If you follow our YouTube channel, you’ve probably seen that I’ve been experimenting with adding video to hardware reviews and as bonus material for NPC: Next Portable Console. I’ve enjoyed the process of working my way up a rather steep video production learning curve quickly, so I thought I’d share my relatively simple setup and...
App Debuts
Channels Channels is a great way to watch over-the-air TV and manage a whole-home DVR. The latest update to the iPhone version of the app added light, dark, and tinted icon support, along with Control Center controls to search, watch a channel, open a section of the app, and open a particular channel. App...
The Latest from Comfort Zone, Magic Rays of Light, and MacStories Unwind
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
Comfort Zone
Niléane is back and she’s brought the long-awaited Mastodon 4.3 update, Matt brought Omnivore, and Chris rounds out his new Apple product reviews with the Apple Watch Series 10. Then we see who took the best photo with an iPhone and introduce a fun new, accessible challenge.
Magic Rays of Light
Sigmund and Devon discuss Sigmund’s experience at London Film Festival, including the world premiere of Blitz. They also highlight this week’s release of Disclaimer and dive deep into Submerged, the first Apple Immersive Video scripted film.
MacStories Unwind
This week, John shares a spooky story, Federico and he both have TV show picks, and they update listeners on their progress in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
Developers Demonstrate AAA Windows Gaming on M1 and M2 Macs Using Linux→
Yesterday, developer Alyssa Rosenzweig gave a talk at the XDC conference in Montréal, Canada about gaming on Asahi Linux installed on M1 and M2 Apple silicon-based Macs. According to GamingOnLinux:
They announced their “Asahi game playing toolkit” which brings together their Vulkan 1.3 graphics driver with, and x86 emulation with Windows game compatibility. It’s all still “Alpha” level quality, but good enough to run some AAA games now. Unlike Apple’s own macOS, Asahi Linux has the only conformant OpenGL®, OpenCL™, and Vulkan® drivers for this hardware (as Apple focus on their own API - Metal).
With Asahi Linux installed on your Mac and at least 16GB of memory to handle emulation overhead, Rosenzweig explained that demanding games like Control, Fallout 4, and Cyberpunk 2077 are all playable. That said, it’s still early days for the Ashahi game-playing toolkit, with more work to be done to support more modern AAA Windows games running at 60fps.
Still, what Rosenzweig and other contributors to the project have achieved is impressive, with more details available on Rosenzweig’s website. It’s also heartening to see developers coming up with solutions that work with commonly-used Windows graphics APIs instead of waiting for game developers to adopt Apple’s Metal framework.
New NPC and AppStories Additions to the MacStories YouTube Channel
We’ve begun publishing more than podcasts on YouTube. In addition to MacStories’ six podcasts, we’ve added bonus content for NPC: Next Portable Console listeners. Whether you watch the video version of the show or not, we kicked off a playlist of bonus content this week with two videos.
The first is an unboxing and closer look at the Nintendo Switch Lite Hyrule Edition. I’ve had the Switch Lite for a little over a week and love it.
We also published a short video follow-up to one of the news stories we covered on the most recent episode of NPC. It turns out that the mysterious Nintendo device that appeared in the FCC’s records wasn’t quite what we thought it might be, and Brendon got photos from the Nintendo Store in New York, which Brendon also wrote about on Wavelengths.
YouTube’s playlist feature is also a great way to put together themed sets of past episodes of shows like AppStories, which has over 400 episodes. We’re working on more of these, but this week, we added a playlist of all 43 interview episodes we’ve done so far, as well as a collection of our classic Pick 2 episodes where Federico and I spotlight recent apps we’ve been trying.
The Latest from NPC: Next Portable Console and AppStories
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
NPC: Next Portable Console
This week, Federico, Brendon, and John cover the latest in Nintendo emulation, a mysterious Nintendo device appears at the FCC, John has a Switch surprise, Microsoft reveals its best-looking controller yet, and Federico mods his Legion Go.
