Episodes — MacVoices

MacVoices #25323: Kirk McElhearn Takes Control of Apple Media Apps (2)

Dec 26, 2025 | Take Control

A conversation with Kirk McElhern on the steady maturation of Apple’s media apps—Music, TV, Books, and Podcasts—and why major changes are now rare. They unpack Apple Music’s personalized stations and discovery, the “hits rise to the top” problem, and why many podcast pros still prefer Overcast despite Apple’s transcripts. Plus: how Apple’s services strategy nudges users toward subscriptions, and why managing your own library adds the real complexity.

MacVoices #25322: Kirk McElhearn Takes Control of Apple Media Apps (1)

Dec 24, 2025 | Take Control

Kirk McElhern returns to talk about the newest Take Control of Apple Media Apps and why Apple’s Music/TV/Podcasts/Books apps feel more “mature” than revolutionary. He breaks down the small-but-real updates, critiques the Liquid Glass interface and accessibility tradeoffs, and explains why the Mac still matters for metadata work. Plus: a practical workaround for messy personal video libraries—Plex—and thoughts on playlists, Spotify, and Apple Music personalization.

MacVoices #25321: Live! – Implications of Apple’s AI Talent Losses

Dec 23, 2025 | MacVoices Live!

A frank panel discussion explores Apple’s AI leadership shakeup, delayed Siri features, and whether the company can balance privacy, innovation, and external partnerships in a rapidly accelerating AI landscape.

MacVoices #25320: Live! – The MacVoices Live! Panel’s Holiday Purchases

Dec 22, 2025 | MacVoices Live!

The panel swaps stories from Black Friday and Cyber Monday, highlighting smart tech buys, overlooked gems, and a few near-misses. Beyond the shopping lists, the conversation takes a thoughtful turn—calling out deal fatigue, questionable discounts, and the frustration loyal customers feel when promos favor newcomers—while still enjoying the thrill of finding gear that truly earns its place.

MacVoices #25319: 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide #8 (3)

Dec 19, 2025 | Gift Guides

The final Holiday Gift Guide segment wraps the year with standout practical picks: a portable Philips Hue Go smart lamp, TSA-friendly multi-tools (including an everyday-carry barrette), an Anker MagGo 3-in-1 charging station to reduce cable clutter, and Type It For Me 7 for fast text expansion. Travel gets attention too with a compact airplane phone mount for comfortable movie watching on cramped flights.

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MacVoices #25198: Two First Time Macstock Attendees Reactions

Jul 23, 2025 | Interview

During a break at Macstock Conference and Expo, we had a chance to chat with Blair Mah and his daughter Jasmine about their first-time Macstock experiences. They highlight the diversity of attendees and presentation topics, the strong sense of community, and the high educational value of the sessions. From in-depth technical talks to practical tips, both found the event enriching and inspiring, and had one request for next year.

MacVoices #25197: Live! – Belkin Pulls the Plug on Wemo: What It Means for Smart Home Owners

Jul 22, 2025 | MacVoices Live!

Belkin’s abrupt shutdown of Wemo smart plugs has left users frustrated and reconsidering future smart home purchases. The MacVoices Live! panel of David Ginsburg, Mike Potter, Jim Rea, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, Chuck Joiner, Jeff Gamet, and Web Bixby discuss the broader issue of trusting closed platforms, the limitations of HomeKit, and the need for open-source solutions like Matter and Thread. The conversation highlights concerns about long-term device viability and their (and your) smart home ecosystem’s fragility.

MacVoices #25196: Live! – Vision Pro Companies Acquired, A Rare Earth Investment, Bluesky Evolves

Jul 21, 2025 | MacVoices Live!

Apple’s Vision Pro strategy gains momentum with acquisitions aimed at improving avatars and AI reliability. A new $500M rare earth recycling partnership with MP Materials signals Apple’s commitment to U.S.-based sustainable supply chains. The FTC’s “click-to-cancel” rule reversal sparks debate, and the panel of David Ginsburg, Mike Potter, Jim Rea, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, Chuck Joiner, Jeff Gamet, and Web Bixby explores Blusky’s efforts to attract news and sports content to rival legacy social media platforms.

MacVoices #25195: Live! – Celebrating Macstock 9 (Part 2)

Jul 18, 2025 | MacVoices Live!

The MacStock 9 celebration continues as attendees and organizers reflect on the weekend’s warmth, community, and standout moments. Mike Potter shares emotional feedback from first-time guests, praises volunteers, and announces dates for MacStock 10. With jokes, stories, and ideas for the future, David Ginsburg, Mike Potter, Jim Rea, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, Chuck Joiner, Jeff Gamet, Mike Schmitz, and Web Bixby capture what makes this gathering more than just a conference—it’s a family reunion with tech at its heart. (Part 2)

MacVoices #25194: Live! – Celebrating Macstock 9 (Part 1)

Jul 17, 2025 | MacVoices Live!

A MacVoices Live! panel of attendees celebrates MacStock 9, sharing personal highlights, favorite sessions, and the lasting connections formed during the conference. David Ginsburg, Mike Potter, Jim Rea, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, Chuck Joiner, Jeff Gamet, Mike Schmitz, and Web Bixby share tech insights, Vision Pro demos along with moments of clarity and community bonding that left attendees inspired and energized. (Part 1)

MacVoices #25193: Live! – Meta Wants Your Photos, Microsoft Plays Doctor, The Blue Screen of Death Fades to Black

Jul 16, 2025 | MacVoices Live!

The MacVoices Live! panel discusses Meta’s controversial AI photo upload feature and growing privacy concerns, Microsoft’s AI diagnostic tool that outperforms doctors, and the retirement of Windows’ infamous blue screen of death. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Eric Bolden, Marty Jencius, Jeff Gamet, Web Bixby, and Jim Rea debate the tradeoffs between utility and privacy, AI’s evolving role in medicine, and the implications for education, the arts, and everyday tech users.

MacVoices #25192: Joe Kissell Takes Control of DEVONthink 4 (2)

Jul 15, 2025 | Take Control

In the second part of our conversation with Joe Kissell about Take Control of DEVONthink 4, Joe focuses on its updated inspector system, subtle interface improvements, and a powerful suite of new AI features. He discusses how large language model integration—from ChatGPT to Claude—enhances document sorting, summarizing, and research. Joe also shares concerns about AI, how DevonThink addresses them, and how the app balances automation with control.

MacVoices #25191: Joe Kissell Takes Control of DEVONthink 4 (1)

Jul 11, 2025 | MacVoices Live!

Joe Kissell returns to introduce Take Control of DEVONthink 4, a deep guide to the powerful information management tool. He outlines new features like versioning, audit-proof databases, and enhanced PDF navigation, while also explaining the app’s new hybrid licensing model. The discussion highlights DEVONthink’s versatility for everything from paperless offices to academic research. (Part 1)

MacVoices #25190: Live! – AI Everywhere: Video Summaries, Message Recaps, and Monetizing AI Web Crawlers

Jul 10, 2025 | MacVoices Live!

New AI offerings spark discussion as Ring adds video action summaries to their doorbells, Cloudflare monetizes bot access for AI training, and WhatsApp introduces AI message recaps. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Eric Bolden, Marty Jencius, Jeff Gamet, Web Bixby, and Jim Rea debate privacy, trust, and the future of content control, with added commentary on Apple Sports’ Wimbledon update.

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