This summary of the video was created by an AI. It might contain some inaccuracies.
00:00:00 – 00:14:02
In the video, Chris extensively evaluates various note-taking applications, including Apple Notes, Notion, Obsidian, and Notability, providing insights into their strengths, weaknesses, and unique features. He discusses their compatibility with tools like the Apple Pencil, distinguishing between text management, knowledge systems, and media incorporation. Notably, Apple Notes is praised for its deep integration with Apple's ecosystem, free cost aside from device pricing, and comprehensive features like smart folders and OCR capabilities. Notion is highlighted for its customizable and comprehensive functionalities, including document management and integrations, though lacking end-to-end encryption. Obsidian is favored for its minimalistic design, knowledge graph feature, and strong local encryption, especially excelling in backlinking text, although it is not ideal for media-heavy notes. Notability, preferred by students and professionals for its stylus optimization and audio recording synchronization, lacks privacy features but offers enhancements like the Notability Gallery.
Chris also covers recent app updates, such as Apple’s new handwriting tools, Notion's basic AI functionalities, Obsidian's Canvas feature, and Notability’s gallery for note-sharing. Privacy concerns are addressed, noting that Apple Notes benefits from Advanced Data Protection and Obsidian offers encrypted sync services, while Notion does not provide end-to-end encryption. Other apps mentioned include Craft, Logseq, Noted, and Agenda, each catering to specific needs like sleek design, date-based note-taking, or an outliner feel.
Ultimately, Chris recommends selecting an app based on individual productivity needs: Apple Notes for simplicity, Notion for its comprehensive features, Obsidian for text-based minimalism, and Notability for handwritten notes. He concludes by promoting his productivity course and newsletter.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, Chris discusses how to pick the best note-taking app, sharing his recent research and personal findings. He compares Apple Notes, Notion, Obsidian, and Notability, focusing on their strengths, weaknesses, unique features, compatibility with the Apple Pencil, pricing, and privacy. Chris emphasizes the importance of identifying what you want your Notes app to do, such as managing text, writing, or functioning as a knowledge management system. He outlines his productivity setup, detailing how he uses different apps for pre-production (capturing info), production (curating and creating), and post-production (storing and sharing). He uses the PARA framework (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archive) for organization. Finally, he highlights the benefits of Apple Notes, particularly its deep integration with Apple’s ecosystem.
00:03:00
In this part of the video, the presenter discusses the functionalities of various note-taking applications. Apple Notes is highlighted for its smart folders, Apple Pencil support, OCR capabilities, and balanced input methods. Notion is described as a comprehensive, customizable tool for documents, databases, kanban boards, and task and project management, with numerous integrations. Obsidian is noted for its minimalistic design, markdown styling, knowledge graph feature, local file storage, and extensive plugins. Notability is praised for being a stylus-first app preferred by students and professionals for its audio recording synchronization and PDF annotation capabilities. The presenter also briefly mentions an upcoming productivity course focused on the Apple ecosystem.
00:06:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses recent updates and features in various apps. Apple has added a function to straighten handwriting and introduced a new fountain pen option in the Apple Pencil toolkit. The team at Notion has been integrating basic AI functionalities like writing, outlining, and brainstorming, although it lacks a chat feature like Jasper Chat. Obsidian has introduced Obsidian Canvas, an infinite workspace, but lacks Apple Pencil support. Notability released the Notability Gallery feature for sharing and searching notes and templates. The segment highlights privacy and encryption concerns, noting that Notability lacks these protections. Apple introduced Advanced Data Protection for end-to-end encryption, applicable to Apple Notes and other apps. Obsidian offers encryption through their Obsidian Sync service, which costs $8 per month. Notion avoids end-to-end encryption due to their search functionalities.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses different note-taking applications, focusing on their encryption capabilities, pricing, features, and usability with styluses like the Apple Pencil. They highlight Apple Notes for being completely free aside from the device cost, Notion’s free basic service with an $8/month upgrade for more features including unlimited blocks and file uploads, and Obsidian’s free offering with an optional $8/month encrypted sync upgrade. The speaker also covers the concept of backlinking, noting that Obsidian excels in this area with its Knowledge Graph, while Apple Notes lacks this feature. For stylus usage, Apple Notes and Notability are recommended, with Notability being especially optimized for stylus input. The video also touches on the use of media in notes, suggesting that Apple Notes or Notion are better choices for users who incorporate a lot of images and screenshots. Obsidian is less suited for media-heavy note-taking, despite having a canvas feature.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses various note-taking apps, highlighting their unique features and benefits. A few notable mentions include an Apple Watch-compatible markdown app and Agenda, which focuses on date-based note-taking. The app ‘Noted’ is praised for its sleek design and simultaneous audio recording. Craft is compared to Notion but with a better interface and built-in AI, though it lacks some integrations. Logseq is described as similar to Obsidian but with an outliner feel and features like to-dos and audio recording. The speaker concludes with recommendations: Apple Notes for simplicity, Notion for comprehensive features, Obsidian for text-based minimalism, and Notability for handwritten notes. They also promote their productivity course and newsletter.