https://youtu.be/cfjLdKl9wOo Apple announces a new Chief Operating Officer as Jeff Williams prepares to retire, while Meta continues poaching AI talent from Cupertino, including key team lead Ruoming Pang. Chuck Joiner, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Ben Roethig, Marty...
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.
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.
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.
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)
In an investment-focused episode, Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Ben Roethig, Jim Rea, and Mark Fuccio discuss how football star Rob Gronkowski (Gronk) made an Apple investment we all wish we had, and the surprising source of the advice. The discussion then turns to the Apple Card, Apple Savings Account, how the interest rates stack up against the competition, and whether the ease and speed of access constitute a competitive advantage.
The MacVoices Live! panel of Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Ben Roethig, Jim Rea, and Mark Fuccio look at a new option that may get around GM’s anti-CarPlay stance, and what it means for customers, then share some of the items that were on the “buy” list for the Black Friday schedule.
The MacVoices Live! Holiday Party rolls on with discussions about an Australian age limit for social media, the return of a controversial Microsoft feature, a big benchmark for Bitcoin, and a software sale of note that runs well into the New Year. The panel of Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Brian Flaningan-Arthurs, Eric Bolden, Web Bixby, and Jim Rea (and Brittany Smith, who couldn’t stay for this part) wish you and yours the very best of holidays!
Our MacVoices Live! holiday party features discussions on the Silo two-season renewal, AirTags and travel, and Apple Vision Pro as “Innovation of the Year” award from Popular Mechanics. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Brian Flaningan-Arthurs, Eric Bolden, Web Bixby, Brittany Smith, and Jim Rea also look at the Apple Store winners as well as user privacy issues.
Our conversation with Kirk McElhearn, the author of the new Take Control of Apple Media Apps, continues with explorations of Apple’s Books and Music apps from an audiobook perspective. The advantage of using Audible’s app are covers, particularly if using the Apple Watch. Kirk also discusses the Apple Music Classical app, Siri’s limitations with music command, and more. (Part 2)
The latest Take Control Books release comes from Kirk McElhearn. Take Control of Apple Media Apps covers Apple Music and Podcasts as well as The Apple TV and Books apps. Kirk talks about the evolution of this book and how an understanding of their similarities and the near-complete feature parity can help you get more out of them. Usability, rather than continuous feature introduction, has resulted in mature (in a good way) apps that let you use their content intuitively. The Apple TV app gets special attention in the discussion. (Part 1)
The Department of Justice’s proposal for Google to divest Chrome generates a debate on the pros, cons, and likelihood of that ever happening between Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Eric Bolden, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Marty Jencius, Jeff Gamet, Web Bixby, and Jim Rea. The panel contrasts the implications for America’s tech leadership and navigates the nuances of monopoly versus competition. Finally, Microsoft has a new small computer that looks suspiciously like one of our Apple favorites…but charges a subscription to make to work. Worth the money? What do you think?
David Ginsburg, Eric Bolden, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Marty Jencius, Jeff Gamet, Web Bixby, and Jim Rea debate a U.S. senator’s most recent tech assault, this time on the entity that controls the dot-com domains. Then, we get in the holiday spirit (or not) by discussing the furor over Coca-Cola’s AI-generated holiday ads, whether it is justified, and the factors driving the controversy.
The MacVoices Live! panel of David Ginsburg, Eric Bolden, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Marty Jencius, Jeff Gamet, Web Bixby, and Jim Rea praise Tim Cook’s political acumen and discuss how other CEOs are trying to copy it. The discussion turns to Drake’s allegations of favoritism and why they seem unlikely, and then to an update on MacBook Pro speaker repairs and what you need to know.
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