AppStories 5t1e6m

This week, John shares his first impressions of Sky, the alpha AI-powered Mac automation app from the creators of Workflow and Shortcuts and then he and Federico share their Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence wishes for WWDC 2025 On AppStories+, John and Federico consider what AI means for developers and the App Store in the year ahead. 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. This episode is sponsored by: Notion: Try the powerful, easy-to-use Notion AI today. P: The water reminder and hydration app. Links and Show Notes John’s First Impressions of Sky More from Federico on Sky: From the Creators of Shortcuts, Sky Extends AI Integration and Automation to Your Entire Mac Our Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence Wishes Opening Apple’s AFM Model to Developers An AI-Based Shortcuts Assistant Third-Party Integrations in Apple Intelligence Search Shortcuts Based on Action for Local Models on Mobile Devices with a Unified Framework A Shortcuts Visualizer AFM Shortcuts Actions Open Up Shortcuts to M Leave for John and Federico AppStories Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

This week, Federico and John share their WWDC wishes for macOS and visionOS. On AppStories+, John explores how Apple hardware and software got so out of sync when it comes to AI use cases. 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. Links and Show Notes Our macOS and visionOS Wishes Our macOS Wishes Permission Prompts A New Way to Navigate macOS and Manage Windows System Level Menu Bar Management A Tool for Managing MLX Models Notification Center Merge Spotlight and Type to Siri Shortcuts on the Mac Beter Cloud Storage Pairing and Unpairing Peripherals John Reads Federico’s Mind Our visionOS Wishes USB-C Data Transfers iPadOS Virtual Display Third-Party Keyboard and Controller through More Native Apps An Easier Way to Manage Apps A Native Way to Save Web Apps Apps Mentioned Swift Shift Bartender LM Studio Ollama MLX LM Raycast LaunchBar Alfred Lingon MacTop Leave for John and Federico AppStories Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

This week, Federico and John interview Airbnb Vice President of Product Marketing, Jud Coplan, and Vice President of Design, Teo Connor. On AppStories+, Federico explores running LLMs locally on an M3 Ultra Mac Studio. 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. This episode is sponsored by: Inoreader – Boost Productivity and Gain Insights with AI-Powered Intelligence Tools TRMNL – Clarity, at a glance. Get $15 off for 1 week only. Links and Show Notes Airbnb Summer Release 2025 Airbnb Announcement Video and Overview Airbnb Press Release MacStories Coverage Leave for John and Federico AppStories Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

This week, Federico and John interview Apple’s VP of Developer Relations, Education, and Enterprise, Susan Prescott, along with Amy Key and Omar Firdaus, Distinguished Swift Student Challenge Winners. Then, they also share their 2025 wishes for watchOS and tvOS. On AppStories+, John leads a philosophical discussion about art, culture, and creativity and where it’s heading in an AI world. 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. This episode is sponsored by: Play – Save and Organize Videos to Watch Later. New subscribers can use the code MACSTORIES2025for 50% off their first year of Play . Links and Show Notes Swift Student Challenge Interview This week, Federico and John interviewed Apple VP of Developer Relations, Education, and Enterprise, Susan Prescott along with Distinguished Swift Student Challenge Winners Amy Key and Omar Firhaus. Our 2025 watchOS Wishes Federico shares wishes based on his use of a wearOS watch, and John hopes for faster connections, file transfers, and smarter workout tracking. Our 2025 tvOS Wishes Federico wants to customize the Siri Remote’s TV button, John wants new ways to manage the apps on his Apple TV, and more. Leave for John and Federico AppStories Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci 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. 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. This episode is sponsored by: WaterMinder – The Best Water Tracker App for Your Hydration Needs! Links and Show Notes Tracking Apps Collections Chronicling Game Tracker GamePal Backloggd Obsidian Sofa Genler Streak Happy Scale Tracking in ChatGPT Mercury Weather Lazy Weather Paku for PurpleAir Allergy Plus Leave for John and Federico AppStories Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

This week, Federico and John revisit the fast-paced world of artificial intelligence to describe how their 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. 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. This episode is sponsored by: Notion – Try the powerful, easy-to-use Notion AI today. Links and Show Notes How We’re Using AI Anthropic, Claude Google, Gemini Google, NotebookLM OpenAI, ChatGPT Copilot for Obsidian Zapier Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

