John Voorhees

5792 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.
@[email protected]
@johnvoorhees.macstories.net
voorhees@macstories.net

AppStories, Episode 247 – Everything New in iOS and iPadOS 15.1

This week on AppStories, we dig into SharePlay and the other changes released last week with iOS and iPadOS 15.1.

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Federico returns to modding iPad accessories for his iPad mini and John wonders whether he should get one of the new MacBook Pros.

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Apple Releases Hooked, an Apple Original Podcast with No Ties to Other Properties→

Benjamin Mayo writing for 9to5Mac reports that Apple has published its first podcast that isn’t tied to a TV+ property or Apple News. The show, called Hooked, is a true-crime story featuring career bank robber Tony Hathaway. As Mayo notes, the show is listed as an ‘Apple Original podcast.’

Perhaps more notable is that there doesn’t seem to be a standard RSS feed associated with the show. Instead, the show’s first four episodes and trailer are available only via the Apple Podcasts app. Of course, a feed could be added, but if one isn’t, this would mark Apple’s first foray into exclusive audio content, something which Spotify has been doing for quite some time.

During an investor call last week that Podnews reported on, Spotify declared itself the number one podcast provider in the US and over 60 other countries based on an Edison Research report. As a result, it would come as no surprise if Apple has begun competing head-to-head with Spotify with its own exclusive audio content in the highly-popular true-crime category. At the same time, though, one of podcasting’s strengths has always been its open nature, and it would be a shame to see that further eroded by Apple, which has been a steward of the format for so long.

Update: Although not indexed and available in all podcast apps yet, Hooked does have a traditional RSS feed, which can be found here.

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AppStories - Ep. 247 - 32 minutes

Everything New in iOS and iPadOS 15.1

FedericoJohn
AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 247 - Everything New in iOS and iPadOS 15.1

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week, Federico and John dig into SharePlay and the other changes released last week with iOS and iPadOS 15.1.

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What Should Be Next for macOS Monterey

I just finished my macOS Monterey review, and while it’s fresh in my mind, I wanted to cover the areas that need the most work. Overall, Monterey is a solid release, but there are bugs and things that I’ve wanted to see addressed since earlier releases of macOS that could use some attention too. Not...

My Favorite XL Widgets

I’m a bigger fan of Apple’s XL widgets than I expected to be. The key has been the App Library and, strangely enough, the iPad mini. You see, I started fresh with the mini. I didn’t migrate a single app over from my iCloud backups. Instead, I wanted to start fresh and create a handful...

App Debuts

John

Elsewhen Time zones are hard, and Discord has a nice solution in the form of a Unix timestamp that you can add to messages, so the time is displayed in everyone’s local time. It’s an excellent feature if you’re planning community events, as we often do for Club MacStories. The trouble is that Unix...

Interesting Links

John

Dan Moren explains how he used the Netatmo weather API to pull the data from his weather station and display it in his Mac’s menu bar. (Link) Cabel Sasser of Panic shared a prototype of the original iPod, which is surprisingly large and yellow. (Link) Facebook is having trouble attracting young people to its...

MacStories Unwind: macOS Monterey and iOS and iPadOS 15.1 Are Here, Plus Shortcuts for Mac, and a MacBook Pro Review

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps
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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

Sponsored by: Daylite – It’s Monterey Ready!

This week on MacStories Unwind:

MacStories

Club MacStories

  • MacStories Weekly
    • A collection of John’s favorite XL widgets
    • Federico on the gap between Apple system apps and their Shortcuts actions
    • An all-new MacStories Unplugged that take a behind-the-scenes look at the making of John’s macOS Monterey review.

AppStories

Unwind

Austin Mann on the M1 MacBook Pros→

Source: [austinmann.com](https://austinmann.com/trek/macbook-pro-m1-max-for-photographers)

Source: austinmann.com

Pro photographer Austin Mann has been testing a new MacBook Pro M1 Max with 64GB RAM and an 8TB SSD in Arizona. As always, his review includes beautiful images that required substantial computer power to create. After running the highest-end version of the MacBook Pro through its paces, Mann came away impressed by the laptop’s fast charging and power efficiency, as well as its overall performance:

In summary, the most impressive performance from the new MacBook Pro M1 Max wasn’t just speed (it was about twice as fast), but it was insanely efficient in how it managed both its power and heat, which matters as much or more than pure speed.

Mann’s review does an excellent job capturing how the new MacBook Pros work as a package. It’s not just that they are power efficient or fast, but the combination of multiple advances that has enabled such a substantial leap forward over previous models.

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