This Week's Sponsor:

SoundSource

New Year, New Audio Setup: SoundSource 6 from Rogue Amoeba

Direct Mail 7: Professional Email Marketing Built Just for Mac Users [Sponsor]

If you run a business, a side hustle, a podcast, or just want to stay in touch with a community, you know how important great email marketing can be. That’s where Direct Mail comes in — a native macOS app that makes it incredibly easy to design, send, and track email campaigns that get results. Unlike web-based alternatives, Direct Mail is designed specifically for macOS, with the speed, polish, and Mac-first integration you expect.

The brand-new Version 7 is a huge leap forward. This update brings a host of new features, including a reimagined user interface, smarter list management, powerful email signup forms, upgraded reporting, and all-new tools to help your emails stand out. Whether you’re sending to 10 people or 10,000, Direct Mail gives you the tools to do it professionally and painlessly.

If you’ve ever been frustrated with clunky, web-based email marketing tools, or just want something that feels right at home on your Mac, check out Direct Mail. It’s free to download and try, with flexible pricing plans to match every budget — including pay-as-you-go options. You can be up and running with your first campaign in just minutes. Our friendly customer support reps are available via live chat to help with any questions, ensuring you’re never stuck. Get started today and expand your reach with powerful, Mac-first email marketing tools.

Our thanks to Direct Mail for sponsoring MacStories this week.

AppStories, Ep. 449 - 36 minutes

Building a Better AI App

FedericoJohn

This week, Federico and John pick and choose their favorite AI app features to imagine a better AI app future, critiquing the leading LLM apps along the way. And, as a bonus, John explains why read-later apps should support Shortcuts and other automation schemes.

On AppStories+, the critique continues with a look at how Todoist could be improved.

[Subscribe here.](https://www.macstories.net/podcasts/appstories/plans)

Subscribe here.

We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week.

To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ.

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 449 - Building a Better AI App

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36:27

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This episode is sponsored by:

  • Factor – Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door. Use code appstories50off

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Podcast Rewind: The watchOS 26 Public Beta, Audio Experiments, and an Alien Intervention

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

Chris wants to talk about OS 26 (but Liquid Glass is OFF LIMITS), Matt found a slick new security camera, and Niléane challenges the gang to downgrade their audio setups.

MacStories Unwind

This week, John is joined by Jonathan Reed to recap the watchOS 26 public beta and share a trio of comedies old and new, along with Brendon Bigley’s new project and a classic monster movie deal.

Magic Rays of Light

Sigmund and Devon highlight the second season premiere of Apple Original comedy series Platonic and the debut of historical drama Chief of War.

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Apple Expands Its U.S. Manufacturing Commitment

In February, Apple announced plans to invest $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years. Today, that commitment was increased to $600 billion. In the company’s press release, Tim Cook said:

Today, we’re proud to increase our investments across the United States to $600 billion over four years and launch our new American Manufacturing Program. This includes new and expanded work with 10 companies across America. They produce components that are used in Apple products sold all over the world, and we’re grateful to the President for his support.

One of the first deals announced is an expansion of Apple’s relationship with Corning to make all cover glass for the iPhone and Apple Watch at a Corning plant in Kentucky. That deal is part of what Apple calls its American Manufacturing Program, in which Coherent, GlobalWafers America (GWA), Applied Materials, Texas Instruments (TI), Samsung, GlobalFoundries, Amkor, and Broadcom will also participate. Apple says the program builds on its deal to buy rare earth magnets from MP Materials, a July 2025 deal that was announced shortly after the unusual sale of $400 million of MP Materials’ preferred stock to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Apple continues to be under a lot of political pressure to make its devices in the U.S., despite its prior financial commitments to make components in America. Another $100 billion over four years is a lot, but I suspect this won’t be enough. Instead, I expect we’ll see more of this type of announcement, given how quickly the first half a trillion was followed by another $100 billion.

Podcast Rewind: Public Beta Thoughts and an AYANEO Extravaganza

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John share their experiences with iPadOS and macOS 26, which are now available as part of Apple’s public beta program.

On AppStories+, Federico and John discuss the state of engagement bait posting about Apple and how it’s affecting the discourse about the company and its products.

This episode is sponsored by:

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Brendon KONKRs AYANEO’s two-day announcement-fest and is joined by John and Federico for diversions into 3DS repairs, the GPD Win 5, Gamescom, and more.

On NPC XL, which was released last week, Brendon, John, and Federico talked about the recent Nintendo Direct and shared a Switch 2 accessory update.

