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:
MadMax (the very same) posted an interesting link to a guide showing how you can opt out of letting Meta use your data from Facebook and Instagram to train its AI.
Exploring topics beyond our day-to-day coverage.
There’s something to be said for apps that follow the same, consistent iOS UI design that many do. It makes them far easier to use and, I would think, means they are slightly easier to build.
Sometimes, however, I like to see something wild. I recently wanted to find a new app that pushed the boundaries in terms of visual identity while still being useful. After some searching, I realized I already had one on my iPhone called (Not Boring) Weather – or ‘!Weather’, as the app is called once downloaded.
Highlights of the latest Club MacStories+ happenings.
Among the highlights on the Club MacStories+ Discord:
Rod found a handy new UI feature in the iOS 18 Calendar app.
Great apps, accessories, gear, and media recommended by the MacStories team.
The search for interesting Mac utilities is an endless quest. Lots of apps are innovative or cleverly made, but only occasionally do I come across one that jumps out at me. I’ve made a list of some of my previous picks, but the latest app to impress me is Pie Menu.
Pie Menu has a simple yet effective function: trigger a keyboard shortcut, and around your cursor will appear a pie-chart-like graphic with a different icon in each section. Click on one, and it will trigger a key combination. The twist here is that, in addition to being able to assign whatever key combination you want with a wide range of icons, you can also create a different ‘pie’ per app.
More stories for Club members.
I’ve discussed Apple’s CarPlay feature before in MacStories Weekly, and it is becoming a bit of an obsession of mine. It’s a piece of software with some excellent qualities, but while it is leagues ahead of car manufacturers’ built-in software, it still feels like it could be much better.
I addressed my thoughts on these many issues in my previous CarPlay column. This week, I thought I’d dive into how I’m actually using CarPlay, a few good customizations for it, and adjustments I’ve made to address some of my safety concerns. Let’s put the pedal to the metal, as some people (unfortunately) still say.
Highlights of the latest Club MacStories+ happenings.
Among the highlights on the Club MacStories+ Discord:
Mark C went to the National Videogame Museum, and boy, am I jealous.
Great apps, accessories, gear, and media recommended by the MacStories team.
Ah, the early days of streaming – I remember them well. Apple TV+ was free (with the purchase of a new Apple device, of course), Disney+ launched at under $7 per month, and the top dog of them all, Netflix, cost under $10. At the beginning of the pandemic, when there were seemingly infinite hours of the day to fill at home, streaming services offered a perfect solution with their vast libraries. The question wasn’t really which services you were subscribed to; it was which services you weren’t subscribed to.
Almost all streaming services started by operating at huge losses, so price increases were inevitable. What was surprising, though, was how quickly the services morphed into the cable-like packages and prices they were meant to be the antithesis of. The average user now pays more for their streaming services than they did in the past for cable. With the recent crackdown on password sharing, juggling your various streaming services is almost a skill unto itself.
Highlights of the latest Club MacStories+ happenings.
Among the highlights on the Club MacStories+ Discord:
A common misconception is that cookie banners on websites are required by the EU. This isn’t the case, as melanie kat reminded us.
The annual unveiling of new OS features from Apple at WWDC is a strange one. At first, it’s exciting, but for most who tune in, it’s a big tease since they have to wait three more months for the public releases in September.
Of course, you can install the betas, but doing that on your primary device isn’t recommended unless you’re prepared to take a hit to your device’s battery life and risk problems with your apps. Nevertheless, those new features are very tempting, so it takes some willpower to resist living that beta life.
Highlights of the latest Club MacStories+ happenings.
Among the highlights on the Club MacStories+ Discord:
The ‘AI saga’ continues (as it was put by Nicolas), and there was some interesting debate among members about the issue of data crawling. It was great to see a measured and respectful discussion of the subject, something that has been absent in other parts of the Internet. There are lots of interesting comments and links to read, so if you’re inclined, do check out the chat in the #general channel.
