of speculation, parsing rumours, and getting hyped to see what's in store across all of Apple's platforms. It’s a day I have marked on my calendar for months in advance, and one I take off working to be able to watch the keynote and soak in the experience.
This isn't a "what Apple announced" type of blog post, nor is it any analysis of the event itself - there are plenty of outfits that will do a much faster and more thorough investigation of all that. This is a blog post that outlines what my day looked like watching WWDC from afar. I'm too implanted in the Apple community to be a casual & relaxed viewer, but I'm not invested enough to have any real ability to cover the event comprehensively. But if you were wondering what my day looked like (not sure why you would), here it is.
Preparation for WWDC began weeks ago. Throughout May, I started my annual WWDC Bingo Board and got up to speed with all the rumours and possible announcements expected at the event. A risky proposition of course, because the further out you start the greater the chance that rumours will shift and change, as again they did this year. However, if I wait until the last minute, the entire project becomes rushed and even more stressful. My usual strategy is to list 15 to 20 items that I'm certain of and leave 5 to 10 that can vary based on updated rumours.
I also needed time to work on a WWDC wallpaper, which, although it doesn't look very glassy, still came out well.
Woke up at 7:03 to the sound of my dog snoring in my ear and kicking me in the back. I shower, have breakfast, and head upstairs to start prepping my first round of pre-WWDC posts. A few days out from the event, I'm usually focused on planning and scheduling the content I want to share each morning. Apple events drive engagement, so keeping the account active throughout the day requires thinking ahead, from deciding which photos to take to planning how to space out posts leading up to the Keynote.
Tell me you hate stopping for photos without telling me you hate stopping for photos.
The first post of the day is done, and I am out the door for a 4km walk with the dog. This serves multiple purposes: it's exercise for me, but more importantly, it tires her out, allowing me to sit and focus on the event for the next several hours.
Returning from the walk, I rush back out, grab a few groceries, post another quick update, and manage to squeeze in a 20-minute Fitness+ workout ahead of the main event. Then, I grab coffee and water and sit down to do my final prep.
Quick 20-minute upper body Fitness+ workout prior to the keynote.
T-minus 10 minutes, and the pre-keynote chaos has officially begun. I'm scrambling to organize my windows, transfer my CleanShotX license to this machine (it wasn't activated for some reason), update a few lingering apps, and make some last-minute edits to posts I want to make. I do this to myself every year, thinking I have everything organized until the very last second when I realize I don't.
The event itself is a blur. I am often so focused on paying attention to a few details and working on publishing posts during the Keynote that I probably miss a good 60-70% of the features announced. In the days that follow, I'll rewatch the Keynote, making sure to sit down & enjoy it, and I have my slate of go-to tech podcasts that'll provide exhaustive recaps of the event. I know I get a bit spammy during the event, but I try to balance the posts everyone is making (you know, of the bento boxes and such) with little observations and stagecraft jokes that (hopefully) make it all a bit more fun and unique to follow (like the Game Center rocket, or the unhinged trash panda document).
Then, right in the middle of the Keynote, FedEx pulls up to drop off a parcel that requires a signature. Shit! Thankfully, the gods were kind, and it all fell during the upcoming Apple TV+ segment. "Just one package today," the driver says, giving my dog a quick hello before heading off.
The package? A fresh batch of Basic Apple Guy pins I've been waiting weeks for! This time, along with the classic hard enamel, I've added a run of soft enamel pins - they've got a bold, vibrant finish I think you're going to love! Both will be back in the store shortly.
Soft enamel on the left, hard enamel on the right.
The event is now complete, a short 95-minute keynote this time, and my mind is spinning. The rapid-fire clicking, constant posting, and nonstop stream of content flying in. It's embarrassing to admit, but there is pressure to produce content in this engagement arms race, and the result is that the whole event can be quite overstimulating. I don't know how more seasoned reviewers, vloggers, and bloggers do it! I also know I won't be updating to the developer betas, so I miss out on a lot of that first-look content. Instead, I plan ideas for things I want to share or comment on in the coming days, jotting down some of my thoughts on the event for a future entry I might write.
Walk number two featured a bunch more rolling and other dog shenanigans.
But after about thirty minutes of that, I'm cooked, and I take a step back, tidy up my space, and go and touch grass. I leave my phone at home, load a calm playlist on the watch, and take my pup for her second walk of the day; a treat to her for being patient during the Keynote and a chance for me to unwind from the adrenaline rush of the morning.
“How do you keep your desk to clean?” Answer: I don’t.
I had this entry in mind to chronicle my thoughts on the event, so after returning from the walk, I began to put pen to paper and write it out. It's getting later in the day, so I'll leave things off here and head out to attend to the other tasks I need to complete today. Talk to you all later...