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MacStoriesDeals Returns with Hand-Picked Bargains on Gear and Media

Today, we’re bringing back MacStoriesDeals, an outlet for sharing deals with the MacStories community. You can follow our curated collections of gadget and media deals here:

Long-time readers may remember the MacStoriesDeals Twitter account, which we stopped posting to almost seven years ago. We used that account as a way to share the deals that we came across. Over time, though, Apple slowed its app affiliate spending and then ended it altogether in 2017. That’s when MacStoriesDeals went from a useful resource for readers that also made us a little extra money to a chore we couldn’t justify spending the time on any longer.

However, times change. Today, affiliate linking is bigger than ever, and MacStories’ coverage has grown to encompass more gadget reviews and stories, our Setups page, and other media coverage on MacStories Unwind and NPC: Next Portable Console. Plus, with the latest automation tools at our disposal, we can do more with MacStoriesDeals than we ever did before with less effort, which is why we’re bringing it back.

There are plenty of other social media accounts and websites out there that aggregate deals, but MacStoriesDeals is going to be a little different. As we’ve noted in our Prime Day coverage the past couple of years, we only recommend deals for gear and media we’ve tried and brands we trust. In other words, these aren’t just any deals; they’re deals we think are worth your time and consideration based on over 25 years of collective editorial experience.

The links you’ll find on MacStoriesDeals are affiliate links, usually from the U.S.-based Amazon and Apple storefronts, that will earn us roughly 2-7% when you use one and buy something. Of course, that will be disclosed in the posts, as it already is in the MacStories Privacy Policy. Affiliate link revenue is a small part of MacStories’ annual income, but with the changes the Internet and online media are undergoing, every little bit helps us continue to bring you MacStories’ unique perspective on the Apple universe and beyond. Rest assured, our approach to MacStoriesDeals is the same as it is everywhere at MacStories: we aren’t going to promote deals we don’t believe are worth your time and attention.

We’re excited to be revitalizing MacStoriesDeals. It was a great resource for readers looking for bargains in the early days of the site, and we aim to make it so again. We’re also working on ways to do more for readers with MacStoriesDeals in the months ahead.

Thanks for supporting everything we do at MacStories. We hope MacStoriesDeals adds a little more to the experience and you consider following along with the deals we recommend on Mastodon and Bluesky.

JSAUX FlipGo: An Award-Winning 16” Dual Touchscreen Monitor For Your Mac [Sponsor]

The promise of portable dual monitors has always been compelling, but the execution has consistently fallen short, until now. JSAUX’s FlipGo 16” Dual Touchscreen Monitor breaks new productivity ground for Mac users. Unlike some alternatives, the FlipGo Pro leverages both DisplayLink technology and native connectivity to deliver true dual-screen functionality on Apple silicon Macs with a single USB-C cable.

At its core, the FlipGo represents thoughtful engineering applied to everyday workflows. Its two 16-inch IPS panels deliver genuine 2.5K resolution (2560×1600 total resolution), 100% sRGB color accuracy, and 500 nits brightness. The key innovation lies in the FlipGo’s versatility: switch between UltraView mode for a single expansive workspace, DuoViews for independent dual screens, or ABC mode to create a true triple-monitor setup when combined with your MacBook’s display. You can learn more about the benefits of a foldable dual-screen setup in John’s review of the similar non-touch version of the FlipGo Pro here.

Build quality of the FlipGo Pro is superb and is a big part of why it won an iF Design Award and Red Dot award in 2024. The aluminum construction feels substantial without being cumbersome at 1.6kg, while the magnetic mounting system secures everything when the screens are attached to their stand. Even the hinge mechanism is made from premium materials, making it perfect for professionals to take on the go daily.

For those who value integrated workflows, the FlipGo’s built-in USB hub functionality provides two USB-A 2.0 ports and an additional USB-C port, effectively expanding your MacBook’s connectivity while powering the displays. When connected to external power, it even provides reverse charging to your laptop — a thoughtful touch that eliminates battery drain during extended sessions.

Ready to transform your mobile workspace? Order the JSAUX FlipGo 16” Touchscreen today.

This post includes affiliate links. Learn more here.

AppStories, Ep. 448 - 35 minutes

The iPadOS and macOS 26 Public Betas

FedericoJohn

This week, Federico and John share their experiences with iPadOS and macOS 26, which are now available as part of Apple’s public beta program.

On AppStories+, Federico and John discuss the state of engagement bait posting about Apple and how it’s affecting the discourse about the company and its products.

[Subscribe here.](https://www.macstories.net/podcasts/appstories/plans)

Subscribe here.

We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week.

To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ.

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 448 - The iPadOS and macOS 26 Public Betas

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34:57

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This episode is sponsored by:

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