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  • The Latest from Magic Rays of Light and Comfort Zone

    Fri 1:12pm By Devon Dundee
    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…
  • Fortnite Coming to AltStore PAL as Epic Announces New Plans for Distribution

    Fri 7:40am By Jonathan Reed
    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…
  • Apple Maps Launches in Beta on the Web

    Wed 3:49pm By Niléane
    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…
  • EarPods Rule

    Wed 2:58pm By Federico Viticci
    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…
  • The Latest from AppStories and Ruminate

    Tue 5:42pm By Devon Dundee
    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…
  • The Latest from Magic Rays of Light, Comfort Zone, and MacStories Unwind

    Jul 19, 2024, 11:15 am By John Voorhees
    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…
  • Apple Announces New Immersive Video Content for the Vision Pro

    Jul 18, 2024, 1:33 pm By John Voorhees
    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,…
  • Chris Lawley’s In-Depth Interview About Smart Script and Math Notes

    Jul 17, 2024, 6:46 pm By John Voorhees
    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…
  • The Latest from AppStories and NPC: Next Portable Console

    Jul 16, 2024, 4:43 pm By John Voorhees
    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…
  • Federico’s Updated Setup Is Designed for Modular Simplicity

    Jul 16, 2024, 11:18 am By John Voorhees
    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…
  • New Projects, New Setup

    Jul 16, 2024, 11:02 am By John Voorhees
    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…
  • My Top Amazon Prime Day Picks

    Jul 16, 2024, 9:47 am By John Voorhees
    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…
  • Overcast Celebrates Its Tenth Anniversary with a Redesigned Interface

    Jul 16, 2024, 9:00 am By Niléane
    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…
  • iOS 18 After One Month: Without AI, It’s Mostly About Apps and Customization

    Jul 15, 2024, 4:22 pm By Federico Viticci
    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…
  • macOS Sequoia: The MacStories Public Beta Preview

    Jul 15, 2024, 4:22 pm By John Voorhees
    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…
  • watchOS 11: The MacStories Public Beta Preview

    Jul 15, 2024, 4:22 pm By Jonathan Reed
    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…
  • The Latest from Magic Rays of Light, Comfort Zone, and MacStories Unwind

    Jul 12, 2024, 4:15 pm By John Voorhees
    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…
  • LGBT and Marginalized Voices Are Not Welcome on Threads

    Jul 12, 2024, 11:00 am By Niléane
    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…
  • The Latest from AppStories and Ruminate

    Jul 11, 2024, 10:49 am By John Voorhees
    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…
  • Delta 1.6 Released in the EU and for Patreon Members with a Worldwide App Store Release in the Works

    Jul 11, 2024, 10:03 am By John Voorhees
    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…
  • Insta360 Brings the X4 to Apple.com and Releases the Flow Pro Gimbal

    Jul 10, 2024, 4:41 pm By John Voorhees
    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…
  • Now on YouTube: All MacStories Podcasts

    Jul 10, 2024, 12:08 pm By John Voorhees
    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…
  • Over 300 Apps from Indie Developers Are On Sale Now

    Jul 9, 2024, 9:03 am By John Voorhees
    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…
  • Tapbots Releases Ivory 2.0 with Hashtag Lists and a Redesigned Share Sheet Extension

    Jul 8, 2024, 12:21 pm By Niléane
    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…
  • Apple Executives on the Photos Overhaul in iOS 18

    Jul 8, 2024, 6:41 am By Federico Viticci
    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…
  • The Latest from Magic Rays of Light, Comfort Zone, and MacStories Unwind

    Jul 5, 2024, 12:55 pm By John Voorhees
    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…
  • The Latest from AppStories and NPC: Next Portable Console

    Jul 3, 2024, 8:19 am By John Voorhees
    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…
  • Highlighting Journalism on Mastodon

    Jul 2, 2024, 4:06 pm By John Voorhees
    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…
  • AI Companies Need to Be Regulated: An Open Letter to the U.S. Congress and European Parliament

    Jul 2, 2024, 10:00 am By John Voorhees
    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…
  • The Latest from Magic Rays of Light, Comfort Zone, and MacStories Unwind

    Jun 28, 2024, 12:49 pm By John Voorhees
    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…