Mark Zuckerberg vs. Tim Cook, Apple's New AI Chief, and Making HomeKit Great - ACM 456

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook have been trading public barbs on privacy, and Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet discuss the public tiff. They also discuss Apple’s hiring of Google’s former head of artificial intelligence and what it might mean for Siri (hint: good things!). They cap the show with a look at what it would take to make HomeKit the premier home automation platform.

Deep Dive on Apple's Tax Announcement, Jeff and Bryan Hypocrisy, and Apple Security - ACM 445

Apple made some major announcements about taxes, investments, and the company’s five year plan for contributions to the U.S. economy, and Bryan and Jeff take  a deep dive into what it all means. They also examine their own potential for hypocrisy in criticizing Apple’s smarthome strategy. The cap the show with a listener comment about the Mac App Store security bug.

Apple KRACK Debacle, iMac Edition, Rubio vs Cook vs China, Apple Hires TV Executives - Pop.0 Ep.24

Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit discuss the AirPort KRACK fix, and why the iMac Pro should really be called iMac Edition. They also dig into political criticism of Tim Cook speaking in China and Apple’s overall position in that country. And when they hear that Apple has hired new television execs, they hope it means Apple’s leadership is learning how to delegate.  (WARNING NSFW: PROFANITY & RANTS)

Mr. Cook Goes to China, Sonos Meets Ikea, Apple Buys Pop Up Archive – ACM 440

Tim Cook took a recent trip to China, and some have accused him of endorsing Chinese censorship. Bryan and Jeff talk about how complicated doing business in China is. They also look at why Sonos and IKEA have announced a partnership, and what Apple’s purchase of Pop Up Archive might mean. Then they fall down the rabbit hole of TextArc.

Watch Apple's 2 Minute Video on Inclusion and Diversity Called 'Open'

Apple has a new video out called “Inclusion & Diversity — Open.” It’s a two-minute tribute to the value that an open and diverse workplace can bring to a company like Apple, and it features “68 employees revealing who we are.” In the YouTube description, Apple said, “At Apple, ‘open’ isn’t just a word. It’s our culture. One that embraces faiths, disabilities, races, ages, ideologies, personalities, and differences. Because humanity isn’t singular. It’s plural.” Under CEO Tim Cook, Apple has made a big push to increase the diversity of its work force and executive team. Like other Silicon Valley companies working on this same issue, Apple remains overwhelmingly white and male, even with recent progress. This video is, in part, a sales pitch for people of diverse backgrounds to work at Apple, and it’s a pretty good pitch.

Dow Jones Fake News, Cook’s Barnstorm Tour, iOS 11 Control Center - ACM 432

Tim Cook continues to raise his profile, tweeting more publicity photos of his visits to lots of places, including a Normandy war cemetery. Bryan and Jeff reexamine the idea that Mr. Cook may be thinking of political office. They also talk about Dow Jones’s brief flirtation with publishing fake news about Apple, and how Apple has changed the way on/off buttons work in iOS.