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Medically on the floor. Now here's a podcast that stands apart from all Ladies and gentlemen, from the mountains of the great state of Tennessee, it's the OFNT Podcast. And here's your constantly misguided host, Jim Schaefer. Yeah, that'll be me. Welcome to episode 274.
which I'm calling my aura is off. I describe my escapades with my smart ring in the Tekhan tech news section i have plenty of apple news but only one non-apple story not only was it a slow tech news week it was a slow news week in general i have a few tidbits about entertainment Three, two, one. Tech news. Let's start with a few tech stories from last week. I wasn't feeling 100% while recording the last episode so I was sort of in a hurry. Great excuse dude.
An article from 9to5mac.com, alleged that Apple's rumored iPhone 17 Ultra, besides being packed with all the latest gizmos it can possibly be stuffed with, will serve as a way for consumers to experience sticker price shock. That is before being further shocked by the price of 2026 debut of Apple's first foldable phone. Yeah, right. I guess we can think of it as Apple's way of testing the so-called premium market.
Hmm. At current iPhone prices, I assume we were already in the premium market. No, dear. That's wrong. Well, I guess I am wrong. The price of this Ultra iPhone is predicted to be $2,000. I don't know about you but that's just too much money for my taste. I'll most likely be downgrading my phone this year, if you can call it that, from my current iPhone 15 Pro Max to the iPhone Air.
If this Ultra iPhone is really going to come in at $2000, which is about $600 more expensive than an iPhone 16 Pro Max, How much will the foldable iPhone set you back? I don't know. The analysts are predicting it will cost $2,500, but perhaps it will cost $3,000 or more. What? Eventually buying an iPhone will become like buying an automobile.
Back in episode 261, I had reported that the tech press, based on leaks from Mark Gurman, said that iOS 19 would adapt the icon style of the Apple Vision Pro. Ditching the current squircle design for the round design of the VR headset, I had commented on how Android like this would look and lamented about how homogenized the two mobile operating systems are becoming.
This was in support of Apple's quest to centralize the core look of all the company's operating systems, which the number of seems to be growing every year. This was countered by a rival leak from FPT YouTube channel who claimed to have viewed iOS 19. FPT claimed we'd be getting slightly more rounded squircles with a reflected glass effect.
This week FPT claimed that the example of iOS 19 they showed off was disguised to fool the public. Just in case the phone iOS 19 was being tested on was left behind somewhere. Once you touch the screen, the real iOS 19 home screen icon set was revealed. Cool story, bro. This new icon leak shows icons that are more rounded squircles that display a shimmering effect when touched.
Also showed off were some snazzy animations. Think of Samsung's new One UI Android skin to get an idea of how this latest leak looks. I'm officially punching out of this whole situation now, and I'm just going to wait until June's WWDC. Apple was rumored to be releasing a smart home hub later this year. This will be the giant fruit company's Echo Show competitor. Renders of this contraption resemble an iPad mounted on a half- to full-size HomePod.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, this product has been delayed until 2026. The reason given for this delay is that Apple's revamped AI supercharged Siri digital assistant still isn't ready for prime time. At this point, will it ever be? Well at some point consumers will just stop caring if they haven't already. I've stopped caring about Siri years ago. Siri deserves its reputation as being the worst digital assistant on the market.
Apple TV Plus has a teen problem, even as iPhone Dominates reads a headline of an article on 9to5Mac. An outfit named Piper Sandler recently published their 49th semi-annual survey of teens in the U.S. on a variety of topics. It's good work if you can get it. It sure is. iPhone adoption amongst that demographic sits at 88%. Whoa. The bad news is that only 1% of these teens claim that Apple TV Plus is a regular part of their daily video consumption. Uh-oh. Surprisingly, at least to me.
Netflix comes in second with 31% over YouTube's 26%. I assumed that those stats would be reversed. Figures for TikTok weren't revealed, at least within this article, but I'd wager it would be number one. That 1% figure for Apple TV Plus jives with my usage of that service. I spend most of my viewing time on YouTube, but then again, I'm just an old fart.
The results of this survey of 6,000 teenagers, which puts Netflix over YouTube, perhaps explains why I'm most likely going to cancel my Netflix subscription. Programming on Netflix isn't made for me nor my demographic these days, it seems. The Wall Street Journal claims Elon Musk-owned SpaceX is attempting to block Apple from expanding its satellite messaging service. Supposedly, SpaceX is pressuring the Federal Communications Committee to intervene.
No doubt using Musk's friendship with current President Trump. Oh, I get it now. Because of the expanded use of Apple's satellite text messaging service, the company has requested more bandwidth to handle this increase of usage. According to the Wall Street Journal, SpaceX has asked the FCC to delay a decision because it is attempting to get permission to use these same frequencies to expand its Starlink satellite internet service.
