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

By Devon Dundee

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.

“It Just Works” Is the Feature

By Devon Dundee

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

By Devon Dundee

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.

Podcast Rewind: A Sitcom Plea and Stories from WWDC

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

It’s another duo week as Matt is out there… destroying lives??? Despite that, Chris and Niléane talk about the DMA and cool stuff in the OS 27 betas, and Chris has some stories from WWDC.

On Cozy Zone, the gang goes through their next three apps they would install on their Macs, and it leads to some hard (and surprising) decisions.

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico learns about Philadelphia and college mascots before making a sitcom plea. Meanwhile, John’s been listening to Olivia Rodrigo’s new album and buying concert tickets.

Podcast Rewind: WWDC Reactions, Computex News, and Interviews with Apple Design Award Winners

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John are joined by Myke Hurley and Chris Lawley to share their first impressions of the WWDC keynote and discoveries in the hours following the presentation.

And in a second special WWDC edition of AppStories, Federico and John interview Apple Design Award finalists and winners, including the developers of The Outsiders and Tide Guide and the publishers of Pine Hearts and BALL x PIT.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Brendon and Federico have spent more time with the Anbernic RG Rotate and, along with John, have more thoughts about it and the handheld news coming out of Computex.

On NPC XL, Brendon, Federico, and John share their handheld travel setups.

Comfort Zone

It’s WWDC week, and we’re talking about it all episode this week. Chris is on location, calling in from his hotel room, while Niléane and Matt enjoy the comforts of home (and don’t feel a little left out…who told you we feel left out???).

On Cozy Zone, we roast and then tier list your old Home Screens – only the weird ones this time!

visionOS 27: The MacStories Overview

By Devon Dundee

Source: Apple.

Siri AI is coming to spatial computing, but that’s not all Apple announced for visionOS 27 during yesterday’s WWDC keynote. Vision Pro users have new capabilities and platform improvements to look forward to this fall, too, and we’re going to dive into all of it.

Let’s start with Siri AI, which exists as a floating, semi-translucent orb that you can place anywhere within your environment. It’s the strongest taste of the Liquid Glass style we’ve gotten so far in visionOS, and it makes for some fascinating interaction methods. Rather than using a trigger phrase or a gesture, you can activate Siri simply by looking at it and talking. As on Apple’s other platforms, you can have back-and-forth conversations with Siri and make use of its personal context awareness, world knowledge, and app actions.

Apple Highlights New Services Features Coming This Fall →

Linked By Devon Dundee

Source: Apple.

As much as I love the keynote, one of the parts of WWDC I look forward to the most each year is Apple’s roundup of features and changes coming to its services alongside the fall’s OS updates. The company delivered on my hopes this morning with quite a long list of changes.

Speaking of these enhancements, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, Eddy Cue, said:

“We’re excited to bring powerful new features and intelligence to hundreds of millions of users across Apple services, making their experiences even more useful and fun. From new exploration tools with Flyover and Local Lists in Maps, to more convenient ways to pay and get paid in Apple Wallet, to the continued expansion of video podcasts in Apple Podcasts on Mac and in tvOS, and so much more — these updates reflect our commitment to creating experiences that truly make a difference in people’s lives.”

macOS 27 Golden Gate: The MacStories Overview

By Devon Dundee

Source: Apple.

Apple’s crack marketing team has once again put their heads together and come up with another California landmark to use as the namesake for the latest version of macOS. During the WWDC keynote, we were introduced to macOS 27 Golden Gate.

As with all of Apple’s platforms this year, the main features of Golden Gate are Siri AI and new Apple Intelligence capabilities. You can check out our overview of those announcements for all the details, but there are some Mac-specific elements worth digging into here, as well as non-AI enhancements coming to macOS this fall that you’ll want to get excited for. Let’s dive in.

Siri AI and the Latest in Apple Intelligence: The MacStories Overview

By Devon Dundee

Source: Apple.

The big question coming into today’s WWDC keynote was what Apple would have to offer in terms of AI – or, as the company refers to it, Apple Intelligence. Given Apple’s behind-the-scenes struggles, delayed features, and partnership with Google to re-architect its Foundation Models based on Gemini, expectations were high, and the company delivered with the announcement of a whole new Siri and a slew of Apple Intelligence features baked into its upcoming operating systems.

Siri AI, the all-new version of Apple’s virtual assistant, was the star of the show and got plenty of time in the spotlight, including several real-time demos on the iPhone and Mac. But the company also announced updates to Visual Intelligence, new photo editing tools, a Shortcuts builder, and additional Apple Intelligence features.

Source: Apple.

It all starts with the latest Foundation Models based on a new architecture developed by Apple in collaboration with Google’s Gemini models. Coming in both local and Private Cloud Compute variations, these models work across Apple devices using a combination of user input (via text, voice, or images), personal context, on-screen awareness, app actions, and world knowledge in conjunction with the new system orchestrator to power conversations and actions taken by Siri AI as well as Apple Intelligence features baked into each OS. Of course, Apple touts that these features are secure and protect user privacy whether they are run on-device or in Private Cloud Compute.