This holiday gift guide episode brings together Joe McKinley, Joe Kissell, and Brett Terpstra to share practical and quirky gift picks. Recommendations range from Theragun massage balls and USB-C cable testers to bidets, Matter-compatible smart plugs, Govee neon lights, Leatherman multi-tools, tiny pry bars, and Amazon’s Echo Glow, with plenty of anecdotes on comfort, tools, and smart home setups.
This episode explores the swirl of rumors around Tim Cook’s potential retirement and what Apple’s succession planning might really look like. The panel then dissects reports that Apple could make billions in commissions from WeChat, separating headline hype from reality. They wrap up with a look at tighter App Store guidelines aimed at stopping copycat apps and how those changes may impact developers and users alike.
This episode starts with a public service warning about Belkin’s latest recall over potential fire hazards and how owners are getting refunds. The conversation then turns to Massimo’s major legal win against Apple over Apple Watch health-sensor patents, including the size of the judgment, the company’s broader medical business, licensing deals with other tech firms, and why aggressively protecting intellectual property is so central to their strategy.
Affinity’s move to a permanently free model sparks discussion about Canva’s strategy and Adobe’s pricing, while Pantone introduces an AI-powered color generator. The panel examines privacy concerns around Tinder scanning photo libraries and Microsoft turning to influencers for Copilot. A mix of tech news, creative-tool insights, and humor rounds out the conversation.
The second part of 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide #2 features more product picks both useful and off-beat from Jeff Gamet, ”Pilot Pete” Harmon, and Chuck Joiner. (Part 2)
https://youtu.be/ZhD2debtHBc The MacVoices Live! panel reacts to Apple’s new web-based App Store, praising easier discovery—especially for visionOS/Vision Pro apps. Then Jamf’s plan to go private sparks a deep dive into the volatile Apple MDM market (Jamf, Kanji,...
Author Glenn Fleischman returns to discuss how he keeps Take Control books current, what Liquid Glass gets right (and wrong), and how public betas color expectations. We cover iOS safety tools like Check In, iPadOS windowed apps, and the iPhone 17 Pro’s camera vs. “Visual Intelligence,” plus why foldables still don’t convince him. Glenn also details the Phone app on iPad/Mac and shares his Six Colors column and print-history projects.
Glenn Fleishman joins Chuck Joiner to explore Apple’s latest OS evolutions, including the controversial Liquid Glass interface, iPadOS 26 multitasking, and the importance of cross-device consistency. They also dive into Take Control’s role in helping users adapt to Apple’s constant redesigns and why understanding “the basics” still matters for every Mac, iPhone, and iPad user.
TikTok’s privacy changes, Musk’s final break from Twitter, Microsoft’s new Teams tracking, Tinder’s face scans, and major layoffs at Meta and Amazon—all spark lively debate from the panel as they explore the balance between innovation, security, and user trust, ending on a light note with Dave’s Hot Chicken topping the App Store.
GM’s CarPlay retreat sparks a panel debate over motives—subscriptions and data—while Toyota deepens EV integration and renters demand CarPlay. Plus: Google Pixel 911 call issues, an Atlas browser clipboard flaw, and Neato’s early cloud shutdown for robot vacuums as Roomba stumbles.
In Part 3, Joe Kissel and the MailMaven developers discuss the creation of the Take Control book, how documentation and user feedback shape ongoing updates, and why their personal support model sets them apart. They outline the 15-day trial, annual maintenance plan, and free Take Control guide—all built to make MailMaven a powerful yet accessible email client.
In Part 2, the MailMaven team explores token-based search, a separate global search window, and smart mailboxes/rules with nested criteria. See how the conversation map tames complex threads, while a keyboard-first design speeds filing and actions. They detail a privacy-by-design approach—local data, encrypted metadata sync, and built-in PGP—and explain onboarding, documentation, and dynamic, scriptable signatures.
Developers of MailMaven join Joe Kissel to explore a new power-user email client born from the end of Apple Mail plugins. They discuss metadata, advanced rules, keyboard-driven workflows, thoughtful UI decisions, approachable onboarding, and practical spam control using SpamSieve with server-side filtering. Part 1 of a three-part conversation.
Apple’s market value nears $4 trillion as the panel examines the company’s growth, leadership, and investor confidence. Discussion turns to Apple’s UK App Store lawsuit, potential multibillion-dollar penalties, and the debate over privacy and app tracking transparency in Europe.
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