This is a common thing which occurs within the satellite industry as well as the terrestrial cellular phone market, where the biggest cell service providers fight over radio frequencies, with each trying to get the best frequencies for themselves. What the FCC does is auction off these frequencies with the highest bidder getting the spectrum they want. This will probably be the case with the Apple versus SpaceX case. Move along, there's nothing to see here.
After basically conquering the staid U.S. cellular service market, T-Mobile has set its sights on the home internet market. Android Police has an article detailing some of T-Mobile's efforts in the company's latest endeavor. When I still lived in New York, I was constantly bombarded with text messages, emails, and even snail mail, asking me to switch to T-Mobile's home internet.
I must admit it was tempting. For $50 per month, T-Mobile's home internet promised me between 80 to 400 megabits per second in my area, which had a large build-out of the cell service provider's 5G network. however most neighbors that had t-mobile as their internet provider told me in actuality they got around 100 mbps down with uploads being much slower at 20 mbps
I was then using my local cable television provider's non-fiber internet, which I usually got around 250 Mbps down and 50 up. I was paying almost $170 for that service. My family streams all of our content having cut the cord many years ago. At any given moment, my lovely wife is streaming soap operas on her iPad. I'm streaming YouTube videos, what else, on the main television set.
and my son is playing online video games. When you throw in security cameras and the like, I didn't think T-Mobile's internet service would be robust enough for my household. Not to mention when the 5G network would have its congestion times where the service would slow to a crawl.
Upon moving to Tennessee, we, of course, had no internet for the times we were down here before moving permanently. I attempted to get T-Mobile internet servers for my new home as a temporary measure, but it wasn't yet available in my area. I've been notified that it's available now, but I'm lucky if I get two bars of signal strength and 5G service is sketchy at best.
Inside of my house, 5G is non-existent. We just did our best while we were down here without internet. When it became time to install our security system, we had to have internet service, of course. Most of our neighbors had Xfinity as their internet provider. The homes were pre-wired for them. Xfinity has a data cap and after the first year more than doubles in price.
While talking to the realtor one day, he mentioned that he thought that the local electric utility company was going to be offering internet service. When we went to open up our electric account, I inquired about internet service and was told that fiber had been laid in our new development and internet service was indeed available. The cost? $80 per month with 1 gig up and down speeds and no data cap. 3 gigs up and down would cost $160.
Of course, I signed up on the spot. Over the months we've been here, I see new residents getting this service from the utility company and those that had Xfinity are switching over to it. What's all this have to do with T-Mobile? Well, the company has been quietly upping its game by purchasing fiber internet companies who serve smaller communities like the one I'm in. There is such a company locally which can't compete with the utility company's prices.
I bet that T-Mobile will eventually buy up this operation. The purchasing of fiber internet providers is an unexpected and great move by T-Mobile. and probably will eventually provide them with the backbone for a nationwide fiber internet structure, turning them into a major player in the home internet market. I'll end the tech news section with some good news for a change, especially if you're in the market for a new phone or other computing device.
President Trump has come to the rescue by waiving the tariffs on phones, computers and other electronics coming from China. Though this is good for all manufacturers, This action is being portrayed in this country as throwing a bone to Apple. Well, could be. I think Apple had the most to lose with the tariffs. But then again, the company has unbelievable profit margins for their products. Perhaps this will also spur Apple to finally diversify its manufacturing base out of China.
Last episode, I reported that Apple is building new factories in India and plans on doubling the number of iPhones made in that country. Time will tell, as it always does. Tech I'm using. Last Tuesday was full of problems for me. I had problems with my banking institution, Peloton, IndoorCycle, iPhone, and internet provider. And not necessarily in that order.
This whole bad day was kicked off by my Aura smart ring. I woke up earlier than usual on that faithful Tuesday because of some construction noises. My neighbors are putting in an enclosed patio in the rear of their house. I quickly fell into my daily routine, which is making the bed and sitting in the living room and perusing my phone while drinking some water. I check news headlines, emails in my Oura Rings app, and yes, in that order.
The first problem I faced was having trouble connecting the ring to my phone via Bluetooth. I had to place the ring on its charger in order for it to do so. After this, I noticed that no sleep data was collected from the previous evening. I kind of depend on my aura ring to advise me on my readiness and any health problems that might be cropping up.
No sleep data means none of that info I've become reliant on can be formulated. I just shrugged my shoulders thinking it was some kind of glitch and went on with the rest of what became a challenging day. The ring performed the rest of its tasks during the day just fine, monitoring my stress levels, which were, of course, high, my exercise numbers, and reminding me to get ready for bed.
