Know before you go. Get detailed turbulence forecasts for your exact route, now available 5 days in advance.
This week on AppStories, we dig into SharePlay and the other changes released last week with iOS and iPadOS 15.1.
Federico returns to modding iPad accessories for his iPad mini and John wonders whether he should get one of the new MacBook Pros.
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Automation Academy: Diving Deeper into Reminders Actions Hello everyone, and welcome to the second lesson of the Automation Academy for Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members. In the first lesson, I covered the new Files actions in iOS and iPadOS 15, explaining how the deeper integration supported by Apple this year enables the creation of more advanced workflows that deal with saving...
Read moreBenjamin Mayo writing for 9to5Mac reports that Apple has published its first podcast that isn’t tied to a TV+ property or Apple News. The show, called Hooked, is a true-crime story featuring career bank robber Tony Hathaway. As Mayo notes, the show is listed as an ‘Apple Original podcast.’
Perhaps more notable is that there doesn’t seem to be a standard RSS feed associated with the show. Instead, the show’s first four episodes and trailer are available only via the Apple Podcasts app. Of course, a feed could be added, but if one isn’t, this would mark Apple’s first foray into exclusive audio content, something which Spotify has been doing for quite some time.
During an investor call last week that Podnews reported on, Spotify declared itself the number one podcast provider in the US and over 60 other countries based on an Edison Research report. As a result, it would come as no surprise if Apple has begun competing head-to-head with Spotify with its own exclusive audio content in the highly-popular true-crime category. At the same time, though, one of podcasting’s strengths has always been its open nature, and it would be a shame to see that further eroded by Apple, which has been a steward of the format for so long.
Update: Although not indexed and available in all podcast apps yet, Hooked does have a traditional RSS feed, which can be found here.
Downie for Mac is a simple yet powerful app that allows you to save content from YouTube, Youku, Bilibili, QQ, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Vimeo, and thousands of other sites. Just click on a button in your browser’s toolbar, and Downie will start downloading the content.
Downie can also be set up to extract just the audio, which is ideal for downloading podcasts and other audio material that you listen to when traveling or just commuting.
By default, Downie will take care of most of the workflow for you, selecting the best quality available, sorting downloads by the site they originate from, sorting downloads by playlists, converting the downloaded files into commonly used formats if needed (MP4, MP3), setting the metadata, and more.
But if you are a power user, you will be delighted to know that Downie also has even more powerful features, such as Permute integration, CSV import, an automated mode for uninterrupted downloads while you are not at the computer (or if you run Downie on a server), custom post-processing scripts, custom site integrations via JavaScript, saving extracted metadata into a separate JSON file, and so much more.
Using Transloader by Matthias Gansrigler from Eternal Storms Software, you can also send links from your iOS device to Downie on your Mac.
For a limited time only, MacStories readers can buy Downie with a 25% discount by using on this link or manually entering the discount coupon “MACSTORIES2021” during checkout.
This discount can also be used for the already-discounted Downie + Permute bundle. See Downie’s webpage for more information.
Our thanks to Downie for sponsoring MacStories this week.
Everything New in iOS and iPadOS 15.1 
This week, Federico and John dig into SharePlay and the other changes released last week with iOS and iPadOS 15.1.
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.
Monthly Log: October 2021 In this month's edition of the Monthly Log:
MacStories Weekly: Issue 296 This week, in addition to the usual links, app debuts, and recap of MacStories' articles and podcasts:
Sponsored by: Daylite – It’s Monterey Ready!
This week on MacStories Unwind:
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Source: austinmann.com
Pro photographer Austin Mann has been testing a new MacBook Pro M1 Max with 64GB RAM and an 8TB SSD in Arizona. As always, his review includes beautiful images that required substantial computer power to create. After running the highest-end version of the MacBook Pro through its paces, Mann came away impressed by the laptop’s fast charging and power efficiency, as well as its overall performance:
In summary, the most impressive performance from the new MacBook Pro M1 Max wasn’t just speed (it was about twice as fast), but it was insanely efficient in how it managed both its power and heat, which matters as much or more than pure speed.
Mann’s review does an excellent job capturing how the new MacBook Pros work as a package. It’s not just that they are power efficient or fast, but the combination of multiple advances that has enabled such a substantial leap forward over previous models.
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Federico
John