Monthly Log: November 2020
pCloud: How Does 2TB Lifetime Cloud Storage Sound? [Sponsor]
Most cloud storage solutions require you to pay every month but pCloud doesn’t, and for a limited time you can enjoy 75% off with Black Friday savings. Say goodbye to paying over and over for the same storage with pCloud, which offers secure cloud storage plans for a one-time payment – no monthly or annual bills.
Buying cloud storage shouldn’t be any different from buying a new external drive for your Mac. However, most cloud storage providers charge monthly and annual subscription fees. The cost of cloud storage subscriptions piles up quickly, eclipsing the cost of comparable external storage. Instead of paying for the same storage many times over, check out pCloud, the simple, paid-up-front cloud storage solution that offers premium features at a remarkable price.
pCloud’s industry-first lifetime plan provides effective, premium cloud storage for your photos, videos, music, documents, and more. Request files from others with a link, or share your files with a link that can be password protected, eliminating large file attachments to email messages. pCloud supports file versioning, and you can automatically upload the photos you take on your iPhone for safekeeping too. It’s a comprehensive, user-focused solution that sets itself apart from competitors with its simple pricing structure and rich feature set.
pCloud offers apps on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, so your files are always available no matter what device you have with you. Check out why users at some of the biggest companies around the world are using pCloud to share files and collaborate securely by visiting their website today, and sign up for a lifetime of storage. Plus, for a limited time (48h), you can enjoy 75% OFF Black Friday savings.
Our thanks to pCloud for sponsoring MacStories this week.
MacStories Weekly: Issue 250
MacStories Unwind: Big Sur Widgets, Our Big Icon Sale, a MacStories Weekly Milestone, Plus Bonus Unwind Picks
Sponsored by: Permute: Quick Image, Audio, and Video Conversion
This week on MacStories Unwind:
MacStories
- MacStories Shortcuts Icons and Perspective Icons: 40% Off from Black Friday to Cyber Monday
- macOS Big Sur: Widget Roundup
Club MacStories
- MacStories Weekly
- John’s Holiday Gift Guide
- Reading DRM-Free EPUBs in MarginNote for iPad
- Tips for Remote Tech Support
- Mac Dictation and Big Sur beta tips
- MacStories Unplugged: The Year in Music, 2020 Edition
- Federico and John share their Apple Music playlists, collecting their favorite songs of 2020, pick their albums of the year, second-guess the Grammy nominations, and each chooses five bands that define their tastes in music.
AppStories
Unwind
- Federico’s Picks:
- Hades
- All You’re Dreaming Of by Liam Gallagher
- John’s Picks:
- folklore: the long pond studio sessions by Taylor Swift
- The 10-Year Hunt for the Lost McDonald’s DS Game by Nick Robinson
MacStories Shortcuts Icons and Perspective Icons: 40% Off from Black Friday to Cyber Monday
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are upon us, and we’ve prepared something truly special to celebrate the occasion at MacStories: starting today through Monday, November 30, MacStories Shortcuts Icons and Perspective Icons are available at 40% off their regular price.
To purchase MacStories Shortcuts Icons at $17.99 rather than the usual $29.99, click the ‘Buy’ button below:
Similarly, to purchase our Perspective Icons at $14.99 rather than the usual $24.99, click the ‘Buy’ button below:
macOS Big Sur: Widget Roundup
Developer adoption of new macOS features is often a little slower than it is on iOS and iPadOS. However, that hasn’t been the case with Big Sur widgets. Apple wisely took the same SwiftUI-based system used for creating widgets on the iPhone and iPad and implemented it on the Mac, providing a relatively simple approach for developers to bring their existing widgets to the Mac. The result has been an immediate explosion of widget options for Mac users.
Over the course of the summer and fall, I tried several different widgets as I ran the Big Sur betas. A few of those widgets — which have been in development the longest and were highlighted in my Big Sur review — remain some of my favorites and are recapped below. However, many more terrific widgets have been released since and deserve consideration as well, so let’s dig in.
AppStories, Episode 195 – App Store Changes and Apple’s Evolving Relationship with Developers→
Permute: Quick Image, Audio, and Video Conversion [Sponsor]
When you want to convert a photo, video, or audio file from one format to another, it’s far too easy to get bogged down in settings, unable to make heads or tails of technical jargon. Permute saves you from that trouble by taking care of the details and converting files incredibly fast.
To start a file conversion, drag a file into Permute’s main window or onto its dock icon, click Start, and you’re all set. Permute is faster than ever too. The app supports an incredibly long list of file formats and has hardware acceleration for MP4 and HEVC files. The app also has presets for a long list of Apple hardware so you can match your results to the devices you use. You can even modify images and videos, adjusting their size and rotating and flipping them.
But that’s not all. Permute 3 can also:
- Convert individual files or groups of files
- Stitch multiple images, videos, or audio files together
- Create DVDs
- Convert uncommon file formats like WebP and SVG
- Schedule conversions for later
- Add converted files to iTunes
Permute has a special limited-time deal just for MacStories readers. If you use this link, you can purchase Permute for 20% off. There’s a free trial available too if you want to try the app first.
Visit Permute’s website today to learn more and take advantage of the special 20%-off deal before it expires.
Our thanks to Permute for sponsoring MacStories this week.
MacStories Unwind: The App Store Small Business Program, M1 Macs, Music Awards, Photography, and Home Screen Shortcuts
Sponsored by Downie – Easily Download Videos From YouTube and Thousands of Different Sites
This week on MacStories Unwind:
MacStories
- This Holiday Season, Give the Gift of Club MacStories
- Apple Reduces App Store Commissions to 15% for Small Businesses Starting Next Year
- Apple M1 Mac Review Roundup: Big Performance and Battery Gains
- Apple Launches an Embeddable Web Players for Podcasts
- Winners of the Second Annual Apple Music Awards Announced
- GitHub Reinstates youtube-dl, Commits to New Policies for Protecting Developers
- Sebastiaan de With Reviews the iPhone 12 Pro Max Camera
- Custom Shortcut Icons No Longer Open the Shortcuts App First in iOS 14.3 Beta 2
- iOS 14.2, JIT, and Emulation at Full Performance
Club MacStories
- MacStories Weekly
- Crossy Road
- Today ReScheduler shortcut updated to take advantage of ‘native’ edit reminder action
- Big Sur widget tips (John)
- What the M1 means to the native vs. web app debate
AppStories
Unwind
- Federico’s Picks:
- John’s Pick:









