MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico tries to recover from a rough week, John brings some Southern cooking to the show, Federico has a long backlog of videogames to attend to, and John has an Apple TV+ show and an album to share.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

Unplugged

• Southern Cooking
• Pecan Pie
• Pimento Cheese Dip
• Fried Okra

Picks

• Federico's Pick:
• Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2
• Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
• Triple Click Tactics episode
• Hades II
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
• Pokémon Legends: Z-A
• Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart
• Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
• Despelote
• Mika and the Witch's Mountain
• John's Pick:
• Slow Horses, Season 5 on Apple TV+
• Michigander by Michigander

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This week, John visits Mike the shipping guy, Federico's philosophy on hardware takes a turn, John declares Apple Watch charging in the shower a myth, and we share videogame and TV picks, plus a deal.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

Unplugged

• Big Mike's Shipping Shoppe
• Charging the Apple Watch While Showering

Picks

• Federico's Pick:
• Portal RTX
• Portal with RTX Update Adds NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 With Ray Reconstruction, RTX IO & New Content
• RTX Remix
• John's Pick:
• Alien Earth on Hulu

Unwind Deal

• Snowpiercer TV Series, Complete Boxed Set in TV app for $11.99 for 4 seasons/40 episodes.

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This week Federico and John reflect on the toll of the review process and the annual recovery process before Federico follows up on a TV series and John recommends a pair of albums. Plus, we have a great Marvel movie bundle deal for listeners.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

The Aftermath of Review Season

• iOS and iPadOS 26: The MacStories Review
• macOS 26 Tahoe: The MacStories Review
• CarPlay in iOS 26: The MacStories Review
• visionOS 26: The MacStories Review
• watchOS 26: The MacStories Review

Picks

• Federico's Pick:
• Hacks, Seasons 1–4 on HBO Max
• John's Picks:
• Tunnel Vision by Beach Bunny
• I Quit by HAIM

Unwind Deal

🔨 Thor – 3-Movie Bundle for $19.99

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This week, John explains the art of the Southern storytelling with an example, reminding Federico to touch grass before sharing a classic movie deal and previewing some of the perks coming next week with his iOS and iPadOS 26 review.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

Two Beady Eyes Staring At Me

• Skunks

Unwind Deal

• The Prestige for $4.99 in Apple's TV app.

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This week, the weather has begun to change, coyotes are on the loose, and John shares his running tech. Plus Federico has a TV comedy for listeners, and John has a superhero movie pick.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

John's Running Kit

• Apple Watch Ultra 1
• Beats Fit Pro

Picks

• Federico's Pick:
• Hacks
• Stream on HBO Max
• Buy
• John's Pick:
• Thunderbolts
• Stream on Disney+
• Buy

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This week, John and Federico return from break to chat about how they spent their time off, the new MacStories Deals social accounts, two sports-related comedies, and a great deal on a favorite TV series.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

Summer Break and MacStories Deals

• MacStories Deals returns after seven years
• Follow it on Mastodon or Bluesky:
• Mastodon: https://mastodon.macstories.net/@MacStoriesDeals#.
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/macstoriesdeals.macstories.net

Picks

• John's Pick:
• Stick on Apple TV+
• Federico's Pick:
• Running Point on Netflix

Unwind Deal

Futurama, Seasons 1–10 for $24.99

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This week, John is joined by Jonathan Reed to recap the watchOS 26 public beta, and share a trio of comedies old an new, along with Brendon Bigley's new project and a classic monster movie deal.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

A watchOS 26 Preview

• watchOS 26 The MacStories Public Beta Preview

Picks

• Jonathan's Picks:
• The Naked Gun (original movie) and the new version starring Liam Neeson
• King of the Hill on Hulu/Disney+
• Platonic on Apple TV+
• John's Pick:
• Wavelengths
• Announcement Post: Wavelengths 2.0 A Podcast and a Patreon

Unwind Deal

• Godzilla Minus One Minus Color (49.99 down from $14.99)

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This week, Federico recounts his trip to London to see Oasis play Wembley Stadium, and John recommends the new Fantastic Four movie plus a great deal on a classic comedy.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

Unplugged Segment

Picks

• Federico's Pick:
• Oasis Live at Wembley Stadium
• John's Pick:
• Fantastic Four: First Steps

Unwind Deal

Warm up for Happy Gilmore 2 on Netflix with the original:

Happy Gilmore, released in 1996, is available in the TV app for just $7.99

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This week, John struggles to update an old Apple TV and two HomePod minis, Federico sets up OTA TV, and they both go bananas over Donkey Kong Bananza.

Also available on YouTube here.

This episode is sponsored by:

• Hello Weather: The Exceptionally Useful Weather App for iOS, Totally Redesigned for 2025

Links and Show Notes

Unplugged Topics

• John struggles to update an Apple TV and HomePod minis
• Federico installs an HDHomeRun for OTA TV

Picks

• John and Federico's Joint Pick:
• Donkey Kong Bananza

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This week, Federico's return to Apple system apps has ended and new workflow experiments have begun. Plus, John shares a dark comedy, and Federico has an anti-pick.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

Federico's Evolving Workflow: MCP and More

• Mentioned:
• HyperContext
• Longplay
• Longplay for Mac Launches with Powerful AI and Shortcuts Integration
• Longplay comes to the Mac

Picks

• John's Pick:
• Friendship
• Federico's Anti-Pick:
• The Bear, Season 4

Unwind Deal

• Note: Sadly since recording, Zombieland has returned to $14.99 but is still available as a $3.99 rental.

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