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MacStories Setups Update: Batteries, Chargers, E-Ink Note-Taking, and Videogames

It’s beta season, which is as good an excuse as any to mix up our setups with new gadgets and apps. Between travel, preparing for our OS review research and writing sprint, and revisiting Apple system apps, the past few months have resulted in changes to our setups.

Summer travel means batteries to charge our gear and chargers to charge those batteries. It’s a trend that was clearly on our minds as Federico and I planned our trips to WWDC. Federico added a 20,100mAh Anker Prime Power Bank and an Anker Nano Power Bank, going both big and small for his long flight to California, while I added a beefy Belkin UltraCharge Pro battery with a 25,000mAh capacity and a Belkin USB-C 140W Y Cable. I also added a compact Belkin GaN 70W Charging Station for charging on my balcony over the summer and an Anker Nano Power Strip with Desk Clamp, which has been a great way to keep outlets and USB ports within reach but out of the way.

The remainder of our setups are an eclectic mix of gadgets. Federico fell in love with the Legion Go 2 all over again, swapped his iPhone Air for an iPhone 17 Pro, and added a pair of AirPods Max 2 to his gear.

I'm working on a research system for the reMarkable Paper Pure.

I’m working on a research system for the reMarkable Paper Pure.

The biggest change to my setup is my most recent: the reMarkable Paper Pure, an e-ink note-taking and reading tablet that I plan to review soon. Preorders just started shipping, and reMarkable sent me a review unit that I plan to incorporate into my research setup through a series of scripts and native apps. The apps will allow me to send articles, PDFs, writing drafts, and more to the Paper Pure and extract handwritten notes as text back into my research setup. It’s been a lot of fun to build and will be the subject of an upcoming Mac Hacks story for Club MacStories members.

The Anbernic RG Rotate and [Logitech Mobi Fold mouse](https://www.logitech.com/en-us/shop/p/mobi-fold-mouse?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Paid-Search&utm_campaign=DEPT_FY27_Q1_USA_LO_B2C_Always-on-PWS-Base-Plan_Google_CVR_na&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21340350467&gbraid=0AAAAADDQ2OzdDNcFdi-Lo_HheSldaUroA&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrs7RBhDuARIsAIVfBD3p1kWAwdT-HsVtSTAXi5ft1ed_eOnGUePe8JMa3SuTOHUGFkO6rKsaAsLjEALw_wcB), which is also featured on [the Setups page](https://www.macstories.net/setups/).

The Anbernic RG Rotate and Logitech Mobi Fold mouse, which is also featured on the Setups page.

On the fun side of things, I’ve been enjoying the Anbernic RG Rotate Android handheld a lot. It has a screen that rotates around one corner to reveal gaming controls. The device, which we covered in a couple of recent NPC episodes, has been a lot of fun to take with me everywhere I go for a quick fix of my favorite retro games. I also added the Mobapad M12 HD to my extensive collection of controllers. I only received the M12 HD a couple of days ago, but it was immediately more comfortable to use than the Switch 2 Joy-Con it replaces.

That’s a wrap for this installment of the Setups update. Be sure to keep an eye on the MacStories Deals Bluesky and Mastodon accounts. Amazon Prime Day is next week, and there are already some great deals on our favorite gear linked on the Setups page, so browse around and get in touch on social media if you have any questions about our setups.

Podcast Rewind: WWDC Reactions, Computex News, and Interviews with Apple Design Award Winners

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John are joined by Myke Hurley and Chris Lawley to share their first impressions of the WWDC keynote and discoveries in the hours following the presentation.

And in a second special WWDC edition of AppStories, Federico and John interview Apple Design Award finalists and winners, including the developers of The Outsiders and Tide Guide and the publishers of Pine Hearts and BALL x PIT.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Brendon and Federico have spent more time with the Anbernic RG Rotate and, along with John, have more thoughts about it and the handheld news coming out of Computex.

On NPC XL, Brendon, Federico, and John share their handheld travel setups.

Comfort Zone

It’s WWDC week, and we’re talking about it all episode this week. Chris is on location, calling in from his hotel room, while Niléane and Matt enjoy the comforts of home (and don’t feel a little left out…who told you we feel left out???).

On Cozy Zone, we roast and then tier list your old Home Screens – only the weird ones this time!

