This Week's Sponsor:

Turbulence Forecast

Know before you go. Get detailed turbulence forecasts for your exact route, now available 5 days in advance.

AppStories, Ep. 231 - 36 minutes

The App Customization Trend

FedericoJohn
AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 231 - The App Customization Trend

0:00
36:11

↓

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week, Federico and John discuss the emerging trend of app customization, which along with app modularity, lets users control how apps work and look.

:::if {.appstories}
On AppStories+, Federico provides an update about the progress on his review, and John wonders why the Mac share sheet has been so badly neglected by Apple.
:::

:::not {.appstories}

This episode is sponsored by:

  • Instabug – Ship Quality Apps with Real-Time Contextual Insights.
  • DEVONthink by DEVONtechnologies – The one place for storing and working with all your documents, snippets, and bookmarks.
  • Pillow – Sleeping better, made simple.
    :::

Modularity and its Relationship to Customization

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on Instagram

MacUpdater: Keep All Your Software Effortlessly Up-to-Date [Sponsor]

MacUpdater is an effortless way to ensure that all the software on your Mac is always up-to-date with the latest version. With a single click, the app scans your system for installed software and provides you with a comprehensive list of everything that is outdated in one simple, clear interface. It’s the perfect tool to keep your Mac’s software running smoothly and securely.

MacUpdater has an enormous built-in database of version information for over 60,000 apps and can update 6,000 of the most popular of those with a single click. What’s more, MacUpdater is actively maintained all the way back to version 1, so no matter which version you’re using, you know you can rely on MacUpdater to get the job done.

With version 2, MacUpdater added the ability to update multiple apps simultaneously, the ability to update non-app software you’ve installed, password-free updates for non-admin accounts, support for Big Sur and Apple silicon Macs, faster system scans, and much more. The app supports the latest technologies like the Touch Bar too.

MacUpdater is available as a one-time purchase. There’s no subscription, other recurring fees, or hidden costs, and for a limited time, readers of MacStories can get a 10% discount when they use the coupon code MACSTORIESQ3 at checkout. So visit MacUpdater’s website today to learn more about this terrific utility and to take control of updates on your Mac.

Our thanks to MacUpdater for sponsoring MacStories this week.

MacStories Unwind: Alto Returns, Transloader Review, and a New Way to Organize and Charge Your Gear

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps
0:00
21:14

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

Sponsored by: Hook – Find Without Searching

This week, Federico and John talk about the new trailer for Alto’s Odyssey: Lost City, which is coming to Apple Arcade soon, John’s review of a big update to Transloader, the Kensington StudioCaddy, plus videogame and music picks for your weekend.

MacStories

Club MacStories

  • MacStories Weekly
    • Beyond iPhone and iPad Gaming
    • Safari tab tips for macOS Monterey
    • Unabridged interviews with Majid Jabrayilov, Ish ShaBazz, Sawyer Blatz, and John Sundell
    • MacStories Unplugged

AppStories

Unwind

Team Alto Releases Trailer for Alto’s Odyssey: Lost City, A Special Edition of the Original Game Coming to Apple Arcade

Next Friday, July 16th, Alto’s Odyssey: Lost City is coming to Apple Arcade. Lost City is a special edition of the hit sandboarding game by Team Alto (a collaboration between Land & Sea and Snowman) that debuted on the App Store in early 2018, winning an Apple Design Award and Game of the Year in our inaugural MacStories Selects Awards. If you’re not familiar with Alto’s Odyssey, I recommend reading Federico’s review. It’s one of my favorite of his reviews because it so perfectly captures the charm and vibe that makes Alto’s Odyssey special.

First teased by Team Alto last month, the new trailer below provides a glimpse of what appears to be an ancient city through which Alto will race.

Knowing the team behind Alto’s Odyssey, I expect Lost City will be a great way for existing fans to get more out of the original game and new players to discover the fun that garnered the game such a loyal following three years ago.

Alto’s Odyssey: Lost City is already listed on the App Store, where Arcade subscribers can pre-order it, so they are notified when the game becomes available on July 16th.

Transloader 3: A Simple, Versatile Way to Remotely Manage Mac File Downloads from an iPhone or iPad

Matthias Gansrigler of Eternal Storms Software recently released Transloader 3, an app for remotely controlling Mac file downloads from an iPhone or iPad. Although the app has been around for a long time, version 3 might as well be a completely new app because it’s packed with new features, making it worth revisiting if you haven’t tried it in a while.

Transloader is one of those utilities that reduces the friction of working on multiple devices by solving a common problem that Apple’s OSes could handle better: cross-device downloads. There are a couple of scenarios where I run into this all the time. The first is with email. With no TestFlight for Mac yet, developers often send me links to a ZIP or DMG file of their apps to try. Going through email messages is one of those tasks that I often leave until late in the day when I’m away from my desk, using my iPad or iPhone. The second scenario is when I’m researching apps and find one or a related press kit I want to download to check out later.

In both cases, I could save the app or other files to iCloud Drive’s Downloads folder and revisit the materials the next time I’m at my Mac. However, with Transloader, I’ve got many more options thanks to its built-in automation tools as well as other features that make managing downloaded files easier.

Read more

Kensington Releases Two-Piece StudioCaddy Charging Station and Organizer for Apple Devices

Today, Kensington released the StudioCaddy, a $179.99, two-piece charging station and device organizer for Apple devices. Kensington sent me a review unit, which I’ve been using for about a week, so I thought I’d share my first impressions.

The StudioCaddy has a unique two-piece design. One half features Qi charging stations for an iPhone and AirPods, plus USB-A and USB-C charging ports. The other half is a weighted stand with slots to hold a Mac laptop and iPad vertically. The two parts can be used separately or connected magnetically.

Read more

AppStories, Ep. 230 - 32 minutes

An Interview with Marcos Tanaka

FedericoJohn
AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 230 - An Interview with Marcos Tanaka

0:00
32:05

↓

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week, Federico and John continue the MacStories Summer OS Preview Series by interviewing Marcos Tanaka, the creator of MusicHarbor and MusicSmart about the latest changes to Apple’s music-related frameworks, his apps, and more.

:::if {.appstories}
On AppStories+, Federico and John go behind the scenes about their OS preview stories, discuss Shortcuts for Mac, and Federico is searching for his Wii U.
:::

:::not {.appstories}

This episode is sponsored by:

  • Concepts – Sketch, note, draw
  • Memberful – Monetize your passion with membership
    :::

An Inteview with Marcos Tanaka

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on Instagram