Connected, Episode 286: The iPad G4

On this week’s episode of Connected: Apple has announced new iPad Pros with a new keyboard and trackpad case, as well as the addition of cursor support in iOS 13.4. Myke takes it for a spin as Federico waits for his download to finish. Then, a tour of Apple’s updated Macs and Ste … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Pushcut: The Powerful Companion for Shortcuts and Home Automation [Sponsor]

Pushcut is a one-of-a-kind utility that extends the power of Apple’s Shortcuts app with a smart notification system that supercharges your shortcuts and home automations. Pushcut includes an easy-to-use but sophisticated notification editor that lets users set up push notificatio … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

New MacBook Air Review Roundup

Today the MacBook Air review embargo lifted, allowing writers and YouTubers to publish their takes on Apple’s 2020 model. Unsurprisingly, considering all that the company improved this year, the reviews are strong across the board. Jason Snell at Six Colors: Here’s what you need … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

HeartWatch 4: A Streamlined Dashboard for Your Health

HeartWatch 4 released today on the App Store as a major redesign of the health dashboard app from David Walsh, creator of the popular AutoSleep app. HeartWatch takes the existing heart and activity data captured by your Apple Watch and presents it in a different way than Apple’s … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Apple Podcasts Adds Curated Collections to Help Listeners Stay Informed, Calm, and Entertained During the Coronavirus Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads worldwide, there’s a lot of information coming at everyone all day long. It’s a stressful time, and it doesn’t help that people are stuck at home with more time than usual on their hands, and often, kids to entertain. To help people cope, the Appl … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Vote for Your Most-Loved Mac in 512 Pixel’s Mac Madness

I was immediately excited when Stephen Hackett told me a couple of nights ago about an idea he had. With bad news dominating the headlines, events canceled around the world, and people stuck at home with new-found time on their hands, he wanted to create a fun diversion for Mac f … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Adapt, Episode 21: iPadOS File Management

On this week’s episode of Adapt: It’s time for an iPad file management primer. Federico details iCloud Drive, CloudKit, file bookmarks, open in place, file providers, the document browser, and more, then Ryan shares his spreadsheet app findings. You can listen below (and find the … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Editing FLAC Metadata with Meta for Mac

For the past year, I’ve been using a high-res Sony music player to listen to my personal music collection. I detailed the entire story in the December 2019 episode of our Club-exclusive MacStories Unplugged podcast, but in short: I still use Apple Music to stream music every day … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

How the iPad’s Trackpad Support Works

Dieter Bohn at The Verge: We can answer some of your questions about how trackpad support will work today and we’ll get a chance to actually use it ourselves in the public beta. In the meantime, here’s what we definitely know about how it will work based on videos Apple has relea … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Logitech Introduces Combo Touch Keyboard Case, Bringing a Trackpad to the iPad, iPad Air, and 10.5-inch iPad Pro

Today following Apple’s debut of the new iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard, and cursor support coming to all iPad models that can run iPadOS 13.4, Logitech has announced a brand new accessory coming in May: the Combo Touch, which brings a keyboard case with trackpad to the iPad (7th ge … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

The New iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard with Trackpad: The MacStories Overview

With a press release published earlier today, Apple officially announced the fourth generation of its iPad Pro line. The new iPad Pro models – available, as with the current generation, in 11-inch and 12.9-inch flavors – feature the all-new A12Z Bionic chip, a new camera system t … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Apple Debuts New Seasonal Colors for iPhone and iPad Cases and Apple Watch Bands

Apple has debuted a new lineup of colors today for iPhone and iPad cases, alongside a lot of new Apple Watch bands. A spring launch of new accessory designs is common practice for the company, but this year that was less than certain due to the state of the world amid a pandemic. … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Apple Releases Faster MacBook Air with New Keyboard and Increased Storage Starting at $999 and Doubles Storage on Base-Model Mac minis

Apple has released a new, faster MacBook Air with an updated keyboard and more storage at a lower price. The company also released a minor update to the storage of base-model Mac minis. According to a press release from the company, the new Air features a 1.2GHz quad-core Core i7 … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Arcade Highlights: Roundguard

Roundguard by Wonderbelly Games is a delightful mashup of genres that I highly recommend. Like a lot of our readers, I’ve been looking for distractions. It’s easy to get sucked into the constant barrage of bad news delivered to our devices, which feeds an unhealthy stress loop. O … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

AppStories, Episode 154 – Apps We’d Like to See Apple Make

This week on AppStories, apps we’d like to see Apple build into iOS and iPadOS 14. Sponsored by: Linode – Cloud Hosting & Linux Servers. Get a $20 credit. SaneBox – Clean up your inbox in minutes. Sign up for a two-week free trial and a $25 credit. https://appstories.net/episodes … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Updated Powerbeats Earphones Coming Wednesday for $149

