iStat Menus 7.0 Brings Comprehensive Redesign and New Features

[bhagemann]

The upgrade process from version 6 was overall smooth, intelligently keeping what items I had in my menu bars and thoughtfully showing me some version 7 changes that could be made, contrasting with what I currently had (and offering to let me keep them). The only thing that didn't transfer over was my calendar menu item, which I had to manually enable and set up as if it hadn't been there before. Setting up the calendar item was a bit less intuitive than everything else had been - it initially wasn't clear to me how to get something other than the system time, but once I saw how to do it, everything else became easy.

Also lost calendar settings... AND the date/time config picker where you hit the plus to add each item to the line... once you have more than a couple items there that take up horizontal space, you can't see/move the later added items as they are to far to the right and disappear under the text entry edge. I have a long one, that ends up looking like this:
Monday, August 5th - 2:21:33
and if I added anything else to the single line config, its not accessable to drag/move/edit
so text input needs to scroll or window needs to be resizable.

 

[brerlappin]

Anyone know what the 3 numbers for Load under CPU mean? Also, weird how they run together with not much space between.

Also, in CPU I miss the CPU idle percentage and Time Machine disks not being listed

 

[gilby101]

Anyone know what the 3 numbers for Load under CPU mean?

They are showing the Load Average. This is the traditional Unix way of expressing the load on a CPU. They are the numbers of processes waiting to run in the CPU over the past 1, 5 and 15 minutes.
Load (Wikipedia)

The way they are presented in V7 is another step down from V6. Apart from no indication as to which number is which the graph has gone from showing all three to just one unspecified number.

 

[brerlappin]

Thanks so much for the explanation, I appreciate it!

They are showing the Load Average. This is the traditional Unix way of expressing the load on a CPU. They are the numbers of processes waiting to run in the CPU over the past 1, 5 and 15 minutes.
Load (Wikipedia)

The way they are presented in V7 is another step down from V6. Apart from no indication as to which number is which the graph has gone from showing all three to just one unspecified number.

 

[Bjango]

You shouldn't be trying to "make it work". This is a business. You're here to make money.

Let me be very, very clear: We’ve been around for 19 years and we do not want or need to switch iStat Menus to a subscription model. We also do not need subscriptions to make most of our apps successful. I understand why many developers choose that path, and it can be a good one, especially if there are significant server costs or other costs based on usage. With the exception of the weather features, iStat Menus is a client side, native app.

Our goal has never been to maximise profits, and I think long term, companies that focus on profits above all else end up putting themselves in jeopardy. We are self-funded, which gives us control over these decisions.

 

[gilby101]

Keep up with the releases. Two more bugs (noted in post #165) are fixed in build 2196 (iStatMenus7.0.8.zip).

 

[Bjango]

iStat Menus 7.01 is out now. Here’s what’s changed:

• Added app launcher to weather menu.
• Added app launcher as an option in combined menu.
• Added CPU core section as an option for combined menu.
• Added missing sensors menu bar options to combined.
• Added missing hotkey support for opening combined menu.
• Added GPU menu bar icon option.
• Added thermometer menu bar icon option in Sensors.
• Improved menu bar calendar icons to use less space.
• Improved text and graph settings for Bluetooth and AirPod devices to have seperate settings from other batteries.
• Reduced spacing between menu bar items.
• Fixed an issue with battery time/graph menu bar mode showing cached values for the time.
• Fixed an issue with battery health showing as 0 on some devices.
• Fixed missing default sensors on MacBookAir10,1.
• Fixed an issue with Bluetooth battery percentages in the menu bar.
• Fixed an issue with border and graph background settings not working for some label/graph menu bar modes.
• Fixed font settings for memory percentage text menu bar mode.
• Fixed some display issues with batteries in combined menu.
• Fixed a display issue with scrollbar in hourly section in weather menu.
• Fixed a display issue with some sensor names.
• Fixed high/low forecast values not displaying correcting in weather menu bar modes.
• Fixed some issues with ping modes when using combined.
• Fixed a display issue with calendar icons when used in combined.
• Fixed an issue with sensors overview section displaying wrong sensors in combined menu.
• Fixed some issues with weather units.

Please keep the feedback coming. 😀

 

[Marco Klobas]

Thanks for the update.

Time Machine and SD card still missing from Disks.
Logitech Bluetooth mouse battery still not supported – now it disappeared entirely from the device list.

 

[Lioness~]

iStat Menus are great on my Studio, and almost even on my MBA 2024 now 👍🏼

The combined setting is great and absolutely needed on the 'tiny' place that are given on the MBA 2024.



But there’s a bug that shows a half weather cloud close to the combined symbol and do the same as the combined symbol when clicking on it. So some bug there...
Otherwise, I love this upgrade, and will play more with it especially on my Studio.

