AppStories

This week on AppStories, John interviews Federico about his review of the M5 Ultra Mac Studio and it local AI capabilities.On AppStories+, Federico takes listeners behind the scenes on how he tested the M5 Ultra Mac Studio.Also available on YouTube here.Sponsored By:Workbench: Remote desktop for AI agents and headless Mac minis. Free to use for 20 minutes/day.Claude – For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today.Links and Show NotesRunning Local AI Models on Apple's Latest MacsM5 Ultra Mac Studio Review: The Dream Mac for Local AI AgentsApple HardwareMac StudioMac miniStudio Display XDRLocal ModelsQwen3.8-Flash-NextQwen3.8-27BDeepSeek-V4-FlashGLM-5.3-FlashCohere TranscribeQwen3-TTSQwen-Image-2.1Local Inference and ClusteringoMLXexoAgent Apps and ToolsHermes AgentHermes Agent on GitHubOpen MinisCaduOpenAI Brings Computer Use to Codex App on WindowsFrontier Models and WorkflowGPT-6 AstraClaude Fable 5.1Claude ProjectsArtificial Analysis Intelligence IndexElyxNVIDIA PC ComparisonGeForce RTX 5090Lian Li A3-mATXNVIDIA DGX SparkAppStories+ Post-Show:A preview of how Federico used local AI models to support his iOS and iPadOS 27 review.Leave Feedback for John and FedericoAppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social MediaFederico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

This week Federico shares thoughts from his review of iOS and iPadOS 27. Then in the AppStories+ post-show, he explains how he used agents to support the production of the review and Club MacStories extras.Also available on YouTube here.Sponsored By:Granola – The AI notepad for back-to-back days. Try for 3 months, for free, with code MACSTORIES.Links and Show NotesiOS and iPadOS 27: The MacStories ReviewFederico's iOS and iPadOS 27 ReviewOur OS 27 Review Extras: eBooks, Shortcuts, and the Making of the iOS and iPadOS 27 ReviewOn AppStories Next Week:macOS 27: The MacStories ReviewwatchOS 27: The MacStories ReviewAppStories+ Post-Show:The Role Agents Played in Review ProductionLeave Feedback for John and FedericoAppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social MediaFederico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

This week on AppStories, we celebrate the 500th episode of the show with a look at the App Store's past, present, and future.On AppStories+, Federico and John pick some of their all-time favorite apps.Also available on YouTube here.Sponsored By:Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today.Gentler Streak – Move consistently, not constantly. AppStories listeners get an extended two-week free trial with the link above.Shipaton, from RevenueCat: The world's biggest mobile hackathon for people who actually ship.Links and Show NotesApp Store HistoryThe App Store at 10, MacStories' 2018 coverage of the App Store's 10th anniversaryApps Discussed From The Early App Store EraInstapaperTwitterrificSpotifyWhatsAppAI and the Modern App StoreInside OpenAI's Codex with Andrew Ambrosino (MacStories)AppStories+ Post-Show:All-Time Favorite AppsOvercastEditorialPythonista 3DraftsUnread: An RSS ReaderWorking CopyOpen MinisLaunch Center ProScreens 5: VNC Remote DesktopMercury WeatherCARROT WeatherAlyx Caffeine TrackerSequel Media TrackerLookUpChroniclingJaysonLeave Feedback for John and FedericoAppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social MediaFederico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

An AppStories Interview

This week on AppStories, Federico and John are joined by Andrew Ambrosino, the Codex team lead at OpenAI, to talk about the evolution of Codex, the unification of ChatGPT and Codex, Computer Use and Computer History, designing for user trust, and more. On AppStories+, Andrew shares some of his favorite Mac apps and his Mac origin story. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Finalist – A paper-inspired daily planner with notes for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and now Apple Watch. A day you design your way. For 50% off your first year use this link. Links and Show Notes Inside OpenAI's Codex With Andrew Ambrosino Introducing the Codex App (OpenAI) Codex CLI (GitHub) Codex Documentation (OpenAI Developers) ChatGPT Desktop App ChatGPT Work ChatGPT Is Now a Partner for Your Most Ambitious Work (OpenAI) Introducing ChatGPT Atlas (OpenAI) OpenAI Codex Lead on the New Shape of Product Work (Lenny's Newsletter) Follow Andrew Ambrosino online Website X.com AppStories+ Post-Show Apps Mentioned: Things Craft Linear Sketch Figma Numbers Keynote Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhere John is @johnvoorhees`everywhere Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

