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Jonathan Reed

Contributor

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.

475 — July 18, 2025

Object of Desire: The Native Union (Re)Classic Power Bank

MACSTORIES EXTRAS

More stories for Club members.

Object of Desire: The Native Union (Re)Classic Power Bank

I love accessories. Batteries, travel cases, AirTags, charging cables, iPhone stands, MagSafe wallets – you name it, I’ve owned or tried many versions of it. The number one determining factor for whether I keep a product or return it is always how well it does the job; however, almost equally important is how it looks.

I have spent countless hours in the past searching for one type of accessory or another, only to be constantly frustrated by products that are technically excellent but look unappealing or too “techy”. As an example, for years, I couldn’t find a bedside iPhone and Apple Watch charger that looked nice when my devices weren’t charging. Eventually, I discovered the Belkin BoostCharge Pro, which looks like a sculpture on its own, but I spent many years stuck with unattractive charging solutions.

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474 — July 11, 2025

Poolsuite →

MACSTORIES RECOMMENDS

Great apps, accessories, gear, and media recommended by the MacStories team.

Poolsuite

I’ve shared my affinity for lofi music before in MacStories Weekly, suggesting some of my favorite sources for ambient beats. One of the services I mentioned, Poolsuite, recently released a major update to its iOS app, and I’m very much in love.

Poolsuite started out as a desktop experience on the web that later spawned significantly streamlined apps for iOS and macOS, dubbed “Poolsuite FM”. The initial idea behind the service was to offer funky Internet radio presented in the style of old computer desktops from the '80s. It subsequently added more to the experience, including – and I’m not joking here – branded sunscreen, but the main attraction has always been the music and the Aesthetic (with a capital “A”).

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473 — July 4, 2025

Don’t Sleep On BetterTouchTool’s Mouse Automations

THE EXTENSION

Exploring topics beyond our day-to-day coverage.

Don’t Sleep On BetterTouchTool’s Mouse Automations

This week, I was faced with an unenviable task: creating 162 region-specific logos. My team and I had made the design for one – London – but as part of the set of assets we were making for the client, we needed versions where the word “London” was replaced with names of other locales like Austin, Mumbai, Tijuana, and more.

I really didn’t fancy the idea of selecting the location name from the list, copying it, going back to Adobe Illustrator, pasting it into the logo, creating a new artboard, and starting all over again… 162 times. In addition to the mind-numbing repetitiveness of the task, there was the risk of error. I might slip with the cursor, fail to paste correctly, miss a location, or worse. I needed automation!

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472 — June 27, 2025

The Potential Success of F1 Further Confuses Apple’s Film Ambitions

THE EXTENSION

Exploring topics beyond our day-to-day coverage.

The Potential Success of F1 Further Confuses Apple’s Film Ambitions

Have you heard about this small indie film called F1: The Movie, based on the popular sport of Formula 1 motor racing? I wouldn’t blame you if you hadn’t. It’s not like it was mentioned during WWDC. Or shown prominently in the TV app. Or promoted in… the Wallet app? Except that it was, even that last one.

While Apple TV+ lags behind the likes of Netflix and Disney+ in subscriber numbers, the company’s TV output is generally regarded as consistently excellent. However, despite boasting a Best Picture winner at the Oscars and some big names, such as Martin Scorsese, TV+’s film division has struggled. They’ve seen as many flops as successes, and even the successes have fallen below expectations at the box office.

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471 — June 20, 2025

(Not Boring) Camera

MACSTORIES RECOMMENDS

Great apps, accessories, gear, and media recommended by the MacStories team.

(Not Boring) Camera

I’ve been a fan of Not Boring Software’s apps for a while, as I’ve detailed in MacStories Weekly before. So when I heard they were releasing a camera app, I was intrigued, to say the least. Not Boring Software have pitched themselves as developers of useful, intuitive software that is visually wild and expressive. It should come as no surprise, then, that (Not Boring) Camera continues that trend. Let’s take a look.

(Not Boring) Design

You can customize your camera to be any color you want.

Before you even start using an app from Not Boring Software, the first thing that jumps out at you is its bold, colorful design. With !Camera (as the app is referred to outside of its App Store listing), customization begins from the moment you open it, when you are asked to select a color scheme from some pre-set options. Choosing one recolors both the UI and the front of your imaginary camera, which is really only visible in the app’s Home Screen widget.

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