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Finalist

A paper-inspired daily planner with notes for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and now Apple Watch. A day you design your way.

Jungle Shot 11 Music Videos in Four Days with Apple Creator Studio

Source: [Apple](https://apps.apple.com/us/story/id6788556021).

Source: Apple.

Today, Jungle released their fifth studio album, Sunshine. Alongside the release, Apple published a look at how the band used Apple Creator Studio to film 11 music videos in just four days, an impressive feat no matter the technology used.

Source:
Apple.

The band’s toolbox included Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Pixelmator Pro to capture the series of signature one-shot take videos. According to the App Store feature on the band’s process, Logic Pro was where the entire album was produced. The app’s Varispeed feature was also used to shift the tempo of songs while maintaining pitch as they shot the videos.

Final Cut Pro’s Magnetic Mask was used to composite footage quickly. Jungle’s Tom McFarland told Apple:

Final Cut Pro is like a magic sword. There’s one shot for the track ‘Romeo II,’ where the camera accidentally caught some of the lighting rig. With five clicks, the editor was able to paint it out. It just automatically knows.

Pixelmator Pro on the iPad with an Apple Pencil and Mac enabled the band’s team to add artwork and posters to the final product, too.

But of all the quotes from the band, J Lloyd’s comment really struck a chord with me:

We didn’t have to worry about the tech. We could just focus on getting the design right. I could pick up the iPad between takes and keep sketching on Pixelmator Pro, and it all just worked.

I love apps, or I wouldn’t write about them every day, but what I love even more is the creativity they enable. Getting a glimpse of how one of my favorite bands uses some of the same tools I do was a treat.

Podcast Rewind: Folding iPhone Possibilities, Portable Gaming on a Folding Phone, a Headphone Problem, and Classic Game Revivals

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, John is joined by Christoper Lawley to discuss uses for a folding iPhone and Parchment, Lawley’s daily agenda app.

On AppStories+, John and Chris dig into audio and video workflows for podcasting and YouTube.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, folding phones and gaming, updates on upcoming handhelds, and GammaOS on the RG Rotate.

On NPC XL, John and Brendon revisit the Playdate via Crankboy.

Comfort Zone

Matt has some pretty good but not perfect Switch 2 controllers. Niléane has a new set of headphones and assures us she doesn’t have a problem. And everyone tries to make the best gaming recommendations for their co-hosts.

On Cozy Zone, the gang has a lively discussion about the new The Mandalorian and Grogu movie.

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico returns from the beach, he and John discuss the explosion of classic videogames being ported to the iPhone, iPad, and Android, and they share a couple of Apple TV picks.

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Hands-On with Computer History: OpenAI’s Take on Agent Memory

Late yesterday, OpenAI revealed the sort of automation catnip I love: Computer History. It’s a new feature for Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers that creates continuity for ChatGPT and Codex by converting the actions you take on your Mac into Markdown memory files that serve as context for subsequent interactions. The idea is that with the additional context, ChatGPT and Codex will better understand your requests, requiring you to provide less detail up front while getting better results. Anyone familiar with OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, and similar projects will know where this is going.

Here’s how it works.

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Raising the Gates Is Not the Way to Improve the App Store→

Jeff Johnson has a knack for finding spam on the App Store. Yesterday it was review spam, and today it’s app submission spam. In a post where he called out an individual for releasing 41 apps, and presumably contributing to slow app review times, Johnson proposed a solution:

…bring back Apple Developer Program tiers and review app updates post-release for proven developers. Why should Marco Arment go into the same App Store review queue as AI slop? Does that make any sense for developers, for Apple users, or for Apple? Is there no way for developers to earn Apple’s trust, no matter how long they’ve been in the App Store, no matter how famous or beloved? Should professional software developers whose livelihood depends on the App Store go into the same review queue as hobbyists? Speaking for myself, I would be willing to pay a much higher developer program fee for improved service, including a separate review queue. I suspect that a much higher developer program fee might also deter scams and AI slop, typically looking for a fast, easy buck.

I’ve heard versions of this argument since before the App Store first opened its doors, and it’s never sat well with me. Maybe that’s because when I first heard someone argue that established developers or the ones who could afford it should get preferential treatment, I was an unknown hobbyist learning Objective-C and trying to build an app myself. It struck me as gatekeeping then, and it still does today.

There’s no doubt that there is spam on the App Store, but the way to remove it is to target the spammers, not new developers, students, and hobbyists looking to build their ideas. I know that being an indie developer isn’t an easy way to make a living, but erecting barriers to submitting apps is the surest way to starve Apple platforms of fresh, innovative ideas. That hurts everyone from users who would have fewer choices to the established developers who would find themselves writing apps for a stagnant platform.

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Big Walk: A Good Hang with Friends

I dove into Big Walk with no expectations at all. I’d seen trailers leading up to the launch and knew that it was a co-op puzzle game from House House, the makers of Untitled Goose Game, but that was about it. And because most of my gaming is done solo, I initially tuned out most of the game’s post-launch headlines. Still, Big Walk is published by Panic, which has a great track record for finding and publishing great indie games, so I decided to give it a try earlier this week. And you know what? I love it.

Big Walk is about as low-key as a puzzle game gets in the best possible way. Co-op is the only mode, so you’ll need to coordinate a time to play it with a friend or group. One person takes the lead, setting up the session and inviting the others. The process is far simpler than trying to find a time that works for everyone in your group.

As players join, you’re dropped into a space to wait for the others and explore a little. This lobby space is where you’ll learn the game’s controls, too. Big Walk supports keyboard and mouse input as well as a controller, which is what I used, playing on an M4 Max MacBook Pro.