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. 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. Links and Show Notes Calendar Apps Calendar Apps Apple Calendar Raycast Calendar Integration Google Calendar extension BusyCal Mac App Store iOS and iPadOS App Store Setapp Read more in Club MacStories Weekly MacStories Recommends Dato Fantastical Week Number Notion Calendar Timepage Week Calendar Agenda Calendar 366 II Structured FirstSeed Calendar minical Also Mentioned: Todoist Shortwave Google Tasks Raycast extension Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

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. 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. This episode is sponsored by: 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. [[more]] Links and Show Notes Follow Up BarCuts issues fixed Zen Browser Tab Groups Extension Mark Reader Our Favorite Utilities John Amphetamine Gifski Mic Drop Also mentioned: Week Number Federico Text Lens Also mentioned: Text Sniper and CleanShot X Folder Peek Keka t Pick Marked 2 Marked 2 and Obsidian The new, improved StyleStealer for Marked 2 Menu Bar Tangent Bartender Ice Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

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. 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. This episode is sponsored by: BetterTouchTool – Get ready for BTT Mobile. Visit the BetterTouchTool community to learn more. Notion – Try the powerful, easy-to-use Notion AI today. Links and Show Notes Pick 3: Our Latest Automations Federico’s Audio Transcription Automation Xaiomi Buds 5 and 5 Pro Hazel Aiko AI Actions John’s Fetch Podcast Details Shortcut Zapier Todoist PastePal ChatGPT Federico on Using AI Actions with Newer AI Models AI Actions Ask Claude using AI Actions app Unread’s Shortcuts Integration Readwise Reader Todoist Federico’s Use of a Simple API for Transcribing of YouTube Videos YouTubeTranscript.io John’s Podcast Clips Claude Project Also mentioned Stecker Lingon X Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

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 ing 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. 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. This episode is sponsored by: Memberful – Easy-to-Use Reliable hip Software Drafts – Where text starts. New and expired subscribers can use the link to get your first year of Drafts for $9.99. Tripsy – Your Travel Toolkit. Use the link for 25% off a lifetime purchase or 30% off a 1-Year subscription. Links and Show Notes An Interview with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman Dashcode Mark Gurman’s writing at Bloomberg Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter Stories and topics covered: The new iPhone… Apple Car coverge Apple Delays Siri Upgrade Indefinitely as AI Concerns Escalate Apple Ready to Roll Out Slimmer iPhone 17 This Fall Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

This week, Federico and John share their self-imposed tech deadlines for the hardware and software they use. On AppStories+, Federico and John follow up their tech deadlines with the hardware they expect to add to their setups in 2025. 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. This episode is sponsored by: Memberful – Easy-to-Use Reliable hip Software Links and Show Notes Our Tech Deadlines Federico Absent significant improvements in iPadOS 19, Federico will add a Mac to his setup. Unless ChatGPT starts integrating more tightly with apps, Federico will cancel his subscription. Absent new exclusives, Federico will sell his PS5. John Barring substantial iPadOS improvements, John plans to experiment with Android tablets. If Apple’s cellular modems extend the battery life of the iPhone 17 Pro phones, John may drop out of Plus Club. If Apple s third-party plugins for Final Cut Pro for iPad, John will consider moving more of his video editing to the iPad. Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

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. 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. This episode is sponsored by: Incogni – Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code APPSTORIES with this link and get 60% off an annual plan. Links and Show Notes Why Aren’t Developers Making Prosumer and Small Business Apps Anymore? Todoist Fantastical PDFpen Beeper Adium GroupMe Slack Discord Microsoft Teams Notion Shortwave Claude Memberful GitHub 1 Google Workspace Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

This week, Federico and John make five app predictions for the next five years covering everything from App Intents and automation to the fate of the App Store. On AppStories+, John talks through a very specific use case for Apple’s new iPhone 16e. 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. This episode is sponsored by: P – The water reminder and hydration app. Links and Show Notes 5 for 5: Five App Predictions for the Next Five Years Additional Reading: Apple Intelligence: The MacStories Overview iOS and iPadOS 18: The MacStories Review macOS Sequoia: The MacStories Review Gemini 2.0 and LLMs Integrated with Apps Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.2: A Deep Dive into Working with Siri and ChatGPT, Together Apple Reveals A Partial Timeline for the Rollout of More Apple Intelligence Features Apple’s Commitment to AI Is Clear, But Its Execution Is Uneven Widgets and What Apple’s Recent Expansion of App Intents Might Mean for the Shortcuts App An App Store First: Delta Adds Patreon Link for Purchase and Perks The Delta Videogame Emulator Launches on the App Store Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