Over the past few days a new version of Powerbeats began showing up in retail locations and online. Today, Apple subsidiary Beats made the update official on its website with additional details. The new Powerbeats, which replace the Powerbeats3, feature 15 hours of battery life ( … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Downie - Easily Download Videos From YouTube and Thousands of Different Sites [Sponsor]

Downie for Mac simplifies the process of downloading videos from YouTube and over one thousand other sites. Just drag a URL from your browser into Downie or onto its dock icon from sites like YouTube, Youku, Bilibili, and Vimeo to immediately download a video. You can even copy t … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Apple Releases Guidance on Apps Related to COVID-19 and Explains How to Expedite Their Review

Today, on its developer site, Apple announced how its App Review team is evaluating apps related to COVID-19 to ensure that users can depend on such apps. Apple says: The App Store should always be a safe and trusted place for users to download apps. Now more than ever that commi … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Apple Closes Retail Stores Outside Greater China Until March 27th and Outlines Steps It Is Taking to Protect Employees

Apple has released a statement from CEO Tim Cook about the company’s response to COVID-19. Among other things, the company is closing all of its retail locations outside Greater China until March 27, 2020. Cook said: We will be closing all of our retail stores outside of Greater … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Shortcuts Corner: Opening YouTube Watch Later, Subscribing to RSS Feeds with NetNewsWire, and Uploading Images via FTP

[aside title=”” align=”center” width=”wide”]The Shortcuts Corner is a regular section of our MacStories Weekly newsletter, exclusive to Club MacStories members, where I share advanced shortcuts and respond to readers’ requests for automation.[/aside] For this week’s installment o … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Apple Announces WWDC 2020 Will Be Held Online Only

In a move that comes as no surprise, given the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus around the world, Apple announced today that WWDC, which has been held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center for the past few years, will be held online this year. In a press release issued by t … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Connected, Episode 285: How Much RAM Is in These Potatoes?

On this week’s episode of Connected: Federico gives a status report about life in Italy, then Stephen tries to cheer people up by talking about the HomePod. After that fails, Myke tells a story and the gang wade through a sea of iOS 14 rumors, including stories on iMessage, Penci … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Gnarbox Review: Exceptionally Versatile Portable Storage for iPhones, iPads, and the Mac

The Gnarbox 2.0 is ruggedized, portable SSD storage designed with photographers and videographers in mind. I’ve tried lots of different portable storage solutions in the past, and what distinguishes the Gnarbox is its ability to operate as a standalone device and as an accessory … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Cursors on the iPad

Fantastic column by Jason Snell, writing for Macworld, on the rumor that Apple may bring a trackpad to the Smart Keyboard and update the iPadOS UI to support external pointing devices this year: What makes the iPad great is its ultimate flexibility. When I write about iPad keyboa … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

AppStories, Episode 153 – iOS and iPadOS Utilities We Love

This week on AppStories, we explore some of our favorite iOS and iPadOS utility apps. Sponsored by: iMazing – Manage and Transfer iPhone Photos Like a Pro! Linode – Cloud Hosting and Linux Servers. Get a $20 credit. https://appstories.net/episodes/153/embed/ [subscribe_to_appstor … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Things Debuts Modernized Apple Watch App

The Apple Watch has come a long way in five years, and apps are only starting to catch up. Many Watch apps received the majority of their development attention with the first or second versions of watchOS, before the days of LTE service, independence, and SwiftUI. Those early Wat … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

NetNewsWire for iOS and iPadOS Review: The Perfect Complement to the App’s macOS Counterpart

NetNewsWire, which was relaunched on the Mac last August, is now available on iOS and iPadOS. Like its Mac counterpart, the iOS and iPadOS version is built on a foundation of fast syncing and sensible, bug-free design. As with any 1.0 app, there are additional features and refine … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

iMazing: Manage and Transfer iPhone Photos Like a Pro! [Sponsor]

iMazing is the must-have backup and file acces tool for the Mac that provides unparalleled access to everything on your iOS devices. The app works over both WiFi and USB, allowing you to take control of your iOS data. With it, you can make Time Machine-style backups, easily trans … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Shortcuts Rewind: Dates, Calendars, and Beyond

For this installment of Shortcuts Rewind, I’m going to focus on date and calendar actions. I’ll also touch on some of the Shortcuts actions that Apple Maps offers and explain dictionaries. I wanted to cover date and calendar actions early in the Shortcuts Rewind series because th … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Connected, Episode 284: stevensmerch.com

On this week’s episode of Connected: This week, Federico makes a change, Stephen buys a domain and Myke cancels a future live show, pending Apple’s decision on WWDC. You can listen below (and find the show notes here). [audio_player src=”https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/t … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Adapt, Episode 20: Trackpads for iPads

On this week’s episode of Adapt: Inspired by a report that the iPad Pro’s Smart Keyboard will gain a trackpad this year, Federico and Ryan imagine what that would mean for the future of the iPad. You can listen below (and find the show notes here), and don’t forget to send us que … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Reading Newsletters with Feedbin and Reeder

