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Interesting Links Spotify is rolling out new controls for its Release Radar playlist, letting you narrow it down by genre, focus on new-to-you artists, and more. (Link)
A replica of the Bondi Blue iMac is under consideration by LEGO to become an official set. (Link) The allegations in Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI are extraordinary. This...
This Week on MacStories Podcasts This week on MacStories podcasts: AppStories Federico and John look at our 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...
Previously, On MacStories visionOS 27: The MacStories Beta Preview watchOS 27: The MacStories Public Beta Preview macOS 27 Golden Gate: The MacStories Public Beta Preview Siri AI and Apple’s Trickle-Up Strategy...
Combining Codex with Reminders, Email, and Notion I have two Codex tips today – one that I’ve been using for a while, and another that I’m still experimenting with. 1. Email Triage Let’s start with one for managing email that can be easily adapted for different use cases. Email overload is a problem for everyone. You’ve probably heard me or Federico talk...
App Debuts AskPlay Created by indie developer Francisco Cantu (a name that should be familiar to longtime MacStories readers!), AskPlay is one of the best new Mac apps I’ve tried in a long time, and we will properly review it on MacStories in the near future. The idea is simple: AskPlay gives you natural language control...
The public beta of macOS 27 Golden Gate is out today, and I’m sure many of you are wondering whether to take the plunge and give it a try in advance of its official fall release. That’s the question this preview is here to help answer. It’s not my final take on Golden Gate by any means; after all, I’ve only been using it for about a month, and there will be several more turns in the beta cycle between now and the public release. However, I’ve used Golden Gate long enough to help you make an informed decision about whether or not to install the public beta now.
Of course, it’s impossible for me to account for everyone’s unique Mac setups when considering Golden Gate’s stability, but it’s worth reiterating what I’ve said in past previews: modern Apple betas have been consistently stable. That’s to say, the risks of using the public beta are modest. It’s been years since I’ve had a critical app fail or lost data. I never go into beta season without a backup plan, though. If something goes terribly wrong, I have backups, backups of those backups, and alternate Macs I can switch to in the event of a disaster. I don’t expect to have to go to Plan B, but if you’re going to jump on the Beta Bus, you should have a Plan B, too.
Okay, you’ve been warned. Let’s get to the fun part.
Fable 5 and OpenAI’s Curious ChatGPT Update This week on AppStories, Federico and John look at our experiences with Claude Fable 5 and how they differ from other models and break down the controversial changes made by OpenAI to its Mac’s ChatGPT app.
Then on AppStories+, John and Federico contrast their experiences with Fable 5 and OpenAI’s new family of GPT 5.6 models.
Also available on YouTube here or download the transcript here.
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This Week on MacStories Podcasts This week on MacStories 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. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Pocket...
Interesting Links Anthropic debuted a feature called Reflect that provides insights into how you use Claude. It’s an interesting addition, but I wish Anthropic would spend more time on its other features, many of which seem unfinished and broken. (Link) If you’re interested in just how capable Anthropic’s Fable 5 model is, a good example is...
Federico
