Devon Dundee

172 posts on MacStories since January 2024

Devon Dundee is the co-host of Magic Rays of Light, a podcast exploring the world of Apple TV, where he’s covered Apple TV, tvOS, and Apple Originals since 2021. He’s also written about apps, TV, and film on his personal website for over ten years. Devon lives in Arkansas with his wife, their son, and their dog Winter.
@[email protected]
@devondundee.com
devon@macstories.net

This Week's Sponsor:

Inoreader

Build your own newsfeed and cut through the noise

Podcast Rewind: Open Minis, the RG SP Announcement, Too Much Wi-Fi, and the MessagePad with D. Griffin Jones

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, John and Federico discuss the changing face of the AI-fueled App Store and questionable changes made to TestFlight before going into the nerdiest details of Open Minis, an iOS app that brings desktop-class agents onto the iPhone and iPad.

Then on AppStories+, Federico and John explore Cmux, a Mac terminal app with an iPhone and iPad beta that makes it easier than ever to sync coding projects across devices.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, the refreshingly complete announcement by Anbernic of the RG SP, Ticci buys a handheld, and people are tired of months-long hardware reveals.

Then on NPC XL, Cocoon 3.0 and Syncthing!

Comfort Zone

We have a guest! D. Griffin Jones is here to show the gang technology they could only dream of: the MessagePad. After that, we look at the brand new Pastebot 3 and the surprisingly useful Clop, and we close it out by trying to sell Niléane on a 3D printer.

This week’s Cozy Zone is all about the games we’ve been enjoying lately.

MacStories Unwind

This week, John realizes that too much Wi-Fi is never enough, Federico wonders what he’s going to do with a Linux PC, and John recommends Apple TV’s Lucky.

Read more

Is Riding the Beta Train Worth the Fare?

We are now firmly in the middle of beta season, moving ever further away from WWDC and closer to this fall’s much-anticipated OS updates and potential new hardware. With the various platform betas now publicly available, you may be wondering if it’s time for you to board the beta train. Apple sees the software as...

Podcast Rewind: Siri AI, the Game Boy Advance Returns, and Smart Ceiling Fans

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John look at what Siri AI is good at, where it needs improvement, and where it might be heading.

On AppStories+, the conversation expands to Federico and John’s experiences with the betas of macOS Golden Gate, iOS 27, and iPadOS 27.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, AYANEO is chasing the classics again, teasing a Game Boy Advance clone, while Magmi is getting vertical – plus, a Mechanism desk stand for your handheld, 8BitDo’s FlipPad, and the GPD Win Max 3 blurs the lines between laptop and console.

On NPC XL, Brendon and John try Armada and report to listeners about whether it’s ready for prime time.

Comfort Zone

Niléane brings her newest fan (literally), Chris just assumed his co-hosts have installed the betas (they have), and they all tell each other how their respective apps could start earning millions.

This week’s Cozy Zone is a complete, and authoritative, tier listing of every Men’s World Cup logo ever.

MacStories Unwind

This week, app launchers, universal truths about ISPs, and an epic movie.

Read more

Podcast Rewind: Fable, SteamOS on Android, and Voice-Created Shortcuts

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John look at their experiences with Claude Fable 5 and how it differs from other models and break down the controversial changes made by OpenAI to its ChatGPT Mac app.

Then on AppStories+, John and Federico contrast their experiences with Fable 5 and OpenAI’s new family of GPT 5.6 models.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Brendon and John go it alone with more bizarre news from AYANEO, a new tease and OS update from Anbernic, Valve’s e-ink Steam Machine faceplate, Armada bringing SteamOS to Android handhelds, and more.

On NPC XL, John and Brendon check on handheld gaming halfway through the year and look forward to what the rest of 2026 may have in store for the hobby.

Comfort Zone

Matt has been doing tons with Quick Reads, Chris has all the small things, and everyone creates Shortcuts WITH THEIR VOICE.

This week’s Cozy Zone sees the boys competing in Niléane’s Great Star Wars Quotes Quiz, and it goes… let’s just say “good and bad.”

MacStories Unwind

On a special Saturday edition of MacStories Unwind, Federico and John talk live music, blockbuster movies, and their ongoing experiments with Markdown text editors.

