NPC’s Connected Takeover: I Got the RGB Going On →

Friday is Relay’s annual Podcastathon for St. Jude. They’re raising money during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the Podcastathon is a fun 12-hour live streamed show from your favorite Relay hosts that begins at Noon Eastern on Friday, September 20th. If you haven’t donated, yet, you can do so here. It’s a great cause that we’d love MacStories readers to get behind. For more details be sure to see my post from August.

As you can imagine, our pals Stephen and Myke are a little busy getting ready for their big show at the end of the week. So, they did something very trusting and handed over this week’s Connected episode to Federico who invited me and Brendon, his co-hosts on NPC: Next Portable Console, to join him.

The episode was a blast, covering topics like:

Flappy Bird’s questionable upcoming return to the App Store that was announced recently;
The devices we purchased in the aftermath of Apple’s Glowtime event and why;
Federico’s different approach to this year’s iOS and iPadOS 18 review and what it means for MacStories more broadly; and
How we’d fix Apple’s approach to videogames if we were in charge.

Plus, for the Connected Pro segment, subscribers got to hear all about our weird super powers.

Thanks to Myke, Stephen, and Federico for having Brendon and me on Connected today, so we could put a temporary NPC spin on the show.

Permalink

Apple Opens Up About Language Support for Apple Intelligence →

Linked By John Voorhees

Apple previously said Apple Intelligence will launch with support for U.S. English only, but other languages will be added over the next year. The company has gotten a little more specific than before with statements to The Verge and others that, over the next year, additional languages will include:

German
Italian
Korean
Portuguese
Vietnamese
and others

In addition, according to Allison Johnson at The Verge:

Apple’s AI feature set will expand to include localized English in the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand in December, with India and Singapore joining the mix next year. The company already announced plans to support Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish next year as well.

It’s good to see Apple becoming more open with information about its plans for Apple Intelligence language support. The iPhone 16 will be out this Friday, and Apple Intelligence’s language support will undoubtedly be a factor for many customers considering whether to upgrade to the latest model.

Permalink

The Latest from AppStories and Ruminate

By John Voorhees

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

This week, Federico and John tackle Apple’s updates to iOS and iPadOS 18 and Federico’s review of both.

In a special AppStories+ segment available as a special review season perk to all listeners, Federico explains what led him to take a different approach to this year’s annual review.

This episode is sponsored by:

Sentry: Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. Try it for free.

Robb goes on an epic quest and fails, John has been writing reviews, and the they discuss Astro Bot.

Six Colors Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary →

Linked By John Voorhees

A decade is an eternity on the web, which makes Six Colors’ tenth anniversary something special. It’s weird how “web time” works. On the one hand, Six Colors feels like the sort of institution that’s always been there. On the other hand, it also feels like yesterday that Jason Snell and Dan Moren left Macworld and Six Colors got its start.

Here’s Jason on his immediate jump from corporate media to working for himself:

Ten years ago I took a leap into working for myself, not working in corporate media. For most days since, I’ve worked in my garage, writing articles for my site, recording podcasts, and writing the occasional piece for other places (including my former employer, which I couldn’t ever have predicted). Lauren and I agreed we’d spend six to nine months giving it a try before judging if it was a success or a failure, but it all started succeeding so quickly that we never really even got to the point where we needed to have the conversation. All of a sudden, Six Colors and Upgrade were my primary jobs… and they still are, here in 2024.

I can only imagine what those first weeks were like. I had the benefit of an overlap of nearly two years between my corporate job and MacStories and the transition was still hard.

The good news is that a decade later, Six Colors is going strong producing great writing and podcasts. Congratulations on ten great years.

Permalink

Chris Lawley’s iOS and iPadOS 18 Walkthrough →

Linked By John Voorhees

It’s been an unprecedented week for Apple’s OSes, with updates to every OS landing at the same time at the beginning of the week. Today we’ll publish our fourth and final OS review with Devon Dundee’s visionOS review, which means I’m finally getting a chance to catch my breath and enjoy what others have to say about Apple’s OSes.

If you haven’t seen it, Chris Lawley, co-host of Comfort Zone here on MacStories, has a fantastic walkthrough of iOS and and iPadOS 18 that covers everything from Home and Lock Screen customization and the all-new Control Center to updates to system apps like Freeform, Shortcuts, Safari, and Messages. The video is especially good if you’ve had a busy week and want to get up to speed on iOS and iPadOS 18 quickly.

Chris has included a lot of excellent lesser known tips in his video that will help you get the most out of the OS updates too.

Permalink

macOS Sequoia: The MacStories Review

By John Voorhees

Sequoia is unlike any major macOS update in recent memory. Annual OS releases usually tell two stories. The first is the tale of that release, which consists of a combination of design, system, and built-in app changes that add to the existing Mac experience. The second story plays out over time, taking multiple years to unfold and reveal itself. The best macOS releases are those that strike a balance between the two.

Often, a macOS update’s multi-year story revolves around new developer technologies that signal a change in direction for the entire platform. Swift and Catalyst were like that. Neither had an immediate impact on the day-to-day experience of using a Mac. However, even though the final destination wasn’t entirely clear at first, the corresponding macOS releases included concrete first steps that provided a sense of where the Mac was heading.

It’s possible to look at macOS Sequoia and see something similar, but the resemblance is only skin deep. This year’s release includes meaningful updates to system apps and even a brand new one, Passwords. Plus, Apple Intelligence promises long-term, fundamental changes to how people use their Macs and will likely take years to fully realize.

