WinterFest 2022: The Winter Festival Of Artisanal Software [Sponsor]

WinterFest 2022: The Festival of Artisanal Software is back with a fantastic collection of carefully-crafted software for writing, research, thinking, and more at tremendous prices. As in past years, software artisans from around the globe come together to offer discounts direct … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Apple Arcade Has Carved Out a Unique Niche in the Videogame Market, but Is It Sustainable?

With the introduction of the App Store, mobile gaming took off, quickly becoming the number one driver of revenue for the store. By the time Apple Arcade was released, more than a decade later, mobile games were dominated by free-to-play titles supported with ads or In-App-Purcha … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Last Week, on Club MacStories: Sleeves 2, a Marvis Pro Setup, and an Update to Obsidian Plugin, Todoist Tasks

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings: MacStories Weekly: Issue 350 Sleeves 2. Sleeves 2 An update to Todoist Tasks, the Obsidian plugin that adds compatibility with the latest Todoist API and Obsid … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

AppStories, Episode 310 – The 2022 MacStories Selects Awards

This week on AppStories, we introduce the fifth annual MacStories Selects award winners and interview the MacStories Selects Lifetime Achievement award winner, Greg Pierce, the creator of Drafts. [subscribe_to_appstories] Sponsored by: Kolide – Maintaining endpoint security shoul … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Belkin’s MagSafe Mount for Desktops and Displays, Hand Mirror, and the Logitech Crayon

It’s the end of the year, and before I take a few days off to relax for the holidays, I have a few cool things to share that have been sitting on my desk and Mac for a little bit. The Belkin Mount with MagSafe for Mac Desktops and Displays One of macOS Ventura’s flagship […] | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

MacStories Selects 2022: Recognizing the Best Apps of the Year

Introduction John: It’s time for the MacStories Selects awards, our annual celebration of the apps we love and the people who make them. Every year since 2018, we’ve paused at the end of a busy year to reflect on the hundreds of apps we’ve tried and recognize the best. It’s been … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

The MacStories Selects 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award

Drafts When we chose the second annual lifetime achievement award winner, there was no doubt in my mind that it should be Drafts. Developed and maintained by Greg Pierce of Agile Tortoise, Drafts has been the place where text starts on iOS for nearly a decade now. Times have cert … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Last Week, on Club MacStories: AV Club Returns to Club MacStories+, the Club Is on Mastodon, and a Fun Experiment That Almost Went Too Far

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next: MacStories Weekly: Issue 349 Announcements about the Club’s Mastodon account, the Club holiday schedule, and the Ret … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Making ActivityPub Your Social Media Hub for Mastodon and Other Decentralized Services

For many people who have stepped away from Twitter, Mastodon is their first experience with a decentralized social network. There’s a lot that can be said about the pros and cons of decentralization, but I want to focus on one very specific technical feature that Mastodon shares … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Kolide: Endpoint Security Shouldn’t Mean Compromising Employee Privacy [Sponsor]

“If you build a dystopian and cynical security program born out of fear, mistrust, and suspicion, then you will inevitably make your fellow employees your enemies.” That’s a quote from Honest Security, Kolide’s mission statement, and North Star. It was written by its CEO, Jason M … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

MacStories Unwind: The Best Videogames of 2022

[audio_player src=”https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/0de98bba-5e4d-4879-94dc-8c76a3a88322/episodes/eabac88f-9a6c-43c2-a02a-e0808a0d7e49/audio/d2add7d9-db4f-43d4-b4f3-2bdb1d707289/default_tc.mp3?nocache” mime_type=”audio/mpeg” total_duration=”00:27:50” caption=”“] [subscribe_to_unw … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

MacStories Is on Mastodon with Its Own Server

As of today, MacStories is officially on Mastodon with its own server for each of its properties and team members. You can find us here: MacStories Accounts MacStories AppStories Club MacStories MacStories Team Accounts. Federico John Alex Silvia The new MacStories Mastodon accou … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

