John Voorhees

Managing Editor

Mastodon: @johnvoorhees@macstories.netEmail: voorhees@macstories.net

John, MacStories’ Managing Editor, has been writing about Apple and apps since joining the team in 2015. He also co-hosts MacStories’ podcasts, including AppStories, which explores of the world of apps, MacStories Unwind, a weekly recap of everything MacStories and more, and MacStories Unplugged, a behind-the-scenes, anything-goes show exclusively for Club MacStories members.

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487 — October 24, 2025

App Debuts

APP DEBUTS

Noteworthy new app releases and updates, handpicked by the MacStories team.

John

Flowy

Flowy is a relatively new screen recording app for the Mac with a lot of options for fine-tuning what you capture and edit. It includes intelligent zoom effects for getting a close-up look at details in a screen recording, custom backgrounds, and templates for typical social media aspect ratios. The app also features cursor effects and camera and microphone support, which adds a lot of flexibility. Flowy is the sort of app that you can use for presentations, demoing a feature of an app to a work colleague, or promoting an app online. However, what I appreciate most about the app – as someone who only does this kind of recording now and then – is that it’s a one-time $19.99 purchase on the Mac App Store.

487 — October 24, 2025

Interesting Links

INTERESTING LINKS

Great reads and links from around the web.

John

This week’s AWS outage was a headache for a lot of people, including me, and revealed a fundamental weakness in the structure of the Internet, as Lily Hay Newman explains in this story for Wired. (Link)

Writing for 9to5Mac, Benjamin Mayo explains how Apple One subscribers can get in on the Apple TV/Peacock bundle (Link)

487 — October 24, 2025

The Sky's the Limit: Apple's Loss Is OpenAI's Gain

John

THE EXTENSION

Exploring topics beyond our day-to-day coverage.

The Sky's the Limit: Apple's Loss Is OpenAI's Gain

John

Earlier this week, OpenAI acquired Software Applications Incorporated, the makers of Sky, an AI-powered automation tool for the Mac that Federico previewed in May. I’m still running Sky on my Mac and using it daily, although I expect that will come to an end sooner rather than later, given OpenAI’s promise of “more updates as we get to work integrating Sky’s capabilities.”

I’ll miss Sky when it goes. I’ve used the app since May, pausing only briefly when the macOS Tahoe betas broke it. Today, the app works great, integrating AI into my workflow in a practical way that is far easier than flipping back and forth to a chatbot.

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486 — October 17, 2025

Interesting Links

INTERESTING LINKS

Great reads and links from around the web.

John

Kobo introduced a page turning accessory this week. I don’t know – a button on the device itself seems like a better solution for most people. (Link)

Wi-Fi 8 is in the works, and according to Jess Weatherbed at The Verge, the next iteration of the wireless networking standard will focus on stability and reliability instead of increasing speed. (Link)

486 — October 17, 2025

Claude Skills

John

TIPS

Tips and tricks to master your apps and be more productive.

Claude Skills

John

Yesterday, Anthropic released a new tool for its Claude chatbot called Skills. The feature is similar to Projects but has greater potential because it’s far more flexible.

The advantage of Projects is that they allow you to provide detailed instructions and reference materials to Claude that it uses as context for your queries; however, those instructions and reference materials only provide context within the confines of the project. That means, for example, that if you have a proofreading project but find yourself working with documents elsewhere in Claude, you can’t take advantage of your proofreading instructions without moving whatever you’re working on into that project.

486 — October 17, 2025

Thoughts on the M5 and Vision Pro

John

THE EXTENSION

Exploring topics beyond our day-to-day coverage.

Thoughts on the M5 and Vision Pro

John

This week, Apple debuted the M5 chip in the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro. Real-world tests will have to wait until reviews are out, but I wanted to share some initial thoughts on the M5 and a handful of other things announced this week.

M5

With all three product announcements, Apple’s focus was squarely on the capabilities of the M5, which is understandable. After all, little changed in the products announced other than their chipsets.

486 — October 17, 2025

App Debuts

APP DEBUTS

Noteworthy new app releases and updates, handpicked by the MacStories team.

Jonathan

Portal

Former Apple Mac App of the Year finalist Portal has been updated with a new Liquid Glass design. Whatever you want to say about its implementation in other apps, Portal seems like the ideal use case for the new design system. Portal is a focus app that combines incredible, live imagery from the natural world with appropriate soundscapes. It can even take over your entire desktop, absorbing your whole Mac into whichever location you choose.

Since elements like text aren’t nearly as important as the atmosphere the app creates, Liquid Glass is ideally suited to Portal. The UI showcases its impressive refracting qualities without feeling like it’s getting in the way of the beautiful visuals. This update also adds new ways to adjust the environment controls, makes transitions smoother, and more.