Read more

visionOS 27: The MacStories Beta Preview

Summer beta season is in full swing, with a new wave of testers coming aboard via the just-released public OS 27 betas. While visionOS hasn’t ever been included in the public beta program, now is as good a time as any to check in on visionOS 27. What’s it like living with the features Apple highlighted at WWDC, and if you’re jumping on the public betas with your other devices, is it a good time to give the visionOS 27 developer beta a try, too? Let’s dig in and find out.

Siri AI

Given the massive overhaul Siri is receiving this year and the fact that the Vision Pro has always been a little behind when it comes to Apple Intelligence features, I didn’t expect visionOS to get the full Siri AI treatment this year. Thankfully, I was wrong. Not only is Siri AI fully present in visionOS 27, but the experience of interacting with the assistant has even been adapted to fit a spatial context.

For starters, Siri is much more capable in visionOS 27 than ever before. It’s not just for opening apps anymore. With access to your personal context, Siri can handle tasks I would have never imagined prompting it for until now. Questions like, “When was the last time I ate at this restaurant?” or, “How many years in a row have I attended this local event?” used to lead me down time-intensive rabbit holes of scavenging emails, texts, calendar events, photos, and more. Now, Siri can pull all of that information for me and answer the question in just a few seconds.

That “in a few seconds” bit is important. At least this point in the beta cycle, every request I give the assistant takes some time. Even tasks like checking my calendar and opening apps have a bit of lag to them on my M2 Vision Pro. This seems to be a side effect of Siri’s new architecture: it can do more, but parsing input, coordinating resources, and performing tasks takes a little longer than you might expect.

Read more

Podcast Rewind: Surviving Email, Sony Controversies, a Snick Challenge, and John Explains the Boonies

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John talk about the 10+ email apps they’ve used over the years and how recent spikes in email volume have caused them to change their approaches.

On AppStories+, Federico and John update listeners on their summertime agentic coding projects.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Steam Machine ordering follow-up and Sony’s many controversial announcements.

On NPC XL, what’s going on with AYANEO and the Pocket MICRO 2? Plus, the RG Rotate gets clock faces, and Apple brings PC gaming on the Mac closer to reality.

Comfort Zone

Chris explains how he’s using Parchment, Matt gets all in your face about calendars, and everyone competes to see who can handle using Snick for the longest.

On Cozy Zone, the gang shares their development tips and setups.

MacStories Unwind

This week, John heads to the mountains while Federico cooks on a beach, the origin of “the boonies,” and narrow mountain roads, plus a TV and movie pick.

Read more

Podcast Rewind: AI Aggregators, Fable 5, Steam Machine Pricing, and Chris’s App

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John talk about the state of AI aggregator apps and their future prospects before checking in on their current AI app setups for the AppStories+ post-show.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Federico, Brendon, and John consider the Steam Machine’s pricing and early reviews.

On NPC XL, Brendon fulfills a long-ago Switch 2 promise, surprising John and Federico.

Comfort Zone

Niléane invested in a fast-appreciating asset (air conditioner), CHRIS MADE AN APP, and everyone surprises everyone else with their favorite challenges.

On Cozy Zone, we tier list the biggest iPhone features over the year.

MacStories Unwind

This week on MacStories Unwind, Federico and John are burning up Claude Fable 5 tokens as fast as they can, while Federico finds the time to try a brand new Switch 2 game.

Read more

“It Just Works” Is the Feature

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

I got my first Mac as a graduation gift in 2010. It was a MacBook Pro – silver, since that was the only color available at the time – with a 13” glossy screen and a CD drive. Its operating system? Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. The timing couldn’t have worked out more in...

Podcast Rewind: WWDC Reflections, Thunderbolt Hubs, and Prime Day Finds

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, John and Federico are back home and reflect on all the WWDC announcements, including Siri AI, Apple Intelligence, design changes, developer tools, and more.

On AppStories+, we check in on our research setups and how they fared at WWDC.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, nose-bleed prices, foldables get wise to handheld gaming, and new products are teased and released by a long list of companies.

On NPC XL, Federico and John cover the pre-review news and rumors about the Steam Machine, plus John’s new Mobapad Switch 2 controller.

Comfort Zone

The gang’s back together! Niléane has a new window management system, Matt wonders if Thunderbolt is too fast, and everyone recovers from letting AI take the wheel for the week.

On Cozy Zone, Niléane has a new place, and it only seemed proper to roast her new setup.

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico and John share their Amazon Prime Day finds before Federico recommends a pair of videogames for the weekend.

Read more