But Sequoia feels fundamentally different from Swift, Catalyst, and other past releases. It’s light on new features, the design changes are few and far between, and Apple Intelligence isn’t part of macOS 15.0 at all – although more features are on the way and are currently part of the macOS 15.1 developer beta. So what sets Sequoia apart isn’t so much what you can do with it out of the box; what’s unique about this release is that you could install it and not even notice the changes.

That’s not to say that Sequoia is a bad update. There’s more to like than not, with excellent additions like iPhone Mirroring, window tiling, the new Passwords app, and Safari’s video viewer. The trouble is that the list of changes, good or bad, falls off steeply after that. A half loaf may be better than none, but Apple has taught us to expect more, which makes Sequoia vaguely unsatisfying and out of balance compared to other releases.

It’s clear is that Apple is placing a big bet that artificial intelligence will pay off for macOS the same way magic beans did for Jack and his mother. The question heading into macOS 15.1 and beyond is whether Apple’s beans are magical too. Perhaps they are, but based on what I’ve seen of macOS 15.1, I’m not feeling the magic yet. I’ll reserve judgement and revisit Apple Intelligence as it’s incrementally rolled out in the coming months. For now, though, let’s consider macOS Sequoia 15.0’s morsels that readers can actually dig into today.

iOS and iPadOS 18 Review Extras: eBooks, Wallpapers, Screen Saver, and a Special Edition of MacStories Weekly

By John Voorhees

A short time ago, Federico published his annual iOS and iPadOS 18 review. As in past years, we’re releasing a wide variety of perks exclusively for Club MacStories members throughout the week, but this year, the perks are a little different – just like the review.

Here’s our friend Chris Lawley with the details:

First of all, we’re releasing this week’s episode of AppStories+ to everyone who listens to the show for free.

AppStories+ is the extended version of our flagship podcast that’s typically released a day early and ad-free in high-bitrate audio. The show is part of a Club Premier or AppStories+ subscription, but this week, everyone gets the extended version of the show. If you’re not a subscriber, you’ll still get an ad with the episode (we do have bills to pay), but you’ll also get the full extended version of the episode in high bitrate audio, just like subscribers. It’s our way of saying thanks to everyone who has listened to AppStories through the years and share why this year’s review is not just different, but part of an editorial evolution of MacStories.

As Chris explains in his video, we have an eBook version of the review for all Club members. We’ll also publish a special making-of edition of MacStories Weekly, our Club newsletter, on Saturday.

If you’re not already a member, you can join Club MacStories for $5/month or $50/year using the buttons below:

Join Annual$50/year Join Monthly$5/month

A short sample of one of the six screen savers for Club Plus and Premier members.

Also, this year, there will be even more perks than ever for Club MacStories Plus and Premier members, including:

More eBooks of my macOS Sequoia review, Jonathan Reed’s watchOS 11 review, and Devon Dundee’s visionOS 2 review;
A bonus eBook that collects tips and tricks from Federico’s iOS and iPadOS 18 review;
High-res wallpapers of the delightful illustrations created for Federico’s review by Scout Wilkinson; and
A screen saver developed by James Thomson that brings Scout’s artwork to life on your Mac.

To unlock all of these additional perks, use the buttons below to join Club MacStories Plus:

Join Annual$100/year Join Monthly$10/month

or Club Premier:

Join Annual$120/year Join Monthly$12/month

Now more than ever, an indie publication like MacStories depends on income from members who want to directly support what we do and our ability to collaborate with people like Scout and James more often. As always, though, we aim to provide as much value as we can to Club members, so we have more details after the break, for anyone who wants to learn more about this year’s perks and Club MacStories before joining.

The Latest from Magic Rays of Light, Comfort Zone, and MacStories Unwind

By John Voorhees

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Sigmund and Devon break down the exciting announcements from Apple’s It’s Glowtime event and grade their event predictions.

It’s all challenge this week as the gang brings (and defends) their phone home screens. Rules were followed by all, but of course there’s a little twist this time as well.

This week, as we approach the release of Apple’s updated OSes, Federico and I check in on where our reviews stand and the one distraction we’ve both allowed ourselves in the final stretch.

Apple Will Make Alternative App Marketplaces and Browser Engines Available on the iPad in the EU Starting Monday

By John Voorhees

Next week is going to be fun. Not only is every OS being updated on Monday, but Apple is opening up the iPad to alternative app marketplaces and browser engines in the EU according to a post by the company on its developer news site.

You may recall that in April, the European Commission has added iPadOS to the products and services subject to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Before then, the DMA only applied to the iPhone, meaning that, if you live in the EU, changes to iOS, like browser default choices and alternative app marketplaces, are currently only available on your iPhone. That changes on Monday, according to Apple:

Starting September 16:

Users in the EU can download iPadOS apps on the App Store and through alternative distribution. As mentioned in May, if you have entered into the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU, iPadOS first annual installs will begin to accrue and the lower App Store commission rate will apply.

Alternative browser engines can be used in iPadOS apps.

Historical App Install Reports in App Store Connect that can be used with our fee calculator will include iPadOS.

It’s good to see this change happening alongside the update to iPadOS. The App Store and browser experiences on iOS and iPadOS are effectively the same, and having that be different based on which platform users were on didn’t make much sense. It may have taken a nudge by the EC to make it happen, but it’s the right call for Apple’s EU customers.