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WWDC 2026: By the Numbers

Every WWDC keynote announcement contains a multitude of statistics that often fly by. Something percent faster this, another percent faster that – it’s a lot to take in. Well, we’ve combed through the keynote, press releases, and website to pick out all the important points, along with the various device, language, and regional availability details for the latest features.

Let’s get nerdy.

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visionOS 27: The MacStories Overview

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Siri AI is coming to spatial computing, but that’s not all Apple announced for visionOS 27 during yesterday’s WWDC keynote. Vision Pro users have new capabilities and platform improvements to look forward to this fall, too, and we’re going to dive into all of it.

Let’s start with Siri AI, which exists as a floating, semi-translucent orb that you can place anywhere within your environment. It’s the strongest taste of the Liquid Glass style we’ve gotten so far in visionOS, and it makes for some fascinating interaction methods. Rather than using a trigger phrase or a gesture, you can activate Siri simply by looking at it and talking. As on Apple’s other platforms, you can have back-and-forth conversations with Siri and make use of its personal context awareness, world knowledge, and app actions.

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Apple Highlights New Services Features Coming This Fall→

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

As much as I love the keynote, one of the parts of WWDC I look forward to the most each year is Apple’s roundup of features and changes coming to its services alongside the fall’s OS updates. The company delivered on my hopes this morning with quite a long list of changes.

Speaking of these enhancements, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, Eddy Cue, said:

“We’re excited to bring powerful new features and intelligence to hundreds of millions of users across Apple services, making their experiences even more useful and fun. From new exploration tools with Flyover and Local Lists in Maps, to more convenient ways to pay and get paid in Apple Wallet, to the continued expansion of video podcasts in Apple Podcasts on Mac and in tvOS, and so much more — these updates reflect our commitment to creating experiences that truly make a difference in people’s lives.”

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watchOS 27: The MacStories Overview

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

During yesterday’s WWDC keynote, Apple introduced the latest software for the Apple Watch, watchOS 27. As with the other Apple platforms, much of the focus this year was on Siri AI, but there are plenty of quality-of-life improvements to look forward to as well.

Let’s dive in.

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macOS 27 Golden Gate: The MacStories Overview

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Apple’s crack marketing team has once again put their heads together and come up with another California landmark to use as the namesake for the latest version of macOS. During the WWDC keynote, we were introduced to macOS 27 Golden Gate.

As with all of Apple’s platforms this year, the main features of Golden Gate are Siri AI and new Apple Intelligence capabilities. You can check out our overview of those announcements for all the details, but there are some Mac-specific elements worth digging into here, as well as non-AI enhancements coming to macOS this fall that you’ll want to get excited for. Let’s dive in.

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iOS and iPadOS 27: The MacStories Overview

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

During today’s WWDC keynote, Apple unveiled updates across its family of OSes. The keynote itself was very different in structure from previous years, with a lot of the focus on Siri and Apple Intelligence, which, for the most part, are fully cross-platform. (For more on those announcements, check out Devon’s coverage.)

Nevertheless, there were plenty of new features announced for iOS and iPadOS, along with a slew of child safety tools. Let’s take a look.

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Siri AI and the Latest in Apple Intelligence: The MacStories Overview

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

The big question coming into today’s WWDC keynote was what Apple would have to offer in terms of AI – or, as the company refers to it, Apple Intelligence. Given Apple’s behind-the-scenes struggles, delayed features, and partnership with Google to re-architect its Foundation Models based on Gemini, expectations were high, and the company delivered with the announcement of a whole new Siri and a slew of Apple Intelligence features baked into its upcoming operating systems.

Siri AI, the all-new version of Apple’s virtual assistant, was the star of the show and got plenty of time in the spotlight, including several real-time demos on the iPhone and Mac. But the company also announced updates to Visual Intelligence, new photo editing tools, a Shortcuts builder, and additional Apple Intelligence features.

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

It all starts with the latest Foundation Models based on a new architecture developed by Apple in collaboration with Google’s Gemini models. Coming in both local and Private Cloud Compute variations, these models work across Apple devices using a combination of user input (via text, voice, or images), personal context, on-screen awareness, app actions, and world knowledge in conjunction with the new system orchestrator to power conversations and actions taken by Siri AI as well as Apple Intelligence features baked into each OS. Of course, Apple touts that these features are secure and protect user privacy whether they are run on-device or in Private Cloud Compute.

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