[aside title=”Editor’s Note” align=”center” width=”wide”]The following story was originally published in the January issue of our Club MacStories Monthly Log newsletter. We wanted to share it as an example of the type of longform stories exclusive to Club MacStories members. Ever … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Twitter Launches Brazil Test of Stories-esque ‘Fleets’ Feature

Today Twitter announced a test, limited to Brazil, of a major new feature for the social service: Fleets, which take their inspiration from the Stories feature found on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. Fleets, short for “fleeting tweets,” live at the top of your timeline just l … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Connected, Episode 283: Doing the Dance Again

On last week’s episode of Connected: Myke and Federico discuss the difficulties of connecting HomeKit to the internet, consider better solutions for iPad multitasking, feel disappointment for the Files app, and see what their boy Buffet is up to. You can listen below (and find th … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

AppStories, Episode 152 – App Subscriptions Revisited

This week on AppStories, we revisit the topic of app subscriptions and what we learned in the nearly three years since we covered subscriptions in episode 5. Sponsored by: Direct Mail – Create and send great-looking email newsletters with Direct Mail, an easy-to-use email marketi … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Apple Announces Winners of Its ‘Shot on iPhone’ Night Mode Challenge

Apple has announced the five winners of its Shot on iPhone challenge. The contest, which was announced at the beginning of the year, asked photographers to submit their best Night mode shots taken with the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. The winning photos, which were taken … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

abode iota Review: A Flexible HomeKit Security Solution

For years, I had a traditional security system in my home that cost hundreds of dollars each year for the monitoring service that went with it. I ditched that system about two years ago in hopes of finding a cheaper, smarter solution, but I’ve had mixed success. The products I’ve … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

CleanMyMac X: Your Mac, as Good as New [Sponsor]

CleanMyMac X by MacPaw is your complete Mac maintenance solution. With an award-winning, beautiful design, CleanMyMac X frees up wasted storage space, protects against malware, optimizes your Mac’s performance, and a whole lot more. It all starts with Smart Scan, the all-in-one c … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

The Talk Show: Dot Net Party

First-time guest Federico Viticci joins the show. Topics include how the coronavirus outbreak might affect WWDC, speculation on a possible March Apple event, the state of iPad keyboard (and trackpad) support, and iPadOS multitasking. It was my pleasure to join John Gruber on this … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Unread 2 Review: The Elegant RSS Client Leaps into Modernity

Unread has always been one of my favorite RSS clients due to its clean, elegant, gesture-based design, but as competing apps have continued advancing at a steady pace, Unread’s development stalled leading up to its acquisition in 2017 by Golden Hill Software. Since that time, the … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Tot Review: Collect and Edit Bits of Text

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been on a quest to discover the best iPhone and iPad apps to collect and edit various bits of text I come across every day. The result of this research was a collection in Issue 211 of our Club-exclusive newsletter MacStories Weekly, in which I round … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Eero WiFi Routers Add HomeKit Support

Amazon’s Eero routers are the first out of the gate with HomeKit support, which promises to provide greater security to your Internet-connected HomeKit devices. The update, which appeared today via an update to Eero’s iOS app, walks users through the setup process of adding their … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

AppStories, Episode 151 – Apple’s Blending of Apps and Services

This week on AppStories, we explore how Apple is increasingly blending services with its apps, where the mix has worked, where it hasn’t, and where we expect the trend will lead next. Sponsored by: Linode – Cloud Hosting & Linux Servers. Get a $20 credit. MyNetDiary – Lose weight … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

First Look: RTRO by Moment Vintage Video Camera App

RTRO by Moment is a brand new vintage video camera app for iOS from the makers of my favorite add-on camera lenses for the iPhone and the excellent Moment Pro Camera app. The app is a new direction for Moment. The company’s Pro Camera app, combined with its add-on lenses for the … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Connected, Episode 282: Three HomePods Too Late

On last week’s episode of Connected: Stephen shares a prepared statement. Myke suggests some games and Federico envisions a March iPad Pro event. Also: more Qi chargers have come on the market and a discussion about the HomePod’s future. You can listen below (and find the show no … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Airmail Pro – Your Mail on All Your Devices, iPhone, iPad and Mac [Sponsor]

Airmail Pro is the Apple Design Award-winning email client for iOS, the iPad, the Apple Watch, and the Mac that combines elegant design with rich, customizable features that tame your inbox with a single subscription for all your devices. Everyone’s email workflow is a little dif … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 4 years ago

Twitter Simplifies Adding Tweets to Past Threads

Yesterday, Twitter rolled out a useful new feature that makes it easier to append new tweets to a past thread in its iOS app. Although you could already find an old thread and add to it, the new feature lets you do so from inside the compose field. That way, you can start a fresh | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 5 years ago

Noto Review: Beautifully Modern and Versatile Note-Taking

Top-tier note-taking apps don’t come along very often. For years Evernote was king, then Apple Notes gained new life in 2015, and since that time apps like Bear and Agenda have made compelling entries to the notes market. Noto, a recent debut across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, is the … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 5 years ago