A Summer Beta Check-in

This week on AppStories, John and Federico check in on Apple's betas with a close look at the new Siri app and how it compares to past-Siri and other chatbot products. On AppStories+, John and Federico explain how they manage multiple Macs for automation and coding tasks. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Finalist – A paper-inspired daily planner with notes for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and now Apple Watch. A day you design your way. For 50% off your first year use this link. Inoreader – Build your own newsfeed and cut through the noise. Links and Show Notes Beta Season macOS 27 Golden Gate iOS 27 Preview iPadOS 27 Preview macOS 27 Golden Gate: The MacStories Public Beta Preview Siri AI and Apple's Trickle-Up Strategy Siri and Apple Intelligence Siri Apple Intelligence App Intents Chatbots and Models ChatGPT Improving GPT-5.6 Sol in ChatGPT and expanding access to GPT-5.6 Luna for free users Claude Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 Gemini Grok Kimi K3 Open Minis Agents and Automation Claude Code Claude Cowork OpenAI Codex Shortcuts Playground RemCTL Local AI on the Mac MLX oMLX DeepSeek V4 Flash for MLX AppStories+ Post-Show: Multi-Mac Setup and Remote Access Tailscale Syncthing 1Password cmux Jump Desktop Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

With Special Guest Chris Lawley

This week, on AppStories, John is joined by Christoper Lawley to discuss uses for a folding iPhone and Parchment, Lawley's daily agenda app. On AppStories+, John and Chris dig into audio and video workflows for podcasting and YouTube. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Inoreader – Build Your Own Newsfeed and Cut Through the Noise Shipaton, from RevenueCat – The world's biggest mobile hackathon for people who actually ship. Links and Show Notes The Foldable iPhone iPhone Fold: Everything We Know Logitech Keys-To-Go 2 Apple and the Creator Economy Apple Creator Studio Final Cut Pro for iPad Final Cut Camera Blackmagic Camera Pixelmator Pro Parchment and Other Agenda Apps Parchment: Agenda and Daily Note Parchment Christopher Lawley on YouTube Fantastical BusyCal EventKit TestFlight Automating Email and Support Spark Introducing Spark CLI: Your Inbox, Now Agent-Ready Codex Notion Follow Chris Lawley online YouTube Website Comfort Zone Parchment AppStories+ Post-Show Audio and Video Production Workflows Logic Pro Final Cut Pro Hush iZotope RX Clear Unsqueeze Detail FFmpeg Riverside Video on Apple Podcasts Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Our Latest Experiments

This week on AppStories, Federico and John cover the app and agent experiments they're both running. On AppStories+, John explores the sort of rapid workflow iteration enabled by agents. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Inoreader – Build Your Own Newsfeed and Cut Through the Noise Shipaton, from RevenueCat: The world's biggest mobile hackathon for people who actually ship. Links and Show Notes Summertime Projects John's Logic to Final Cut Automation Logic Pro Final Cut Pro Riverside Federico Switches Email Clients Superhuman Spark ChatGPT Work Codex Federico Retests Dictation Apps Wispr Flow Monologue Aqua Voice Typeless Superwhisper T3 Code T3 Code T3 Code on GitHub Nerd Snipe with Theo and Ben John's Research System Parallel Firecrawl Defuddle AppStories+ Post-Show: Advancing Voice Intelligence With New Models in the API (OpenAI) Desert Ant Labs Pokémon Red & Blue mod turns the classic RPG into a sick 3D voxel game Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Plus, the App Store in an AI world and Questionable Changes to TestFlight

