Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple’s AR/VR headset push will mean placeholder upgrades for the rest of Apple’s hardware and operating systems. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken discuss his predictions. Plus – Mixpanel says iOS 16 adoption is at 70-percent. Is that slow? And if so, why?
The Mac Observer Show
The Mac Observer Show is coming your way! Hosted by Ken Ray, it’s a different thing than we’ve done before. Not day-to-day news this time. The Mac Observer Show looks at a range of topics with a range of guests. Silicon Valley insiders, experts in various parts of Apple’s business, people knowledgable in other parts of tech… We’re talking AI and foldable iPhones and accessibility and Apple Retail and Apple Vision Pro and so much more.
The Mac Observer Show – every Friday on YouTube, wherever you get podcasts and of course – MacObserver.com.
Episodes
Doubting Nikkei and Robots Read Stories - TMO Daily Observations 2023-01-06
A few suppliers have called shenanigans on Nikkei’s story about Apple reducing orders. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk that over. Plus – The people reading Apple’s latest audiobooks aren’t people (but they really sound like them).
Paying for Butterflies and Failing at iPhones - TMO Daily Observations 2023-01-05
Have you suffered from Butterfly damage? TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken to talk over Apple’s in-process Butterfly keyboard settlement. Plus, iPhone 14 Plus is a failure! Just ask the people who say iPhone 14 Plus is a failure! (Ken is not one of the people. He and Nick discuss it.)
The Good, the Bad, and That Sounds Ugly - TMO Daily Observations 2023-01-04
Good news from “iPhone City,” news goes bad for Apple from Nikkei, and The Information has information about an ugly sounding mixed-reality headset from Apple. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken kick it all around.
Epic Trolling for the New Year - TMO Daily Observations 2023-01-03
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney Ended 2022 hinting at Fortnite’s return to iOS in 2023. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts wants to talk about it. Ken doesn’t. They do anyway. Plus – Citi analyst “Gentleman” Jim Suva likes Apple shares at all the levels. We’ll look at his three Apple catalysts for 2023.
iPhone Availability and Two Big Misses for 2022 - TMO Daily Observations 2023-01-02
iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max are pretty easy to get these days. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken ponder why. Plus – Mac Pro and the standalone Apple Classical Music app both “missed” delivery in 2022. Which was the biggest miss, and does either matter?
Ken Ray's Most Important and Interesting Stories of 2022 - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-30
TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts turns the tables on TDO Host Ken Ray today, asking Ken about his most important and most interesting stories of 2022. That the answers are COVID and AR respectively will likely come as no surprise.
Jeff Gamet's Most Important and Interesting Stories of 2022 - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-29
TDO OG Jeff Gamet stays out of the Apple space on our 2022 review. His most important story takes us to the Twittersphere though, specifically Elon Musk buying Twitter. Plus – peeking the deepest and darkest with the James Webb Space Telescope is his most interesting story of 2022.
Tom Merritt's Most Important and Interesting Stories of 2022 - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-28
Daily Tech News Show’s Tom Merritt broadens the scope on our 2022 review. His most important story is an intelligent look at A.I. image and text generation, while peak streaming grabs his interest.
Nick deCourville's Most Important and Interesting Stories of 2022 - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-27
TMO writer Nick deCourville continues our week reviewing 2022. His most important story is a mix of Apple events and iOS 16, while crashing at the amusement park really piques his interest.
Jeff Butts' Most Important and Interesting Stories of 2022 - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-26
TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts kicks off our week reviewing 2022. His most important story is a life saver, while an iPhone feature has a lock on most interesting.
Glancing Apple in 2023 and Trouble at HomeKit - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-23
Citi and Needham analysts have thoughts on Apple’s year ahead. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken kick those thoughts around. Plus – Jeff updates us on trouble with HomeKit, and Apple to the rescue for some last minute shoppers.
Self Service Repair and a Year of Apple TV+ - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-22
What do relatively recent Macs and a proposed battery rule have in common? TMO writer Nick deCourville says Apple’s Self Service Repair may be the answer. Plus, Nick and Ken look at some of their favorite Apple TV+ titles of 2022.
Way More Than Zero COVID and Slow AirTag Info - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-21
With the closed loop broken and zero-COVID restrictions lifted, iPhone City workers are reportedly making iPhones while suffering with COVID – sometimes by choice, sometimes as directed by management. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken puzzle over the issue. Then, why the slow walk on AirTag info? And why can’t we prompt them to update?
How-To Christmas and Predicting 2023 - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-20
If you’re giving electronics this holiday season, there are some steps you might want to take ahead of time. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts fills us in. Plus – Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives has a few predictions for the new year. Ken and Jeff kick them around.
Negative Zero COVID - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-19
The closed loop at Foxconn’s iPhone City plant in Zhengzhou is open. Most of the plant’s COVID restrictions have been lifted as China pulls a big “never mind” on its zero-COVID policies. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk that over. Plus – Will Smith, AirDrop, and Continuity are in for Mailbag Monday.
Disappointing and Delightful Tech - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-16
An OfCom study on smart speaker use prompts TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken to talk tech that disappoints and tech that delights.
Don’t Fear the App-Pocalypse - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-15
Bloomberg says Apple is prepping iOS for third-party app stores and app side-loading in the EU as early as iOS 17. TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken to talk over potential pros and cons. Plus – a couple of financial analysts have early takes on the talk.
Apple Car Talk with Roberto Baldwin - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-14
Last week, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that Apple has way scaled back its automotive plans. Apple watchers have wondered about Apple Car for years, but what does the automotive world make of Cupertino’s plans? Tech and automotive journalist Roberto Baldwin (@strngwys on Twitter) joins Ken to do a bit of Apple Car talk.
Where iPhones Are Sold and Some Christmas Carols - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-13
CIRP says where iPhones are sold in the states may be a weak point for Apple. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken discuss that. Plus – talking over SNL’s very bloody parody of “A Christmas Carol” and Apple Pay.
Canada Takes Apple to Task and Playing the Twitter Blues - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-12
Canadian politicians are angry about changes to AirDrop on behalf of Chinese citizens. Wait’ll they hear what’s going to happen to Canadians! Also, Twitter Blue is a thing again. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk it all over.
More End-to-End Encryption and Giving the Gift of Will Smith - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-09
Dreamlight Valley resident and TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken today to discuss Apple’s Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. What is it, who needs it, and how does one activate it? Plus – Will Smith is promoting Apple TV+. Too soon?
Super-Apps and Dreamlight Valley - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-08
TMO writer Nick deCourville brings us two tales of fantasy: The Disney video game Dreamlight Valley is headed to the Mac, and Microsoft is considering a super-app. One of these exposes a few levels of nerd for Ken.
Pricing Tools for Developers and Things We Didn't See Coming - TMO Daily Observations 2022-12-07
Longtime Apple podcaster Adam Christianson joins Ken to kick around the pricing tools Apple’s opening for developers. Plus – with close to 40-years combined of Apple news under their belts, Adam and Ken talk about what they did not see coming, and what they look forward to seeing.