FedericoJoi Planner This is a nice-looking new iPhone utility by Alexey Sekachov that combines your calendar events, basic reminders, and habit tracking in a unified timeline UI to provide you with a broad overview of your day. This app won’t replace Reminders and Todoist for me, but I’m very intrigued by the concept of...
Interesting Links
OpenAI demonstrated ChatGPT’s live video capabilities months ago, but the feature, which allows a user to point their smartphone’s camera at an object and interact with ChatGPT based on the live video stream, is now live according to Kyle Wiggers’ report for TechCrunch. (Link) Victoria Song of The Verge has a detailed look at...
The Latest from Comfort Zone, Magic Rays of Light, and MacStories Unwind
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
Comfort Zone
Matt felt like bringing an intentionally controversial topic, Niléane refuses to admit she’s created a sticky note-based task manager, and everyone gives the iPad some much needed love.
Magic Rays of Light
Sigmund and Devon discuss the Vision Pro’s gaming future, break down the trailers for Severance season two and The Gorge from CCXP, and recap Apple Original French-language drama La Maison.
MacStories Unwind
This week, John shares a trio of his favorite movies of 2024 and he and Federico share several favorite TV shows from 2024.
Access Extra Content and Perks
Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for nearly a decade.
What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed for every MacStories fan.
Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with apps, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, early access to the MacStories Unwind podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus an active Discord community, advanced search and custom RSS features for exploring the Club’s entire back catalog, bonus columns, and dozens of app discounts;
Club Premier: All of the above and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.
Apple Shows Off Layered Recordings in Voice Memos with the Help of Michael Bublé and Carly Pearce→
Do you remember Music Memos? It was an iPhone app launched by Apple in 2016 that acted as a scratchpad for musicians. The idea was to quickly save musical ideas that could then be exported to GarageBand to be fleshed out. The app didn’t get many major updates and was discontinued in 2021.
Music Memos didn’t last, but the idea behind it was sound. When it was introduced, musicians were already using Apple’s Voice Memos app to save ideas for vocals, guitar riffs, and more as the press release announcing Music Memos acknowledged.
In the years since Music Memos’ demise, musicians presumably returned to Voice Memos, a more general utility, but one that has steadily been updated and improved by Apple. Yesterday, with the release of iOS 18.2, Voice Memos took another big step forward by adding the ability to isolate vocals recorded over an instrumental track. As Apple explains it in its press release:
Powered by the A18 Pro chip, and leveraging advanced processing and machine learning to isolate the vocal recording, Voice Memos creates two individual tracks so users can apply additional mixing and production in professional apps like Logic Pro. And with Voice Memos on Mac, Layered Recordings are synced across devices and available on Mac to drag-and-drop into a Logic session.
To prove the power of the new Voice Memos feature, singers Michael Bublé and Carly Pearce, along with producer Greg Wells, used the app on an iPhone 16 Pro to create “Maybe This Christmas,” a new holiday duet available on Apple Music.
Michael Bublé had this to say about Layered Recordings:
I don’t think people realize the critical role Voice Memos on iPhone plays in the creation process for musicians. And now with Layered Recordings, if an artist has a moment of inspiration, being unencumbered by the traditional studio experience becomes the advantage, not the limitation. It’s so typically Apple to build something we didn’t know we needed — and now won’t be able to live without.
This feature is remarkable and a great example of the power of today’s devices. Just a few days ago, I was given a demo of Moises, this year’s winner of Apple’s App Store Award for best iPad app, which does similar sorcery separating vocals and individual instruments. It’s a powerful capability with incredible productivity implications for all musicians.
Apple Announces the 2024 App Store Awards
Apple has revealed its annual App Store Awards winners, recognizing the standout apps and games of 2024. This year, the company picked a collection of apps and games from 17 developers across 12 categories, including new categories for the Vision Pro App and Game of the Year.
Apple CEO Tim Cook had this to say about this year’s winning developers:
We are thrilled to honor this impressive group of developers who are harnessing the power of Apple devices and technology to deliver experiences that enrich the lives of users and have a profound impact on their communities. The remarkable achievements of this year’s winners demonstrate the incredible ingenuity that can be unlocked through apps.
This year’s App Store Award winners are:
Apps
- iPhone App of the Year: Kino, from Lux Optics, Inc.
- iPad App of the Year: Moises, from Moises Systems, Inc.
- Mac App of the Year: Adobe Lightroom, from Adobe, Inc.
- Apple Vision Pro App of the Year: What If…? An Immersive Story, from Disney
- Apple Watch App of the Year: Lumy, from Raja V.
- Apple TV App of the Year: F1 TV, from Formula One Digital Media Limited
Games
- iPhone Game of the Year: AFK Journey, from Farlight Games
- iPad Game of the Year: Squad Busters, from Supercell
- Mac Game of the Year: Thank Goodness You’re Here!, from Panic, Inc.
- Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year: THRASHER: Arcade Odyssey, from Puddle, LLC
- Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Balatro+, from Playstack Ltd.
