Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
Comfort Zone
Matt brings a new phone (but it’s not what you thiiiink), Chris finally got the iPadOS update of his dreams, and Niléane oversees the PopSockets challenge, which ends up being an all-time Comfort Zone disaster.
On Cozy Zone, the gang shares their top five video games.
MacStories Unwind
This week, Federico and John reflect on the toll of the review process and the annual recovery process before Federico follows up on a TV series and John recommends a pair of albums. Plus, we have a great Marvel movie bundle deal for listeners.
Magic Rays of Light
Sigmund and Devon highlight The Morning Show’s return, share their thoughts on tvOS 26 and visionOS 26, and look back on the third season of Foundation.
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
AppStories
This week, Federico and John discuss their annual OS reviews. Federico digs into the details of iOS and iPadOS 26, while John considers what macOS 26 Tahoe means for users.
On AppStories+, John updates listeners on what he bought after last week’s Apple event and why.
This episode is sponsored by:
Widgetsmith: Make your phone your own with custom widgets and wallpapers. Ready for Liquid Glass in iOS 26. Use our link for a free month of Widgetsmith Premium.
Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details.
NPC: Next Portable Console
This week, Brendon emerges from a Silksong fog, Genki settles a lawsuit and sends Federico accessories for the Switch, and Federico and John try emulating Windows on Android handhelds.
This week on NPC XL, Federico rebrands with a new bleeding edge project: emulating Windows on Android.
First, Last, Everything
This time, we’re talking with Michael Flarup. Michael is many things: the head of a game studio, a speaker at Adobe Max, an author, and more. But most of all, Michael is a designer. He’s most well-known for his decades of work as an icon designer on some of the most beloved apps on iOS and macOS under his Pixel Resort banner. He’s released two books on the history of the art form: first around iOS, then focusing on macOS. Now, he runs a game studio, Northplay, where they’re hard at work on their next game, Dinolords!
Today’s the day! This morning, Federico published his comprehensive review of iOS and iPadOS 26, covering the systems’ design, new app features, and more – including, of course, big changes to iPadOS. His review kicks off a really fun week here at MacStories, and we’re making it extra special with exclusive perks for Club MacStories members. Here’s what’s in store.
For Club MacStories members, we’ve got some exciting perks to help you dive deeper into Federico’s review:
An eBook edition of iOS and iPadOS 26: The MacStories Review that you can download and read on your favorite device or app
A behind-the-scenes making-of story in the next MacStories Weekly with details on how Federico researched, wrote, and compiled the review
If you’re not already a member, you can join Club MacStories for $5/month or $50/year using the buttons below:
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
Comfort Zone
Niléane goes phone shopping for someone else, Chris conducts the iPhone 16 Pro exit interview, and the whole gang gets weird with inputs.
On Cozy Zone, the gang roasts each other’s desk setups.
MacStories Unwind
This week, John explains the art of Southern storytelling with an example, reminding Federico to touch grass before sharing a classic movie deal and previewing some of the perks coming next week with his iOS and iPadOS 26 review.
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
AppStories
This week, Federico and John do their annual pre-Apple event “vibe check,” discussing what they expect and hope to see at the upcoming September Apple event. They explore the rumored iPhone 17 lineup, AirPods Pro 3, and debate the Apple Watch Ultra. Plus, they share thoughts on the prospect of a Apple TV with Apple Intelligence capabilities, HomePods, and updates to AirTags.
On AppStories+, John and Federico explore the divisiveness surrounding the Liquid Glass update coming to macOS Tahoe.
This episode is sponsored by:
Claude – Get 50% off Claude Pro, including access to Claude Code.
Factor – Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door. Use code appstories50off
NPC: Next Portable Console
This week, Brendon and John examine the latest handheld announcements from Lenovo and AYN that both come with impressive specs and some age-old frustrations. Plus, a new chip is coming to Anbernic’s lineup, and Brendon shares his first impressions of Dbrand’s Nintendo Switch 2 killswitch case.