When I woke up the following morning, again I had to place my ring on its charger to get it to pair. And again, no sleep data was accumulated during the night. What the hell? Houston, we have a problem. You think? Now, I've had a very good experience when dealing with Aura's customer service previously.
After about a year, my Series 3 ring would require me to charge it multiple times per day. When I contacted Aura about this problem, though the ring was out of warranty, the company sent me a replacement for it. Well, I initiated contact with customer service using their chatbot. When describing my problem, it asks for my account information so that my ring's data could be analyzed.
After giving that information, it took about 30 seconds and the problem was determined to be the battery, as it was with the Series 3 I had previously. I was told to expect an email from a real live human. You mean a human such as myself? Don't flatter yourself, Slappy. The email arrived minutes later and asked if my ring size was still the same and to add any other information I might deem pertinent to my case.
I provided that information and about an hour later I received another email, this time by Aura's sales department, letting me know that a new ring was on its way to me, complete with a shipment tracking number. And that's what I call customer service. The new ring will arrive in about two to three weeks. In the meantime, I'll attempt to use my Apple Watch for health monitoring while I sleep. Update! My Oura Ring is again tracking my sleep. I gave it another try last night and it worked.
The battery still runs down quickly though. My new ring arrives Monday, so being that Aura doesn't want the old ring back, I'm going to let my son experiment with it. Of course, he won't get the full benefit as he's not about to pay for that monthly subscription. Entertainment news. Apple TV Plus is stepping up its game lately. First, they released Dope Thief, then the studio, and now Your Friends and Neighbors, which stars Mad Men's Jon Hamm.
Mr. Hamm plays a high-powered Wall Street fund manager who, because of a recent divorce and other unfortunate incidents, finds himself jobless and in need of income. Not for himself, but for his ex-wife and son's lifestyle. Of course, crime is the answer, but nothing is simple. I've only checked out the first episode because I know my lovely wife will enjoy the series, and I'm saving it in order to watch it together with her.
Well, isn't that romantic of you? Yes, it is. Yes, it is. If Apple continues pumping out content like this, they'll be improving their audience stats in no time, at least with old farts like myself. Speaking of which, I received a survey from the Giant Fruit Company Saturday evening. Quite the coincidence, don't you think? Huh? No. I told you they're always watching. Well, of course they are.
my biggest complaint with apple tv plus is the complaint i have with just about all streaming services and that's the time between series seasons It takes two or more years for a new season to come out. And that's just too long. Heck, I think I've been waiting for the new season of Foundation on Apple TV Plus for over two years now. In Apple's case I also complained about the dearth of content on the service. I guess I should be patient, as Apple appears to be going for quality, not quantity.
Hey, I actually watched something on Netflix this week. Wow. Season 7 of the Black Mirror series is out. If you didn't already know, Black Mirror is a sci-fi series that mainly explores future tech and how humans might interact with it. The first episode of the new season was a continuation of Season 6's last episode, USS Callister, Into Infinity.
I enjoyed it, not just for the story. More on that in a minute. I was in binge-watching mode this last chilly and cloudy Saturday here in Tennessee, so I blew through half the season in one sitting. I enjoyed it less and less as the episodes went by. What I really like about science fiction shows is seeing what future tech the writers of these stories come up with.
The USS Callister episode showed futuristic smartphones like most episodes do, but the phones imagined here are more feasible for being available shortly. Basically, the phone's depicted a large, I guess about 7.7 inches of real estate, and almost all screen with a metal case. What's distinct about them is how thin they are.
Does this sound familiar? Yes. No. To me, this style is what the heavily rumored Apple iPhone Air or Slim that's supposed to replace the regular iPhone Plus this coming fall is aiming for. When I first started hearing about this new phone model I wasn't enthused, and I wasn't alone. Many in the tech press weren't very enthused either. But I have to say, now that I've seen a phone that's mostly screen and ultra-thin, well, I think I'm all in.
I just hope Apple's attempt at this style of phone resembles the fictional one I saw on TV. Podcast news. I was unsure where to place these next stories. I guess it depends on how you look at them. They could be considered entertainment stories, but at least in the case of the first item, I never ever considered it entertainment. They're not really podcast related, especially the first story, which is from the BBC.
The headline reads, Trump moves to close down Voice of America. When first formed, VOA was intended to counter propaganda from the old Soviet bloc. Content from VOA was never intended to be consumed by residents of the United States. Nerds like myself had access to VOA via shortwave radio, and every now and then I'd tune in. I recall listening in to the VOA one time in the early 1980s where the announcer was extolling the virtues of frontal lobe lobotomies.
