AppStories is a weekly exploration of the world of apps by MacStories’ Federico Viticci and John Voorhees. Each week, they discuss the best new apps, the impact of apps on our culture, and cover the stories behind popular apps. Hosted by Federico Viticci and John Voorhees.
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 an 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.
Steamclock – We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details.
Xsolla – ? Launch a high-performing branded Web Shop in minutes—or build a fully custom storefront without the hassle. Xsolla’s modular solution reduces platform fees, supports 1,000+ global payment methods, and ships with built-in LiveOps and customization tools—so every purchase puts more revenue back in your studio’s pocket.
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.
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.
Turbulence Forecast – Know before you go. Get detailed turbulence forecasts for your exact route, now available 5 days in advance. Learn more at turbulenceforecast.com.
This week, Federico and John reflect on their preparations for the fall review season, how dealing with design changes is different than new features, and explain some of the tools their using for research and writing this year.
On AppStories+, John answers the question “What if the Stream Deck was $20 and fit in the palm of your hand.”
This week, Federico records entirely on his iPad Pro using the new local capture feature in iPadOS 26. He and John discuss how this system feature changes remote podcasting, their experiences and experiments with macOS Tahoe and the new Spotlight, and why both have returned to Apple’s Reminders app—thanks in part to Apple Intelligence and AI automation workflows. Also covered this week: AirPods get better recording quality in the latest beta, MCP integrations with native apps, and early thoughts on Workout Buddy in watchOS 26.
On AppStories+, Federico explores Perplexity’s system-level integrations and publishes from Notes, while John explores a new Focus mode combination thanks to iOS 26.
Federico
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