With WWDC and our annual draft right around the corner, it's time to survey the final rumors about Apple's AR/VR headset, while also taking stock of some real accessibility developments due this fall. Also: Jason has gazed into the many faces of the Apple TV Quadbox, and Mimestream 1.0 has arrived.
May 22, 2023•2 hr 33 min•Ep 460•Transcript available on Metacast Apple has finally announced Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad. What does this mean for the platform, what took so long, and is this the end of the story--or just the beginning? Also, the Wall Street Journal gets into the Apple Headset rumor business.
May 15, 2023•2 hr 30 min•Ep 459•Transcript available on Metacast It's time to analyze Apple's financial results, including a focus on India and some substantial declines for the Mac and iPad. Myke reveals the existence of the Secret Myke Hurley Tip Line. And we dive deep into a conversation about how Apple's embrace of keeping things "on device" isn't necessarily enough to differentiate it from the likes of Google and Meta.
May 08, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep 458•Transcript available on Metacast This week we react to rumors of future Apple health services and try to understand the difference between a service and a feature. Also, is Apple right to keep advanced AI out of Siri until it's trustworthy? And we celebrate the suggestion that watchOS might be getting a fresh new Widget-centric interface.
May 01, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep 457•Transcript available on Metacast As rumor season kicks into high gear, we discuss Apple's potential new app, more reports about its VR headset, and some updates about forthcoming Mac hardware.
Apr 24, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep 456•Transcript available on Metacast What's happening at WWDC? The rumors are... confusing. Also, Jason gets excited about watching four things at once, Myke tries to bring iOS 17 into focus, and we've got a book review of 'Make Something Wonderful' from the Steve Jobs Archive.
Apr 17, 2023•2 hr 49 min•Ep 455•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're pondering future directions for watchOS complications and iOS Control Center, reacting to extremely early reports about future iPhone displays, and digesting Apple's slow build of alternative manufacturing capacities outside of China.
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep 454•Transcript available on Metacast WWDC has been announced, but when will the Apple VR headset be ready to ship? Also, CarPlay gets the cold shoulder from General Motors, watchOS might be in for some major changes, and the iPhone could be getting its own action button.
Apr 03, 2023•2 hr 30 min•Ep 453•Transcript available on Metacast With WWDC (presumably) a couple of months away, we take time to list some of our wishes for iOS 17. There's also a lot more noise about the forthcoming Apple VR headset, and the entertainment industry and Apple are having communication issues.
Mar 27, 2023•2 hr 42 min•Ep 452•Transcript available on Metacast Is the iPad still the future of computing, or is it the Mac (again)? This week we're pondering Apple's dividing lines between the iPad Pro and the Mac, and wonder if each product is limiting the potential of the other. Also, is Apple planning on raising iPad Pro prices to new heights? We also consider Apple's moves to show fiscal responsibility without laying off a lot of people like the rest of the tech industry.
Mar 20, 2023•2 hr 35 min•Ep 451•Transcript available on Metacast Did Apple's designers want the company to give up on its dreams of augmented reality and just wait it out for a few years? We ponder that baffling report and try to make sense of conflicting rumors about the arrival of the new MacBook Air. Then we get mellow about yellow, and Jason exposes his limited knowledge of classical music and his comprehensive knowledge of 1980s novelty pop hits.
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep 450•Transcript available on Metacast Kia ora! Jason's back from vacation to discuss Apple's continued quest to optimize its iPhone product revenue and the reason why M3 Macs might be closer (and more interesting) than we thought.
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep 449•Transcript available on Metacast Myke is joined by Casey Liss to discuss Mark Gurman's report on Apple's 'Moonshot' efforts. Also, what is that 'ComputeModule', how thick will the Pro Max camera bump be, and how does Casey fare in a brand new segment?
Feb 27, 2023•2 hr 43 min•Ep 448•Transcript available on Metacast With Jason on vacation, Myke is joined by David Smith. They discuss a potential delay for Apple's headset and what that may mean for WWDC. Also, David's AI-powered podcast transcription website, and the introduction of 'Ask Underscore'.
Feb 20, 2023•2 hr 34 min•Ep 447•Transcript available on Metacast Jason has released the 2022 Apple Report Card, and now it's time for him and Myke to once again share their grades for Apple for the year gone by. Also, Tim and Eddy go to the Super Bowl, and Apple gets a new Chief People Officer.
Feb 13, 2023•2 hr 48 min•Ep 446•Transcript available on Metacast How you read Apple's financial results really depends on what you want to see in them. We break down the numbers, ponder the state of Apple's design group, and reconsider what Apple may or may not be folding in the near future.
