Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
This week on NPC: Next Portable Console, Federico, Brendon and I introduce NPC, compare handheld gaming origin stories, and share our current setups before Federico springs a surprise on us.
This week on AppStories, Federico and I introduce Comfort Zone and NPC: Next Portable Console, two new MacStories podcasts, and share our wishes for watchOS and tvOS updates.
I’m incredibly excited to introduce two brand new shows joining the MacStories family of podcasts today: Next Portable Console (or NPC), hosted by me, Brendon Bigley, and John Voorhees, and Comfort Zone, hosted by Niléane Dorffer, Chris Lawley, and Matt Birchler. You can find both shows, along with links to subscribe, on MacStories’ Podcasts hub.
Before I hand it over to Brendon and Niléane to provide more context around NPC and Comfort Zone, allow me to say a few words since this launch marks an important milestone in MacStories’ growth for the next 15 years of the website.
This week on MacStories Unwind, Federico and John take the wraps off the official MacStories Unwind 2024 Apple Music Playlist, tease upcoming projects, and recommend a recent Apple TV+ show and a cozy videogame.
As WWDC approaches, Apple has announced the finalists in the running for its annual Apple Design Awards. The awards ceremony revealing the winners will be held during WWDC.
This year, there are seven categories, and each category has six finalists. That’s one more than last year, with Spatial Computing joining the categories for the first time. The 2024 ADA finalists are:
The selections include a broad range of games and apps, including some apps from smaller developers like Devin Davies, the maker of the wonderful recipe app Crouton, the team behind Gentler Streaks, one of my favorite fitness apps, and SmartGym by Mateus Abras, as well as titles from bigger publishers.
I’m glad that Apple announces the finalists in advance. Winning an ADA is a big achievement for any developer, but it’s also nice to know who the finalists are because it’s quite an honor among the many apps that could have been chosen too. Plus as a fan of apps, Apple’s list of finalists always reminds me of an app or two that I haven’t tried yet.
Today, Apple announced that WWDC 2024 will run from June 10th through the 14th. As has been the case for the past several years, the event will be predominantly online, with over 100 sessions for developers, opportunities for developers to consult with Apple’s engineers, and more.
WWDC will begin on June 10th at 10 AM Pacific time, with the annual keynote and the Platforms State of the Union to follow at 1:00 PM Pacific. Throughout WWDC, Apple will also offer online labs and consultation sessions with the company’s engineers and designers, who will be available to provide guidance on developers’ apps and games.
The over 100 sessions Apple is producing will be available in the Developer app, apple.com, and YouTube. Apple says developers will also have access to curated guides:
…to walk them through the conference’s biggest announcements, from new documentation to sessions and more.
In addition to the learning experiences available at WWDC, Apple has invited 50 Distinguished Winners of the Swift Student Challenge who will visit Apple Park for the event. As always, Apple will also celebrate the Apple Design Award winners.
I love attending WWDC. Getting to see the developers we cover at MacStories is a treat, and Apple’s announcements will be the fuel that takes the MacStories team into the fall and beyond. If you see me around, be sure to stop me and say ‘hi.’
This week on MacStories Unwind, I update listeners on my new 11” iPad Pro and Federico lights a fire, plus YouTube, app, and TV recommendations.
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Earlier this month, I linked to What If…? – An Immersive Story, which Marvel Studios and ILM Immersive developed for Disney+. The project is an Apple Vision Pro exclusive for which there were few details originally. Now, however, we have a trailer and a launch date. What If…? – An Immersive Story will be available to Disney+ subscribers in just over one week on May 30th:
The trailer’s description explains the project’s premise:
The Multiverse is in danger and The Watcher needs your help. Dangerous variants are hunting Infinity Stones and altering the fate of not only their realities, but yours as well. To save the fate of the Multiverse, you’ll need to use your own hands to learn mystic spells, defend your allies in epic battles, and more. But, be careful… everything might not be all that it seems.