This week on AppStories, John and Federico discuss the changing face of the AI-fueled App Store and questionable changes made to TestFlight before going into the nerdiest details of Open Minis, an iOS app that brings desktop-class agents onto the iPhone and iPad. Then on AppStories+, Federico and John explore Cmux, a Mac terminal app with an iPhone and iPad beta that makes it easier than ever to sync coding projects across devices. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Inoreader – Build Your Own Newsfeed and Cut Through the Noise Claude – For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today. Scribe – AI-powered workflow documentation. Get your first month free. Links and Show Notes App Store Chaos App Store Chaos See also: A.I. ‘Vibecoded' Apps Are Flooding Apple's App Store TestFlight Woes TestFlight: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back See also: Apple just improved TestFlight for users with a lot of beta apps Open Minis Open Minis Is the iOS Agent I Wish Siri AI Could Be AppStories+ Post-Show: Cmux Founder's Edition ($30) includes iOS beta CLIProxyAPI Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

What Works, What Doesn't, and Where It's Heading

This week, on AppStories, Federico and John look at what Siri AI is good at, where it needs improvement, and where it might be heading. On AppStories+, the conversation expands to Federico and John's experiences with the betas of macOS Golden Gate, iOS 27, and iPadOS 27. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Daylite: The only made-for-mac CRM solution. Start your free trial today. Decagon: The AI concierge for every customer. Get a personalized demo. Links and Show Notes All About Siri AI Siri AI and Apple's Trickle-Up Strategy Also: Apple introduces Siri AI, a profoundly more capable and personal assistant AppStories+ Post-Show: macOS 27 Golden Gate: The MacStories Public Beta Preview Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Big Model Smell Meets Questionable Design Choices

This week on AppStories, Federico and John look at our experiences with Claude Fable 5 and how they differ from other models and break down the controversial changes made by OpenAI to its Mac's ChatGPT app. Then on AppStories+, John and Federico contrast their experiences with Fable 5 and OpenAI's new family of GPT 5.6 models. Also available on YouTube here or download the transcript here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Daylite: The only made-for-Mac CRM solution. Start your free trial today. Links and Show Notes App State Appalachian State University Anthropic's Claude Fable 5 Claude Fable What did OpenAI Do to ChatGPT? The New ChatGPT The ChatGPT “Super App” Sort of Super Sucks AppStories, Episode 483: Codex as a Productivity Super App AppStories+ Post-Show GPT 5.6 Announcement Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

How We're Dealing with Unprecedented Email Volume Using Apps

This week on AppStories, Federico and John talk about the 10+ email apps they've used over the years and how their strategies for dealing with recent spikes in email volume has caused them to change their approaches. On AppStories+, Federico and John update listeners on their summertime agentic coding projects. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Decagon: The AI concierge for every customer. Get a personalized demo. Email Survival Guide Apps and Services Mentioned Spark Mimestream Superhuman Shortwave Missive Airmail Hey SaneBox Clean Email Dispatch Mailbox Inbox by Gmail Mailplane AI and Automation Tools Claude Code OpenAI Codex Raycast Notion Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

How AI Aggregators Are Adapting to A Rapidly Evolving Marketplace

This week on AppStories, Federico and John talk about the state of AI aggregator apps and their future prospects before checking in on their current AI app setups for the AppStories+ post-show. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes AI Aggregator Apps The Pros and Cons of AI Aggregator Apps Apps Mentioned Raycast Bolt AI Perplexity Notion Alter Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Reflecting on WWDC's announcements

This week on AppStories, John and Federico are back home and reflect on all the WWDC announcements, including Siri AI, Apple Intelligence, design changes, developer tools, and more. On AppStories+, we check in on our research setups and how they fared at WWDC. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Decagon: The AI concierge for every customer. Get a personalized demo. Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Links and Show Notes Apple Intelligence and Siri AI Apple Intelligence App Intents Private Cloud Compute iOS 27 Design This Is How Apple Rolls Xcode and Developer Tools Xcode Foundation Models Sqim Apple Photos and Image Playground Image Playground AppStories+ Post-Show: iOS Review Research Systems Notion Notion AI Notion Web Clipper Obsidian defuddle Firecrawl Hardware reMarkable Paper Pure Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

