AppStories
Federico Viticci, John Voorhees
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.
- 32 minutes 14 secondsThe Missing Middle
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.
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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
- 1Password
- Google Workspace
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2 March 2025, 4:43 pm - 29 minutes 35 seconds5 for 5: Five Predictions, Five Years
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.
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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
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23 February 2025, 4:17 pm - 31 minutes 7 secondsA Classic Pick 2: Hidden Gems
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.
This episode is sponsored by:
- Memberful – Easy-to-Use Reliable Membership 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
- John’s Picks
- ScreenFloat
- MassReplaceIt
- Also Mentioned:
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16 February 2025, 4:56 pm - 35 minutes 55 secondsThoughts on Covering AI Our Way
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:
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We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week.
To learn more about the benefits included with an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ.
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9 February 2025, 4:11 pm - 34 minutes 4 secondsLife Tracking, Journaling, and the Vision Pro with Devon Dundee
This week, Federico and John are joined 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
- More Apps
- Follow Devon Online:
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We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week.
To learn more about the benefits included with an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ.
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2 February 2025, 4:48 pm - 35 minutes 22 secondsThree Browsers Are Better Than One with Matt Birchler
This week, for episode 420 Federico and John are joined 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:
Links and Show Notes
Web Apps, AI, and the Future of App Stores
- Browsers
- How Chinese AI Startup DeepSeek Made a Model that Rivals OpenAI
- Matt’s Recent App Favorites
- Quick Reviews
- Where to Find Matt Birchler
Check out our Desk Setups: https://www.macstories.net/setups/
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26 January 2025, 3:58 pm - 30 minutes 46 secondsAn Apple Intelligence Wish List
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
- Developer Tools
- Pixelmator Team to Join Apple
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19 January 2025, 6:19 pm - 28 minutes 46 secondsApple Prophecies and Predictions for 2025
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 users and developers.
This episode is sponsored by:
- Memberful – Easy-to-Use Reliable Membership 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
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Affiliate Linking Policy[Link](Apple Prophecies and Predictions for 2025)
12 January 2025, 5:23 pm - 24 minutes 54 secondsOur Holiday Nerd Projects
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
- TRMNL
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22 December 2024, 4:28 pm - Mentioned
- 29 minutes 47 secondsThe AppStories Year in Review
This week, Federico and John explore the trends that shaped the App Store in 2024.
Links and Show Notes
The 2024 Trends that Shaped the App Store
- Government Regulation and Antitrust Enforcement
- Apple Details How It Plans to Comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act
- Understanding Apple’s Response to the DMA
- AppStories, Episode 369 – Digging into the DMA
- AltStore Is Now Available in the EU
- The EU Pulls iPadOS Into the DMA Fray
- Apple Changes How the Core Technology Fee Works and Confirms that Its Alternative Business Terms Will Apply to iPad Apps This Fall
- European Commission Preliminarily Finds That Apple Has Violated the Digital Markets Act
- Apple Announces New Changes to the Browser Choice Screen and Default Apps on iOS and iPadOS in the EU
- The European Commission Opens Two iOS Interoperability Proceedings Against Apple
- Understanding the DOJ’s Antitrust Complaint Against Apple
- AppStories, Episode 377 – Why the DOJ Claims Apple Is a Monopoly
- The Vision Pro
- Apple Releases Immersive Short Film Submerged and Announces Upcoming Immersive Content
- visionOS 2: The MacStories Review
- Apple Announces New Immersive Video Content for the Vision Pro
- visionOS 2: The MacStories Overview
- A Comprehensive Guide to Gaming on the Apple Vision Pro
- The Apple Vision Pro Developer Strap
- Artificial Intelligence
- Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.2: A Deep Dive into Working with Siri and ChatGPT, Together
- Apple’s Commitment to AI Is Clear, But Its Execution Is Uneven
- iOS and iPadOS 18: The MacStories Review
- AI Companies Need to Be Regulated: An Open Letter to the U.S. Congress and European Parliament
- Wired Confirms Perplexity Is Bypassing Efforts by Websites to Block Its Web Crawler
- Indie Developers: The Foundation of the Vision Pro and the Future of App Intents
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15 December 2024, 4:49 pm - Government Regulation and Antitrust Enforcement
- 55 minutes 19 secondsThe 2024 MacStories Selects Awards
This week, Federico and John reveal the winners of the 2024 MacStories Selects Awards, which celebrate the exceptional design, innovation, and creativity of apps across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
Links and Show Notes
The 2023 MacStories Selects Awards
- MacStories Selects 2024: Recognizing the Best Apps of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Transit
- Best New App: Croissant
- Runner-Up: Simple Scan
- Best App Update: Sofa 4
- Runners-Up: Remind Me Faster 5.2 and GoodLinks 2
- Best New Feature: Play’s Channels Inbox
- Runners-Up: Sequel Magic Lookup and Halide’s Process Zero
- Best Watch App: Chronicling
- Best Design: Shareshot
- Runner-Up: Reeder
- Best Mac App: Moom 4
- Runner-Up: Bezel
- Readers’ Choice: Play
- Runner-Up: Sequel
- App of the Year: Delta
- Runner-Up: Raycast
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9 December 2024, 3:40 pm - MacStories Selects 2024: Recognizing the Best Apps of the Year
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