Over the long run, the update that will probably save MacStories readers the most time is Mail’s rebuilt search engine. Mail suggests searches before you begin typing, and once you do, it updates live with searches based on what’s in your inbox. However, I expect most individuals and teams that aren’t looking to use email as though it were Slack will like what they see in Mail, so let’s dig into the details. Message collaboration and back channel chat about email messages among team members, which Spark and other apps offer, is a good example of a feature Apple has left to others. You won’t find every cutting-edge modern email feature in Mail. However, this fall, across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, Apple is finally bringing many of the features pioneered by others to its own Mail app. Mail sat, barely touched on any platform for what seemed like forever. That’s why the situation with Apple’s Mail app has been so distressing in recent years. Remember Sparrow? How about Mailbox or Acompli? Notice a trend? There are still some bright spots, like Mimestream on the Mac and Spark, but with so few survivors, having a strong choice from Apple has never been more important. However, few of them are with us anymore. Over the years, developers have come up with innovative tools layered on top of the core email protocols to improve the experience. One of email’s many problems is how hard it can be to manage the volume of messages so many of us receive. Tools like Slack have replaced the lion’s share of internal communications at many companies, and a long list of messaging apps have chipped away at conversations among individuals. Subscribers get access to an exclusive podcast, members-only stories, and a special community.Email isn’t going anywhere anytime soon despite its flaws. If you appreciate articles like this one, support us by becoming a Six Colors subscriber. If you’re like me-a Gmail user who wants a real Mac app, and ideally one that’s a better fit to Gmail than Apple Mail-I strongly recommend that you try Mimestream. Jhaveri also says he’s planning an iOS version, and I’d be interested in that, too. I’m glad he’s someone who gets why people would use Gmail and want a Mac app dedicated to it-because I’m that person. Jhaveri says “Email is my passion,” and I wouldn’t stand in the way of anyone who feels passionately about something. The app is written in Swift and feels like a real, native Mac app. (Disclosure: SaneBox is a former sponsor.) It also supports Gmail’s priority Inbox system, though I instead use a series of Gmail tags created by SaneBox. Gmail has some specific quirks-most notably the difference between archiving a message and deleting it-that Mimestream understands innately. Most importantly, it uses Gmail’s API ( not IMAP) to quickly display and archive mail, and to efficiently search my mail repository. (And yes, you can close off the message preview if you prefer to open messages in their own windows.) Mimestream will look familiar to anyone who has used Apple Mail-it’s got a multi-column design with mailboxes on the left, a message list in the center, and message content on the right. (You can sign up at the Mimestream website to request beta access.) I’ve been using it for a couple of months and I fully intend to pay for it when it emerges from beta testing. It’s a dedicated Gmail client app for the Mac that’s more app-like than Mailplane, while keeping the consistency and speed that Gmail offers over Apple Mail. Instead, I found Mimestream, by former Apple Mail engineer Neil Jhaveri. It doesn’t work the way I want my email to work, and it’s inconsistent and slow in just too many ways. I tried to run Gmail in a single-site browser. My frustrations with Apple Mail had driven me to Gmail, and Mailplane was the perfect way to use Gmail on a Mac-in a separate app, with Mac keyboard shortcuts and drag-and-drop support and everything else, while still keeping the speed and efficience of the Gmail web interface. Unfortunately, back in June the makers of Mailplane announced that they were letting the app die due to Google banning embedded browsers from Gmail. I’ve been using Mailplane as my email client for something like a decade. Mimestream is a Mac app reminiscent of Apple Mail, but it uses the Gmail API. Note: This story has not been updated since 2021. Mimestream: A native Mac app with proper Gmail support
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |