Podcast Rewind: OS Reviews Are Here, Emulating Windows on Android, and an Interview with Michael Flarup

This week, Federico and John discuss their annual OS reviews. Federico digs into the details of iOS and iPadOS 26, while John considers what macOS 26 Tahoe means for users.

On AppStories+, John updates listeners on what he bought after last week’s Apple event and why.

This episode is sponsored by:

Widgetsmith: Make your phone your own with custom widgets and wallpapers. Ready for Liquid Glass in iOS 26. Use our link for a free month of Widgetsmith Premium.

Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Brendon emerges from a Silksong fog, Genki settles a lawsuit and sends Federico accessories for the Switch, and Federico and John try emulating Windows on Android handhelds.

This week on NPC XL, Federico rebrands with a new bleeding edge project: emulating Windows on Android.

First, Last, Everything

This time, we’re talking with Michael Flarup. Michael is many things: the head of a game studio, a speaker at Adobe Max, an author, and more. But most of all, Michael is a designer. He’s most well-known for his decades of work as an icon designer on some of the most beloved apps on iOS and macOS under his Pixel Resort banner. He’s released two books on the history of the art form: first around iOS, then focusing on macOS. Now, he runs a game studio, Northplay, where they’re hard at work on their next game, Dinolords!

AppStories, Episode 452, ‘iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 26: The MacStories Reviews’ Show Notes

iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 26: The MacStories Reviews

iOS and iPadOS 26: The MacStories Review by Federico Viticci

macOS 26: The MacStories Review by John Voorhees

Review week perks for Club MacStories members: iOS and iPadOS 26 Review Extras eBooks, Drafts Actions, Apple Intelligence Shortcuts, and a Special Edition of MacStories Weekly

Join Club MacStories by visiting plus.club

Apps mentioned

Chronicling

CARROT Weather

Drafts

Activas: Intelligent Wellness

Drafts

ScreenFloat

AppStories+ Post-Show

512 GB iPhone 17 Pro Max in Deep Blue

AirPods Pro 3

Apple Watch Ultra 3

NPC, Episode 48, ‘Steam Emulation on Android Gets Real’ Show Notes

The Latest Portable Gaming News

Nintendo Switch 2 Genki Lawsuit Settlement

Genki Attack Vector

Genki Energy Pack

Emulating Windows on Android

Game Native

Gamehub 5.0

Also, Gamehub 5.0 Launches With Steam Cloud Saves

Winlator

Subscribe to NPC XL

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Each week on NPC XL, Federico, Brendon, and John record a special segment or deep dive about a particular topic that is released alongside the “regular” NPC episodes.

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First, Last Everything, Episode 2, ‘Michael Flarup’ Show Notes

This Episode’s Links

Pixel Resort

Northplay

Buy The iOS Icon Book and The macOS Icon Book

Sign up for Michael’s newsletter

Buy Michael’s design tools and icons

Michael on Dribble

Michael on YouTube

Michael on Instagram

Michael on LinkedIn

Michael on X

Michael on Mastodon

Download Conduct This!

Dinolords website

Wishlist Dinolords on Steam

Michael’s Picks

Michael’s ‘First’ pick: Amiga 2000

Michael’s ‘Last’ pick: Apple Vision Pro

Michael’s ‘Everything’ pick: Adobe Photoshop on Wikipedia

Something

‘The First Digital Camera Was the Size of a Toaster’ – IEEE Spectrum

Interview with creator Steve Sasson: Linda Hall Library on YouTube