John Voorhees

5429 posts on MacStories since November 2015

John is MacStories' Managing Editor, has been writing about Apple and apps since joining the team in 2015, and today, runs the site alongside Federico. John also co-hosts four MacStories podcasts: AppStories, which covers the world of apps, MacStories Unwind, which explores the fun differences between American and Italian culture and recommends media to listeners, Ruminate, a show about the weird web and unusual snacks, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about the games we take with us.

Q&A

Question: I’m a long time user of PDF Expert on both iOS and Mac. While it works well for me, I tried Highlights after your strong recommendation. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with PDF Expert, but it seems to do everything Highlights does (most importantly, it can have a side by side window with...


App Debuts

Usage I recently came across this excellent iOS and iPadOS utility for checking the current usage of your device across metrics like CPU, memory, network activity, battery, and more. The app is a free download, but with an In-App Purchase you can compare your device specs to those of similar models, whether they’re older...


Apple to Release Tom Hanks WWII Drama on TV+

Initially slated for release by Sony next month, Apple has picked up a WWII navy drama starring Tom Hanks called Greyhound that will stream on the company’s TV+ service. The movie that Hanks wrote was originally scheduled for theatrical release next month by Sony Pictures on Father’s Day weekend in the US. Instead, the film will debut on TV+. There’s no word from Apple yet about when Greyhound will become available to its subscribers.

According to Deadline, which broke the story:

For Apple, this is further indication the company is becoming a major player in features, as this marks its biggest picture commitment. The Apple TV+ slate includes Beastie Boys Story, the docus Dads from director Bryce Dallas Howard and the Sundance acquisition Boys State as well as On the Rocks starring Bill Murray, Rashida Jones and directed by Sofia Coppola. Streaming now is 2019 Sundance Film Festival selections Hala and The Elephant Queen. The service also premiered the George Nolfi-directed The Banker, which stars Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson and Nia Long.

With the COVID-19 pandemic closing movie theaters worldwide, movie studios have released many smaller-budget films straight to video streaming services. However, those movies have primarily appeared on multiple streaming services simultaneously. Greyhound is unique because it’s a big-budget film featuring a big-name actor, which will be available to TV+ subscribers only.

With the economic pressures facing the movie studios, video streaming is poised to play an even larger role in the industry. By picking up Greyhound, Apple has made it clear that it intends to play a leading role in the film industry’s evolving future.

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Our iPadOS WWDC Wishes

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 164 - Our iPadOS WWDC Wishes

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50:05

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week, Federico and John share their wishes for iPadOS including audio source control, multitasking, external display support, Search, keyboard and trackpad support, and more.

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MacStories Unwind – Noto, iA Writer, and a New Maintenance Task Manager

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps
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34:00

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps


This week on MacStories Unwind:

MacStories

Club MacStories

  • MacStories Weekly
    • DaisyDisk
      • A tip from John on an easy way to create good-looking, text-searchable PDFs of webpages on iPadOS and iOS
      • Loads of Shortcuts requests answered by Federico
        • OmniChart and TimeChart using Charty
        • PDFs from URLs
        • Mail Merge
        • Safari Reader Article to PDF
        • Reminders to OmniFocus
      • Interview with Zac Cohan, developer of Soulver
      • A story about a News+ audio rumor by Ryan
  • MacStories Unplugged
    • Federico and John continue to refine their research strategies for this year’s review season, John shares a PDF tip with Federico, and then they compare notes on baking pizza and bread during the lockdown.

AppStories

Unwind


App Debuts

Spark Popular email client Spark was updated with two key enhancements this week: iPad cursor support and emoji reactions. Spark is now fully optimized for use with a trackpad or mouse on iPadOS, so you can perform swipe actions via two-finger gestures, right-click emails to open context menus, and all the other standard operations...


Q&A

Question: I own and operate a golf instruction business, and I want to set up a CRM system. I‘ve tried a combination of Trello, Notion, and a Numbers template, but I’m looking for an alternative app or workflow to house client and prospect contact information, notes, and tasks, preferably on the iPad. (Matthew Lindberg, @lindberggolf)...


DaisyDisk

For a brief moment several years ago, I felt like I had enough storage, but then SSDs happened. Don’t get me wrong, I love SSDs and couldn’t go back to spinning drives in my Mac. SSDs are fast and silent, which is terrific, but despite dramatic price drops over the past few years, it’s...