Mastodon: @jonathanreed@techhub.socialEmail: jonathan@macstories.net
Jonathan is a graphic designer at DesignStudio. As well as being a long-time Apple user he is a huge film and television aficionado and is very interested in the intersection between the two mediums and technology. He lives in London with his wife and daughter and is writing his bio in the third person.
Highlights of the latest Club MacStories+ happenings.
Among the highlights on the Club MacStories+ Discord:
The #let-loose-event channel was full of reactions from members both during and long after the event. There were lots of interesting points of view shared.
Exploring topics beyond our day-to-day coverage.
This week’s column originally started to take shape late Tuesday night when I couldn’t get the image of Apple’s ‘Crush’ advert out of my head. I had such a visceral reaction to seeing so many things deliberately and cruelly destroyed. Unlike many, I wasn’t upset because of the reasonable connection people drew between this and the recently-debated threats to the creative industry. My reaction was to the way they were destroying instruments that some people can’t even afford to play or camera lenses that wannabe photographers don’t have access to in a slow, careless manner.
I wanted to share my thoughts, but then the Internet took over. Federico and John provided excellent commentary on the issue during this week’s Unwind. I particularly loved the way Federico verbalized the connection to the human experience, so do check that out if you haven’t already.
More stories for Club members.
Nothing recently launched two new pairs of earphones in their ‘Ear’ range, featuring Active Noise Cancelation (ANC), improved audio, and a new transparency mode similar to the one on AirPods Pro. The brand is known for its transparent designs, which showcase the inner electronics of the devices. I really wish Apple would try it, but apart from a pair of Beats Studio Buds, they haven’t gone down this route.
While these designs have tempted me in the past, the feature differences between Nothing’s earphones and Apple’s AirPods Pro have been so significant that I’ve always resisted. However, these new earphones, on paper, seemed to be getting very close, so I took the plunge and bought both the £99 ‘Ear (a)’ earphones and the £129 ‘Ear’ earphones. (For the sake of this review, I’ll refer to them together as the ‘Nothing Ears.’)
Highlights of the latest Club MacStories+ happenings.
The Club MacStories+ Discord now has a channel dedicated to discussing next week’s ‘Let Loose’ Apple event: #let-loose-event. Members have been talking about their hopes and expectations.
T.G. Cid had clear expectations and wish casting:
“Realistic expectation: OLED Pros (12.9/11), Mini-LED Airs (12.9/11) at M3. New Minis (A-series) with Mini-LED. New pencil and Magic Keyboard.
Unrealistic Wishcasting: OLED Pros (15/13) at M4/M4 Pro. Mini-LED Airs (12.9/11). New mins (M4) with Mini-LED. New Standalone keyboard with iPad + Vision Pro connectivity, SD-card slot.”
Noteworthy new app releases and updates, handpicked by the MacStories team.
HabitView is a brand new habit-tracking app from Funn Media, the makers of WaterMinder and many other excellent apps. This new entry in their catalog borrows from the company’s other apps with excellent design and colorful, easy-to-read charts and statistics. The app is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch and can be used to track the sorts of things you’d expect from a habit tracker, like exercise goals, hydration, reading time, sleep statistics, and much more. There are summary and detail views to get an overview or detailed look at your habits. Plus, the app syncs across devices via iCloud, supports Home Screen widgets for easier tracking, and integrates with HealthKit.
More stories for Club members.
The story behind this heroic rescue mission started a long time ago at my local barber. I always look forward to getting my usual short back and sides there, not just to feel tidier with myself, but mainly because of what can only be described as the most epic playlist ever.
Every time I go, I hear different music – some familiar, a lot unfamiliar, but all incredible. The diversity of the playlist is beyond compare, containing everything from Radiohead to Sly and the Family Stone to Beirut to João Gilberto and countless more.
Highlights of the latest Club MacStories+ happenings.
Among the highlights on the Club MacStories+ Discord:
Evan and Devon (the name of a future double act?) workshopped some interesting shortcut action combinations involving dates and the Photos app.
Exploring topics beyond our day-to-day coverage.
Almost two years ago, at WWDC in June 2022, Apple unveiled the next version of CarPlay, their popular standard for mirroring certain apps onto your iPhone’s car infotainment screen.
I remember watching it and thinking, “This looks very cool, but won’t it be super distracting for the driver?” The fact that no cars on the road have enabled the new CarPlay has allowed it slip from my mind, but recently, it’s come back into my thoughts. This was triggered by the recent 10th anniversary of CarPlay’s launch and the announcement last month by the European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) of new rules that cars will have to follow in order to receive a five-star safety rating. These rules include using buttons for certain essential functions of a car, like turn signals and hazard lights.
Highlights of the latest Club MacStories+ happenings.
Among the highlights on the Club MacStories+ Discord:
Simon started a big conversation about the many music streaming services members use in the #music channel.
Highlights of the latest Club MacStories+ happenings.
Among the highlights on the Club MacStories+ Discord:
Vidit, Club member and developer of the great app LookUp, linked to his new blog post about redesigning the successful dictionary app for visionOS.