AppStories
This week, Federico and John share the iPhone Lock Screen and Control Center controls that they’re currently using them.
This episode is sponsored by:
- Memberful – Help Your Clients Monetize Their Passion
New Items and Deals on Federico’s Desk Setup→
It’s been a few months, which is why it’s once again time for a setup update. This time, Federico has added several items to his desk setup. Below, you’ll find a selection of top picks from the changes he’s made, but be sure to visit the Setups page to see everything he’s currently using.
For those who have already spent time on the Setups page, welcome back. There’s a handy changelog at the top of the page just for you, with a list of everything added and removed, so you don’t have to go searching for each item.
Also, because today and tomorrow are Amazon Big Deals Days, I’ve highlighted the items on Federico’s setup list that are currently available at steep discounts on Amazon.
Changes to Federico Viticci’s Desk Setup
Part of the story of Federico’s latest setup changes is that he’s re-added a few key components that were previously removed:
- The Apple Vision Pro;
- CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt dock; and
- Apple Thunderbolt 4 Pro cables
But there are plenty of new items in Federico’s setup, too. The 11” M4 iPad Pro with a nano texture display and AirPods 4 are the two big Apple additions. For NPC: Next Portable Console, Federico got a white low-profile microphone arm, which looks great on the video version of the show and is currently 20% off. If you’ve listened to the latest episode of NPC, you know why he also added a Samsung 990 Pro SSD with a heat sink, which is currently 42% off on Amazon. That SSD was used to mod his Lenovo Legion Go (22% off on Amazon), for which he’s also added a Mechanism gaming pillow and universal grips.
Other additions include:
- an ASUS ROG Rapture WiFi 6E Gaming Router, which is currently 25% off on Amazon
- a Belkin MagSafe car charger for Federico’s iPhone, which is currently 34% off on Amazon;
- a big 25,000 mAh power bank by UGREEN;
- and a FiiO M17 high-resolution music player
That’s it for the time being for our setups. I’ll also be back soon with updates on what I’ve been using for work and play.
My Top Picks for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days
Amazon Prime’s Big Deal Days runs today and tomorrow, so just as I did for Prime Day before it, I’ve scoured the thousands of available deals for the best gear that I’ve used, tested, and love. For more of the gear that Federico and I use, check out our Setups page, too.
Here are my top Prime Big Deal Days picks:
Apple Hardware and Accessory Deals
Studio Display with Stand (16% off)
Apple’s Studio Display has been out for quite a while now, so it’s a regular among Amazon deals. I’ve been using mine for over two years, and it’s the perfect Mac or iPad compliment if you want a big, bright, and crisp display at your desk.
MagSafe Charger (16% off)
Apple recently updated its MagSafe charging puck that I use with my AirPod Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The updated charger, which is Qi2 compatible, allows my iPhone to charge more quickly than was possible with earlier iPhone and charger pairings.
Apple Pencil Pro (24% off)
The Apple Pencil Pro isn’t an accessory that I use every day, but between Smart Script and the radial menu that appears when you squeeze the Pencil’s barrel, I’ve found myself using it more and more for taking notes, editing video in Final Cut Pro, and navigating the web.
Apple Announces Swift Student Challenge Timeline for 2025→
Apple has announced that the 2025 Swift Student Challenge will be held for three weeks in February 2025. According to Apple’s press release:
Students, educators, and their advocates can find out how to prepare for the challenge and sign up to be notified when applications open at developer.apple.com. Apple will recognize a total of 350 Swift Student Challenge winners whose submissions demonstrate excellence in innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity. From this esteemed group, 50 Distinguished Winners will receive additional recognition and be invited to Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino next summer.
The company has also updated its Swift Coding Club, a website with resources for students preparing for the annual Challenge, and added new Develop in Swift Tutorials.
I’m sure we’ll hear more about the Swift Student Challenge in February when it kicks off and then again closer to WWDC as we did this year. I’m glad Apple has extended the timeline for publicizing the Swift Student Challenge, which I’m sure will give students and educators more time to prepare for the event and submit their best work.