I kid you not. Over the years, while being stationed overseas, I'd tune in to hear other propaganda being broadcasted by this government-funded broadcaster. Besides the Soviet Union and the whole Iron Curtain falling, times have changed. You don't need shortwave radios or any radio in order to get info these days. A smartphone and a VPN will allow you to listen to VOA or any broadcaster no matter where you are. As long as you have cell service, that is.
the content distributed by voa has changed also voa has morphed into parroting national public radio and mainstream media The biggest change happened in 2013. That's when the Obama administration amended the Smith-Mund Act of 1948, which originally prohibited domestic dissemination of materials produced for foreign audiences. The act also forbade the dissemination of propaganda to the United States public.
The 2013 amendment to the Act stripped these restrictions from it, which now allows the VOA or any other domestic broadcaster or news source to disseminate programming and propaganda to the U.S. public. VOA news items pop up on my feeds routinely these days. Well, not lately. Both VOA and National Public Radio, along with the Public Broadcasting Service,
are all funded directly or indirectly by taxpayer dollars and all create similar content. None of it is non-biased. Now why should the American taxpayer fund this garbage? The amending of the Smith-Mund Act may also explain why most corporate news in this country these days receive their talking points directly from the Democratic National Committee, delivering opinions and not factual unbiased news.
And speaking of national public radio, Fox News has an article reporting that roughly 180 NPR radio stations could shut down if funding is cut. But wait! Advocates for NPR have in the past argued that only about 1% of NPR's operating budget comes from taxpayers. If this was so, couldn't NPR easily survive being defunded?
As many have suspected or have even known, NPR relies on handouts from non-governmental organizations, the odious NGOs, who get most of their money funding from you guessed it handouts from the us government and where does the us government get their money from Well, from the U.S. taxpayers, of course. Well, what do you know about that? I haven't listened to NPR since the early 1990s. That's when the shift in their reporting started. At least that's when I started noticing it.
NPR has only gotten worse since then. The No Agenda podcast clips broadcast from NPR, and that's how I know of its current state. One example which comes to mind is right after Trump won the last election, NPR aired a special show where they gathered all their national hosts together and had a good old-fashioned cry fest over the results of the election. Now, I'm not exaggerating here. A few of the hosts actually were crying about their preferred candidate losing.
The panel's conclusion was that they didn't do their job in educating the uneducated, unwashed masses of the correct choice. And we're supposed to believe NPR provides unbiased reporting for its audience? No. Most, if not all, of these NPR reporters, and I use that term lightly, are elite. Recent or not-so-recent Ivy League J School graduates.
waiting to be called up to the big leagues of the mainstream media. I have no sympathy for these types. Perhaps if they happen to be made redundant over these budget cuts to both them and their NGO buddies, they'll be able to escape their highly educated leftist bubble they inhabit and experience the real world, most likely for the first time in their lives. You know, the world that most of us live in. But they won't.
They'll get some funding from some source and start podcasts in order to keep attempting to spread their ideology by way of the propaganda that they've been taught. mainly by communist professors that they encountered while attending those expensive schools that if biden's agenda had been successful would have been basically tuition free by way of student loan forgiveness i say to these types good riddance
Thank you. Thank you. Think you'll find that my speaking engagement fees In more evidence that the Obama's influence has waned, Michelle Obama's new podcast has suffered a steep decline in viewers and listeners. Currently, Ms. Obama's IMO podcast sits at 34th on Spotify's chart. It's not that the Obamas have a good track record in regards to podcasts with Spotify anyway.
Michelle's first podcast, which was fresh off her husband's exit from the White House, didn't rate very well. And neither did Barack's podcast with Bruce Springsteen, of all people. As I discussed on this podcast before, the Democratic Party blames podcasting for their loss of the 2024 election and are trying to find their version of Joe Rogan. I said we could expect to see money being thrown around to fund a bunch of podcasts in this attempt.
So far, we've seen California Governor Gavin Newsom and now Ms. Obama. While the IMO podcast is performing better than the Governor's podcast, well, that's not saying much. Obama's IMO podcast has about 250,000 subscribers. That's not bad. In comparison, though, Joe Rogan's GRE podcast has a staggering 20 million subscribers. Whoa! What the DNC doesn't get is that Mr. Rogan isn't affiliated with the Republican Party.
As a matter of fact, Mr. Rogan was aligned with the Democratic Party until recently. He was a Bernie Sanders guy. Expect more DNC-sponsored podcasts popping up in the future. I hope Spotify learns their lesson and stops signing these types of politically motivated hosts to multi-million dollar contracts to produce content. Besides saving themselves some money, they could save themselves some embarrassment.
We're the voices in the host's head, and we're always trying to get out. One day, we'll be successful. You'll know when we've succeeded because we'll be taking over the entire podcast. Until then, goodbye.