Tempo Rahul Matta, who we interview in today’s issue of MacStories Weekly, updated Tempo this week with a new Goals feature. Goals allows runners, walkers, and hikers to set a distance goal and complete it within a specified time period. Goals can also be set to repeat weekly or monthly. Of course, Tempo also...
Why We Built Calliope
Early next week, Alex will publish a technical overview of Calliope, the engine that drives the all-new Club MacStories website. Calliope is many things, from a server architecture to a content management system to the front-end features that Club members see when they visit the site. I’ll leave the nerdy details to Alex, but I...
The Macintosh Desktop Experience, Exploring the Loupedeck Live: A Task-Focused Mac Control Panel
Today, I want to introduce you to a Mac accessory that hasn’t gotten much attention in our corner of the Apple tech world: the Loupedeck Live, which I received from Loupedeck a couple of months ago for testing. If you’re familiar with Elgato’s Stream Deck, you probably already have a general sense of what the...
Read moreA Closer Look at the Club MacStories Perks Announced This Week
Before I dig into the details about all the new perks we’re offering as part of Club MacStories, here are some handy links where you can see everything summarized and find answers to questions you may have:
- Club MacStories Plans page
- Club MacStories+ Details
- Club Premier Details
- Club MacStories FAQ
- Club Discord FAQ
- AppStories+ Plans page
- AppStories+ FAQ
Alright, let’s get into the details.
TestFlight for Mac Has Finally Arrived
I’ve waited seemingly forever for TestFlight for Mac, so I’m pleased to report that a beta is finally available. The app was released late yesterday, so first thing this morning, I downloaded it and started testing.
Here’s what Apple’s developer news site has to say about its beta for testing betas:
Use the beta version of TestFlight for Mac to test your Mac apps. You can invite registered Apple developers to download this beta version and use it to test your apps on macOS Monterey beta 5. We’d also appreciate your feedback on TestFlight for Mac, which you can provide through Feedback Assistant.
I haven’t had a lot of time to spend with TestFlight for Mac yet, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was already populated with a long list of betas. I downloaded a couple of iPhone and iPad apps that are compatible with Apple’s M1 Macs, and the process was as simple and straightforward as using TestFlight on iOS or iPadOS. That said, this is still clearly a beta. The sidebar lists every single TestFlight beta in which I’ve ever been enrolled regardless of whether it has expired or is compatible with my Mac. Also, there’s no way to sort or search through betas. Instead, the order of the sidebar list appears to be random.
Still, this is an excellent beta 1. The app works for installing betas and provides a quick and easy way to send feedback to developers. I expect TestFlight for Mac to be adopted quickly because it’s a much better way to manage a large group of testers and to distribute builds to reviewers.
If you have a developer account, you can download TestFlight for Mac from the Applications section of the Beta Software Downloads page.
Automation Academy and The Macintosh Desktop Experience: Exclusive Monthly Features for Club MacStories+ and Club Premier Members
MacStories’ roots are in writing, so it’s only natural that Club MacStories+ and Club Premier are expanding beyond our weekly and monthly newsletters to offer two new exclusive features: Automation Academy and The Macintosh Desktop Experience. Freed of the constraint of an email newsletter, Federico and I will be tailoring our columns to take advantage of the new features made possible by Calliope, the web app that powers the new Club website.
Let’s take a look at what members can expect.
AppStories, Episode 237 – Introducing the All-New Club MacStories→
This week on AppStories, we introduce two new tiers of Club MacStories, run down all the new features of each tier, explain the web app that powers it all, and officially release a back catalog of three months worth of bonus AppStories+ content.
Sponsored by:
- Quill – Messaging to Make Your Team Better
- Technology Untangled – Join Michael Bird as he untangles innovation through a series of interviews, stories, and analyses with some of the industry’s brightest brains.
Introducing the All-New Club MacStories
Federico
AppStories Episode 237 - Introducing the All-New Club MacStories
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This week, Federico and John introduce two new tiers of Club MacStories, run down all the new features of each tier, explain the web app that powers it all, and officially release a back catalog of three months worth of bonus AppStories+ content.
Mobile Gaming Clip for MagSafe
I’ve tried a lot of iOS and iPadOS-compatible game controllers. For a long time, MFi controllers were the only choice for playing games on iPhones and iPads. The trouble was there wasn’t much choice, the quality was inferior to controllers made by console manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft, and MFi controllers tended to be...