The Browser Company has been acquired by Atlassian, an enterprise-focused corporation. Given Atlassian’s focus and acquisition, I’m not optimistic about the future of Arc or Dia, but with a big company behind them, there’s always the possibility that The Browser Company will flourish. (Link) The review season has prevented me from wading into the...
App Debuts
Acorn Flying Meat’s image editor was updated to version 8.2 this week, adding a diffing tool to the app’s export feature. Now, when you export an image, you have the option to view a highlighted overlay of any changes made to it. There’s also a new feature that adds non-destructive linear and radial multi-stop...
Better Markdown Linking
One of the more annoying tasks I do every day, over and over, is creating Markdown-formatted links, like this: MacStories. Markdown links are great because they’re much more readable than raw HTML, but adding them as you write a story or assemble a list of articles can be laborious, requiring a lot of copying and...
Instagram Launches an iPad App
Yes, you read that right. Instagram has finally released an iPad version, and you know what, it looks good, too.
Announced on Instagram’s blog today, the new iPad app supports iPadOS 15.1 and later and includes the features you’d expect like Reels and Stories, plus a new “Following” tab that includes sections for posts and Reels from Friends who follow you back, a “Latest” section that’s sorted chronologically, and an “All” section. Instagram’s messaging is supported and the extra screen real estate allows you to view your inbox and threads simultaneously. It even supports keyboards, trackpads, and the Apple Pencil.
I gave up any expectation that Instagram would ever be released on the iPad years ago. I never really understood the notion that it wouldn’t work on a bigger screen, especially since what Instagram does has expanded a lot in recent years. I’m not a big Instagram user, but I’m glad to see it on the iPad finally. Not only does it work full screen, but with windowing coming in iPadOS 26, you’ll be able to enjoy the more iPhone-like look if you prefer too.
I’m not seeing the app on the App Store yet, but it’s rolling out now and should be available to everyone shortly as a free download here.
Small Changes, Big Impacts
Going into my August break, I was feeling a little overwhelmed. My office had gotten disorganized and out of control, and I had some projects on my mind that I’d been putting off for too long. I wanted to come out of the break in a good frame of mind for the busy fall season...
Back From Break: Automation, AI, and IKEA
FedericoThis week, AppStories returns with details on the projects Federico and John worked on during their breaks.
On AppStories+, the importance of breaks and finding ways to unwind.
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AppStories Episode 450 - Back From Break: Automation, AI, and IKEA
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This episode is sponsored by:
- Steamclock – We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details.
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App Debuts
Yume Yume is a free dream journal app for the iPhone that features quick capture to jot down your dreams before you forget them. The app uses a simple black and white design to invoke calm and uses a fun book-opening animation for your journal. BookFusion BookFusion is an eBook reader and manager for...
Two New Club Plus and Premier Discord Channels
Over our break, I spent some time exploring how I could use Zapier to enhance what we do at MacStories. On the Club side of things, that’s resulted in two new channels: 1. MacStories Articles and Podcasts This is a new forum channel for discussing MacStories articles and podcast episodes. It’s a pretty simple Zapier...
Beating the Heat with SwitchBot Smart Gadgets
Earlier this summer, I bought the SwitchBot Meter Pro bundle, which we recommended on MacStories Deals earlier this week. The Meter Pro is a small display with a kickstand that measures indoor temperature and humidity. The bundle adds an outdoor sensor that I put on my balcony and a Matter-compatible Hub Mini that pulls in...