This week, Federico and John each pick two apps you may or may not have heard of or considered using and explain why you should give them a try. On AppStories+, we extend our picks with several more apps we’ve been testing recently. Learn more at [appstories.plus(http://appstories.plus)] This episode is sponsored by: Memberful – Easy-to-Use Reliable hip Software Incogni – Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code APPSTORIES with this link and get 60% off an annual plan. Links and Show Notes Classic Pick 2: Hidden Gems Edition Federico’s Picks NextDNS Google Keep John’s Picks ScreenFloat MassReplaceIt Also Mentioned: Pursuing Pasta Perfection MacWhisper VidCap Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

This week, Federico and John say goodbye to the AppStories+ pre-show and hello to the new post-show. Then, for the main event, they update listeners on how MacStories plans to cover AI news and tools. Links and Show Notes Thoughts on Covering AI AI Companies Need to Be Regulated An Open Letter to the U.S. Congress and European Parliament Apps and Services Mentioned: Granola.ai ChatGPT Gemini Claude Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

This week, This week, Federico and John are ed by Devon Dundee of the Magic Rays of Light podcast to talk about his approaches to life tracking and journaling and how the Apple Vision Pro has become his primary computer. Links and Show Notes Life Tracking, Journaling, and the Vision Pro Awesome Habits Chronicling Collections Everlog Apple Vision Pro PrismXR Carina D1 Charging Dock More Apps Runestone Working Copy ChatGPT Structured Bridges New Reeder Follow Devon Online: Magic Rays of Light Devon Dundee MacStories Mastodon Bluesky Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

This week, for episode 420 Federico and John are ed by Matt Birchler, co-host of Comfort Zone and many other projects to talk about web apps, email, AI, and more. This episode is sponsored by: Things – Keep Your Plans on Track Memberful – Easy-to-Use Reliable hip Software Links and Show Notes Web Apps, AI, and the Future of App Stores Email Superhuman Shortwave Browsers Zen Arc How Chinese AI Startup DeepSeek Made a Model that Rivals OpenAI Matt’s Recent App Favorites Cursor Lottielab Spline Quick Reviews Where to Find Matt Birchler Comfort Zone podcast Birchtree.me A Better Computer Check out our Desk Setups: https://www.macstories.net/setups/ Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

This week, Federico and John look ahead to WWDC and beyond to consider how Apple Intelligence could be used to change the way we use our iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Links and Show Notes An Apple Intelligence Wish List A more conversational Siri Apple Readies More Conversational LLM Siri in Bid to Rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT - Bloomberg Developer Tools Cursor Pixelmator Team to Apple Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Threads MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Instagram MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees

This week on AppStories, Federico and John predict what we’ll see from Apple in 2025. From agentic AI to App Intents and Siri, they explore what will shape the year ahead and the implications to s and developers. This episode is sponsored by: Memberful – Easy-to-Use Reliable hip Software Links and Show Notes Apple 2025 Predictions and Prophecies Federico: There will be more agentic AI than ever Even more Chromium browsers with AI features Apple will acquire a smaller AI company like Mistral More smart glasses will be released as will custom community firmware for the Meta Ray-Bans Vision Pro apps will come to Android XR Game streaming apps will come to the iPhone Someone will try to get a Sony PS4 emulator approved by Apple app reviewers John: A shakeout of AI apps App Intents adoption will be slow The Apple Watch will gain new sensors and Apple and Massimo will settle their blood oxygen dispute AI will continue to slow development of other OS features We’ll see more innovative game controllers for the iPhone Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Linking Policy[Link](Apple Prophecies and Predictions for 2025)

This week, Federico and John round up the tech and productivity projects they have planned for their annual holiday break. Links and Show Notes Holiday Nerd Projects Mentioned ChatGPT Claude NotebookLM Zapier Retroid Pocket 5 Obsidian Logitech Creative Console Mac mini and retro gaming Retro Game Corps how-to video TRMNL Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Threads MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Instagram MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees