MacStories

Apple Frames, my shortcut to add official device frames to screenshots taken on iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watch Series 4, has been updated with support for the 2018 12.9" iPad Pro. Since Apple announced the new iPad Pro in late October, I was frequently…

One of the nerdy features of CARROT Weather I love is its support for personal weather stations as a data source. Not long ago, Federico explained on AppStories that the weather station down the street from him had shut down, so he could no longer use it as a…

Agenda launched earlier this year with a fresh take on note-taking apps focused on dates and a timeline-based approach. As John noted in his original review of the Mac version (and later iOS), Agenda prioritizes dates as a means of note organization rather…

Apple has announced a significant expansion across the US, including an expanded presence in Austin, a city where it currently employs over 6,000 people. Over the next three years, Apple also plans to grow to more than 1,000 employees in Seattle, San Diego,…

This fall when macOS Mojave introduced a systemwide dark mode feature, Things added support for the new mode in version 3.7. The iPhone and iPad versions of the app, however, were left out. A lack of feature parity across platforms is always unfortunate, but…

During the October iPad Pro event in Brooklyn, New York, Apple briefly showed off an upcoming version of djay by Algoriddim. Today, djay 3.0 was released on the App Store as a universal app that’s free to download with premium features available as a…

HomeRun is a simple Apple Watch utility for controlling HomeKit scenes from your wrist. Where Apple’s Home app for the Watch can be clunky to navigate, especially if you have more than a couple HomeKit devices set up, HomeRun makes controls easily accessible…

On 9to5Mac, Zac Hall breaks down how the new electrodes work in the Apple Watch Series 4 based on details published by Apple when it updated watchOS last week with the new ECG app. For now, the ECG app is only available in the US, but that doesn’t mean that…

On this week's episode of AppStories, we explore the apps we use for planning everything from the upcoming year to the week ahead. Sponsored by: Affinity – super-fast, powerful, professional apps for modern creative people Luna Display – The only hardware…

Tim Nahumck, writing about the latest Drafts update for iOS: One thing that is included with MultiMarkdown as an option is Critic Markup. Looking through the guide, there are several helpful elements that can be used for editing my writing utilizing Critic…

Myke, Federico and Stephen talk about their use of Shortcuts, Apple Music heading to the Amazon Echo and a bit of BREAKING NEWS. On last week's episode of Connected, we discussed our ongoing usage of Shortcuts and what it means for Apple to expand their…

Previewed in May, Google has added a ‘For You’ tab to its Maps iOS app that is rolling out in stages today to users in 40 countries. The Android version of the feature is debuting in 130 countries. ‘For You,’ which appears as a tab on the far right of…

Serif, the maker of Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer, is one step closer to completing its trio of apps for creative professionals with the desktop publishing app Affinity Publisher, now available as a free public beta. From the earliest days, Serif’s…

As I mentioned earlier this week, I have been looking forward to Belkin's USB-C to HDMI adapter for the new iPad Pro since I discovered the accessory was announced on the same day of Apple's Brooklyn event. The unique proposition of this adapter is support for…

iPad Diaries is a regular series about using the iPad as a primary computer. You can find more installments here and subscribe to the dedicated RSS feed. One of my favorite aspects of working on the iPad is the flexibility granted by its extensible form…

At Apple’s September keynote the company introduced the Series 4 Apple Watch. Among the features announced was a preview of the ability to generate an electrocardiogram or ECG within thirty seconds by placing a finger on the Digital Crown. At the time, Apple…

In addition to Apple's clear case for the iPhone XR and 18W USB-C adapter, Apple online stores in Europe started selling Belkin's highly anticipated Boost Up dual wireless charging dock and USB-C to HDMI adapter earlier today. The Boost Up is Belkin's latest…

In October, shortly before Apple began taking preorders for the iPhone XR, an Apple press release surfaced in Canada that mentioned a clear case for the phone. However, when the XR went on sale, the clear case was nowhere to be found on Apple’s website or in…

On this week's episode of AppStories, we take on iOS photography by discussing some of our favorite RAW camera apps and photo editors. Sponsored by: Linode: High-performance SSD Linux servers for all of your infrastructure needs. Get a $20 credit with promo…

I’m not much of an artist, but I like to take notes, doodle, and create freehand mind maps with the Apple Pencil. With a rich set of paper options and templates to choose from and tools that don’t require a manual to understand, Linea Sketch has become one…

We live in a time when media options are growing at a fast pace. It's a golden age for television, with great shows debuting all the time; the film industry is being transformed by the infusion of new competition from streaming giants like Netflix; podcasts…

Next month, OmniFocus for the Web will launch as a subscription service for $4.99/month or $49.99 annually. In a post on The Omni Group blog, Ken Case explains that the subscription is necessary to pay the ongoing costs of the web-based version of the popular…

Apple today published its picks for the best media in 2018 across its various platforms and services. These include selections for best app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, as well as top picks in categories of music, TV and movies, podcasts, and books.…

Apple’s online Machine Learning Journal has published a paper on the methodologies the HomePod uses to implement Siri functionality in far-field settings. As Apple’s Audio Software Engineering and Siri Speech Teams explain: Siri on HomePod is designed to…

Just Press Record is the ultimate mobile audio recorder. Whether you want to capture ideas on the go or you’re a journalist conducting interviews, a student attending lectures, or a parent preserving your child’s first words, Just Press Record is a…

In development for over a year, Instagram announced today that it is adding a new ‘close friends’ feature to Stories. The new feature, which is rolling out in stages today, lets users limit who can see individual Instagram Stories posts. Limiting a photo…

David Barnard, developer of apps like Weather Up and Launch Center Pro, has written an extensive overview of tactics that are commonly used each day to game the App Store. He writes: Any one of these tactics might seem somewhat bland individually, but when…

In a blog post published this morning, Amazon announced that Apple Music is set to launch on Amazon Echo devices next month, starting the week of December 17. According to Dave Limp, senior vice president of Amazon Devices, Echo users will be able to ask…

Michael Steeber, writing for 9to5Mac: The new iPad Pro has ignited conversations about the future of computing and new possibilities for creative work. Paired with a second-generation Apple Pencil, the hardware unlocks potential that has driven many…

Stephen and Federico walk through their new Mac mini setups, then Federico fights with iCloud in Radar #46282145. Please help. On this week’s episode of Connected, Stephen and I discuss our new Mac minis and I explain how I’ve started using it for…