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 tackle tracking apps. From database apps to media trackers, they consider what makes a good tracking app no matter what you’re tracking.
On AppStories+, Federico quizzes John about what’s on his desk, the tech he’d be happy to have a burgler steal, and more.
This week, Federico and John revisit the fast-paced world of artificial intelligence to describe how they’re using a variety of tools for their everyday workflows.
On AppStories+, John shares his theory of the way we’ll look at AI models in the future.
This week, Federico and John survey their favorite calendar apps, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each.
On AppStories+, Federico shares Shortcuts tips for working with Google’s Gemini API and the highly structured data it returns. Plus he and John share their concern and cautious optimism for the future of Shortcuts.
This week, Federico and John share some of their favorite utility apps, including Amphetamine, Text Lens, Gifski, Folder Peek, Mic Drop, Keka, and Marked.
Then, on AppStories+, Federico and John extend their conversation about utilities with six more favorites.
Rogue Amoeba: makers of incredibly useful audio tools for your Mac. Use the code MS2504 through the end of April to get 20% off Rogue Amoeba’s apps. Read more
This week, Federico and John take listeners on a tour of the wide variety of automations they’ve been working on so far this year, including shortcuts, Claude projects, and Zapier zaps.
On AppStories+, Federico and John dig a little deeper into some of the more complex automations that they’ve been working on in 2025.
In this special interview episode, Federico and John welcome Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman to discuss his 16-year journey covering Apple. Mark shares how he started as a teenage app developer before joining 9to5Mac and eventually Bloomberg. The conversation explores Mark’s most memorable scoops, the evolution of Apple news coverage, his relationship with Apple, and advice for aspiring tech journalists.
On AppStories+, Federico and John get into the weeds to explore the hardware and apps Mark Gurman uses and discuss Apple’s acquisition of Pixelmator.
This week, Federico and John explore a collection of Shortcuts helper utilities that extend functionality beyond the built-in system actions, sharing how these apps address gaps in Apple’s Shortcuts implementation across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
On AppStories+, John interviews Federico about his recent story that concludes web applications often provide superior experiences to native apps on iPad, examining how this trend reflects broader challenges in the iPad ecosystem.
This week, Federico and John examine the widening gap between consumer and enterprise apps, asking what happened to prosumer and small business app market.
On AppStories+, John doesn’t buy Apple’s explanation of why the iPhone 16e doesn’t have MagSafe and has an email-adjacent theory about task managers.
Federico
John](https://cdn.macstories.net/banneras-1629219199428.png)
