Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet dig deep into smart home tech and home automation, starting with an iCloud account issue Jeff had with a new HomePod mini. They also discuss NFC tags, a home automation friction point Bryan has experienced, and other aspects of smart homes.
Apple Context Machine Podcast
Apple Context Machine is a weekly in-depth look at Apple and the tech world from Bryan Chaffin, editor-in-chief of The Mac Observer with special guests from the tech world.
Episodes
Memory Bit-Flip Error, Justin Long's Change of Heart, Oak Island Catchup, with John Kheit - ACM 544
Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit dive into the memory bit-flip error that is apparently becoming common. They also catch up on their favorite show, The Curse of Oak Island, and they discuss Justin Long’s change of marketing heart.
The World of Apple Leaks and Measuring Apple's Success, with Ken Ray - ACM 543
Bryan Chaffin and Mac OS Ken (Ken Ray) discuss the really weird world of Apple leaks and rumors, including how to navigate them and how they try to cover them as journalists. They also talk about how to measure Apple’s success, or more specifically, how a lot of folks outside the Apple world seem to measure Apple’s success.
HomePod mini, Arcade, and Waiting for M-Processor Macs, with Bob LeVitus - ACM 542
Bryan Chaffin and Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus have both spent time with the HomePod mini, and they offer their thoughts on what it sounds like, where it’s useful, and who should consider it. They also talk about the value of Apple’s Arcade, especially now that it’s part of Apple One. They also talk about the power of Apple’s new M1 Macs, and discuss if people should buy Intel Macs at all any more.
Apple TV Bugs and a ProRAW Primer, with Jeff Gamet - ACM 541
Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet talk about what happens when everything doesn’t just work on Apple TV, including whether or not it’s an Apple problem when there’s friction from a third party app. Jeff also gives us a great primer on Apple’s ProRAW file format for photography on iPhone 12 models.
Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency, and CES and the Pandemic, with Jeff Butts - ACM 540
Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Butts dig into the world of cryptocurrency, including some of the different cryptos, how Jeff got into it, the different kinds of “mining,” and where they think it’s headed now. They also talk about the CES tradeshow and the pandemic.
AirPods Max, Irish Streaming Law, Replacing iPhone Camera Lenses, with Jeff Gamet - ACM 539
Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet talk about Apple’s new AirPods Max over-the-ear headphones. They also discuss a proposed law from Ireland that would require 30% of all streaming content to be made in Europe, something that could radically affect Apple TV+. And, Jeff Gamet explains how he broke his iPhone’s camera lens cover and how he replaced it.
Hands-on with HomePod mini and Big Sur, with Jeff Gamet - ACM 538
Jeff Gamet is back with Bryan Chaffin to talk about his hands-on experience with Apple’s new HomePod mini. How it sounds, how it compares with HomePod, and how it compares with Amazon’s Alexa Echo and Echo Dot. They also run over their hands-on time with macOS Big Sur.
Apple's New Macs, the M1 Processor, and macOS Big Sur, with Jeff Gamet - ACM 537
Bryan Chaffin is joined by Jeff Gamet to dive deep into Apple’s new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, with special attention on the Apple M1 processor that powers them. They also talk about macOS Big Sur.
iPhone 12, HomePod mini, and 5G, with John Kheit - ACM 536
Bryan Chaffin is joined by John Kheit to pore over Apple’s new HomePod mini, the iPhone 12 product line, and the importance of 5G.