John Voorhees

5560 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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The Latest from AppStories and Ruminate

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

This week, Federico and John tackle Apple’s updates to iOS and iPadOS 18 and Federico’s review of both.

In a special AppStories+ segment available as a special review season perk to all listeners, Federico explains what led him to take a different approach to this year’s annual review.

This episode is sponsored by:

  • Sentry: Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. Try it for free.

Robb goes on an epic quest and fails, John has been writing reviews, and the they discuss Astro Bot.

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Six Colors Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary→

A decade is an eternity on the web, which makes Six Colors’ tenth anniversary something special. It’s weird how “web time” works. On the one hand, Six Colors feels like the sort of institution that’s always been there. On the other hand, it also feels like yesterday that Jason Snell and Dan Moren left Macworld and Six Colors got its start.

Here’s Jason on his immediate jump from corporate media to working for himself:

Ten years ago I took a leap into working for myself, not working in corporate media. For most days since, I’ve worked in my garage, writing articles for my site, recording podcasts, and writing the occasional piece for other places (including my former employer, which I couldn’t ever have predicted). Lauren and I agreed we’d spend six to nine months giving it a try before judging if it was a success or a failure, but it all started succeeding so quickly that we never really even got to the point where we needed to have the conversation. All of a sudden, Six Colors and Upgrade were my primary jobs… and they still are, here in 2024.

I can only imagine what those first weeks were like. I had the benefit of an overlap of nearly two years between my corporate job and MacStories and the transition was still hard.

The good news is that a decade later, Six Colors is going strong producing great writing and podcasts. Congratulations on ten great years.

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Chris Lawley’s iOS and iPadOS 18 Walkthrough→

It’s been an unprecedented week for Apple’s OSes, with updates to every OS landing at the same time at the beginning of the week. Today we’ll publish our fourth and final OS review with Devon Dundee’s visionOS review, which means I’m finally getting a chance to catch my breath and enjoy what others have to say about Apple’s OSes.

If you haven’t seen it, Chris Lawley, co-host of Comfort Zone here on MacStories, has a fantastic walkthrough of iOS and and iPadOS 18 that covers everything from Home and Lock Screen customization and the all-new Control Center to updates to system apps like Freeform, Shortcuts, Safari, and Messages. The video is especially good if you’ve had a busy week and want to get up to speed on iOS and iPadOS 18 quickly.

Chris has included a lot of excellent lesser known tips in his video that will help you get the most out of the OS updates too.

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macOS Sequoia: The MacStories Review

Sequoia is unlike any major macOS update in recent memory. Annual OS releases usually tell two stories. The first is the tale of that release, which consists of a combination of design, system, and built-in app changes that add to the existing Mac experience. The second story plays out over time, taking multiple years to unfold and reveal itself. The best macOS releases are those that strike a balance between the two.

Often, a macOS update’s multi-year story revolves around new developer technologies that signal a change in direction for the entire platform. Swift and Catalyst were like that. Neither had an immediate impact on the day-to-day experience of using a Mac. However, even though the final destination wasn’t entirely clear at first, the corresponding macOS releases included concrete first steps that provided a sense of where the Mac was heading.

It’s possible to look at macOS Sequoia and see something similar, but the resemblance is only skin deep. This year’s release includes meaningful updates to system apps and even a brand new one, Passwords. Plus, Apple Intelligence promises long-term, fundamental changes to how people use their Macs and will likely take years to fully realize.

But Sequoia feels fundamentally different from Swift, Catalyst, and other past releases. It’s light on new features, the design changes are few and far between, and Apple Intelligence isn’t part of macOS 15.0 at all – although more features are on the way and are currently part of the macOS 15.1 developer beta. So what sets Sequoia apart isn’t so much what you can do with it out of the box; what’s unique about this release is that you could install it and not even notice the changes.

That’s not to say that Sequoia is a bad update. There’s more to like than not, with excellent additions like iPhone Mirroring, window tiling, the new Passwords app, and Safari’s video viewer. The trouble is that the list of changes, good or bad, falls off steeply after that. A half loaf may be better than none, but Apple has taught us to expect more, which makes Sequoia vaguely unsatisfying and out of balance compared to other releases.

