Video summary

I Left Todoist and Obsidian for Apple

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product/Apps Reviewed

This video is a review/experience recap of Apple’s built-in productivity apps as a system for tasks, notes, and calendar—primarily:

  • Reminders
  • Calendar
  • Notes

It also covers how they work with:

  • Siri AI (OS 27)
  • Spotlight
  • Apple Watch
  • QuickNote

The creator compares this setup to:

  • Todoist
  • Obsidian

And mentions Fantastical as a benchmark for calendar.

Key Features Mentioned (what stood out)

1) Reminders (task management)

  • Powerful list structure: projects can be broken into sections/stages, useful for multi-stage workflows (e.g., app/video projects).
  • Drag-and-drop tasks between sections.
  • Column view (Kanban-style) for visual stage management.
  • Smart Lists with tag-based filtering and advanced criteria; can be pinned to the top.
  • Simple checklist use for basic chores.
  • Template lists for recurring task sets.
  • Collaborative lists (shared reminders) for coordinating with others (e.g., wedding planning).
  • Used as a core business system because it’s free and built into the OS.

2) Calendar

  • Described as barebones/limited compared to other calendar apps (especially Fantastical).
  • OS 27 update: natural language support, but still limited:
    • Natural language supports date, time, and location.
    • Lacks more advanced conversational editing (e.g., changing sub-calendars via natural language; requires menu-based changes).
  • The creator uses Calendar less than Notes/Reminders (few appointments per week).

3) Notes (rich notes + AI + quick capture)

  • The creator is migrating from Obsidian, but says Apple Notes feels modern enough after relearning shortcuts.
  • Rich text advantages:
    • Bold/formatting renders visually (unlike markdown-only plain-text behavior in Obsidian).
    • Supports inline images and URL cards with less “jank” than some Obsidian plugins.
  • Apple Pencil support and file attachment options.
  • OS 27 import/export:
    • Can import Markdown into Apple Notes and convert to rich text.
    • Can export Apple Notes back to Markdown later.
    • This makes migration feel reversible.
  • Siri AI is deeply integrated into Notes:
    • Ask questions about saved content/links.
    • Create notes and query within notes.
    • Example: paste app feedback and ask Siri AI to summarize, de-duplicate, and turn it into a clean list.
  • QuickNote (fast capture everywhere):
    • iPhone/iPad: Control Center toggle, Apple Pencil gesture, Globe-Q shortcut.
    • Mac: Globe-Q works too.
    • Supports typing, link attachments, and drawing with Apple Pencil.
  • Fast search; tagging “works great.”
  • Collaboration is called out as a major strength for wedding planning.

4) Cross-app system behavior (the “connected setup”)

  • Reminders ↔ Calendar integration: reminders can appear in Calendar so the user can view and move items in context.
  • Links between apps:
    • Put a Notes link inside a Reminders task (e.g., scripts).
    • Put a Notes link inside Calendar event details for quick jumping.
  • Spotlight overhaul (OS 27):
    • Spotlight can create tasks/notes/appointments without opening the apps.
    • Examples:
      • Command- space → type “new task” → saves to Reminders
      • Type “turn on background noise”
      • Type “focus work” → enables Focus mode
  • Apple Watch companion:
    • Siri AI can run tasks reliably from the Watch, with app companions for input/viewing.

5) Siri AI (OS 27) as the glue

  • Described as best when using system apps.
  • In beta at the time of recording; third-party support requires more work (even if apps supported intents/shortcuts before).
  • Can summarize your day by pulling from Calendar + Reminders without you specifying app sources manually.
  • Limitation mentioned: wants “memory” for where tasks live (e.g., if tasks are in Todoist, Siri shouldn’t force switching every time).

Pros (explicitly praised)

  • Built-in reliability: less risk of losing tasks/notes in “unfindable buckets.”
  • Powerful and flexible Reminders (Kanban/sections, smart lists, templates, shared lists).
  • Notes migration is feasible thanks to OS 27 Markdown import/export.
  • Siri AI + Notes/Reminders/Calendar works extremely well together.
  • Fast search and strong tagging in Notes.
  • Quick capture everywhere via QuickNote.
  • Spotlight makes creating tasks/notes/appointments frictionless from anywhere.
  • Apple suite is “about 80%” of what people need; sufficient for ~99% of users (creator’s claim).

