Today, I take off for WWDC. Aside from the year COVID kept us at home, I’ve been to every WWDC since 2013, which was the year of the trash can Mac Pro and iOS 7. WWDC is an exciting time for us at MacStories. It sets the stage for the rest of our year, both...
This Week on MacStories Podcasts
This week on MacStories podcasts: AppStories This week, Federico and John share their WWDC automation wishes. On AppStories+, they share more details on their research setups for the summer. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Pocket Casts Castro Spotify YouTube NPC: Next Portable Console This week, we update listeners on the SN Operator and consider what...
Previously, On MacStories
Decoding “Developer” in a Changing App Landscape Coming Soon: What’s Next on Apple TV and Apple Arcade in June 2026 RemCTL 1.0.5, Now with Support for All-Day Reminders and Task Assignments 2026 Apple Design Awards Winners Announced Designed in California: An Apple History Podcast from Myke Hurley and Jason Snell...
Interesting Links
The Oura Ring 5 is out, and this is the first model that I may finally pull the trigger on because it’s significantly smaller than past models, which early reports indicate makes it feel less in the way and fit in better with existing “dumb rings.” (Link) David Smith shared an excellent post this...
WWDC Week Scheduling
WWDC is nearly upon us, and we’re really excited to bring you everything Apple announces throughout the week. Federico and I will be there in person, with Devon and Jonathan helping remotely. It’s going to be a busy week, and due to travel schedules, we are making a few changes to our typical publication schedule...
App Debuts
Consume Me Earlier this week, the Mac version of Consume Me added an Apple Design Award for Social Impact to its growing list of accolades. The game, which was begun by Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson while they were undergraduates, debuted a decade later to universal acclaim. It features a series of food-based...
Decoding “Developer” in a Changing App Landscape→
Boy, have things changed. A lot. When I started writing at MacStories over a decade ago, there was a long list of beloved native Mac apps. It was a stable group of excellent apps, but there weren’t many new ones coming on the scene. Instead, developers were focused on iOS and iPadOS. Then, as recently as a couple of years ago, it seemed as though cross-platform apps based on web technologies were destined to overtake native Mac apps.
Web apps are still a big part of the Mac scene, but something fundamental has shifted, as Jason Snell noted yesterday on Six Colors:
These days, I’m getting emails pitching me for an endless stream of new Mac apps. It’s quite remarkable because there was a period five or ten years ago when it seemed like all app development on Apple’s platforms was focused on iOS. Even more interesting, these are all indie Mac apps that seem to be built using native Mac frameworks, not the product of big corporations that are just rolling their cross-platform development system out everywhere. These apps seem to have a point of view and are focused on the Mac.
Of course, it’s happening because of AI.
He’s right. We’ve seen the same thing at MacStories. I can barely keep up with my inbox. It’s full of all kinds of app pitches, but the number of brand new Mac apps in particular is off the charts compared to anytime in the past decade.
You might assume that these apps are all low-quality slop. But here’s the thing. They really aren’t. Okay, some are, but we’ve always been pitched on poor-quality apps. What’s telling is that the signal-to-noise ratio hasn’t changed noticeably.
Instead, what I’m seeing is a new cohort of people with innovative ideas bringing them to life with the help of agents. And while it’s still true that some level of technical know-how and product sense is required to build an app, typing the code by hand is no longer a prerequisite, which eliminates a lot of the friction of starting an app. Just look at the examples Jason cites: Federico’s Shortcuts Playground, Lex Friedman’s recent GIF utility called Gnome, and his own Mac utility, Double Ender, for syncing up podcast audio. The three of them collectively have decades of experience with apps and Apple technologies, which is still necessary to make a good app.
That’s because what agents haven’t changed is the rest of the process, which is hard to put a name to, but also leaves space for a lot of human creativity. Having used Claude Code to build a bunch of native and web apps myself, I couldn’t agree more with Jason that:
Whatever you call it, whether it’s being a producer or product manager or something else that isn’t a programmer, creating good software in the AI era still requires the power of a human brain: being creative, solving problems, and making decisions. Some people will be better at it than others. It’s a skill, and a bit of an art. I’m excited that modern coding tools have given people with vision and desire the ability to make software.
These tools allow more people to experience the creative process of building an app, which I love. I’m no more sure of what to call someone who builds apps this way than Jason is, but I do know that the app landscape is fundamentally changing in ways that were hard to imagine even six months ago. Boy, have things changed.
Coming Soon: What’s Next on Apple TV and Apple Arcade in June 2026
It’s a new month, Apple has a slate of new and returning TV shows, new Arcade games are on the way, and Formula 1 is heading to Europe, which means it’s time for a roundup of everything coming to Apple TV and Apple Arcade in June 2026.
