Podcast Rewind: Tech Predictions, A New Game Show, and Weird CES Returns

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

Last week was the annual predictions episode! The gang reflected on their predictions from 2025 and then made their Guaranteed To Be Correct Predictions for 2026. No boring predictions here; we started at Pro predictions and went all the way to Pro Max.

Last week’s Cozy Zone had everyone discussing the tricky business of streaming music and how we actually get artists paid.

And this week, Matt needs some help figuring out what browser to use, Niléane has a new game show, and Chris challenges the gang to clean up their desk area.

On this week’s Cozy Zone, the gang discusses their tech white whales. If they had unlimited funds, what would they buy? A nice camera? A beefy computer? A whole company?!

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico and John share how they unwound during their holiday break, John has a report on CES 2026, Federico recommends Avatar: Fire and Ash, and John does a Parks and Rec rewatch and has a superhero movie deal for listeners.

Immersive Basketball Games Come to Apple Vision Pro on January 9

By Devon Dundee

Source: Apple.

Last year, Apple announced a partnership with cable company Spectrum and the Los Angeles Lakers to stream select games in Apple Immersive Video on Vision Pro. Today, the company announced the schedule and availability of the games, which will be offered via Spectrum Front Row starting this Friday.

These are the dates the games will be streamed live in Immersive Video:

Friday, January 9, at 7:30 p.m PT
Thursday, February 5, at 7:00 p.m. PT
Friday, February 20, at 7:00 p.m. PT
Thursday, March 5, at 7:00 p.m. PT
Tuesday, March 10, at 8:00 p.m. PT
Monday, March 30, at 7:00 p.m. PT

In the press release, Apple revealed details of what viewers can expect from the broadcasts:

Spectrum Front Row in Apple Immersive is directed and produced for Vision Pro with a feed of up to 150 Mbps and seven unique viewing angles: the scorer’s table, the area beneath each basket, a high-and-wide view of the arena, the player tunnel, the broadcast booth, and a roaming courtside perspective for interviews and commentary. The broadcast team features Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mark Rogondino and three-time NBA champion and former Lakers forward Danny Green as an analyst.

Spectrum SportsNet subscribers in the Lakers regional broadcast territory (Southern California, Hawaii, and parts of southern Nevada) can watch immersive games live via the Spectrum SportsNet app or the NBA app. Viewers in other U.S. markets will have access to highlights and full-game replays later, beginning this Sunday, for free via the NBA app or in the SportsNet app with a subscription.

The games will be available in some international markets as well. Users in Japan, Singapore, and South Korea will have access to live immersive games in the NBA app, while users in Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the UAE, and the UK will be able to watch replays up to 24 hours after each game has ended.

The Vision Pro’s potential for offering viewers the thrill of attending sports events has been a part of the product’s story from the very beginning, with the company including sports footage in the first demos shown to attendees at WWDC 2023. And while we’ve seen highlight videos of various sporting events released publicly since then, this collaboration marks the first time Vision Pro users will be able to experience a full game in Immersive Video. This is also the first time the format will be used for live video rather than on-demand. It’s only a handful of games from one team, but this is a step forward for Immersive Video and the Vision Pro itself that I’m looking forward to experiencing myself this weekend.

Podcast Rewind: Apps in 2026 and The Best Handhelds of the Year

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John look ahead to 2026 and what it will mean for apps, smarter Siri, and more.

On AppStories+, Federico and John update listeners on their latest app experiments and holiday hardware projects.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Brendon, Federico, and John pick their top handheld consoles of 2025.

On NPC XL, Federico, John, and Brendon share their HOTY Honorable Mentions and trends they expect for 2026.

Podcast Rewind: The 2025 MacStories Selects Awards, John’s Journey into Bazzite, Techy Clothes Shopping, and The Best Music of the Year

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John reveal the winners of the 2025 MacStories Selects Awards, which celebrate the exceptional design, innovation, and creativity of apps across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.

On AppStories+, John has some Apple Music discovery tips for Federico, and they reveal the iPhone features they don’t use.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, handhelds are shipping for the holidays, AYANEO makes a bold bet on a phone, a new Strix Halo tablet one-ups the ASUS ROG Flow Z13, and John dips a toe in the Bazzite waters.

