Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
AppStories
This week, Federico and John discuss what might be next for Apple Intelligence and how it fits into the broader AI market.
On AppStories+, Federico and John cover the fallout from the Sora app and why AI can’t replace human creativity.
This episode is sponsored by:
Claude: Get 50% off Claude Pro, including access to Claude Code.
NPC: Next Portable Console
This week, Steam Deck, Switch 2, and Vision Pro accessory follow-up, Thunderbolt 5 eGPUs, Android handhelds break into the budget category, and the ROG Xbox Ally X is a bust.
On NPC XL, Apple’s M5 chip promise gaming advances on the iPad, but can it deliver?
First, Last, Everything
On this episode, we’re joined by Joe Rosensteel. Joe is a VFX artist who’s worked on big-name Hollywood productions as well as smaller commercial projects. He’s a writer on his own blog and for the Six Colors website, and he also has a podcast with Dan Sturm called Defocused.
AppStories, Episode 457, ‘Apple’s Intelligence Quest: Beyond Smart Siri’ Show Notes
Apps and Services Mentioned
Zapier
Tasklet
Shortwave
Notion AI
Exa
Small Language Models are the Future of Agentic AI
Less is More: Recursive Reasoning with Tiny Networks
AppStories+ Post-Show
Oatmeal on AI art
OpenAI’s Sora app can deepfake anyone — here’s what it did to me
NPC, Episode 53, ‘Budget Android Handhelds Rise as the Xbox Ally X Stumbles’ Show Notes
Follow-Up
Steam Deck Folios are now available for anyone to buy for $40
Apple Vision Pro PSVR 2 controllers are $250
Mechanism Switch 2 Basecase
The Latest Portable Gaming News
GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 5090 AI BOX Thunderbolt 5 eGPU launches at $2999, 27% slower than desktop RTX 5090 in gaming
OneXfly Apex handheld gaming PC with AMD Strix Halo is on the way
REDMAGIC 11 Pro could be the first liquid-cooled smartphone you can actually buy
MagicX One35 Finally Available For Pre-Order
MANGMI Air X Is Finally Here Snapdragon Power, Sub-$100 Price
Xbox Ally and Ally X review this is not an Xbox
Subscribe to NPC XL
NPC XL is a weekly members-only version of NPC with extra content, available exclusively through our new Patreon for $5/month.
Each week on NPC XL, Federico, Brendon, and John record a special segment or deep dive about a particular topic that is released alongside the “regular” NPC episodes.
You can subscribe here.
First, Last Everything, Episode 7, ‘Joe Rosensteel, VFX Artist, Podcaster, and Writer’ Show Notes
This Episode’s Links
Shake it off: Remembering Apple’s Academy Award–winning failure – Six Colors
Stunt Copter game – Nostalgic Mac on YouTube
ClarisWorks on Wikipedia
‘Cast Away’ and the story behind Imageworks’ in-house compositing software – before and afters
Joe on Mastodon
Joe’s blog, ‘Unauthoritative Pronouncements’
Defocused podcast on The Incomparable
Joe’s Picks
Joe’s ‘First’: Macintosh Plus on Wikipedia
Official Apple tech specs page
Joe’s ‘Last’: iPhone 16 Pro on Wikipedia
Joe’s ‘Everything’: Twitter on Wikipedia
Something
Apple Pippin on Wikipedia
512 Pixels: The Apple Pippin on YouTube
MacStories launched its first podcast in 2017 with AppStories. Since then, the lineup has expanded to include a family of weekly shows that also includes MacStories Unwind, Magic Rays of Light, Comfort Zone, NPC: Next Portable Console, and First, Last, Everything that collectively, cover a broad range of the modern media world from Apple’s streaming service and videogame hardware to apps for a growing audience that appreciates our thoughtful, in-depth approach to media.
If you’re interested in advertising on our shows, you can learn more here or by contacting our Managing Editor, John Voorhees.
Access Extra Content and Perks
Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for nearly a decade.
What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed every MacStories fan.
Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with apps, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, early access to the MacStories Unwind podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus an active Discord community, advanced search and custom RSS features for exploring the Club’s entire back catalog, bonus columns, and dozens of app discounts;
Club Premier: All of the above and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.