Let’s dive in.
Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade is debuting four new games tomorrow:
Coffee Inc 2+ (June 4)
Coffee Inc 2+ is a business simulation game where you build and manage your own coffee shop. You set the pricing, order supplies, handle marketing and advertising, and more with the goal of growing from one shop to a chain of stores.
Mini Football Legends (June 4)
Mini Football Legends is an arcade-style soccer game where your job is to build, train, and manage your team. The game is a great fit with the FIFA World Cup coming to the U.S. this month.
My Talking Tom 2+ and FreeCell Solitaire: Card Game+ (June 4)
Rounding out the month are two more App Store favorites adapted for Arcade. My Talking Tom 2+ is the virtual pet sequel starring Tom, a cartoon cat, that features mini-games and a care-and-feeding loop that has made the series a hit. FreeCell Solitaire: Card Game+ is coming to Arcade, too, featuring the classic single-player card game.
Apple TV Shows and Movies
Cape Fear (June 5)
The show I’m looking forward to most this month is Cape Fear, a ten-episode psychological horror thriller inspired by the 1991 Martin Scorsese movie. The series tells the story of Max Cady, a convicted murderer recently released from prison, who begins infiltrating the lives of the attorneys who put him there. The series is showrun and executive produced by Nick Antosca, with Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg among its executive producers.
Add to Your Calendar:
Sugar, Season Two (June 19)
Colin Farrell returns as Los Angeles private detective John Sugar for a second season. The new season sees Sugar taking on a new case of an up-and-coming local boxer searching for his older brother, while also continuing the search for his own missing sister.
Add to Your Calendar:
Camp Snoopy, Season 2 (June 26)
Snoopy and pals return for a second season in Camp Snoopy. The new season follows the group as they set out to earn their badges while running into Charlie Brown and friends, who are spending the summer at Camp Spring Lake.
Live Sports Events
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Source: Formula 1.
June is a busy month for sports on Apple TV. Formula 1 begins its European stretch with three Grand Prix weekends, and Friday Night Baseball continues every Friday.
Formula 1: Monaco Grand Prix (June 7)
Round 6 of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place on the Circuit de Monaco. The full race weekend, including practice, qualifying, and the Grand Prix, streams on Apple TV.
Add to Your Calendar:
Formula 1: Barcelona-Catalunya Race (June 14)
A week later, F1’s Round 7 heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Add to Your Calendar:
Formula 1: Austrian Grand Prix (June 28)
Finally, Round 8 brings the F1 season to the Austrian Grand Prix.
Add to Your Calendar:
Friday Night Baseball
Friday Night Baseball continues its fifth season on Apple TV with a doubleheader every Friday in June:
- June 5
- Cleveland Guardians at Texas Rangers (8:15 PM Eastern)
- Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins (8:15 PM Eastern)
- June 12
- Arizona Diamondbacks at Cincinnati Reds (7:15 PM Eastern)
- Atlanta Braves at New York Mets (7:15 PM Eastern)
- June 19
- St. Louis Cardinals at Kansas City Royals (8:15 PM Eastern)
- Minnesota Twins at Arizona Diamondbacks (9:45 PM Eastern)
- June 26
- Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers (7:45 PM Eastern)
- Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres (9:45 PM Eastern)
That’s it for June. If you’re a Club MacStories Plus or Premier member, drop by the TV and Movies channel in Discord to chat about what you’re looking forward to from Apple TV this month, and be sure to listen to MacStories Unwind, where Federico and I cover some of these shows, along with our other media recommendations, every week.
2026 Apple Design Awards Winners Announced
With WWDC right around the corner, Apple has revealed the winners of the annual Apple Design Awards. The Awards are given to an app and game from a pool of 36 finalists in the following categories:
- Delight and Fun
- Inclusivity
- Innovation
- Interaction
- Social Impact
- Visuals and Graphics
The pool of finalists was especially strong this year, but just one app and game is chosen for each category, and here’s what Apple picked:
Delight and Fun
App: grug
Developer: Ocho (Netherlands)grug is a playful way to discover and embrace daily wisdom. The affirmation app provides a delightful way to read daily neolithic grunts. With just a simple idea, each prompt is thoughtfully delivered to offer users a small but meaningful moment of reflection.
Game: Is This Seat Taken?
Developer: Poti Poti Studio (Spain)Is This Seat Taken? is a fun way to experience and solve tricky logic puzzles. The cartoon-style game provides entertaining scenarios, helping players navigate the quirkiness of public transit. Playful interactive elements within the game create a sense of charm to support users in enjoying an unhurried ride, one seat at a time.