It’s clear is that Apple is placing a big bet that artificial intelligence will pay off for macOS the same way magic beans did for Jack and his mother. The question heading into macOS 15.1 and beyond is whether Apple’s beans are magical too. Perhaps they are, but based on what I’ve seen of macOS 15.1, I’m not feeling the magic yet. I’ll reserve judgement and revisit Apple Intelligence as it’s incrementally rolled out in the coming months. For now, though, let’s consider macOS Sequoia 15.0’s morsels that readers can actually dig into today.

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    AppStories - Ep. 403 - 1 hour 7 minutes

    iOS and iPadOS 18: The MacStories Review

    FedericoJohn
    AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

    AppStories Episode 403 - iOS and iPadOS 18: The MacStories Review

    0:00
    01:07:15

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    AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

    This week, Federico and John tackle Apple’s updates to iOS and iPadOS 18 and Federico’s review of both.

    In a special AppStories+ segment available as a special review season perk to all listeners, Federico explains what led him to take a different approach to this year’s annual review.

    Read more

    iOS and iPadOS 18 Review Extras: eBooks, Wallpapers, Screen Saver, and a Special Edition of MacStories Weekly

    A short time ago, Federico published his annual iOS and iPadOS 18 review. As in past years, we’re releasing a wide variety of perks exclusively for Club MacStories members throughout the week, but this year, the perks are a little different – just like the review.

    Here’s our friend Chris Lawley with the details:

    First of all, we’re releasing this week’s episode of AppStories+ to everyone who listens to the show for free.

    AppStories+ is the extended version of our flagship podcast that’s typically released a day early and ad-free in high-bitrate audio. The show is part of a Club Premier or AppStories+ subscription, but this week, everyone gets the extended version of the show. If you’re not a subscriber, you’ll still get an ad with the episode (we do have bills to pay), but you’ll also get the full extended version of the episode in high bitrate audio, just like subscribers. It’s our way of saying thanks to everyone who has listened to AppStories through the years and share why this year’s review is not just different, but part of an editorial evolution of MacStories.

    As Chris explains in his video, we have an eBook version of the review for all Club members. We’ll also publish a special making-of edition of MacStories Weekly, our Club newsletter, on Saturday.

    If you’re not already a member, you can join Club MacStories for $5/month or $50/year using the buttons below:

    A short sample of one of the six screen savers for Club Plus and Premier members.

    A short sample of one of the six screen savers for Club Plus and Premier members.

    Also, this year, there will be even more perks than ever for Club MacStories Plus and Premier members, including:

    • More eBooks of my macOS Sequoia review, Jonathan Reed’s watchOS 11 review, and Devon Dundee’s visionOS 2 review;
    • A bonus eBook that collects tips and tricks from Federico’s iOS and iPadOS 18 review;
    • High-res wallpapers of the delightful illustrations created for Federico’s review by Scout Wilkinson; and
    • A screen saver developed by James Thomson that brings Scout’s artwork to life on your Mac.

    To unlock all of these additional perks, use the buttons below to join Club MacStories Plus:

    or Club Premier:

    Now more than ever, an indie publication like MacStories depends on income from members who want to directly support what we do and our ability to collaborate with people like Scout and James more often. As always, though, we aim to provide as much value as we can to Club members, so we have more details after the break, for anyone who wants to learn more about this year’s perks and Club MacStories before joining.

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    App Debuts

    John

    Channels Channels is my favorite way to watch and record live TV. With version 6, released this week, the app has added deep customization with Personal Sections that allow users to create sections based on genres, sports teams, individuals in their household, and more. The feature combines three layout styles plus smart rules for...

    Interesting Links

    John

    Artificial intelligence just had its Oprah moment. Literally. (Link) If you’re interested in seeing what the PS5 Pro can do, Sean Hollister of The Verge has a bunch of side-by-side comparisons of the new console’s graphics fidelity compared to the original version’s running in Performance mode. (Link) Lawrence Bonk of Engadget asks why Voice...