 

[Taavi99]

It would be good if the "Combined" menu had "Memory, network, battery, the name of the sensors in the upper left corner, the same as it now shows "Processor"

 

[Paradoxally]

I agree completely. I have been a loyal customer, but this circle-bars are horrible. They are so difficult to read on a glimpse. Please bring normal bar graphs back. At least as an option. I have been a loyal customer since version 3.18. If this is the future, then I will not upgrade to the new version.

What shocks me most isn't the lack of customization, that's more disappointing than anything.

It's the fact that the first release felt like an alpha. I have no idea how Bjango greenlit that release. For customers who had Setapp (like me), no menu bar icons would even show up!

Bjango said they had 1,000 beta testers. Well, they must have all been using Sonoma because on Ventura and earlier the menu bars didn't work. But a friend who is on Sonoma and used Setapp said that it worked fine for them.

It's concerning that a company that supposedly cares about crafting quality software cannot enforce a simple rule of having testers using many different major versions.

I have since reverted to v6 outside of Setapp because it simply is more functional, less buggy, and allows me to have no trace of circular graphs.

 

[Larsen2k4]

My AirPods Max now finally appear in the battery menu again. Great 😎 Now iStat just needs to dim out on my inactive monitor again and then I'm pleased for now. (Already got mail from Bjango that they're working on it.) 😀

 

[Bjango]

iStat Menus are great on my Studio, and almost even on my MBA 2024 now 👍🏼

…

But there’s a bug that shows a half weather cloud close to the combined symbol and do the same as the combined symbol when clicking on it. So some bug there...
Otherwise, I love this upgrade, and will play more with it especially on my Studio.

Thanks! Do you have menu bar spacing set to “compact”? If you do, please try “standard”. There are some situations where the compact mode may cause issues.

It's the fact that the first release felt like an alpha. I have no idea how Bjango greenlit that release. For customers who had Setapp (like me), no menu bar icons would even show up!

Bjango said they had 1,000 beta testers. Well, they must have all been using Sonoma because on Ventura and earlier the menu bars didn't work. But a friend who is on Sonoma and used Setapp said that it worked fine for them.

iStat Menus is a big, complex app, with a near infinite number of permutations of settings, and it also changes based on the hardware you’re running. We did test on different OS versions. We did test on a wide range of hardware. Please cut us some slack — we ran a huge beta, and worked around the clock to get fixes out for Setapp. We had most of the issues sorted in a few days, and we have more updates coming. This was a massive update, that has set us up nicely for the next decade or more for iStat Menus.

I have since reverted to v6 outside of Setapp because it simply is more functional, less buggy, and allows me to have no trace of circular graphs.

We’re happy if you’re running any version, and our licenses allow you to keep running iStat Menus 6 forever if you want, as long as you’re using compatible hardware.

Please do check back on version 7 in a month or so though. 😀

My AirPods Max now finally appear in the battery menu again. Great 😎 Now iStat just needs to dim out on my inactive monitor again and then I'm pleased for now. (Already got mail from Bjango that they're working on it.) 😀

Great! Thanks for letting us know.

 

[JohnD]

It's a piece of software and many items can be adjusted. Plus the developer is participating in this thread and will take note of the feedback. So chillax! Life is too short to get so excited for non-issues.

The developer @Bjango is making changes for the sake of making changes. They seem to feel their competition is better than they are, because they are all using circle graphs. I and many others here are using iStat BECAUSE they were not using circle graphs. @Bjango are becoming too much like their competition, instead of setting themselves apart and being the better company, folding to the perceived competition, and normalizing their product instead of being/remaining better. They're better than that, and they know it, but maybe just need a little reminder that they are (were, 'till v7). So you chillax... I've been a fan for many years, not used the competition, for a reason... @Bjango needs to be reminded they were better than that, and can still be if they choose.

 

[JohnD]

iStat Menus is a big, complex app, with a near infinite number of permutations of settings, and it also changes based on the hardware you’re running. We did test on different OS versions. We did test on a wide range of hardware. Please cut us some slack — we ran a huge beta, and worked around the clock to get fixes out for Setapp. We had most of the issues sorted in a few days, and we have more updates coming. This was a massive update, that has set us up nicely for the next decade or more for iStat Menus.

That's great and all, but... for god's sake, give us the option of circle graphs or bar graphs EVERYWHERE. I don't see a single circle graph ANYWHERE in v6, and will never upgrade to v7+ if I can't choose bar graphs. YOUR design team made the decision to make this major, backwards step in graph choice. Don't blame us for pushing back. Give us the option - you had it before, you can do it again. I've loved your product for many years, 'till now.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

Personally, I don't give a toss about the shape of the graphs, no vitriolic graph crusades are needed. V7 looks great to me, and is noticeably more efficient, so is a win in my book. I've been tweaking it a bit, and now I'm happy with my setup. It tells me what I need to know at a glance, and everything else if I want to look.

The only thing that I miss has already been discussed by others, so I'm happy to be patient, and wait for the battery charge graph history in future updates.

 

[Lioness~]

Thanks! Do you have menu bar spacing set to “compact”? If you do, please try “standard”. There are some situations where the compact mode may cause issues.

