About MacStories

2024-07-27 01:12:35

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts: This week, Sigmund is joined by guest co-host Christopher Lawley to highlight the debut of Time Bandits and talk about Apple’s upcoming slate of immersive video releases. This week, Niléane reviews the AirPods Max, Matt got a new GPU, and Chris keeps things non-controversial by bringing […]

2024-07-26 19:40:09

Yesterday, AltStore co-creator Riley Testut posted on Mastodon that the ‘cat’s out of the bag.’ That cat was the announcement from Epic Games that their hugely popular game ‘Fortnite’ would be coming to AltStore PAL in the EU. Epic had previously announced they would be launching the Epic Games Store in the EU on iOS […]

2024-07-25 03:49:20

Today, Apple has launched Apple Maps on the web in a surprise announcement. This beta version of Apple Maps on the web is accessible via the url beta.maps.apple.com, and is said by the company to be compatible with Google Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft Edge on Windows. Additionally, developers will now be able to link out […]

2024-07-25 02:58:41

Even though we have a podcast together, I promise I did not talk to my friend Brendon about something I started doing myself last month: using EarPods – yes, the old wired ones – as my “universal earbuds” that can connect to just about anything these days. In any case, Brendon came to the same […]

2024-07-24 05:42:28

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts: This week, John tours the highlights of the macOS Sequoia public beta. This episode is sponsored by: Setapp – the place to get apps. Use the code appstories20 at checkout for 20% off. This week, Robb located some pizza snacks, John visited a QuikTrip, and they […]

2024-07-19 23:15:56

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts: This week on Magic Rays of Light, Devon is joined by guest co-host Jonathan Reed to discuss Jonathan’s first impressions of Apple Vision Pro, new Apple Original documentary series Omnivore, 72 Emmy Awards nominations for Apple Originals, and Devon’s experience seeing Fly Me to the Moon […]

2024-07-19 01:33:44

Source: Apple. Beginning today, Apple says it will begin releasing a series of films, documentaries, music, sports, travel, and other video content for the Vision Pro. First up is ‘Hot Air Balloons,’ which will be available beginning at 6 PM Pacific today, and is part of a series dubbed Boundless. That will be followed in […]

2024-07-18 06:46:40

Smart Script and Math Notes are two of the most notable features coming to iPadOS this fall. Both take advantage of the Apple Pencil and the iPad’s computer power to do a lot of complex work under the hood, which makes taking good-looking notes and working with numbers and equations feel natural. Chris Lawley, co-host […]

2024-07-17 04:43:35

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts: This week, Federico and John run down the highlights of the iOS and iPadOS 18 public betas that were released today. On AppStories+, Federico and John compare earbud notes, covering recent models from Sennheiser, Technics, and Beats. This episode is sponsored by: CleanMyMac X: Your Mac. […]

2024-07-16 23:18:16

Federico has been on quite a journey with his gear setup over the past few months. If you’ve been following along on NPC: Next Portable Console, MacStories Unwind, and AppStories, you know that he’s been assembling a modular system that lets him switch effortlessly from work to play. He’s working on a story that pulls […]

2024-07-16 23:02:08

The past few months have been busy at MacStories. The release of new iPads was followed by our launch of new podcasts and then WWDC. Along the way, my gear setup has changed a little, too. Portable Setup Changes 11” iPad Pro and Accessories Leading up to Apple’s spring event and knowing that it would […]

2024-07-16 21:47:54

There are thousands of things on sale during Amazon Prime Day, including a lot of my favorite gadgets, so I thought I’d highlight the deals I’ve found for the gear I’ve used, tested, and love. Here are my top picks. Apple Hardware and Accessory Deals Apple Studio Display with Adjustable Stand (15% off) Source: Apple. […]

2024-07-16 21:00:58

Overcast has long been my favorite podcast player on iOS and iPadOS with its beautifully simple user interface that complements a great audio engine. Today, developer Marco Arment is celebrating Overcast’s tenth anniversary with the release of a new version featuring a user interface that’s been rewritten from the ground up. From the app’s main […]

2024-07-16 04:22:37

iOS 18 launches in public beta today. My experience with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, launching today in public beta for everyone to try, has been characterized by smaller, yet welcome enhancements to Apple’s productivity apps, a redesign I was originally wrong about, and an emphasis on customization. There’s a big omission looming over the […]

2024-07-16 04:22:24

Sequoia is not your typical macOS release. In recent years, new features of all Apple OSes have been increasingly meted out over time instead of dropping all at once in the fall. That’s been true of macOS, too, but this year, the magnitude of the staged release will be more pronounced, which has trickled through […]