The 2026 ADA Interviews

In a second special WWDC edition of AppStories, Federico and John interview Apple Design Award finalists and winners, including the developers of The Outsiders and Tide Guide and the publishers of Pine Hearts and BALL x PIT. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Sofa – Organize everything you watch, read, play, and do. AppStories listeners can get 25% off the first year of Super Sofa with the link above. Agenda – Date-focused notes deeply integrated with the Apple ecosystem. Dropzone 5 – The essential drag & drop productivity enhancer for Mac. AppStories listeners can get 50% off the usual $35 price of Dropzone 5 using the link above. Links and Show Notes Apple Design Award Winners Tide Guide (Visuals and Graphics) by Condor Digital Pine Heart (Inclusivity) by Hyper Luminal Games Limited Apple Design Award Finalists The Outsiders (Interaction) by Gentler Stories BALL x PIT (Delight and Fun) by Kenny Sun Studios MacStories Coverage of the ADAs 2026 Apple Design Awards Winners Announced Apple Announces Its 2026 Apple Design Award Finalists Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

WWDC 2026

Federico and John are joined this week by Myke Hurley and Chris Lawley to share their first impressions of the WWDC keynote and discoveries in the hours following the presentation. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Albums – The app that cares about your music library as much as you do Controller for HomeKit – Master your Apple home with ease. RevenueCat – Join the mobile app hackathon that's all about shipping Links and Show Notes MacStories' WWDC 2026 Coverage macOS 27 Golden Gate: The MacStories Overview The Third Generation of Apple's Foundation Models and AFM Core Advanced iOS and iPadOS 27: The MacStories Overview Siri AI and the Latest in Apple Intelligence: The MacStories Overview WWDC 2026: Small Details and Compatibility Lists WWDC 2026: Apple Publishes Keynote Video Special Guests Myke Hurley Christoper Lawley Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico and John share their WWDC automation wishes. Then on AppStories+, they share more details on their research setups for the summer. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Things: The award-winning to-do app. Links and Show Notes Our WWDC Automation Wish List Apple Intelligence and the Cloud Model Apple Intelligence Private Cloud Compute — Apple Security Research Google Gemini Model Context Protocol Siri and App Intents App Intents — Apple Developer Documentation Apps mentioned: Spark Working Copy GoodLinks Readwise Reader Shortcuts and Natural Language Automation Shortcuts Playground Developer Tools, APIs, and Agents WeatherKit — Apple Developer Xcode OpenAI Codex Claude Code Perplexity AI Security Research Simon Willison Google CaMeL AppStories+ Post-Show Research and Productivity Tools Discussed Obsidian Obsidian Web Clipper Obsidian Bases Feedbin Unread Defuddle Capture Monologue Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

The Automation We Want to See at WWDC

This week on AppStories, Federico explains how he's using the recently-released Notion developer platform before he and John share their wishes for macOS 27. On AppStories+, John asks Federico about the technical underpinnings and evolution of the Shortcuts Playground project that he published last week. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock – We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. — https://steamclock.com/appstories Links and Show Notes Notion Dev Platform Notion's Announcement Learn more about the Notion Dev Platform Also mentioned: Cloudflare Workers Pushover Our macOS 27 Wishes Apps, APIs, and service mentioned Playwright GameHub by GameSir Matter Things 3 Raycast AppStories+ Post-show: Shortcuts Playground, Behind the Scenes Hopper Disassembler SF Symbols Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

