John Voorhees

5537 posts on MacStories since November 2015

John is MacStories' Managing Editor, has been writing about Apple and apps since joining the team in 2015, and today, runs the site alongside Federico. John also co-hosts four MacStories podcasts: AppStories, which covers the world of apps, MacStories Unwind, which explores the fun differences between American and Italian culture and recommends media to listeners, Ruminate, a show about the weird web and unusual snacks, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about the games we take with us.

Designed in California: An Apple History Podcast from Myke Hurley and Jason Snell

Apple has one of the richest and most interesting histories in Silicon Valley. It’s the story of a startup, a company that nearly failed, and a remarkable comeback all rolled into one that’s punctuated by some of the most beloved products in tech history, along with some duds.

Today, Myke Hurley and Jason Snell launched a Kickstarter campaign aimed at funding a podcast called Designed in California that will tell the history of Apple, drawing on their own knowledge of the company and research. Myke and Jason have promised backers at least 30 episodes in the show’s first year on topics ranging from Apple’s founding, its near-death experience in the 90s, as well as more recent events during the Tim Cook era.

As I publish this, Designed in California has already met its $40,000 campaign goal, so it looks like the show is a go. Myke and Jason have promised a taste of what’s to come during June segments of Upgrade, which will be followed by the new show’s full episodes when the Kickstarter campaign ends. If you want to support the Designed in California campaign, there are a wide variety of backer options from $20 to $1,000 with perks that include ad-free episodes, wallpapers, an enamel pin, a signed print of the show’s artwork, and more depending on how much you pledge.

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Our WWDC Automation Wish List

This week on AppStories, Federico and John share their WWDC automation wishes.

Then on AppStories+, they share more details on their research setups for the summer.

Also available on YouTube here.


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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 487 - Our WWDC Automation Wish List

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This episode is sponsored by:

Things: The award-winning to-do app.

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App Debuts

Remodex Remodex, the third-party remote Codex client I recently reviewed, got a major 2.0 release this week. The update ships with a redesigned interface across the sidebar, chats, projects, settings, and composer, along with a new logo and so-called “project-less” quick chats. When I originally covered Remodex, I wondered what would happen to the...


Interesting Links

Spotify is rolling out a bunch of quality-of-life improvements, including playlist folders on mobile, bulk editing for tracks in playlists, background downloads on iOS, and a reshuffle button that lets you remix your queue order with a single tap. (Link)

In the wake of Google I/O, Sean Hollister of The Verge took Gemini’s...


This Week on MacStories Podcasts

This week on MacStories podcasts: AppStories This week, Federico explains how he’s using the recently-released Notion developer platform before he and John share their wishes for macOS 27. On AppStories+, John asks Federico about the technical underpinnings and evolution of the Shortcuts Playground project that he published last week. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Pocket...


Gadget Grab Bag

I test a lot of gadgets, and sometimes, a backlog of odds and ends forms that calls for a gadget grab bag post. So today, with WWDC on the horizon, it’s time for me to dig into the grab bag and clear the decks by sharing the highlights. Logitech K880 Keyboard and Mouse Set I’m...


Previously, On MacStories

BenQ’s More Affordable 5K Display Offers Mac Users Greater Flexibility with Some Trade-Offs Introducing RemCTL: The Power-User Reminders CLI for macOS and AI Agents...


BenQ’s More Affordable 5K Display Offers Mac Users Greater Flexibility with Some Trade-Offs

Source: BenQ

Source: BenQ

Until last fall, I was the happy owner of a first-generation Studio Display. In most respects, it was great. The screen was crisp, the colors vibrant, and it included many quality-of-life features other displays lack. Features like the Studio Display’s built-in USB-C hub, iSight camera, and array of six speakers and three microphones make it more like a Mac accessory than simply a display.

Those were all tangible upsides, but they came with their own set of tradeoffs, which Apple carried over from my original Studio Display to the updated model released earlier this year. That new model adopts Thunderbolt 5 for two of its ports – one upstream and another downstream – and improves the camera and speakers. However, both Studio Display models lack HDMI, DisplayPort, KVM capabilities for easy switching between multiple connected devices, and screen size choices.

That ultimately drove me to purchase an ASUS gaming monitor that I love. It’s OLED and bigger than the Studio Display, with a higher refresh rate, more input options, and built-in KVM. However, it lacks a webcam, microphones, and speakers, which I miss at times. It’s also 4K, whereas the Studio Display is 5K.

On balance, I’m glad I went the route I did, but it’s led me to think a lot about displays and the trade-offs among them. The good news is that there are many more choices for Mac users than ever before, even if you don’t want to sacrifice the Studio Display’s 5K resolution for more flexibility. That’s why when BenQ offered to send me their 27” 5K MA270S display to try, I jumped at the opportunity: unlike my 32” gamer-oriented ASUS display, BenQ’s display is specifically targeted at Mac users.

Let’s take a look at how it stacks up to the Studio Display and other options.

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