John Voorhees

5551 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

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Podcast Rewind: Mark Gurman’s Origin Story and Wild GDC Handheld Console Announcements

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

In this special interview episode, Federico and I welcome Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman to discuss his 16-year journey covering Apple. Mark shares how he started as a teenage app developer before joining 9to5Mac and eventually Bloomberg. The conversation explores Mark’s most memorable scoops, the evolution of Apple news coverage, his relationship with Apple, and advice for aspiring tech journalists.

This episode is sponsored by:

  • Memberful – Easy-to-Use Reliable Membership Software
  • Drafts – Where text starts. New and expired subscribers can use the link to get your first year of Drafts for $9.99.
  • Tripsy – Your Travel Toolkit. Use the link for 25% off a lifetime purchase or 30% off a 1-Year subscription.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Brendon shares his surprising early impressions of the Ayn Odin Portal. Then Federico, Brendon and I dive into Nintendo Switch 2 pricing rumors, explore the performance issues of Assassin’s Creed Shadows on M4 Macs despite being Steam Deck verified, and break down Qualcomm’s confusing new G-series chips powering upcoming handhelds. Then, the trio reacts to OneXPlayer’s chaotic ONEXSUGAR handheld and AYANEO’s new devices. Plus, Federico has exciting news about a DLSS plugin for Steam Deck that improves performance on games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, turning blurry gameplay into a sharp, high-settings experience.

NPC XL

This week on NPC XL, Federico, Brandon and I share their most unusual handheld gaming devices. From my nostalgic Tamagotchi Connection to Brandon’s beast of a modded PSP Go and Federico’s Ashida Wii, the conversation reveals their weird obsessions with handheld gaming.

Read more

WWDC 2025 Scheduled for June 9-13 Along with Special Event at Apple Park

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

WWDC25 will be held from June 9 - 13 this year and include an in-person experience on June 9 that will provide developers the opportunity to watch the keynote at Apple Park, meet with Apple team members, and take part in special activities. Space will be limited, and details on how to apply to attend can be found on the Apple Developer site and app.

Apple has announced that WWDC 2025 will primarily take place online again this year from June 9-13 2025. However, the company said that it simultaneously will hold a corresponding limited in-person event at Apple Park for developers, students, and press like last year.

In a press release issued by today, Susan Prescott, Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations and Enterprise and Education Marketing, said:

We’re excited to mark another incredible year of WWDC with our global developer community. We can’t wait to share the latest tools and technologies that will empower developers and help them continue to innovate.

Apple also had this to say about events that will be held at Apple Park during the conference:

To celebrate the start of WWDC, Apple will also host an in-person experience on June 9 that will provide developers with the opportunity to watch the Keynote and Platforms State of the Union at Apple Park, meet with Apple experts one-on-one and in group labs, and take part in special activities. Space will be limited; details on how to apply to attend can be found on the WWDC25 website.

As time passes, fewer of the people I used to count on seeing at WWDC attend. I suppose that’s to be expected now that the event is primarily online. However, I’m just as excited as ever for this year’s event. It’s a chance to preview new technology and meet many of the developers whose work we cover. However, with rumors of new hardware on the horizon and a design refresh for all of Apple’s OSes, I’m sure this year’s WWDC will be as interesting as always.

Of course, MacStories readers can expect the same kind of comprehensive WWDC coverage we do every year. We’ll have extensive coverage on MacStories, AppStories, and MacStories Unwind, which will extend to Club MacStories too.

Apple Courts DJs with New DJ with Apple Music Program

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Apple has announced a partnership with DJ software and hardware platforms to integrate Apple Music’s catalog into their offerings.

The new program, called DJ with Apple Music, expands on an integration that was already in place for Algoriddim’s djay Pro app adding AlphaTheta, Serato, and inMusic’s Engine DJ, Denon DJ, Numark, and RANE DJ.

In an emailed press release, Apple Music’s Stephen Campbell, Global Head of Dance, Electronic & DJ Mixes said:

Apple Music is committed to supporting DJs. With this latest integration, we’re taking that commitment even further—seamlessly connecting Apple Music with the industry’s leading DJ software and hardware. This innovation brings the full power of Apple Music into the creative workflow, making it easier than ever for DJs to access, play, and discover music in real time.

