John Voorhees

5626 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.
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@johnvoorhees.macstories.net
voorhees@macstories.net

Apple Expands Analytics and Other Features Available to Podcasters

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Today, in a post on the Apple Podcasts for Creators webpage, Apple announced an expansion of the podcast analytics it offers, which podcasters can sign up to use at Apple Podcasts Connect.

Apple is adding a new metric called Followers, the term Apple uses to describe listeners who subscribe to a free podcast. The company already provides analytics that track listener numbers, engagement, and plays. Still, Followers could give podcasters who are considering offering a paid subscription version of their podcast an idea of its potential audience. The new statistic will be available next month from the Analytics tab of Podcasts Connect and can be viewed over 60 days, a week, a month, or all time.

Apple will also provide a chart showing the total time a show has been listened to for a chosen period and what percentage of those listeners are followers of the show. A graph of a show’s followers over time and the gains or declines in followers will be available in the Trends tab too.

Until now, subscription-based podcasts had to be uploaded as WAV or FLAC files and processed on Apple’s end before being available for subscribers. Podcasters can now upload MP3 versions of their shows instead, which is a welcome change. We offer a subscription version of AppStories on Apple Podcasts. Although producing a WAV version of each episode isn’t a burden, uploading such a large file and waiting for it to process on Apple’s servers has been one of the few points of friction in the process, so I’m glad that has been eliminated.

If you offer subscriber podcasts through Apple Podcasts, Apple has also added new customization options for the subscription banners in the Apple Podcasts app. Finally, for podcasters who want help getting a podcast and subscription set up, the Apple Podcasts team is available to provide direct assistance.

It’s nice to see Apple continue to evolve its subscription offerings. I don’t pay much attention to metrics, but I know for some podcasters, they are crucial for attracting advertising. Still, over longer periods, analytics like those Apple will offer next month should make it easier to spot audience and listening trends, even if it is only from the Apple Podcasts slice of a show’s audience.

AppStories, Episode 266 – iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Updates In-Depth→

This week on AppStories, we dig into the details of the iOS and iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3 updates that were released by Apple last week.

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On AppStories+, a look at the first Mac Studio and Studio Display reviews.

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Last Week, on Club MacStories: Calliope 1.2.0, the M1’s New Computing Baseline, and an Upcoming A.V. Club Town Hall

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next:

MacStories Weekly: Issue 312

Up Next

The next A.V. Club Town Hall will take place in Discord for Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members next Tuesday, March 22nd at 1:30 PM Eastern US time. See the Discord Announcements channel for details.

This month, we’ll be discussing the Apple TV+ series, The Afterparty.

ComicTrack: A Beautifully-Designed, Flexible Way to Organize Your Comic Book Reading

ComicTrack is a new app from Joe Kimberlin for tracking and organizing the comic books you’ve read, are currently reading, and want to read. The idea is similar to his excellent videogame tracking app, GameTrack, but applied to comics. I’ve been using ComicTrack for a couple of weeks now, and it’s excellent. Of course, you’ll also need a separate app to read your comics, but having a dedicated app to organize what I’m reading and plan to read has single-handedly gotten me back into reading comics more regularly.

ComicTrack on the iPhone.

ComicTrack on the iPhone.

For context, I’ve always been a very casual comic book fan. I have Comixology and Shonen Jump installed on my iPad mini, but I often go weeks or months without touching either. It’s not a lack of interest, so much as a combination of not knowing where to start and having limited free time. ComicTrack hasn’t magically granted me more free time, but it has made getting started much easier by reducing the friction of picking something to read.

ComicTrack on the 12.9" iPad Pro in dark mode

ComicTrack on the 12.9” iPad Pro in dark mode

I’m going to focus on the iPad version of ComicTrack because that’s where I read most of my comics, but the app also works and looks great on the iPhone and Mac, as you’ll see in the screenshots below. Everything syncs over iCloud too. Also, although I spend most of my time using the iPad version of ComicTrack, I find the iPhone and Mac apps indispensable for collecting new ideas of things to read. I run across comic books all the time via RSS, Twitter, podcasts, and friends’ recommendations. That doesn’t just happen when I’m using my iPad, but with ComicTrack on all the platforms I use, it’s easy to add something that catches my eye.

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AppStories - Ep. 266 - 51 minutes

iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Updates In-Depth

FedericoJohn
AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 266 - iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Updates In-Depth

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51:22

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week, Federico and John dig into the details of the iOS and iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3 updates that were released by Apple last week.

Read more

Interesting Links

John

Sigmund Judge at Screen Times has an in-depth look at the quiet evolution of tvOS and what the latest changes mean for the Apple TV. (Link) Matthew Panzarino of TechCrunch interviews Tom Boger, Shelly Goldberg, and Xander Soren of Apple about the Mac Studio. (Link) Engadget reports on the latest update to Xbox Cloud...

The Challenges Posed by Apple Silicon’s New Baseline

Something Federico said during our recent Club Town Hall has stuck with me this past week. In the context of trying to explain the iPad Air’s place among the iPad line, he observed that the iPads with the clearest identity and purpose are the ones at the furthest ends of the spectrum: the iPad mini...

App Debuts

Ploppy Pairs Ploppy Pairs is a matching game for kids that incorporates SharePlay. Levels include between 4 and 70 cards and are themed with colorful, fun artwork that brings the game to life. Ploppy Pairs is available on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. There’s also an iMessage sticker pack and an App Clip...