Feb 06, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep 445•Transcript available on Metacast This is the episode where our brains break as we try to process wild rumors of folding iPads and Siri-driven VR app development. Also, proving the raw interactive power of UpgradeFeedback.com, Myke hears from many listeners about why they choose to use the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Jason, meanwhile seems to hate plants.
Jan 30, 2023•2 hr 40 min•Ep 444•Transcript available on Metacast Jason's spent most of the last week with an M2 Max MacBook Pro, so it's time for his full review. We also discuss the M2 Mac mini and the second-generation HomePod. This naturally leads into a discussion of Apple's future home products and what form the M3 processor might take.
Jan 23, 2023•2 hr 36 min•Ep 443•Transcript available on Metacast Does the report that Apple may build a touchscreen Mac laptop mean that the futures of the Mac and iPad are about to converge--or is nothing much really going to change? Then Jason and Myke then pour one out for third-party Twitter apps. It was a good run.
Jan 16, 2023•2 hr 36 min•Ep 442•Transcript available on Metacast As the new year begins, reports about Apple's forthcoming headset product arrive to confuse and perplex us. We also discuss a potentially quiet year for the rest of Apple's product line, the fundamental dignity of a circular pizza, and a handful of things we cared about at CES 2023.
Jan 09, 2023•2 hr 30 min•Ep 441•Transcript available on Metacast It's a new year, and Jason has made his fearless predictions about what will happen in 2023! (Myke has questions.) We also consider the fate of the iPhone Plus, discuss Apple pausing its HomeKit architecture roll-out, and pour one out for Dark Sky.
Jan 02, 2023•2 hr 39 min•Ep 440•Transcript available on Metacast As the year comes to an end, it's time for the Ninth Annual Upgradies! Myke and Jason discuss their favorites of 2022, take the input of many Upgradians, and hand out awards in numerous categories! Only the finest will walk away with the most coveted of titles: Upgradies Winner.
Dec 26, 2022•2 hr 5 min•Ep 439•Transcript available on Metacast It's the most wonderful time of the year, but the news doesn't stop! We discuss next year's Mac lineup, the end of Apple's NFL Sunday Ticket negotiations, and reports that Apple is planning to open up the iOS app ecosystem in response to new rules from the European Union. But before we're done, we also take a little time out to re-tell our Apple origin stories. Happy holidays to all Upgradians!
Dec 19, 2022•2 hr 1 min•Ep 438•Transcript available on Metacast Myke has returned, and so have the Apple Car rumors. But before we try to figure those out, we've got to consider Apple's encryption announcements, Tim Cook's appearance at a chip factory in Arizona, and John Siracusa's appearance in our shared show document.
Dec 12, 2022•2 hr 30 min•Ep 437•Transcript available on Metacast John Siracusa returns to the show to chat about Jason's recent visit to his house, Mac app development, Apple's brain drain, TSMC breaking ground in Arizona, the problems with AI training models, the current state of macOS, and what makes a Good Product.
Dec 06, 2022•2 hr 18 min•Ep 436•Transcript available on Metacast John Gruber joins Jason on Upgrade for the first time. Topics include eWorld, Apple's iPhone production problems in China, FIFA and Qatar and the World Cup, the reasons behind Apple's sports ambitions, BBEdit, regular expressions, Perl and Python, MarsEdit, nanotexture displays, webcams, and the state of the art in ADB-to-USB adapters. Happy Cyber Monday to all those who celebrate!
Nov 29, 2022•2 hr 25 min•Ep 435•Transcript available on Metacast There's some huge news from the world of streaming, as Disney switches bosses and Apple plans its next wave of sports-streaming products. Meanwhile, Myke's busy building out his smart home while Jason has been reminded of the fragility of smart-home networking.
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Ep 434•Transcript available on Metacast Let's get real about the Apple VR headset. Is it really coming next year? What's it going to look like? What features should it have? What lessons can Apple learn from Meta's foray into VR products? We break it all down. Also, we've got home automation on our minds in various ways, as a smart switch fails Jason, Myke seeks advice, and it's beginning to look a lot like expensive fairy-light season.
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep 433•Transcript available on Metacast The strong dollar is helping to drive up Apple's prices around the world, but is it teaching the company that high prices don't matter? Also, Apple downgrades our favorite tvOS feature, Apple gets into the TV ad game, and iPhone production grinds to a halt.
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Ep 432•Transcript available on Metacast Apple and the Mac had another record quarter, but there are some serious questions about slowing growth in services and what it means for Apple's future strategies. This leads naturally into a discussion of Apple sticking ads all over the App Store and changing its App Store guidelines again. And Myke has taken Stage Manager for a spin on macOS Ventura.
Oct 31, 2022•2 hr 32 min•Ep 431•Transcript available on Metacast