Podcast Rewind: Experiment Season, A Plain Text Challenge, Tech Nostalgia, and Audiobooks

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John kick off their holiday app and automation experimentation season a little earlier than usual with a mix of apps, automations, and services.

On AppStories+, they look ahead, considering the future of Shortcuts and automation.

Comfort Zone

Niléane is getting bold with laptop appendages, Chris is nostalgic about the iPad Pro, and everyone gets weird with text files.

This week’s Cozy Zone is a deep dive into 2012’s Les Misérables film.

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico and John explore tech nostalgia and the importance of tech history before picking a new TV series and music artist.

Magic Rays of Light

Sigmund and Devon discuss Devon’s new audiobook listening habit and what it’s taught him about adaptations. Then, they share gift ideas for the Apple TV fan in your life.

Podcast Rewind: Dream Apps, Steam Hardware Announcements, Planning Weekend Excursions, and Come See Me in the Good Light

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

Matt has a mouse that looks like a zebra, Niléane quotes some cool new stuff in the Mastodon world, and everyone pitches their dream app. (One of them may already exist!)

On Cozy Zone, the gang roasts their very lovely listeners’ desk setups.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week in a special early release of NPC, the guys dig into Valve’s announcement of the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Stream Controller, a trio of SteamOS devices poised to make a big splash in 2026.

On NPC XL, Federico, John, and Brendon cover the Steam Frame but are mostly excited about it means for Windows gaming on ARM.

MacStories Unwind

This week, John shares how he plans weekend activities with Instagram and Apple Maps, Federico tests dictation apps, and both share their first impressions of the new Apple TV show Pluribus.

Magic Rays of Light

Sigmund and Devon highlight Apple Original documentary Come See Me in the Good Light and return to Palm Beach for the second season of Palm Royale. Then, they discuss changes coming to profiles in tvOS 26.2.

Podcast Rewind: Digital Decluttering and Liquid-Cooled Mobile Gaming

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, John and Federico spin a Saturday morning of iPhone app cleanup into a full blown digital declutter across all devices with the help of some of their favorite apps.

Then on AppStories+, Federico has more to share from his ongoing Typing Mind experiments, and John explains how he’s using Claude Code to crunch spreadsheets with one million rows.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week on NPC, Brendon, Federico, and John explore where mobile phone gaming is heading and reflect on what Nintendo’s latest earnings report means for the Switch 2, before Brendon shares his first impressions of the Miyoo Mini Flip

On NPC XL, Federico, John, and Brendon explore what’s behind the sudden surge of innovation in mobile phone controllers and where mobile gaming may be heading.

Podcast Rewind: Find My Adventures, X Factor Italy, and Pluribus

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

Chris simplifies his backpack, Matt has complex feelings about the new Affinity Studio, and Niléane’s challenge has her questioning the sanity of the American suburbs.

On Cozy Zone, everyone reveals what they think they’re in the top 1% of the world at.

MacStories Unwind

This week, Ticci Ticci jump scare videos, a seafood feast, and Federico’s latest fixation: X Factor Italy 2025. Plus, the return of a favorite Netflix rom-com series and an Apple TV comedy, and, of course, a special show notes-only Unwind deal.

Magic Rays of Light

Sigmund and Devon highlight the debut of Vince Gilligan’s Apple Original series Pluribus.

Podcast Rewind: AI Browsers and the Return of Thor

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John look at the hype surrounding AI browsers to see if there’s any there there.

On AppStories+, Federico explains his experiments with lightning fast alternative AI models in Typing Mind.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, the big story is Retroid’s dual announcement of the Pocket 6 alongside the Pocket G2 and the ensuing drama. Then, the guys return to the Ayn Thor for Brendon and Federico’s first impressions.

This episode is sponsored by:

JSAUX – Your destination for Switch 2 and other handheld gaming accessories. Don’t miss JSAUX’s big Halloween sale:

10% OFF – 2 items
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20% OFF – 4 or more items

On NPC XL, Brendon is grilled by John and Federico about the MCON mobile phone controller that looks like a PSP Go.

Podcast Rewind: Gaming Highs and Lows, Clicking with Notion, and an Apple TV+ Rebrand

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

Niléane is experiencing the lowest lows with gaming, but Chris is full of joy. Meanwhile, the gang’s attempts to use local LLMs ranges from similar low lows to joy as well.

In the Cozy Zone, Niléane challenges the dads to a wild mini game of Internet football (⚽ football, not 🏈 football).

MacStories Unwind

This week, John explains why Notion is finally working for him, after which he and Federico share new Apple TV series and videogame picks. Plus, two Unwind deal picks.

Magic Rays of Light

Sigmund and Devon discuss Apple TV+ rebranding as Apple TV, Apple’s exclusive deal with F1 in the U.S., and the possibility of Apple buying Warner Bros. Discovery.

Podcast Rewind: The M5 iPad Pro, AYN Thor First Impressions, and an Interview with Brendon Bigley

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John consider whether Apple made the case for running local LLMs and gaming on the M5 iPad Pro and discusss who should consider buying it.

On AppStories+, we explain how Claude Skills work and why they are one of Anthropic’s most exciting features in a while.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, a Retroid tease, the Miyoo Mini Flip goes on sale, and John is the first of the gang to get the Ayn Thor.

This week on NPC XL, the crew shares their experiences using GameHub.

First, Last, Everything

This episode’s guest, Brendon Bigley, is, in his words, extremely online. He helped build the podcasting platform Anchor, which was acquired by Spotify in 2019, and he worked for Marvel, overseeing its presence on YouTube and other platforms. But what most people know him for is his opinions and passion for gaming and tech in general. He co-hosts the gaming podcasts Into the Aether and NPC, and he blogs and publishes videos under the Wavelengths banner.

Podcast Rewind: Phone Reviews and Daily Notes

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

Matt reviews basically every phone of 2025, Chris has Apple silicon Christmas in October, and the whole gang gets creative on their phones.

In the Cozy Zone, the gang discusses everything in their travel bags.

MacStories Unwind

This week, John asks Federico to explain how he uses Daily Notes in Notion, after which they discuss the AI browsers and why they are so disappointing.

Podcast Rewind: What’s Next for Apple Intelligence, Budget Android Handhelds, and an Interview with Joe Rosensteel

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John discuss what might be next for Apple Intelligence and how it fits into the broader AI market.

On AppStories+, Federico and John cover the fallout from the Sora app and why AI can’t replace human creativity.

This episode is sponsored by:

Claude: Get 50% off Claude Pro, including access to Claude Code.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Steam Deck, Switch 2, and Vision Pro accessory follow-up, Thunderbolt 5 eGPUs, Android handhelds break into the budget category, and the ROG Xbox Ally X is a bust.

On NPC XL, Apple’s M5 chip promise gaming advances on the iPad, but can it deliver?

First, Last, Everything

On this episode, we’re joined by Joe Rosensteel. Joe is a VFX artist who’s worked on big-name Hollywood productions as well as smaller commercial projects. He’s a writer on his own blog and for the Six Colors website, and he also has a podcast with Dan Sturm called Defocused.