Cons / Gaps (explicitly requested improvements)

Reminders shortcomings

  • Wants document attachments beyond images (specifically PDFs/any files).
  • Harder “data entry” experience:
    • Too many menus/sub-menus to change list/project, priority, notes, etc.
    • Wants changes via natural language (not just due date/time).
  • UI font criticism:
    • “SF rounded” font is criticized as unprofessional and makes Reminders look like a toy tool.

Calendar shortcomings

  • Feature set is limited/barebones vs Fantastical.
  • Natural language editing is limited:
    • Can add date/time/location, but not advanced structural changes like sub-calendars.
  • Calls it “rough edges,” with a desire for Apple to improve visuals/functionality.

Notes shortcomings

  • Wants better markdown support using markdown syntax shortcuts (e.g., “##” for headings, “**” for bold).
  • Wants custom font control (currently limited).
  • Notes is “not perfect,” though overall progress is appreciated.

Siri / ecosystem limitations

  • Third-party apps don’t integrate as well yet (beta), so fully embracing Siri AI likely means using first-party Apple apps.

Apple Watch beta bug

  • Siri hangs/gets delayed on Watch OS beta and completes late.

Comparisons Mentioned (other products)

  • Todoist → Reminders
    • The creator didn’t want to migrate manually.
    • A custom Reminders CLI tool created projects/tasks/notes/metadata automatically via Codex, making migration painless.
  • Obsidian → Apple Notes
    • Obsidian criticized for slow adoption of system features (e.g., multi-window support on iPadOS still absent).
    • Apple Notes preferred for rich text rendering, reduced plugin jank, and better system integration with Pencil and Siri AI.
  • Fantastical → Apple Calendar
    • Fantastical is presented as having superior natural-language capabilities and a more capable feature set.
  • Enterprise alternatives
    • Many collaboration tools are described as “enterprise-y,” but Apple’s built-in suite gets enough done for most people.

User Experience / Workflow Examples (day-to-day)

  • Wedding planning:
    • Shared Reminders list with sections for each person’s responsibilities.
    • Shared Notes for venue info.
    • Collaboration expected to ramp up soon.
  • App/video work:
    • Reminders uses stages + Kanban columns; tasks move forward as work progresses.
    • QuickNote captures ideas during walks (can’t stop to write).
  • Feedback handling:
    • Siri AI organizes pasted feedback into a clean, deduplicated list.

Ratings / Numerical Scores

  • No formal star ratings or numeric review scores.
  • Numerical claims/percentages:
    • Apple apps cover 80% of needs and are “exactly what they need” for 99% of people (creator estimate).
    • Mentions “just under 500 notes” in the Notes library.
  • Watch/OS bug described qualitatively (no timer value provided).

Overall Verdict / Recommendation

Recommendation: The creator strongly endorses Apple’s Reminders + Notes + Calendar as a highly integrated, reliable productivity system—especially when paired with Siri AI (OS 27), Spotlight, and QuickNote.

Caveat: Apple’s apps are not perfect. Reminders and Calendar have notable feature gaps (file attachments, natural-language editing depth, calendar richness), and Notes still lacks ideal markdown/customization. Still, the creator recommends trying Apple’s built-in suite first, especially if you want a connected workflow without the “siloed buckets” problem.

Unique Points by Speaker/Aspect

Only one main speaker is present in the subtitles. Their perspectives include:

  • Product strategy viewpoint: Apple suite works best due to system-level integration (Siri AI + Spotlight + watch + cross-links).
  • Migration experience viewpoint: successful migrations from Todoist → Reminders and Obsidian → Notes using OS 27 features and a custom Reminders CLI.
  • Workflow/business viewpoint: Reminders used for business operations; Notes used for organization/search + collaboration.
  • Critic/feature request viewpoint: specific requests around UI, attachments, natural-language editing, markdown, and calendar features.
  • Beta/bug viewpoint: WatchOS Siri delay; Siri AI still in beta with third-party limitations.

Original video