Twitter: @johnvoorheesEmail: 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.
Highlights of the latest Club MacStories+ happenings.
Here are the highlights from the Club MacStories Discord this week:
Dan created a fantastic Shortcut to make it easy to scrobble vinyl using the Vinyl Scrobbler website.
Noteworthy new app releases and updates, handpicked by the MacStories team.
Rewind is a new music app that takes you back to the music of a specific year. The app combines Billboard’s singles chart with album spotlights, music videos, artists, genres, and mixtapes in a nostalgia-filled package. I love this concept, but it has one big downside. Rewind only works with Tidal, which is a good service, but a distant competitor to Apple Music and Spotify. However, according to TechCrunch, the developer, who happens to work at Tidal, is considering adding other music streaming services.
Great apps, accessories, gear, and media recommended by the MacStories team.
At my old house, I had a pair of wired speakers outside, above our patio. It was a setup that pre-dated AirPlay by many years, so it was originally driven by a good, old-fashioned stereo receiver.
Eventually, I disconnected the speakers from the receiver and rewired them to a Griffin 20 amp that connected to an AirPort Express, enabling AirPlay. It was a hacky solution, but it worked perfectly.
Great reads and links from around the web.
Garmin introduced the $270 Vivomove Trend, a ‘lifestyle’ sports watch that looks more like a traditional watch, has fewer features than other Garmin sports watches, and can run for five days on a single Qi charge (Link)
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg wrote this week that with the departure of Evans Hankey, Apple is eliminating the position of vice president of industrial design. Instead, the company’s designers will report directly to COO Jeff Williams. (Link)
Many people find the hype cycle of the tech world exhausting and off-putting to the point where they block any mention of the hype-du-jour from their lives. I, however, am drawn to a certain subset of these topics, like a moth to a flame. It’s not the click-bait headlines that attract me. Instead, it’s those trends that are simultaneously billed as the salvation and end of civilization.
The hyperbole of the headlines isn’t what matters. It’s the strong, polarized reactions, which is a tipoff that something interesting lies at the center of the hype. Reality may be far less dramatic than either end of the spectrum of breathless headlines, but that doesn’t mean something important isn’t happening.
Get help and suggestions for your iOS shortcuts and productivity apps.
Yesterday, I reviewed the new Shortcuts actions introduced by Things 3.17. It’s a fantastic release that greatly expands the ways you can control the app with Shortcuts.
I shared three shortcuts as part of the review, but I have a couple more to add today:
Great reads and links from around the web.
FlohGro has shared some useful shortcuts to import highlights from Readwise Reader and share them with other apps in Markdown. I’m going to use these myself. (Link)
The lighter, faster Mac Catalyst version of WhatsApp for Mac is now available for everyone to download. (Link)
Highlights of the latest Club MacStories+ happenings.
Here are the highlights from the Club MacStories Discord this week:
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