MacStories

Stories and reviews.

Flips

Apple Pencil
Concepts for iPad: An Adaptable Infinite Canvas to Suit Anyone’s Needs
MacStories - John Voorhees
Concepts, an iOS drawing app featuring an infinite canvas, sat untouched on my iPad forever. I’d seen some buzz about it online, and the idea of an infinite canvas intrigued me. I’m not much of an artist
Apps
Permute: Quick Image, Audio, and Video Conversion [Sponsor]
MacStories - MacStories Team
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
IPad Pro
Apple Publishes Videos Showcasing iPad Pro Workflows
MacStories - Ryan Christoffel
Apple shared five new videos on its YouTube channel today, all of which center around working on an iPad Pro. Each video covers a different iPad workflow, as described by the following titles: A new way
Apple
Thinking Different: Keys to Adopting an iPad-First Workflow
MacStories - Ryan Christoffel
No matter how tech-inclined a person may be, no one sits down at their first computer and instantly finds themselves at home with the device. We all have our own tales of computing learning curves – figuring
Apple
“This Is Not a Product”: The Apple Developer Transition Kit
MacStories - Stephen Hackett
In his keynote introducing the switch to Intel,1 Steve Jobs introduced the weirdest Mac of all time: the Apple Developer Transition Kit. After announcing the change, Jobs revealed a secret. The Mac he
Note-Taking
GoodNotes 5: The MacStories Review
MacStories - John Voorhees
I spend a lot of time at a keyboard. The obvious advantage of a keyboard is speed. When I'm in a groove, nothing beats typing into a text editor at my Mac or iPad Pro for quickly recording thoughts and
iPhone XS
Apple Launches Smart Battery Cases for iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR
MacStories - Ryan Christoffel
Apple today updated its online store with the addition of three new products: Smart Battery Cases for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. Every version of the case costs $129, regardless of iPhone size. Each
DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo Switches to Apple Maps for Location Searches
MacStories - John Voorhees
Today, DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused web search engine, began using Apple Maps for location-based searches. The company, which previously used OpenStreetMap, switched to Apple's MapKit JS framework,
Mobile
Steredenn: Binary Stars Debuts on iOS
MacStories - John Voorhees
French indie game studio Pixelnest debuted Steredenn: Binary Stars on iOS today. The update is a major expansion of the original version of Steredenn that I reviewed over a year and a half ago. Everything
Game Design
AppStories, Episode 94 – Interview: iOS Game Design with Edwin Smith of Feral Interactive→
MacStories - John Voorhees
• Agenda – An elegant new take on notes. • ExpressVPN – High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get 3 months free with a 1-year package.
Apps
iPhone Backup Extractor: Helping Users Recover and Access Their iOS Data [Sponsor]
MacStories - MacStories Team
iPhone Backup Extractor is a powerful macOS app for working with iOS data. The app was launched a decade ago by Reincubate founder Aidan Fitzpatrick from his apartment out of frustration at having lost
HomeKit
CES Roundup Part 2: Accessories, HomeKit Devices, and More
MacStories - Ryan Christoffel
Earlier this week we rounded up all of the important Apple-related announcements from the first couple days of CES. Some of the highlights were major TV manufacturers adding AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support,
IPad Pro
Apple Frames Shortcut, Now with Support for the 11″ iPad Pro and Apple Watch Series 4 40mm
MacStories - Federico Viticci
Apple Frames, my shortcut to add device frames to screenshots taken on modern Apple devices, has been updated with support for the 11" iPad Pro and 40mm Apple Watch Series 4. This marks the second major
HomeKit
CES AirPlay, HomeKit, and Accessory Roundup, Part 1
MacStories - John Voorhees
Apple may not be exhibiting at CES, but its presence is felt nonetheless. More than ever, Apple’s technologies like HomeKit and AirPlay are showing up in third-party hardware. What’s different this year
Apple Music
Apple Music Wrapped
MacStories - Federico Viticci
When Spotify was my music streaming service of choice, one of the features I really liked was its personalized Wrapped report generated at the end of the year. I've always been a fan of geeky annual reports