AppStories, Episode 309 – Gone but Not Forgotten: The Third-Party Apps (Part 1)

This week on AppStories, we extend last week’s ‘Gone but Not Forgotten’ theme to third-party apps, including Dropbox text editors, Twitter apps, email clients, and more. [subscribe_to_appstories] Sponsored by: Pillow – Sleeping better, made simple. Memberful – Monetize your passi … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Freeform Leverages the Freedom and Flexibility of a Blank Canvas

Freeform is a brand new iPhone, iPad, and Mac app from Apple that lets users create multimedia boards on an infinite canvas that include text, images, drawings, links, files, and more. It’s an ambitious entry into a crowded category of apps that take overlapping approaches, empha … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

iPadOS 16.2 and Stage Manager for External Displays: Work in Progress, But Worth the Wait

Stage Manager in iPadOS 16.2. Ever since I last wrote about iPadOS 16, I have continued using Stage Manager on my iPad Pro. As I wrote in October, I like the idea behind Stage Manager more than its implementation. Despite the flawed design of its multitasking concepts and bugs I … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Last Week, on Club MacStories: Calendar Apps, AV Club Returns, Plus Movies, TV Shows, Apps, and More

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next: MacStories Weekly: Issue 348 The Club MacStories+ AV Club is returning with a Town Hall coming in January. We revisi … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

MacStories Unwind: The Best TV Shows and Movies of 2022

[audio_player src=”https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/0de98bba-5e4d-4879-94dc-8c76a3a88322/episodes/684fa0cc-4e66-459c-8adf-edcb02f348e3/audio/f74649f3-4f4b-4d49-bd87-bb74a252a682/default_tc.mp3?nocache” mime_type=”audio/mpeg” total_duration=”00:21:38” caption=”“] [subscribe_to_unw … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Sofa 3.4: List Sharing, Shortcuts Actions, Lock Screen Widgets, and More

Shawn Hickman is back with another excellent update to Sofa, the downtime/media organization app for iPhone and iPad that we’ve covered several times on MacStories. Sofa remains my favorite one-stop app for managing lists of media I don’t want to forget to enjoy later. The app su … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

iOS 16.1 and Apps with Live Activities: The MacStories Roundup, Part 2

When Live Activities debuted with iOS 16.1, a long list of apps supported the feature. There were some great examples, like the ten apps I covered in October and Timery, which was updated shortly thereafter. Because developers didn’t have a lot of time to prepare their apps for L … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Apple Announces a Trio of Security Features Coming to Its Platforms

Today, Apple announced three new security features. First, iMessage Contact Key Verification allows users to verify that they are communicating with the person with whom they think they’re communicating. The feature will alert users who use it if someone has infiltrated cloud ser … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

AppStories, Episode 308 – Gone but Not Forgotten

This week on AppStories, we explore the Apple apps and features that have disappeared from its platforms in recent years. [subscribe_to_appstories] Sponsored by: Pillow – Sleeping better, made simple. Kolide – Maintaining endpoint security shouldn’t mean compromising employee pri … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Apple Announces Upcoming Apple Music Sing Feature

Source: Apple. Apple announced today that later this month, it will update its Music app with a new feature called Apple Music Sing. According to Apple’s Oliver Schusser, its vice president of Apple Music and Beats: Apple Music’s lyrics experience is consistently one of the most … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

CARROT Weather 5.9: A Robot Relationship and Layouts

It’s never been about just the weather when it comes to CARROT Weather, and version 5.9 of Brian Mueller’s app is no exception. With the latest update, you can participate in bonding activities with CARROT. Yes, it’s as strange as it sounds, and a lot of fun too. Still, if gettin … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Pixelmator Pro 3.2 Moves into Video Editing

Pixelmator Pro 3.2 adds a new dimension to the Pixelmator team’s flagship app: video. I have yet to spend much time with the app’s new video features yet, but anyone familiar with Pixelmator Pro should feel right at home because working with video works a lot like editing still i … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Internet Radio App Broadcasts Has a Fresh New Look, Improved Search, Shazam Integration, and More

