Michael Penn’s Mac and iPhone setup
Every week we post a new interview with someone about what software they use on their Mac, iPhone, or iPad. We do these interviews because not only are they fun, but a glimpse into what tools someone uses and how they use those tools can spark our imagination and give us an idea or insight into how we can do things better.
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Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Michael Penn, and I’m an e-commerce specialist and shipping manager at www.outdoorsinc.com, an outdoor specialty retail store based out of Memphis, TN. I am also an avid technology blog reader, woodworker, and podcast listener.
What is your current setup?
I have a mid-2010 13″ MacBook Pro with 16 GB of RAM, a 2.4 GH Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1 TB of HDD storage, and a 128 GB SSD for my boot drive.
Where can we find your macOS wallpaper?
You can find my macOS wallpaper here.
What software do you use and for what do you use it?
- Bear: I have been using Bear for several months now, and although it doesn’t have all the features of some of the other note taking apps out there, the sleek design and simple setup make it perfect for my needs.
- LastPass: I have used this app for several years, and have really enjoyed it. It easily integrated with my browser and works flawlessly from my phone.
- Spark: I have tried all the different free email apps out there, and this app has blown away the competition. It’s very stable and makes keeping my inbox at the precious status of zero much easier.
- Brave: I have been switching back and forth between Firefox and Chrome for quite a while, and finally landed on Brave as a great option. It blocks ads and automatically upgrades your browser to HTTPS for you. It has also been a very fast option for me.
- Slack: In my work environment, we have 5 different store locations, and having the ability to send a message that we can all see and respond to quickly makes life a lot easier.
- Photoshop: I have been an avid Photoshop user for many years now, and I have to say I don’t know that I could get through my day without having it. Whether I am editing photos for our website or adding images to an online listing, having Photoshop has been essential to my daily work flow.
How would your ideal setup look and function?
I would have a dock for my MacBook that allows me to work on a larger monitor, and would upgrade my computer to a much newer setup (although, this setup has still been very stable). I would also run a dual monitor setup to streamline the workflow even more.
What iPhone do you have?
I have a Space Gray iPhone 6 with 64 GB of storage
Where can we find your wallpaper online?
You can find my iPhone wallpaper here.
What apps do you use the most, and why?
- Bear: I have been using Bear for several months now, and although it doesn’t have all the features of some of the other note taking apps out there, the sleek design and simple setup make it perfect for my needs.
- LastPass: I have used this app for several years, and have really enjoyed it. It easily integrated with my browser and works flawlessly from my phone.
- Spark: I have tried all the different free email apps out there and this app has blown away the competition. It’s very stable and makes keeping my inbox at the precious status of zero much easier.
- Pocket Casts: I think calling myself an avid podcast listener would probably be a little bit of an understatement. Pocket Casts has been by far the best podcast app I have used, looks really great, and has a lot of useful functionality.
- ShipStation: ShipStation is a work app I use for shipping things for the shipping manager portion of my job, and it has greatly improved my workflow. I can get an email from a customer and check their tracking number in a matter of minutes!
- Pocket: I love reading articles, but don’t always have time to stop what I am doing to read them right away. Pocket has been a great addition to my daily reading, allowing me not to miss out on important news!
- Trello: Trello has been a great app for managing my work-related lists as well as collaborating with other coworkers. It has many power ups (features) that make my life much easier.
- Slack: In my work environment, we have 5 different store locations, and having the ability to send a message that we can all see and respond to quickly makes life a lot easier.
Which app could you not live without?
Pocket Casts for sure. I put in several hours a day listening to podcasts, and I don’t know what I would do without this app!
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