Mobile
LumaFusion: Professional Mobile Video Editing [Sponsor]
MacStories - MacStories Team
The future of video production is available today with LumaFusion, the powerful multi-track video editor for iOS. Used by mobile filmmakers, journalists, YouTube creators, and aspiring content producers
AirPlay
Apple Updates AirPlay 2 Page with Upcoming TV Features Including Siri Control
MacStories - John Voorhees
On the heels of the announcement that Samsung Smart TVs are gaining an iTunes Movie and TV Shows app and AirPlay 2 support, Apple has updated its AirPlay 2 page to highlight additional features that are
TV shows
Samsung Announces iTunes Movies and TV Shows app and AirPlay 2 Support for Its Smart TVs
MacStories - John Voorhees
In a first among TV manufacturers, Samsung has announced that its 2019 TVs will ship with an iTunes Movies and TV Shows app in over 100 countries as well as AirPlay 2 support in 190 countries. 2018 models
IPad Pro
Apple Details iPad Pro Manufacturing Techniques and Flatness Standards
MacStories - Ryan Christoffel
A new product launch wouldn't be complete without some level of controversy, and for the 2018 iPad Pro models the kerfuffle has centered around bending. Some users have reported their devices being slightly
App Store
Apple Announces Record App Store Sales During Holidays
MacStories - Ryan Christoffel
Hot on the heels of yesterday's announcement regarding disappointing holiday iPhone sales, today Apple has better news to share: the App Store enjoyed a record breaking sales period recently, with over
iPhone
Apple Revises Q1 Financial Guidance Following Poor iPhone Sales
MacStories - John Voorhees
In a letter to investors, Apple CEO Tim Cook has stated that the company has revised its financial guidance for the holiday fiscal quarter that ended on December 29th as follows: Revenue of approximately
Apps
WinterFest 2018: Great Deals on Pro Mac Apps and Books [Sponsor]
MacStories - MacStories Team
Hosted by Tinderbox maker Eastgate, WinterFest 2018 is an amazing collection of carefully-crafted productivity apps and books available for a limited time for 20-25% off. The 17 apps and books span the
IPad Pro
MacStories Selects: The Best New Accessories of 2018
MacStories - MacStories Team
iOS devices and Macs sit at the center of our computing lives, often accompanied by a host of accessories. And each year brings a few standout new accessories that extend what our favorite devices can
Apps
iA Writer 5.2: Better Typography and External Library Locations
MacStories - Federico Viticci
As I wrote in my roundup of must-have iOS apps, I've been using iA Writer as my text editor, primarily because of its integration with Working Copy, beautiful typography, and syntax highlighting mode.
Mac Apps
WinterFest 2018: Great Deals on Pro Mac Apps and Books [Sponsor]
MacStories - MacStories Team
Hosted by Tinderbox maker Eastgate, WinterFest 2018 is an amazing collection of carefully-crafted productivity apps and books available for a limited time for 20-25% off. The 17 apps and books span the
Apps
My Must-Have Mac Apps, 2018 Edition
MacStories - John Voorhees
Last year when I wrote about my must-have Mac apps, I was coming off a tumultuous year that started with a daily commute into Chicago for my old job and ended with me working from home. As the year came
Magnets: A Common Apple Magic Trick
MacStories - Stephen Hackett
As a young kid, I thought magnets were about the coolest things ever. Here in my 30s, I kind of feel the same way. Magnets made nerdy headlines recently, with the new iPad Pro, which is chock-full of to
Apps
My Must-Have iOS Apps, 2018 Edition
MacStories - Federico Viticci
Putting together my annual list of Must-Have iOS Apps is an exercise in analyzing the trends of the year and considering which ones had the biggest impact on how I use my iPhone and iPad. Two years ago,
Apple Heavily Promotes the Amazon Echo’s Apple Music Integration
MacStories - John Voorhees
At the end of November, Amazon announced on its blog that Apple Music would be coming to Echo devices the week of December 17th. The music streaming service showed up on Echos a little earlier than expected
AutoSleep 6: Effortless Sleep Tracking More Accessible Than Ever
MacStories - Ryan Christoffel
If you've followed MacStories for long, you probably already know that AutoSleep is one of our favorite sleep tracking apps on iOS. The app stands out for offering a frictionless, effort-free experience.