Starting today, you can visit a dedicated DJ with Apple Music in the Music app on all platforms. There, you’ll find curated playlists picked for DJs by the Apple Music editorial team and links to pages dedicated to each of the participants in the program.

To check out the available playlists and other materials you can follow this link.

Terminology 5: Rebuilt and Better than Ever

It’s been quite a while since I did a full review of Agile Tortoise’s Terminology, an extensible dictionary and reference tool for the iPhone and iPad. It’s hard to believe the app has been around for 15 years now, but with today’s release of version 5.0, Greg Pierce has introduced a thoroughly modern ground-up rewrite of the app that is richer and more extensible than ever, making it one of my favorite research tools.

Let’s take a look at what’s new.

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AirPods Max to Gain Lossless and Low Latency Audio Support Over USB-C Next Month

In a surprise announcement this morning, Apple announced that the AirPods Max with USB-C will be getting an update next month that adds support for lossless and ultra‑low latency audio over the cable. According to the press release:

With the included USB-C cable, users can enjoy the highest-quality audio across music, movies, and games, while music creators can experience significant enhancements to songwriting, beat making, production, and mixing.

The update will enable 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio, which Apple says is supported by over 100 million songs on Apple Music. Using the headphones’ USB-C cable, musicians will enjoy ultra-low latency and lossless audio in their Logic Pro workflows. The USB-C cable will allow them to produce Personalized Spatial Audio, too.

Apple also explains that the reduced latency is “on par with the native built-in speakers on Mac, iPad, and iPhone,” enhancing videogame play and streaming.

In addition to the software update, Apple is releasing a $39 3.5mm to USB-C cable that can be purchased today. This is a nice update that, judging from the timing, will likely roll out alongside Apple’s next set of OS releases. Although I’d love to see Apple adapt its AirPlay technology to support low-latency, lossless audio, too, doing so via the USB-C cable that comes with the latest version of the headphones is a good start.

AppStories - Ep. 428 - 47 minutes

From Dashboard Widgets to Breaking News: Mark Gurman’s Path to Bloomberg

FedericoJohn

In this special interview episode, Federico and John welcome Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman to discuss his 16-year journey covering Apple. Mark shares how he started as a teenage app developer before joining 9to5Mac and eventually Bloomberg. The conversation explores Mark’s most memorable scoops, the evolution of Apple news coverage, his relationship with Apple, and advice for aspiring tech journalists.

On AppStories+, Federico and John get into the weeds to explore the hardware and apps Mark Gurman uses and discuss Apple’s acquisition of Pixelmator.

[Subscribe here.](https://www.macstories.net/podcasts/appstories/plans)

Subscribe here.

We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week.

To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ.

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 428 - From Dashboard Widgets to Breaking News: Mark Gurman’s Path to Bloomberg

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46:54

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This episode is sponsored by:

  • Memberful – Easy-to-Use Reliable Membership Software
  • Drafts – Where text starts. New and expired subscribers can use the link to get your first year of Drafts for $9.99.
  • Tripsy – Your Travel Toolkit. Use the link for 25% off a lifetime purchase or 30% off a 1-Year subscription.

Read more

Podcast Rewind: MacWhisper, Vibe Coding, Live Albums, and Immersive Metallica

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

Darth Chris makes an appearance, Niléane has an exclusive first look at…checks notes… the iPhone 16 Pro, Matt insists on talking about MacWhisper even more, and the crew actually all followed the rules in this week’s challenge (a miracle!).

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico wonders whether John would have been a vibe coder if he started building an app today, and they share music picks along with a movie trilogy deal.

Magic Rays of Light

Sigmund and Devon share their experiences rocking out to Metallica in Apple Immersive Video and recap heart-touching Spanish-language comedy/drama Love You to Death.

Read more

A Tour of My PopClip Extensions

Earlier this week, as I was digging through the details of Sindre Sorhus’ Scratchpad app, I noticed that there was a PopClip extension available. There are very few Mac apps I’ve used as long as PopClip. It’s a simple utility that pops up a menu directly above selected text, just like iOS and iPadOS do....

Interesting Links

John

Deep Research is one of Google Gemini’s most impressive models, creating detailed reports with citations to web sources. Last week, the company opened the model up to everyone to try, and this week, it posted a set of tips for getting the most out of the tool. (Link) Apple wasn’t the only tech company...