On NPC XL, Brendon and John tackle the handheld collector’s dilemma as both hosts find themselves swimming in too many devices. They discuss strategies for decluttering their collections, from Brendon’s “three device rule” to the challenges of finding good homes for beloved handhelds.
First, Last, Everything
In this premiere episode, YouTuber Tom Hitchins, aka Byte Review, discusses his creative life that led to the creation of one of the most aesthetically pleasing tech channels on the site. From teaching Photoshop at a college to a lifelong love of Nintendo and Japanese design and entertainment, Tom’s passion for technology touches every aspect of his life.
Today, in tandem with new video recording capabilities and lenses in the iPhone 17 Pro line, Apple announced version 2.0 of Final Cut Camera, its pro video recording app for the iPhone.
The update introduces support for ProRes RAW and genlock, which the new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are able to record in. ProRes RAW is an industry-standard way to record video, allowing the capture of RAW data, which unlocks incredible control of recorded video in post-production. In upcoming releases of Final Cut Pro for Mac and Final Cut Pro for iPad, exposure, color temperature, tint, and demosaicing can all be adjusted on ProRes RAW footage.
Genlock, a process of synchronizing multiple video sources by having them lock onto an external reference signal, will allow filmmakers to make frame-accurate edits in a fraction of the time it would take when doing so manually.
As part of the recording process, version 2.0 supports open gate recording, allowing the use of the whole camera sensor to capture video, instead of the current cropped version. This opens up possibilities for reframing shots, stabilizing footage, and setting final aspect ratios without reducing the quality of the image.
As well as these announcements, Final Cut Camera introduces the following new functionalities:
Support for recording in portrait and landscape using the new square sensor-equipped front-facing camera. The new camera can shoot portrait or landscape video without the need to rotate the device
Manual adjustment of the new front-facing camera on the iPhone 17 Pro
Support for Apple Log 2, which features a wider color gamut
New Timecode options like Time of Day or other external timecodes.
Support for recording ProRes up to 4K60 fps with the new 200mm telephoto lens on the iPhone 17 Pro
Final Cut Camera will be available later this month.
As usual, today’s Apple event was packed with facts, figures, and statistics throughout the presentation and elsewhere. We’ve pulled together the highlights.
As part of today’s event, Apple unveiled a number of new accessories to complement the new iPhone Air, iPhone 17, and iPhone 17 Pro models, including a family of revamped cases and charging accessories.
Here’s a roundup of all the new accessories we were able to spot on the Apple Store today following the event.
TechWoven Case
Two years after Apple first unveiled — then partially discontinued — its FineWoven accessories, the company has completely revamped its line of iPhone cases with a new material named TechWoven.
According to Apple, not unlike FineWoven, the TechWoven case is made from a woven fabric composed of multiple colored yarns. It is coated with TPU and features aluminum buttons on each side. Just like all of Apple’s cases released today, the TechWoven case comes with built-in magnets for compatibility with MagSafe accessories and charging solutions, as well as an integrated Camera Control passthrough button.
The TechWoven case is available today for $59 in five colors: Blue, Purple, Sienna, Green, and Black.
While most of the focus going into today’s event was on the heavily boosted iPhone lineup, predictions were cool for new Apple Watches. When the new lineup was unveiled, the upgrades were mostly spec bumps for the Series 11, while the Apple Watch Ultra finally got a proper update, and the SE got a notable bump. Apple also announced a potentially groundbreaking new health tracking feature. Let’s take a look.
Apple Watch Series 11
Yes, the Series 11 looks identical to the Series 10. Source: Apple.
The updates to the flagship Apple Watch are simple but noticeable quality-of-life improvements. First, there’s battery life, which jumps from 18 hours on a single charge to a whopping 24 hours. Additionally, Low Power Mode adds an extra 2 hours over the Series 10 to reach 38 hours of battery life. Then, while the fast-charging capability remains at 0–80% in 30 minutes, you can now add 8 hours of charge in just 15 minutes.