I tested all 'spacings' and default spacing showed 'the desired whole cloud'.
The rest of the settings didn't.
Of course it would be nice to have a whole cloud, but I can live with a faulty cloud, I’m used to all kinds of clouds where I live, so...😂

But I just wanted to report it, for your information.
I rather have place for more things in the tiny-weeny menu-bar on the 2024 MBA.

 

[eduardos]

@Bjango I'm having an issue with version 7.01 (2199).
When first installed it was showing the processes on CPU, SSD and MEM details, after finishing setting it up and some reboots later, the processes are missing on all of them. I'm not sure what caused it.

 

[brerlappin]

@Bjango I'm having an issue with version 7.01 (2199).
When first installed it was showing the processes on CPU, SSD and MEM details, after finishing setting it up and some reboots later, the processes are missing on all of them. I'm not sure what caused it.

View attachment 2404005

Try the latest build, 7.01 (2205)
https://download.bjango.com/istatmenus7/

 

[Larsen2k4]

My AirPods Max now finally appear in the battery menu again. Great 😎 Now iStat just needs to dim out on my inactive monitor again and then I'm pleased for now. (Already got mail from Bjango that they're working on it.) 😀

Little update: No AirPods anymore after waking up from sleep mode. ☹️

 

[Bjango]

But I just wanted to report it, for your information. I rather have place for more things in the tiny-weeny menu-bar on the 2024 MBA.

Thanks! Compact spacing is a pretty unique feature (not sure other apps do it?), and we’re still hoping to improve it.

@Bjango I'm having an issue with version 7.01 (2199).
When first installed it was showing the processes on CPU, SSD and MEM details, after finishing setting it up and some reboots later, the processes are missing on all of them. I'm not sure what caused it.

Can you please get in contact? We’ll do what we can to get them working again: https://bjango.com/contact/

Little update: No AirPods anymore after waking up from sleep mode. ☹️

This might be best discussed via email, so we can chase down any issues. Thanks! https://bjango.com/contact/

 

[Populus]

Thanks! Compact spacing is a pretty unique feature (not sure other apps do it?), and we’re still hoping to improve it.

Hi! Potential new customer here.

I want to purchase iStat menus 7 on the Mac App Store, do you have an ETA for it?

Also, I’ve seen some bugs and complaints regarding the new “compact” view, but you’re advising to use the standard. Are you optimistic about the compact view being polished in the next few weeks?

And finally, although I dont care too much about the circle or linear graphs, it seems there’s a significant amount of feedback of users wanting the old bar view back. Do you plan to at least provide the option, once the most critical bugs are fixed?

Thank you.

 

[Bjango]

Hi! Potential new customer here.

Hello! Thanks for the questions.

I want to purchase iStat menus 7 on the Mac App Store, do you have an ETA for it?

I have an ETA for it, but please note the E in ETA stands for estimated! I think it’ll be within the next 10 days. This means you could use the web trial now, if you’d like, and switch to the Mac App Store version when the trial runs out. If you do this, please uninstall the web version before installing the Mac App Store version.

Also, I’ve seen some bugs and complaints regarding the new “compact” view, but you’re advising to use the standard. Are you optimistic about the compact view being polished in the next few weeks?

The compact spacing is a pretty unique feature, and there may be some scenarios where it won’t ever work (Universal Control etc). We will definitely do what we can, where improvements are possible. We can only do what is possible though.

It still seems like a good feature to offer, given the benefits to so many people.

And finally, although I dont care too much about the circle or linear graphs, it seems there’s a significant amount of feedback of users wanting the old bar view back. Do you plan to at least provide the option, once the most critical bugs are fixed?

If it’s okay, we’re not going to publicly commit to features until they’re built and tested. We’re definitely reading everything and are planning some new features.

 

[Populus]

If it’s okay, we’re not going to publicly commit to features until they’re built and tested. We’re definitely reading everything and are planning some new features.

It is completely understandable. Also I wanted to let you know that a more efficient app, specially one that’s running constantly in the background, is much welcomed. That's why I’m waiting for the release of the V.7 on the Mac App Store. And don’t worry, I know it’s an estimation and you have a lot of work right now. I’ll get it once it is released.

 

[gank41]

Hi @Bjango, I'm still having an issue viewing Time Machine drives anywhere in the app at all. And now I've found that my "Macintosh HD" drive doesn't show in the Drop Down menu, although the drive icon shows in the Menu Bar.

I'm also not sure if I'm up to date. It says v7.01 (2205), and shows no updates available. I've tried reinstalling and have reset Disk Filtering. And FWIW, this only happens with my M1 MBP, not my 2018 Intel Mac mini.

I really do love the look, though. I'm glad I took the time t break everything out into their own sections, too. I was showing the same info in the Menu Bar before, but had it all under a Combined Menu. Now I can show more info under each sections menu. I just wish the Time Machine drives would be listed, and not sure what's up with my own internal drive not showing...

¯\_(ツ)_/¯