First Look: iStat 6.0
Long time readers may recall that I reviewed iStat version 3.0 about 7 years ago. I had it running on all my Macs back in the day. Since that time, my computing setup has completely changed, and in that process, I somehow forgot to reinstall it.
New versions of iStat came and went, but I finally jumped back in when Bjango announced iStat 6.0. A lot has changed since I last looked at the app. For starters, iStat 6.0 has been completely overhauled in appearance. It has a modern, sleek aesthetic that fits perfectly with macOS High Sierra’s aesthetics. And, unsurprisingly, iStat 6.0 provides even more information about my Mac’s active state. What’s improved is the level of customization and the new weather monitoring component. Nearly every option within iStat 6.0 can be tailored specifically for how you wish to view your Mac’s stats.
Like its predecessors, iStat 6.0 gives you quick access to all your Mac’s vitals via the menu bar. Let’s take a look at a few screenshots.
The Sensors section provides temperature information for your Mac’s various modules. Hovering over a specific sensor produces a real-time graph showing the temperature over a few specific time intervals (1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days). Wattage, voltage and current information are also displayed for CPU and GPU modules. And if you really want to know how fast your computer’s fan is spinning, iStat 6.0 does that, too.
Below each of the active sections (Network, Sensors, Disks, etc.) are icons that give users quick access to the Process Viewer, the Console, Terminal, System Profiler, and iStat’s preferences. The Network section lets you ascertain things like public IP address, MAC address, and network utilization (up and down) for currently active apps.
The CPU section shows a graph indicating how much your CPU’s cores are being pushed, top CPU hogs, CPU load, and uptime.
The Disks section provides both read and write status as well as remaining free space on your drive.
Large apps can take up a lot of resources. That’s where iStat’s Memory section can help. In addition to available RAM, you can also see the memory footprint occupied by active applications.
RAM usage over set time intervals is also another feature iStat provides.
iStat 6.0 is big on customization options. Below are a few screenshots showing the extent of options that are available for users to tweak.
In addition to being able to customize the look and feel of each Section, users can also activate a specific iStat menu section by way of a user customizable keyboard shortcut. Users can also reorder the DropDown menu items within each Section as they see fit.
iStat 6.0 also covers the weather, with a highly informative 7 day forecast, powered by DarkSky. I was blown away by not only the level of detail, but by how clean and well organized the information is presented.
The Weathers section is free for 6 months, and subscription-based there after. Prices start at a very reasonable $1.99 for a year for one hour updates, $3.99 for 30 minute weather updates, and $5.99 for 15 minute weather updates. The $1.99 option is a no-brainer for me.
iStat 6.0 also includes a Calendar section. It’s helpful to see upcoming calendar events, though I think it would be even better if I could enter new calendar events directly within the app. Since I can’t, I still keep Fantastical’s menubar app active.
iStat 6.0 delivers a wealth of real-time Mac stats that would please even the most demanding Mac geek. Single user licenses run $18, with upgrades for owners of previous versions (3, 4, and 5) costing $9.99. Multi-user licenses are also available. The single user license covers iStat usage on up to 3 Macs, provided they are all used by the same individual.
It’s clear to me that a lot of thought and care has been put into iStat 6.0. It’s impressive for what it does (and how much it does). I’m glad it’s back on my Macs.
–Krishna
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