Lenny Rachitsky’s product stack

Obsidian 1.0 launched yesterday with a whole new look.

If you’re new here, Obsidian is a personal knowledge base and note-taking tool that works on local Markdown files. It first beta launched in 2020, and received a Golden Kitty nomination in productivity, and then won the 2021 Golden Kitty for the mobile app category. With nearly 4,000 upvotes across its first two launches and a strong social media following, Obsidian’s existing features and UI were already highly favored.

The makers introduced a complete redesign to Obsidian for its beta graduation. The team describes the new Obsidian as more robust, accessible, and easier to theme. They’ve also prioritized using more native OS features for menus, windows, and other details.

As co-founder Erica Xu puts it, the 1.0 version is a “new way to browse your second brain,” with a new tabs feature throughout Obsidian’s UI. For an alternate tab-viewing experience, you can turn any tab group into a “tab stack.” The per-tab history also changes how users browse their vaults — each tab maintains its own history for navigation.

“Obsidian is one of my favorite apps of all time. Been using it for over a year and it is now a solid version 1 even though it's been working great for the last year in very workable betas,” said one user in the comments.

The makers have also shared a product roadmap; up next on the agenda is a Canvas view that lets you create mind maps, flow charts, org charts, moodboards, family trees and more.

The takeaway? Keep developing your product — your users will thank you for it.

“Every year I do an informal survey on Twitter asking product managers, designers, engineers, and researchers what's in their product stack,” wrote Lenny Rachitsky, a former Airbnb PM, writer, and product specialist. Check out the results.

• BHuman uses AI to produce unique videos for audiences by cloning your face and video.

• SavvyCal launched Workflows, a way to send customized lifecycle messages and automate manual tasks.

• Prospectss 2.0 is a growth marketing toolkit that helps you generate leads, extract data, and find contacts.

• Microsoft launched Audio Dock, an all-in-one speakerphone and computer hub for meetings and music.