The Notion Developer Platform and What We Want from macOS 27

Our Pre-WWDC OS Wishes Series

This week on AppStories, we share our wishes for iOS and iPadOS 27, and for AppStories+ subscribers, we tackle Visual Intelligence and whether there are any use cases that aren't creepy. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes Our iOS and iPadOS 27 Wishes Continuity Camera Siri and Apple Intelligence Apple Intelligence Siri App Intents Google Gemini Google I/O 2026 iPad Screen Sharing Jump Desktop Screens by Edovia AstroPad Workbench Reminders EventKit Apple CarPlay AppStories+ Post-Show Visual Intelligence and AirPods Cameras AirPods Pro Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses HomeKit Secure Video Parcel Sequel Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Shaking It Up with New Apps

This week on AppStories, John and Federico kick off the app swap challenge, with each of them giving the other three apps to use. We'll be checking in on how it's going each week with a final roundup of the results of the experiment after WWDC. On AppStories+, we each pick aspirational apps and OS features that we wish we used more but don't. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Links and Show Notes An App Swap Challenge: Pick Three apps for each other to try for a month and report back John's Picks for Federico Dropzone 5 Zed PastePal Federico's Picks for John Cora Subscription Day Habitify AppStories+ Post-Show Aspirational Apps and Features We'd Like to Use More John Bend Copilot Money Federico Apple Journal Home Screen widgets iPhone's Stand By mode Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Maybe There's Something to the Super App Idea

This week on AppStories, John shares his tip for moving files with Taildrop before he and Federico dig into Codex and its unique capabilities. On AppStories+, Federico and John have both returned to Apple Reminders and discuss why and how they're using it. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Follow-Up: Moving Files Between Devices Tailscale Taildrop Hyperduck Codex as a Productivity Super App Codex OpenAI acquires Software Applications Incorporated Sky Acquired by OpenAI Claude Code Issues An update on recent Claude Code quality reports (Anthropic) Claude Code Federico's Codex Workflows Apple Frames CLI Cardmarket Monologue Matter Other Mac Dictation Apps Wispr Flow Aqua Voice Remote Codex on iPhone Remodex Remodex Is the Best Codex Remote Client for iOS Open-Source Personal AI Assistants OpenClaw AppStories+ Post-Show: Apple Reminders GoodTask Remind Me Faster Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

The Search for the Perfect App

This week on AppStories, John and Federico cover Apple's executive transition, follow up on OpenAI's super app, and share the apps they're looking for and give each other suggestions on how to fill their app gaps. On AppStories+, we round up the tools we've built for ourselves that fill gaps, for which we haven't found apps. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes Links and Show Notes Apple Leadership Transition Apple's Executive Leadership Transition Announced Community Letter from Tim OpenAI Codex and Computer Use Follow-Up OpenAI Codex Claude Code Filling the App Gap HomeKit Automation Controller for HomeKit Home Assistant Cross-Device Screenshot and File Transfer CleanShot X macOS Screen Sharing utility Workspace Management Workspaces+ Workspaces Calendar Apps Notion Calendar Fantastical Calendar 366 Dot Bookmarking and Read-It-Later Shiori, by Brian Lovin Readwise Reader Matter AppStories+ Post Show: Self-Built Tools and the Services Behind Them ElevenLabs Buffer Google Gemini Kokoro TTS Defuddle CrossPost (John's cross-platform social media posting tool) Research Feed (John's ranked, filtered social media reader) Dialog (John's article-to-podcast converter using Defuddle, Claude, and Kokoro TTS) Daily Star (John's twice-daily magazine-style digest from Notion, RSS, and Matter) Notion Daily Notes Appender (Federico's quick-capture web app) Notion Daily Notes Viewer (Federico's horizontal tray viewer for open daily notes) Ghost Reader (Federico's Readwise Reader audio-preview tool using ElevenLabs) CLI Chats (Federico's session-log viewer for Claude Code and Codex) Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Amplifying Projects with Agentic Assistance

