Interesting Links
...
The Latest from Magic Rays of Light, Comfort Zone, and MacStories Unwind
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
Sigmund and Devon highlight the return of Pachinko and share their earliest experiences with Apple TV.
The gang shares their very sane, and not at all controversial ???? notification preferences. Then they explore some new and interesting Obsidian plugins you might not have heard of.
This week, John and Federico discuss peanut butter, the limits of testing gadgets in public, and Federico’s latest Spotify experiment before turning to a movie and two music recommendations.
Monument Valley 3 Is Heading To Netflix Games Along with the Series’ First Two Installments
Yesterday, during Gamescom’s opening night ceremonies, Netflix Games released a trailer for Monument Valley 3. The franchise’s sequel from Ustwo Games, which has been in development for five years, will be published exclusively on Apple’s App Store and Android by Netflix Games on December 10th. Monument Valley 1 and 2 are also moving to Netflix Games on September 19th and October 29th, respectively. Both games previously launched on the App Store as paid titles and were later added to Apple Arcade.
Few details have been shared about Monument Valley 3, although the trailer does reveal that the game’s protagonist Noor will sail a boat for the first time. According to Jennifer Estaris, Ustwo’s Game Director of Monument Valley 3:
Monument Valley is a title that has pushed boundaries of what is possible in games, from the power of minimalist design, to the simplicity of play and the emotion of interactive storytelling. Our goal is to bring our biggest Monument Valley yet to as many people as possible, which is why we partnered with Netflix to deliver the game to hundreds of millions of players around the world as part of their memberships.
Netflix has promised additional information about the game during its September 16th Geeked Week event.
I’ve had my eye on Netflix Games for a while. Its catalog, which we discussed on NPC: Next Portable Console and I’ve written about a lot, is full of high-quality indie games as well as casual games and TV tie-ins. I’ve half expected Netflix to veer in a more Arcade-like direction, but so far, the company’s game library continues to outdo Apple Arcade in terms of game quality and balance among genres.
The Latest from AppStories and Ruminate
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
This week, Federico and I look at the gadget landscape to find inspiration for expanding Apple’s hardware lineup.
On AppStories+, a behind-the-scenes look at our expansion into video and a conversation about the Vision Pro.
- Memberful – Help Your Clients Monetize Their Passion
The snack cup overfloweth this week with chips, seasoning, and a very blue beverage. The onto the App Store and finally a new Ruminate family member has joined.
Apple Podcasts Is Now Available as a Web App
Apple Podcasts got the full Apple Music treatment with its own web app today. The UI is essentially the same as Apple’s native app but with the added flexibility of working on non-Apple devices. Apple says Podcasts works on all major browsers, including Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, and can be accessed in more than 170 countries and regions in their local language. If you’re an Apple Podcasts user, your progress will be synced from the web to your Apple devices, too.
The web app strikes me as a win for both listeners and podcasters. Podcast fans now have more ways to enjoy their favorite shows, discover new ones, and share episodes with others. Suddenly, Apple Podcasts is cross-platform, which is still relatively rare among the most popular podcast apps, except for Pocket Casts.
Links opened on Apple devices will open in the native Podcasts app and in the browser on other devices, although on the Mac, it is possible to play episodes in a browser if you prefer. Here’s Comfort Zone playing on everyone’s current obsession, the Boox Palma:
 running on my Boox Palma.](https://cdn.macstories.net/img_6993-1724091735509.JPG)
The latest episode of NPC running on my Boox Palma.
It sounds great, too.
The web app also means podcasters can now reach a bigger audience. Not only are free RSS-based shows available on the web, but listeners can also subscribe and listen to paid shows.
I’ve only played around with the web version of Apple Podcasts a little, but it works well on every device I’ve tried with it so far, including the Palma, a Boox Android tablet, and a Windows gaming handheld using Chrome and Edge. In every case, the Podcasts web app worked just as well as listening in the native app.
Procreate Will Not Include Generative AI in Its Apps→
Today on its website, Procreate announced that it would not build generative AI tools into its apps. The company’s position is clear and unequivocal:
Generative AI is ripping the humanity out of things. Built on a foundation of theft, the technology is steering us toward a barren future. We think machine learning is a compelling technology with a lot of merit, but the path generative AI is on is wrong for us.
We’re here for the humans. We’re not chasing a technology that is a moral threat to our greatest jewel: human creativity. In this technological rush, this might make us an exception or seem at risk of being left behind. But we see this road less travelled as the more exciting and fruitful one for our community.
In a short video on X.com, Procreate CEO James Cuda said:
I don’t like what’s happening to the industry, and I don’t like what it’s doing to artists.
I couldn’t agree more or be happier to see Procreate take a stand in defense of artists. Federico and I interviewed Cuda at WWDC, and although Cuda struck a diplomatic tone having just received an Apple Design Award for Procreate Dreams, it was clear to me then that we were unlikely to see generative AI in Procreate’s apps. For everyone who wasn’t in the room with Cuda that day, though, today’s statement should set their minds at ease. I hope we see more developers whose apps support creative fields take a similar stand.
Hardware Ideas Apple Should Steal
Federico
App Debuts
...
This Week on MacStories Podcasts
...