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.
- 38 minutes 23 secondsOpenAI’s Everything App Trap
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This week, on AppStories, we return to a topic that’s an old favorite: the Everything App in honor of OpenAI’s announcement that they are building a Super App.
On AppStories+, Federico consolidates the tools and services he uses.
Also available on YouTube here.
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This episode is sponsored by:
- Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free.
- Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details.
Links and Show Notes
The Everything App Trap
AppStories+ Post-Show:
- Federico’s AI Tool Consolidation
- Services and Apps Discussed:
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$5/month13 April 2026, 10:26 am - 38 minutes 37 secondsRevisiting the Text Editor Landscape
This week on AppStories, John and Federico revisit the state of text editors on Apple platforms and how they use them.
On AppStories+, John and Federico dig deeper into their writing workflows and the apps they’re using to write.
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This episode is sponsored by:
- Steamclock – We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details.
- Claude – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Get started with Claude today.
Links and Show Notes
Text Editors Discussed
Other Markdown and Plain Text Editors
File Formats
AppStories+ Post-Show
Writing Workflow Tools
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$5/month6 April 2026, 11:38 am - 35 minutes 24 secondsAn Orchestra Without a Conductor, Apple’s AI Dilemma
This week on AppStories, Federico and John draw from their experiences using AI agents to imagine the sort of agent Apple could build with tight hardware and software integration if it had a LLM to orchestrate the pieces already in place.
On AppStories+, John asks where artificial intelligence falls on the spectrum of historical technology milestones.
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To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ.
This episode is sponsored by:
- Vitally – Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting.
Links and Show Notes
Agentic AI Tools
- OpenClaw
- OpenClaw on GitHub
- Claude Code
- Claude Cowork
- Claude Code Channels
- Claude Dispatch
- Perplexity Computer
- OpenAI Codex
Related News
- OpenClaw, OpenAI and the Future — Peter Steinberger
- OpenAI Reportedly Pivoting to a Focus on Business and Productivity Only (Gizmodo)
- Anthropic Turns the Tables on OpenAI in Critical Revenue Category (Axios)
Apple and AI
AppStories+ Post-Show
- Where does AI rank as a tech innovation?
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$5/month30 March 2026, 11:18 am - 42 minutes 12 secondsWhy Foldable Phones Matter: The Case for an iPhone Duo
This week on AppStories, Federico shares his experiences with foldable Android phones and what Apple might do for its first foldable hardware and its software.
On AppStories+, Federico shares his experience using Samsung DeX.
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This episode is sponsored by:
- Claude – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Get started with Claude today.
Links and Show Notes
AirPods Max 2
Foldable Phones
- Will the iPhone Fold be a phone you open, or an iPad you close?
- iPhone Fold looks like two of my all-time favorite products in one
- Foldables Mentioned
AppStories+ Post-Show
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$5/month23 March 2026, 11:09 am - 51 minutes 10 secondsThe Fractal Fragmentation of AI Tools
This week on AppStories, Federico and John look at the confusing array of tools and naming conventions used by Anthropic and OpenAI.
On AppStories+, John explains how he automated two unautomatable Mac apps.
Also available on YouTube here.
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To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ.
This episode is sponsored by:
- Vitally: Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting.
Links and Show Notes
The Fragmented World of AI Tools
- Anthropic’s Claude
- OpenAI’s Codex
- Also mentioned:
AppStories+ Post-Show
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$5/month16 March 2026, 11:10 am - 34 minutes 39 secondsApple’s Big Neo Week
This week on AppStories, Federico and John discuss Apple’s latest hardware announcements.
Then on AppStories+, Federico explains Notion Agents and Workers and how he’s using them.
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Links and Show Notes
- Apple Takes the Wraps Off the MacBook Neo
- Apple Reveals the New M5 MacBook Air
- Apple Announces M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros
- Apple Introduces Two New Studio Displays
- Apple Unveils iPhone 17e
- Apple Introduces M4-Powered iPad Air
AppStories+ Post-Show
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$5/month9 March 2026, 11:35 am - 30 minutes 22 secondsOur Apple Hardware Wish List for 2026
This week on AppStories, Federico and John cast our wishes for Apple hardware in 2026, covering everything from the latest rumored gear to more outrageous hopes.
On AppStories+, John and Federico share their top three everyday uses of AI tools.
This episode is sponsored by:
- Claude – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Get started with Claude today.
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](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ.
Links and Show Notes
John has a theory:
- Daring Fireball: One More Spitball Idea for Apple’s March 4 Media Event ‘Experience’
- The Apple Vision Pro is getting foveated streaming, which is Valve’s fancy trick for the Steam Frame.
- Steam Frame
Apple Hardware Wishes
- Articles and gear mentioned:
AppStories+ Post-Show: Our Top 3 Uses for AI
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$5/month2 March 2026, 11:43 am - 30 minutes 21 secondsApp Intents and the Road to a Smarter Siri
This week, Federico and John revisit App Intents to discuss where it came from, what it can do today, and the challenges Apple faces in integrating it with Apple Intelligence.
On AppStories+, John and Federico migrated their server setups and found themselves playing IT administrator.
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Sponsored By:
- Insta360 – Introducing the Insta360 Wave and the Link 2 Pro.
Links and Show Notes
Xcode 26.3
AI Models and Services Discussed
- Claude (Anthropic)
- ChatGPT (OpenAI)
- OpenAI Codex models (5.2 and 5.3)
- Google Gemini
- MCP (Model Context Protocol)
Third-Party Apps and Services
AppStories+ Post-Show
- Messy Mac Transitions
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$5/month23 February 2026, 11:51 am - 38 minutes 21 secondsPick a Pair: New Apps We’re Using
This week, Federico and John share apps they’re trying for the first time, including a calendar app, a text editor, a snippets utility, and more.
Then on AppStories+, John shares his first impressions of Xcode 26.3.
This episode is sponsored by:
- Claude – Get 50% off Claude Pro, including access to Claude Code.
- Insta360 – Introducing the Insta360 Wave and the Link 2 Pro.
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
Pick a Pair: New Apps We’re Using
AppStories+ Post-Show
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$5/month16 February 2026, 12:22 pm - 30 minutes 55 secondsOne Notion: Two Approaches
This week on AppStories, John and Federico share the very different ways they use Notion.
On AppStories+, we follow up on OpenClaw security concerns and explore the ways Federico is using it.
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Links and Show Notes
How We Use Notion
- Notion
- Notion Web Clipper
- Notion AI
- Notion API
- Other apps and services mentioned:
- Drafts
- Raycast
- Todoist
- [Parallel](https://parallel.ai
- Wispr Flow
AppStories+ Post-Show
- OpenClaw Update:
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$5/month9 February 2026, 12:04 pm - Notion
- 37 minutes 58 secondsThe Future of Apps in an AI-Coded World
This week, Federico and John update listeners on the ClawdBot-MoltBot-OpenClaw saga before digging into how AI will affect apps and app developers.
On AppStories+, John covers why Creator Studio is such a fundamental shift in Apple’s approach to ‘Pro’ apps.
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Links and Show Notes
Follow Up
- AI and App Store
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$5/month2 February 2026, 12:53 pm - More Episodes? Get the App