Version 3 of Broadcasts, Steve Troughton-Smith’s Internet radio app and a Club MacStories Recommends pick, is out with an updated design, improved search, Shazam integration, and a URL scheme that makes sharing stations simple. Together, the changes look fantastic and make enjoyi … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Last Week, on Club MacStories: Anybox, Music Tips, A Universal and VNC Desk Setup, and Lessons Learned From Going Indie

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next: MacStories Weekly: Issue 347 Anybox. Anybox Tips on creating a music workspace and using MusicBox to access Apple Mu … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Kolide: Endpoint Security for Teams That Want to Meet Compliance Goals without Sacrificing Privacy [Sponsor]

In 2021, Kolide went through the SOC 2 Type 1 audit, and they found out just how challenging it can be to prove compliance to a third-party auditor. They also learned firsthand something their customers had been telling them for a while: that they couldn’t have gotten their SOC c … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

MacStories Unwind: The Best Music of 2022

[audio_player src=”https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/0de98bba-5e4d-4879-94dc-8c76a3a88322/episodes/39bb4bf9-e2ba-4616-a3ba-b0dc5344aba9/audio/e516a133-e2a0-4ceb-bc14-1c0b6f36a508/default_tc.mp3?nocache” mime_type=”audio/mpeg” total_duration=”00:37:06” caption=”“] [subscribe_to_unw … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Stable Diffusion Optimizations Are Coming to iOS and iPadOS 16.2 and macOS 13.1 Via Core ML

Today, Apple announced on its Machine Learning Research website that iOS and iPadOS 16.2 and macOS 13.1 will gain optimizations to its Core ML framework for Stable Diffusion, the model that powers a wide variety of tools that allow users to do things like generate an image from t … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

What Wreckfest Tells Us About the Future of iPhone and iPad Gaming

In November, HandyGames released Wreckfest for iPhones and iPads. The demolition racing game was originally released by Bugbear Entertainment on PC in 2018 and the following year on PS4 and Xbox One. Since then, the game has been brought to current-generation consoles, streaming, … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

AppStories, Episode 307 – Nerding Out for the Holidays (Part 2)

This week on AppStories, we concluded our two-part series on their nerdy holiday projects with home automation, RSS, WiFi, and other plans. [subscribe_to_appstories] Sponsored by: Pillow – Sleeping better, made simple. On AppStories+, Federico is getting to know new delivery peop … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Last.fm Turns 20 – and People Are Still Scrobbling

I enjoyed this story about Last.fm’s 20th (!) anniversary by Jacob Kastrenakes, writing for The Verge: I was a little surprised to see that Last.fm was still around when I first started writing this story, let alone that it had new communities flourishing around its data. (The co … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Masto-Redirect, a Mastodon Shortcut to Redirect Profiles and Posts to Your Own Instance

Using Masto-Redirect in Safari. Like many others over the past month, I’ve been thinking deeply about my experience with Twitter and whether I want to align my social media usage with the kind of platform Twitter is rapidly becoming. It’s a complex discussion (if my readers are s … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Apple to Offer a New Coding Lab for Kids Beginning Next Week

Next week, Apple is introducing a new Today at Apple session for kids who are interested in learning to code: Coding Lab for Kids: Code Your First App. Starting December 5th, the session will walk children 10 and up through building an app with Swift Playgrounds. According to App … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Slow Burn Recognized as the Apple Podcasts’ Show of the Year

Source: Apple. Apple Podcasts has named Slow Burn Show of the Year for its season covering the history of the events leading up to the US Supreme Court’s decision in Row v. Wade. The four-part series was released in June, produced by Slate, and hosted by Slate’s executive editor, … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Apple Music Replay Expanded with New Highlights Reel

Apple Music’s Replay 2022 playlist has been available since early this year, updating every week as subscribers listen to the service throughout the year. However, today, Apple also updated the replay.music.apple.com, the website that highlights what you listened to over the past … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Apple Announces the 2022 App Store Awards