I can’t wait to try What If…? – An Immersive Story. There hasn’t been a lot of new immersive content since the Vision Pro’s launch. However, along with the appearance of Parkour in the TV app, which is set for release in a couple of days, the pace seems to be picking up.
Tadoº, the European-based smart heating company, has announced a new line of products called tadoº X. These products feature upgrades from the company’s previous V3+ range, support the new Matter smart home standard, and are built on the Thread protocol for a more reliable connection.
Tadoº also announced a new product, the Heat Pump Optimizer X. This device controls heat pumps, an increasingly popular way to heat homes that is more efficient and not dependent on fossil fuels. Tadoº says the new tadoº X range “has been designed to make Smart Thermostats and the new Heat Pump Optimizer X more accessible for millions more households across Europe to cut both their energy bills and impact on the climate.”
The tadoº X line includes the following products:
Amongst the notable upgrades, the Smart Radiator Thermostat X now features a USB-C rechargeable battery that can be detached without removing the whole device from the radiator. The Heat Pump Optimizer X can be used with tadoº’s smart energy tariffs to shift operation times to periods of the day when energy prices are cheaper. Finally, the tadoº Bridge X that serves as a Thread border router, allowing your devices to connect to each other and the Internet, is not necessary if you already have a HomePod mini or the Wi-Fi + Ethernet version of the latest-generation Apple TV 4K, as these also serve as Thread border routers.
As before, the tadoº range is compatible with the Apple Home app, but most features – such as advanced scheduling and checking battery levels – are only available in the tadoº app. The devices also integrate with an optional subscription called ‘Auto-Assist’ that gives access to additional features including Energy IQ, Care & Protect, Geofencing, and Open Window Detection. This service costs €3.99 per month or €29.99 per year, but each tadoº X product comes with 12 months free.
I have personally used tadoº products for over three years now (and covered them recently in our home accessories roundup), and I’ve seen genuine savings in my usage. (tadoº claims an average of 22% savings based on internal usage data.) One flaw I’ve sometimes encountered is dropped connections, as the previous V3+ range could only connect to a single bridge that had to also connect via ethernet to my router. The move to Thread should hopefully alleviate these issues.
I will have to wait for the new tadoº range, however, as it is not launching in the UK yet. In response to an inquiry about this, tadoº told me the company has a September target release date in the UK and other European countries. They also confirmed an additional product, the Wireless Smart Thermostat X, which connects to traditional gas boilers like the one I have, will be released at that time. This will enable efficient usage through the ability to remotely turn the boiler off if no radiator thermostats are on.
Another detail provided to me is that the Auto-Assist feature, which was previously complimentary to Apple users, was a limited offer through Apple. As such, after the 12-month trial, the service will now cost the standard €3.99 per month or €29.99 per year, even if you are an Apple Home user.
The new tadoº X range is now available in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, and Denmark.
Today, Apple rolled out support for Paris’ Navigo transit passes in the Wallet app, just in time for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Travelers are now able to acquire a Navigo pass directly from Apple’s Wallet app and load it with transit tickets. Not only that, but this now also makes it possible to use your iPhone to get through any gates on the Paris transit network, simply by holding the iPhone near the stations’ contactless readers.
Navigo in Wallet also supports Apple’s Express Mode feature, which means the pass is automatically activated when holding the iPhone near a gate, without having to authenticate with Face ID. Additionally, this features lets you use the pass for up to five hours after your iPhone runs out of battery.
As French publication Numerama notes, this full integration with Apple’s transit pass system is a first of its kind in continental Europe. In my testing, you can add a Navigo pass in Wallet and pay for a new batch of tickets without even having to install Paris’ official transit app at any step of the process. However, this only applies to occasional travelers since the official app is still required to purchase weekly and monthly tickets before you can load them onto the pass in Apple Wallet.
This integration with Apple Wallet has been a long time in the making. Android smartphone owners have already been able to replace their physical Navigo pass with their device since 2022. At the time, Île-de-France Mobilités (Paris’ transit authority) announced they were actively working with Apple to bring the feature to the iPhone in 2023. Today, one year later than originally expected, it has finally arrived.