This week on AppStories, we draw from Federico's experience creating the Apple Frames 4 shortcut and CLI to discuss the multiplier effect that AI agents can have in the hands of someone with deep domain expertise. On AppStories+, we share our AI agent mishaps and horror stories along with additional details on a John's ongoing HomeKit makeover project. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Mercury Weather – Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Links and Show Notes Apple Frames 4 and the Multiplier Effect Introducing Apple Frames 4: A Revamped Shortcut, Support for Frame Colors, Proportional Scaling, and the Apple Frames CLI for Developers AppStories+ Post-Show: Agent mishaps and horror stories, plus a peek at John's ongoing HomeKit makeover. Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

When Everything Apps Work and When the Don't

[ This week, on AppStories, we return to a topic that's an old favorite: the Everything App in honor of OpenAI's announcement that they are building a Super App. On AppStories+, Federico consolidates the tools and services he uses. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Links and Show Notes The Everything App Trap OpenAI raises $122 billion to accelerate the next phase of AI OpenAI Bets Big on Building an Everything App Daring Fireball AppStories+ Post-Show: Federico's AI Tool Consolidation Services and Apps Discussed: Claude Claude Code ChatGPT Perplexity Google Gemini Telegram Firecrawl SerpAPI Parallel.ai Feedbin Obsidian Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

What's New in Text Editors?

This week on AppStories, John and Federico revisit the state of text editors on Apple platforms and how they use them. On AppStories+, John and Federico dig deeper into their writing workflows and the apps they're using to write. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock – We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Claude – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes Text Editors Discussed Obsidian Obsidian CLI Obsidian Sync Drafts Drafts Action Directory Drafts MCP Server Notion Panda Bear Zed Other Markdown and Plain Text Editors iA Writer Ulysses Typora MarkEdit Clearly Markdown Atlas Runestone FSNotes File Formats TextBundle AppStories+ Post-Show Writing Workflow Tools Claude Code DropOver Pandoc Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Apple and Agents

This week on AppStories, Federico and John draw from their experiences using AI agents to imagine the sort of agent Apple could build with tight hardware and software integration if it had a LLM to orchestrate the pieces already in place. On AppStories+, John asks where artificial intelligence falls on the spectrum of historical technology milestones. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Vitally – Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Links and Show Notes Agentic AI Tools OpenClaw OpenClaw on GitHub Claude Code Claude Cowork Claude Code Channels Claude Dispatch Perplexity Computer OpenAI Codex Related News OpenClaw, OpenAI and the Future — Peter Steinberger OpenAI Reportedly Pivoting to a Focus on Business and Productivity Only (Gizmodo) Anthropic Turns the Tables on OpenAI in Critical Revenue Category (Axios) Apple and AI Apple Intelligence App Intents Private Cloud Compute AppStories+ Post-Show Where does AI rank as a tech innovation? Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Federico on Foldables

This week on AppStories, Federico shares his experiences with foldable Android phones and what Apple might do for its first foldable hardware and its software. On AppStories+, Federico shares his experience using Samsung DeX. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Claude – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes AirPods Max 2 In a Surprise Move, Apple Announces AirPods Max 2 Foldable Phones Will the iPhone Fold be a phone you open, or an iPad you close? iPhone Fold looks like two of my all-time favorite products in one Foldables Mentioned Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Google Pixel Fold Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold Oppo Find N6 Honor Magic V5 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Samsung Tri-Fold Belkin UltraBoost AppStories+ Post-Show Samsung DeX Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico and John look at the confusing array of tools and naming conventions used by Anthropic and OpenAI. On AppStories+, John explains how he automated two unautomatable Mac apps. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Vitally: Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Links and Show Notes The Fragmented World of AI Tools Anthropic's Claude Claude for Mac Claude Cowork Claude Code Claude Code on the web Claude Code Remote Control Model Context Protocol (MCP) OpenAI's Codex ChatGPT for Mac Codex for Mac Codex CLI GPT-5.4 GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark Cerebras Codex Skills GitHub Repository Also mentioned: Playwright Todoist Notion Gmail Pushover Linear GitHub Brrr AppStories+ Post-Show iZotope RX 11 Hush Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

The Messy Development of AI Apps