Source: Apple. Apple has revealed its annual App Store Awards winners, recognizing the standout apps and games of 2022. This year, the company picked a collection of 16 apps and games from among the millions available on the App Store, naming them the Apps of the Year. The compan … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Last Week, on Club MacStories: The Twelve South HoverBar Tower, Photo Project Apps, and a MacStories Selects Town Hall

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next: MacStories Weekly: Issue 346 The Twelve South HoverBar Tower. A review of the HoverBar Tower iPad stand A collection … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 1 year ago

Oceanic+ for the Apple Watch Ultra Arriving Today

Source: Apple. Oceanic+, the dive computer app for the Apple Watch Ultra that was previewed at Apple’s September press event will be available today. The app, developed by Huish Outdoors in collaboration with Apple, takes advantage of the Ultra’s depth gauge and water temperature … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Kolide: The Fleet Visibility Solution for Mac, Windows, and Linux That Can Help You Securely Scale Your Business [Sponsor]

Device security is a lot like Mount Everest: it’s tough to scale. When you’re a small company dominated by engineers, you can keep up with fleet management with nothing more than trust and a spreadsheet. But once you start to hire marketers, designers, and the rest, the number of … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

MacStories Unwind: Atari 50 and Music Discovery

[audio_player src=”https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/0de98bba-5e4d-4879-94dc-8c76a3a88322/episodes/805ec100-9710-4bdf-89a0-603008f921c1/audio/2f162334-a375-47aa-bba4-001f4af2532e/default_tc.mp3?nocache” mime_type=”audio/mpeg” total_duration=”00:21:51” caption=”“] [subscribe_to_unw … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Give the Gift of Club MacStories This Holiday Season, and if You’re a Club Member, Get Something Back for Yourself Too

More Club Gift Options Than Ever Before The holiday season is upon us, and as you shop for gifts for friends and family, we wanted to remind everyone that Club MacStories memberships can be given as gifts all year long. Every tier of the Club extends what we publish at MacStories … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Rogue Amoeba’s Loopback Was the Key to Creating a Budget 12-Channel Dolby Atmos Surround Sound System

If you’ve ever dug into setting up a surround sound audio system, it gets complicated and expensive fast. But, DMS, a YouTuber who covers headphones and other audio gear, managed to pull off something extraordinary: a 12-speaker Dolby Atmos surround sound speaker setup for under … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

AppStories, Episode 306 – Nerding Out for the Holidays (Part 1)

This week on AppStories, we share the nerdy holiday season projects we’ve lined up in part 1 of a two-part series. [subscribe_to_appstories] Sponsored by: RevenueCat – Subscription management built for mobile apps. Kolide – Maintaining endpoint security shouldn’t mean compromisin … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

ReadKit 3.1 Adds Smart Folders, More Customization Options, and New Lifetime Purchase Options

Around this time every year, I tend to start fiddling with my RSS setup. Last year, I drastically simplified my setup, and it worked well. Still, with Twitter’s fate uncertain, I thought it would be an excellent time to reexamine what various sync services and apps have to offer … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Apple’s Taken the Joy out of its Books App with iOS 16

I enjoyed this article by Mitchell Clark, writing for The Verge, about the removal of the classic page-turn animation from the redesigned Books app in iOS 16: Apple Books has been my main reading app for years for one very specific reason: its page-turning animation is far and aw … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Last Week, on Club MacStories: Nominations for the MacStories Selects Readers’ Choice Award, Club-Related Tips, Twitter’s Future, and Apps

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next: MacStories Weekly: Issue 345 We kicked off Club member nominations for the fifth annual MacStories Selects Readers’ … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Boom 3D: Enjoy Immersive Audio on Your Mac [Sponsor]

Boom 3D by Global Delight is the premier app for enhancing your Mac or Windows PC’s audio, and right now, it’s 75% off for Black Friday. The app produces exceptionally clear, clean, 3D sound without the need for added hardware. Just use the headphones you already own and let Boom … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago