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.
Crouton (left) and Gentler Streak (right). Source: Apple.
Apple has announced the winners of the 2024 Apple Design Award. Just over one week ago, Apple revealed six finalists in each of seven categories.
This year’s winners include an app and game in each category for a total of 14 winners, including MacStories favorites like Crouton, Gentler Streak, and Blackbox:
Game: Blackbox by Shapes and Stories (United States)
This year’s ADAs represent a wide cross-section of apps, from solo developers to large corporations. Of course, I’m partial to the indies on the list, but overall, I think Apple’s choices this year are excellent.
Comfort Zone is a weekly podcast about trying new things. Every Thursday, co-hosts Matt Birchler, Niléane Dorffer, and Christopher Lawley challenge themselves and each other to try something new in their tech lives whether it’s hardware, an app, a workflow, an automation, or something else. It’s a fun way to explore the tech world with the show’s hosts.
But Comfort Zone isn’t just a new podcast at MacStories. It’s also our first podcast on our new YouTube channel. The first episode, which has its own playlist on the channel and is embedded below, is out today.
Of course, you can also subscribe to the audio-only version of the show too. Links to subscribe to the audio version in Apple Podcasts, popular podcast players, and the show’s RSS feed are all available on MacStories.
It’s great to have Comfort Zone on the MacStories YouTube channel. This is a new experiment for us, but with the early enthusiasm for the video version of the show, I expect Comfort Zone is just the start of more to come from MacStories. So, be sure to check out episode 1 of the Comfort Zone on YouTube, subscribe to our channel, and let us know what you think.
If you haven’t tried Sequel to track your media queues, you’re missing out and have some catching up to do. There’s a reason we gave Sequel 2.0 the MacStories Selects Best App Update award last year. The app, which is available on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro, is one of the very best media trackers in a very crowded field.
One way to get up to speed with Sequel’s core features is my review of version 2.0, which I won’t repeat here. Since that review, developer Romain Lefebvre has released updates that continue to improve the app in meaningful ways. However, today’s version 2.3 release is special because it’s one of the first apps I’ve tried that uses AI in a truly useful, non-gimmicky way. Plus, the update adds Shortcuts integration, allowing users to automate the app in new ways, as well as a Markdown-compatible note-taking feature and new layout and search options.
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
This week on NPC: Next Portable Console, Federico, Brendon and I introduce NPC, compare handheld gaming origin stories, and share our current setups before Federico springs a surprise on us.
This week on AppStories, Federico and I introduce Comfort Zone and NPC: Next Portable Console, two new MacStories podcasts, and share our wishes for watchOS and tvOS updates.
This week, Federico and John introduce Comfort Zone and NPC: Next Portable Console, two new MacStories podcasts and share their wishes for watchOS and tvOS updates.
[[John]] SmartGym SmartGym, which is an Apple Design Award finalist this year, added the ability to create multiple equipment lists in the app. That way, for example, you can keep a list of the equipment you use at your local gym as well as what you have at home. Weights can now be personalized to...
Ahead of WWDC, David Smith reminds us of the qualities that make the Apple developer community special and unlike anything else. (Link) Thought-provoking piece by Alexandra Sizemore on the recent debate surrounding the iPad and iPadOS. (Link) My favorite accessory for the Vision Pro now comes with an updated version that supports the installation...
WWDC 2024 is just around the corner, and we’re planning to have our usual wall-to-wall coverage on MacStories, along with special events for Club members. To kick things off, we’ve created a special WWDC 2024 channel in Discord for Club Plus and Premier members. The channel will serve as the hub for discussing WWDC announcements,...
This week on MacStories Unwind, Federico and John take the wraps off the official MacStories Unwind 2024 Apple Music Playlist, tease upcoming projects, and recommend a recent Apple TV+ show and a cozy videogame.
This episode is sponsored by:
Kolide – It ensures that if a device isn’t secure it can’t access your apps. It’s Device Trust for Okta. Watch the demo now.
Federico
