On the Mac, it works the same way, but with different user interactions and a richer set of information. On iOS, Flexibits perfected the concept of the DayTicker, a horizontal stripe of upcoming days that scrolls as you browse events in a list at the bottom, and vice versa. As with the rest of the Fantastical lineup, these UI components aren’t displayed at once just to fill the screen – they’re connected to each other and follow your clicks and interactions.
On the right, you can switch between Day, Week, Month, and Year views. On the left, a sidebar lists all your events and reminders on top of it, an inline monthly calendar shows all days for the current month, highlights the current day, and displays events for each day with colored dots. The main app is a combination of Apple’s Calendar and Fantastical for iPad, with a superior information density and flow than Apple’s own software. Fantastical 2 is a complete calendar app with a new full-screen interface that, however, feels instantly familiar and coherent with the Fantastical ecosystem.
The new Fantastical is a good example of how Flexibits’ experience in building iOS apps for the past three years has been applied to enhancing a Mac app that takes advantage of the unique traits of OS X. Fantastical 2 builds on that solid foundation, bringing design changes and new functionalities that will define the evolution of the Fantastical family. In 2011, Fantastical raised the bar for modern calendar interaction. And in the process, it exudes the finesse and attention to detail that Simmons and Sutherland are known for.
While the original Fantastical was a companion to the full Apple iCal experience, Fantastical 2 reinvents itself as a full-blown calendar client that retains the most important aspects of the app’s debut and adds a whole new calendar interface to the mix.
Four years later, Flexibits wants Fantastical 2 for Mac – their latest creation years in the making – to be the only calendar app you’ll ever need. Fantastical for Mac, originally released in 2011, redefined calendar apps for OS X and my idea of a modern calendar client.ĭeveloped by Michael Simmons and Kent Sutherland – together known as Flexibits – Fantastical pioneered features and design choices that, with time, have become a staple of other calendar apps and OS X utilities: natural language input is now expected in popular todo apps and services the OS X menu bar has grown into a popular destination for desktop utilities integration with multiple calendar services in a single app is now a de facto standard.įantastical was a powerful calendar assistant.