Apple also honored the following Cultural Impact winners:
- Oko from AYES BV
- EF Hello from Signum International AG
- DailyArt from Zuzanna Stanska
- NYT Games from The New York Times Company
- The Wreck from The Pixel Hunt
- Do You Really Want to Know 2 from Gamtropy Co., Ltd.
I had a chance to meet with the developers of three winning apps: Thrasher, Oko, and Moises. I wasn’t familiar with any of these apps before my meetings, but every one of them struck a chord with me, and I can see why Apple included them in their awards.
Thrasher takes advantage of the Vision Pro’s many sensors to create a uniquely immersive visual and musical experience. Oko uses the iPhone’s cameras to help low-vision and blind users navigate busy cities safely and independently. Moises leverages AI to break down music in a way that helps musicians practice and improve their skills. They’re all very different apps, but each pushes Apple’s devices in its own way to elevate their users’ daily lives whether it’s improving their skills, helping them through their daily lives, or entertaining them during a moment of downtime.
Congratulations to all of this year’s App Store Award winners. It’s always great to see developers’ hard work and contributions to Apple’s platforms recognized.
Access Extra Content and Perks
Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for nearly a decade.
What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed for every MacStories fan.
Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with apps, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, early access to the MacStories Unwind podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus an active Discord community, advanced search and custom RSS features for exploring the Club’s entire back catalog, bonus columns, and dozens of app discounts;
Club Premier: All of the above and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.
The Latest from AppStories and Ruminate
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
AppStories
This week, Federico and John reveal the winners of the 2024 MacStories Selects Awards, which celebrate the exceptional design, innovation, and creativity of apps across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
Ruminate
Snackfishing, digital chicken pets, AI video. Plus adorable 3D-printed Mac Mini enclosures.
Sponsored By:
- Pika: Use code RUMINATE20 for 20% off your first year of Pika Pro.
Access Extra Content and Perks
Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for nearly a decade.
What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed for every MacStories fan.
Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with apps, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, early access to the MacStories Unwind podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus an active Discord community, advanced search and custom RSS features for exploring the Club’s entire back catalog, bonus columns, and dozens of app discounts;
Club Premier: All of the above and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.
The MacStories 2024 Year in Review on Flipboard→
I vividly remember when Flipboard first debuted in 2010, kicking off the iPad digital magazine trend that spawned Apple Newsstand, The Daily, Zite and more. Of all those early publications, Flipboard remains, and it just so happens that because we published the MacStories RSS feed to Flipboard early, the site has a larger following there than you might expect.
Over the years, we lost track of Flipboard, but a steadily growing segment of our readership turned to it as a way of reading our work. Then, late last year, Flipboard grabbed our attention again with its forward-thinking push into federation. MacStories was among the earliest to federate our Flipboard presence, which has only increased the number of readers discovering MacStories through it.
So today, we thought we’d test the Flipboard waters further with a collection of 205 of the biggest stories, reviews, and news posts we’ve published in 2024. The MacStories 2024 Year in Review collects our best work in one place. It’s a great way to catch up on stories you didn’t have time to read earlier in the year or browse through and revisit 2024’s biggest stories in the Apple world. We hope you enjoy it.
If you’re a Flipboard reader and would like to see more collections like the MacStories 2024 Year in Review, please let me know on Mastodon, Threads, or Bluesky. I’d love to hear what you think.
The 2024 MacStories Selects Awards
AppStories Episode 415 - The 2024 MacStories Selects Awards
0:00
55:19
55:19
This week, Federico and John reveal the winners of the 2024 MacStories Selects Awards, which celebrate the exceptional design, innovation, and creativity of apps across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
Celebrate the MacStories Selects App of the Year with the MacStories DS Skins for Delta→
This year’s MacStories Selects App of the Year was never in question. No app has had a bigger political, cultural, and competitive impact on the App Store this year than Delta. On top of that, Delta is a beautifully designed, native app that takes advantage of Apple’s latest technologies, putting it head and shoulders above other iOS emulators. Of course, Delta is also a delightfully fun way to relive classic videogames on the iPhone’s outstanding hardware.
Delta’s impact on the app world this year transcended retro gaming. However, for most people, being able to dip into the world of Pokémon or battle their way through the dungeons of Hyrule on the device they carry with them is all the payoff they need.
That’s why, to celebrate Delta’s many accomplishments in 2024, we commissioned three Delta skins for Nintendo DS games from Sean Fletcher, a Seattle-based designer who has created dozens of Delta skins that pay homage to classic Nintendo hardware. The MacStories DS Skins, which incorporate MacStories’ signature colors and a subtle logo, work in portrait and landscape orientations and are available for $3 on our Gumroad store. As Nintendo’s first touchscreen device, we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Delta’s emergence as an emulation powerhouse on the iPhone than with skins for the DS.
With the rise of generative AI and the decline of search engines, we’ve made a point of working with as many writers, artists, musicians, developers, and now, designers as possible this year. The fact that Delta enables anyone to make skins for its app allowed us to work with Sean, another talented creative professional, whose work we’ve supported personally and linked to in the past. If you like the MacStories DS Skins, be sure to check out Sean’s other skins, too.
We’re delighted with how the MacStories DS Skins turned out and hope you love them, too. We can’t wait to see screenshots of what you’re playing with them.