Once you get your bearings, it’s time to exit the lobby and start exploring. That exploration is core to what Big Walk is all about. You aren’t told what to do, but there are just enough clues to push you forward, figuring out the goals on your own without too much trouble.

I played using AirPods Pro 3, and the game made great use of their mics and speakers, simulating the environments we were in. Closed spaces were echoey, and speech was distant and faint when we were separated. Sound even becomes part of the mechanic in some puzzles, such as an early one where you have to look through an open window to hear each other properly and help guide the other player’s actions.

That cooperation is the key part of the game’s loop. You may see how to solve Big Walk’s puzzles on your own, but implementing the solution will require you and a companion to work together.

The togetherness of it all extends beyond the puzzles, too. Big Walk’s environment (at least in the early stages) is mountainous with large rocks and trees that make it possible to get separated from others. Add to that day and night cycles where it’s almost impossible to see where you’re going at night without a light, and you have every incentive not to wander off on your own without a plan for how to reconnect.

I’ve played through Big Walk’s first couple of sections, and it was a blast. The puzzles were clever and challenging without being frustrating, but most of all, I enjoyed working through them with someone else. There’s no time pressure or monsters lurking around corners – just puzzles and a chance to chat.

Ultimately, that’s what makes Big Walk work. It’s a good hang built against the backdrop of a beautiful landscape and low-key, fun challenges. I highly recommend giving it a try.

Big Walk, which supports crossplay and 2–12 players, is available on the Mac App Store for $14.99. The game is also on Steam, the Switch 2, and PS5.

Friday Night Baseball Goes Immersive August 28 on Apple Vision Pro

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

The next big push for Apple Immersive Video on Vision Pro has been revealed: live baseball games. Starting August 28 and running through the rest of the regular MLB season, the company will stream one real-time immersive matchup per week exclusively on Vision Pro as part of its Friday Night Baseball lineup on Apple TV.

Immersive games will feature an in-stadium experience with Spatial Audio captured by ambisonic microphones, special graphics like team lineups and stats floating in view, and a dedicated commentary team made up of play-by-play commentator Paul Severino, analyst Xavier Scruggs, and sideline reporter Michelle Margaux. If you’ve seen any of the immersive Lakers basketball games broadcast this year, you have an idea of how these elements come together with Immersive Video to create a rich, lifelike experience.

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Finalist: A Paper-Inspired Daily Planner with Notes for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Now Apple Watch [Sponsor]

If you read MacStories, you might have caught John’s Finalist 1.0 review a few years back. A lot has changed since: version 4.0 is out this week, its biggest update yet. Finalist is a paper-inspired daily planner for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and now Apple Watch, giving you one place to plan your day, week and month. It wrangles all your stuff into one cohesive system to help you stay on top of it all: Reminders, Calendars, habits, tasks, notes, weather, and lots more.

New in 4.0 are Notes. Write native notes that sync to your iCloud, or point Finalist at a folder of markdown files and it round-trips cleanly with Obsidian vaults, GitHub, or any editor you like. Markdown tasks inside those files show up in your timelines as real tasks, on the right date, with the right tags. There are even timeline swimlanes per tag, to visualize any endeavour.

The Watch app is also new and it extends Finalist to your wrist. Its Now card answers the day’s current question: your first moves in the morning, the running time block with a countdown, an evening wrap-up with streaks to protect. It has some very nifty complications and a Smart Stack widget.

Or take a look at Broadsheet, a newsprint-inspired layout that shines on big screens. It has delightful touches throughout: tap a World Clock and the whole page retunes to another city, with date, weather, tasks, and appointments all in that timezone. The Timeline tab lets you sketch your day in pencil. Perfect for timeblocking, especially with Pencil Pro and its squeeze menu.

Apple has featured Finalist as App of the Day multiple times, and a large Discord community drives it forward. To help you try it, MacStories readers get 50% off their first year with code MACSTORIES40.

Our thanks to Finalist for sponsoring MacStories this week.

EA Sports Tailors Madden NFL 27 for Apple Arcade

EA Sports has released Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition, a version of the popular football simulation franchise that Apple Arcade subscribers can play on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. It’s a big release built specifically to take advantage of Apple hardware, allowing players to play the game on a wide variety of hardware.

I was struck by how easy it is to pick up and play the game whether you’re a diehard NFL fan or not. I don’t follow football closely, but I was able to get the hang of the game and have fun right away, knocking out a Quick Play match when I had a few minutes to spare.

Quick Play tightly limits the overall time it takes to complete a matchup, but it doesn’t sacrifice depth in the process. There are long lists of plays you can run, including suggested plays, play types, formations, and recents, as well as a wide variety of statistics. And after a big play, you can replay it with total control over the camera angle, too.

However, if you want to go really deep, the game’s Franchise Mode lets you play a full NFL season, managing your team all the way through the playoffs. You can also draft your dream team from the game’s huge catalog of real-world NFL stars. Plus, during the real-world NFL season, player attributes shift based on their actual performance.

Madden NFL 27 also looks terrific. The 120Hz playback is smooth on the iPhone, where I spent most of my time with the game, and even nicer on a bigger screen like my 14” M4 Max MacBook Pro, making for an immersive experience.

What impresses me most about Madden NFL 27, though, is how well it makes use of the Apple hardware and technologies at its disposal. Too often, those sorts of details get left behind when a big release is published on Apple platforms.

To its credit, EA has done an excellent job adapting Madden NFL 27 for Apple Arcade subscribers. You can play across every device mentioned above, leaving off on one device and picking up on another seamlessly because saves sync across devices. Every device supports game controllers and touch where applicable, and those devices with 120Hz displays support that, too.

Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition is available now on the App Store as part of an Apple Arcade subscription. The game is debuting on other platforms next week.