On NPC XL, Federico jumps into the Bazzite mini PC world, while Brendon is revisiting the iPod on handheld consoles.

Comfort Zone

Chris reflects on a big year of changes, Matt has turned his garage into a mini-factory, and the gang buys clothes, but in a techy way.

On Cozy Zone, we draft fonts…for real this time!

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico and John close out the year by sharing their favorite music of 2025.

Podcast Rewind: Vibe Coded Tools, Reading the Steam Tea Leaves, New Keyboard Layouts, and the Best Videogames of the Year

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John explain how they go about creating personal productivity tools with the assistance of AI and walk through some of what they have created.

On AppStories+, we talk about our Black Friday tech purchases.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, AYANEO goes big – very, very big – and we read the tea leaves from Sean Hollister’s interview of Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais.

Then on NPC XL, no one could resist Black Friday, so everyone wound up with a new PC.

Comfort Zone

Chris is making a bunch of changes going into 2026, Niléane has another snazzy audio app update, and everyone navigates the pain of trying to use a new keyboard layout.

In the Cozy Zone, the gang drafted fonts. As you can image, strong opinions were felt.

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico and John share their favorite videogames of 2025.

Awake: A Considered, Effective Alarm for Chronic Snoozers

By Devon Dundee

Waking up on time is a quintessential human problem. Over the years, we’ve come up with all kinds of solutions, from ringing analog clocks to flashing lights to motorized digital clocks that roll away from our bedsides as they chime, forcing us to get up and find them to turn them off. But what if there was a way to use a device you already have – your phone – to help you break the habit of snoozing and actually get out of bed when you’re supposed to?

That’s what unorderly, the team behind the day planner app and App Store Awards 2025 finalist Structured, have set out to do with their new alarm app Awake. Built on the newly introduced AlarmKit API, which gives third-party alarm apps the same level of system access as Apple’s Clock app, Awake takes a comprehensive approach to setting alarms that’s meant not only to wake you up but to help you feel more alert and prepared for the day when you do.

If you’ve ever used Structured before, you’re aware of how deeply the unorderly team considers every element of their work, from the color scheme to the fine details of editing events, to make tools that are both elegant and powerful. I’m happy to report that the same level of care is reflected in Awake, both in its design and in the balance of simplicity and customization it offers.

Podcast Rewind: Black Friday Gadgets and This Year’s Best Shows and Movies

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

Matt wants to give the AirPods Pro 3 a piece of his mind, Niléane has another old school music app for the Mac, and everyone brings their best Black Friday deals. (Uh, hope you got them already. 😅)

This week’s Cozy Zone is the challenging TineGuessr, where you look at a photo and guess where and when it was taken. Easier said than done, or is the gang going to set a new world record?

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico and John share their favorite TV shows and movies of 2025.

Podcast Rewind: Apps with Liquid Glass and SteamOS Plans

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John dig into some of their favorite apps that have adopted Apple’s Liquid Glass design language.

On AppStories+, it’s John’s 10th anniversary at MacStories, so he and Federico look back at the last decade.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, the Retroid G2 and Anbernic DS look like duds, the Xbox full-screen experience for PCs is out to more users, and John flirts with the idea of a mini PC for SteamOS.

On NPC XL, Federico rearranges his living room and plans a SteamOS-ready living room gaming setup.

Podcast Rewind: App Evolution, Odin 3 Emulation, Window Management, and TV Affiliates

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John explore current changes to the world of apps through the lens of its past evolution.

On AppStories+, we build “money’s no object” holiday wish lists for ourselves.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Brendon, Federico, and John catch up on a grab bag of news before diving deeper into the Ayn Odin 3’s emulation and streaming potential, the possibility that the rumored TrimUI Smart Pro S could become the default budget recommendation for horizontal handhelds, and the 11” 3D Abxylute 3D One.

Then on NPC XL, John and Federico are tempted to build their own Steam Machines, while Brendon went ahead and did it already by converting his Windows Mini PC.

Comfort Zone

It’s the window management episode! Chris has even more iPad news, and AeroSpace nearly tears the gang apart.

This week’s Cozy Zone is an Apple accessory tier list, and dear listener, the knives come out.

MacStories Unwind

This week, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, Federico is curious about American TV and has a TV pick, while John follows up on a couple of TV shows and other media he’s looking forward to in the coming weeks.