2024-07-16 04:22:11

Last year, Apple declared watchOS 10 the biggest update to the Apple Watch’s software since its introduction. I don’t think that was actually the case, but there were undoubtedly some notable changes to how we interact with our watches every day, with the introduction of the Smart Stack being key among them. While Apple hasn’t […]

2024-07-13 04:15:21

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts: This week on Magic Rays of Light, Sigmund and Devon spotlight the theatrical release of Fly Me to the Moon, revisit the idea of an Apple TV Pro, recap Trying season four, and highlight new Apple Original series Sunny starring Rashida Jones. This week on Comfort […]

2024-07-12 23:00:17

As Twitter was crumbling under Elon Musk’s new leadership in 2023, various online circles found themselves flocking to alternative platforms. While some may have kept using Twitter (now known as… X), a non-negligible number of communities migrated over to Mastodon and other smaller platforms. Meanwhile, Meta shipped its own textual social media platform, Threads. The […]

2024-07-11 22:49:37

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts: This week, Federico and I cover the developer features we’re excited to see come to third-party apps later this year. This episode is sponsored by: Vitally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. […]

2024-07-11 22:03:27

Delta, the retro gaming emulator that took the App Store by storm when it was released earlier this spring and now has over 10 million users, has been updated in the EU via AltStore PAL and for Patreon members, who can sideload the app. An update to the App Store version has been submitted to […]

2024-07-11 04:41:57

Insta360 X4. Source: Insta360. Insta360 has had a busy week. Earlier this spring, the company released the X4, an advanced 360º action camera, which became available at Apple.com for the first time last week. Then this week, the company released the Insta360 Flow Pro, an AI-powered gimbal for smartphones, including the iPhone. I haven’t had […]

2024-07-11 00:08:08

All of MacStories’ podcasts are now available on our YouTube channel. Currently, Comfort Zone is the only show that includes video, but now you can also listen to our audio-only shows via YouTube. Here are links to each show: Video Podcasts Comfort Zone Audio-Only Podcasts AppStories NPC: Next Portable Console Ruminate Magic Rays of Light […]

2024-07-09 21:03:14

Indie App Sales is back with excellent deals on apps from many of your favorite developers. With over 300 apps to choose from, the complete list is full of gems like: FitWoody Bills to Budget Plinky Bushel Denim Everlog Home Widget HomeCam HomeUI PowerPhotos Prizmo 5 Sunlitt Text Workflow Muse The sale periods vary by app, […]

2024-07-09 00:21:36

Today, Tapbots released version 2.0 of Ivory, the company’s Mastodon client for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. The update brings a notable list of improvements, one exciting new feature that should make it easier to follow and curate specific topics on the fediverse, and a fully redesigned share sheet extension. On Mastodon, it is possible to […]

2024-07-08 18:41:04

Alvin Cabral, writing for The National, got a nice quote from Apple’s Billy Sorrentino on the redesigned Photos app in iOS 18: “As our features, users and libraries have grown, so has the density of the [Photos] app. So rather than hunt and peck throughout, we’ve created a simple streamlined single view photos experience based […]

2024-07-06 00:55:31

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts: This week on Magic Rays of Light, Sigmund and Devon highlight Apple Original film Fancy Dance starring Lily Gladstone, discuss Sigmund’s experience with the new Beats Pill, share their thoughts on the third season of Acapulco, and recap thrilling sci-fi series Dark Matter. This week, Matt […]

2024-07-03 20:19:30

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts: This week, Federico and I share tips on iPadOS, macOS, RSS, cross-platform file transfers, and more. This episode is sponsored by: Sofa – Be More Intentional with Your Downtime. For episode 3 of NPC, we cover the latest news about the Ayn Odin2 Mini, ONEXPLAYER X1 Mini, […]

2024-07-03 04:06:25

Eugen Rochko, writing on Mastodon’s blog today: To reinforce and encourage Mastodon as the go-to place for journalism, we’re launching a new feature today. You will notice that underneath some links shared on Mastodon, the author byline can be clicked to open the author’s associated fediverse account, right in the app. This highlights writers and […]

2024-07-02 22:00:05

CC0: No rights reserved. Federico: Historically, technology has usually advanced in lockstep with opening up new creative opportunities for people. From word processors allowing writers to craft their next novel to digital cameras letting photographers express themselves in new ways or capture more moments, technological progress over the past few decades has sustained creators and, […]

2024-06-29 00:49:36

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts: This week on Magic Rays of Light, Sigmund and Devon highlight new Apple Original bilingual comedy series Land of Women, discuss latest with regards to Apple and the Digital Markets Acts, and recap The Big Cigar. Niléane tests the gang on their French knowledge (it goes […]