My name is Philipp and you are reading Creativerly, the internet corner where I unpack my musings, curate and write about noteworthy apps and software, and explore the latest trends in design and tech.

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Last week I read a post by Robb Knight about making back the switch to Alfred after using Raycast for a while. I have been a long-time Raycast user, but some of the recent features they shipped also got me thinking whether the app still moves in a direction I am fine to continue to support. Just like Robb mentioned in his post, I got tempted by Raycast's shiny and beautiful UI, but also because it offers some lovely integrations. Nevertheless, my main use-case for Raycast is still launching and switching between apps.

The most recent feature they shipped is called Glaze (I am not sure if they checked the Urban Dictionary before deciding that this will be the name). Glaze gives Raycast users the possibility to create desktop apps by chatting with AI, or how Robb Knight called it *"*they're getting into the slop game".

The whole AI hype opened up a lot of doors for both individuals and companies. I could write a whole blog post about the question whether this has been a good or thing. What I am already observing though is that generating code is a loophole, so I am not sure whether it is the right approach to let everyone chat with AI in order to create apps. Glaze has a private team store, so you can share your apps only within your team, but there is also a public store, where you can give anyone access to your apps.

Additionally, this is yet another feature, I have no use-case for. As long as I can use Raycast for simple things like launching and switching between apps, doing some quick translations, or calculations, searching for files,I am thankful for its existence. However, with the introduction of such a major new feature, I am asking myself what the motivation could be. Staying relevant in this AI hype cycle? Convert new subscribers? Attract new investors? And just like this we are entering the waters of why the fundamental problem of modern software is that it is ephemeral. Companies are raising tens or even hundreds of millions, while burning through that money, trying to attract as much subscribers as possible to become profitable and paying back the investors. Or, their "goal" is to get acquired, so the company acquiring the software can shut it down afterwards.

Loads of apps get bloated before they are getting acquired, because the company initially tried everything to stay relevant and convert as much subscribers as possible. I am not saying that this is the case for Raycast, they built something incredibly solid, but recent feature releases drew the impression on my end, that they jumped on some hypetrains. Also, their last investment round was in September 2024. It was a €27M Series B to bring Raycast to Windows and iOS. While the iOS release was a big announcement, it got quiet around that topic pretty quickly, and with an App Store Rating of 2,8 it does not seem like that app had that much of an impact.

Robb Knight’s post, and my own recent reflections, highlight a tension many of us feel as users of modern software: the balance between innovation and bloat, between staying true to core functionality and chasing the next big trend. Raycast’s journey, from its sleek, focused beginnings to its latest AI-driven features like Glaze, mirrors a broader industry pattern where the pressure to grow, attract investment, or simply stay relevant can sometimes overshadow the needs of the user. While I still appreciate Raycast for the simple, everyday tasks it excels at, its recent direction raises questions about the sustainability of software that prioritizes expansion over refinement. In an era where apps can disappear as quickly as they rise, perhaps the most valuable feature of all is one that is increasingly rare: a tool that knows what it is for, and sticks to it. For now, I will keep using Raycast, but with a watchful eye on where its path leads next.

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Fresh Updates & News

Play is winding down its product to work on something new →

Play, the tool to design, prototype, and ship iOS apps, winner of the 2025 Apple Design Award, just announced that starting April 20, 2026, they will no longer support the Play iOS and macOS apps, ultimately winding down the full product offering. Projects will continue to be editable until April 20, but after that date, users will no longer be able to access them. Play is suggesting to use the macOS simulator in order to record videos of prototypes users would like to preserve, or export Play projects to Xcode using the Play to Xcode SDK. Play's SDK is a package that will remain active after Play is no longer available.

Users who are on paid plans will receive a prorated refund to their original payment method. All account data will be deleted on April 21, 2026. All of this seems to be happening, because the team at Play started to work on something new, as the headline is implying on the linked website.

Mental Wealth

❯ Nothing to Declare – “Making big public statements is always fun and people who think themselves to be important love doing it as a way of trying to influence public opinion and/or politics. They are a way for institutions and individuals to organize and try to shine some light onto important issues.”

❯ Claude magic – “Anthropic’s Claude models are having a moment. Their newest release supposedly “changes everything” and if you don’t use it every day you just cannot have any opinion on LLMs.”

❯ The Joy of Building Slow – “Five years ago, we pushed the first !Boring apps out into the world. I had sold my first company and left my cushy job to confront an underlying tension in software: #1 We were using more and more software and #2 it was making us miserable. Yet most software designers seemed resigned to live with the dissonance—telling ourselves we’re doing good for the world while slowly enshittifying it.”

❯ Tech continues to be political – “Being “in tech” in 2025 is depressing, and if I’m going to stick around, I need to remember why I’m here.”

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Appendix

❯ ICYMI

In the seven part of my series Tiny macOS utility apps I love, I am featuring a simple and powerful note app, and two apps to keep track of system activity.

❯ Quick Bits

Till next time! 👋‌‌‌‌

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