Federico
John
AppStories Episode 267 - State of the Platforms, with Apple’s Vivek Bhardwaj
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This week, Federico and John had the pleasure to interview Apple’s Vivek Bhardwaj about Universal Control, Shortcuts, Live Text, and more.
State of the Platforms, with Apple’s Vivek Bhardwaj
MacStories Weekly: Issue 313
This week, in addition to the usual links, app debuts, and recap of MacStories' articles and podcasts:
MacStories Unwind: The Valve Steam Deck, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Dune
This week on MacStories Unwind, Federico shares his thoughts on the Valve Steam Deck and John recommends a movie double feature of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Dune.
Links and Show Notes
Federico’s Pick
- Valve Steam Deck
- Also discussed:
- Elden Ring
- Tunic
- Steam Deck Dock
- Reddit thread from user awolCZ on enabling HDMI out on the Steam Deck
John’s Picks
Overcast Redesign Enhances Podcast Navigation with an Emphasis on Playlists and Recent Episodes
I’ve used a lot of different podcast apps over the years, but the one I return to most often and have used the most is Overcast by Marco Arment. The app’s customizability, Smart Speed and Voice Boost audio enhancement technologies, and Shortcuts support are unrivaled among podcast players. I also appreciate that when episodes of the shows I love are published, they usually appear in Overcast first.
Alto’s Adventure: Spirit of the Mountain Released on Apple Arcade
Alto’s Adventure has long been one of my favorite iOS games. Originally released in 2015, the game has been updated over the years with features like zen mode and released on multiple platforms. Today, a remastered version known as Alto’s Adventure: Spirit of the Mountain is available exclusively on Apple Arcade.
New collectible artifacts are scattered throughout Alto’s Adventure and unlock a new playable character.
If you have played Alto’s Adventure on iOS before, your existing progress can be imported into the remastered version, which features new ways to enjoy the game. The core gameplay mechanics of Alto’s Adventure, which were such a big part of its success, remain unchanged. The new version allows players to unlock a brand new character with unique abilities and tricks by collecting artifacts as you play. Once the new character is unlocked, players can set out to accomplish 20 new goals accompanied by a new soundtrack.
Alto’s Adventure is a game that I enjoy revisiting periodically, so I really didn’t need an excuse to play it again. Still, it’s great to have a chance to replay this classic game with the added perk of a new character and goals to explore.
Alto’s Adventure: Spirit of the Mountain is available on the App Store as part of an Apple Arcade subscription.
The Macintosh Desktop Experience: My Universal Control Setup
Let’s talk about Universal Control. In the aftermath of its release, I saw the inevitable tweets proclaiming that the feature is no more than a parlor trick; a nice demo with no practical use. Granted, not every feature is for everyone, but it goes too far to label Universal Control a neat trick. If you...
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AV Club Town Hall: The Afterparty on TV+
Apple Expands Analytics and Other Features Available to Podcasters
Today, in a post on the Apple Podcasts for Creators webpage, Apple announced an expansion of the podcast analytics it offers, which podcasters can sign up to use at Apple Podcasts Connect.
Apple is adding a new metric called Followers, the term Apple uses to describe listeners who subscribe to a free podcast. The company already provides analytics that track listener numbers, engagement, and plays. Still, Followers could give podcasters who are considering offering a paid subscription version of their podcast an idea of its potential audience. The new statistic will be available next month from the Analytics tab of Podcasts Connect and can be viewed over 60 days, a week, a month, or all time.
Apple will also provide a chart showing the total time a show has been listened to for a chosen period and what percentage of those listeners are followers of the show. A graph of a show’s followers over time and the gains or declines in followers will be available in the Trends tab too.
Until now, subscription-based podcasts had to be uploaded as WAV or FLAC files and processed on Apple’s end before being available for subscribers. Podcasters can now upload MP3 versions of their shows instead, which is a welcome change. We offer a subscription version of AppStories on Apple Podcasts. Although producing a WAV version of each episode isn’t a burden, uploading such a large file and waiting for it to process on Apple’s servers has been one of the few points of friction in the process, so I’m glad that has been eliminated.
If you offer subscriber podcasts through Apple Podcasts, Apple has also added new customization options for the subscription banners in the Apple Podcasts app. Finally, for podcasters who want help getting a podcast and subscription set up, the Apple Podcasts team is available to provide direct assistance.
It’s nice to see Apple continue to evolve its subscription offerings. I don’t pay much attention to metrics, but I know for some podcasters, they are crucial for attracting advertising. Still, over longer periods, analytics like those Apple will offer next month should make it easier to spot audience and listening trends, even if it is only from the Apple Podcasts slice of a show’s audience.
AppStories, Episode 266 – iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Updates In-Depth→
This week on AppStories, we dig into the details of the iOS and iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3 updates that were released by Apple last week.
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On AppStories+, a look at the first Mac Studio and Studio Display reviews.
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