Apple Episodes

New Apple news and rumors, daily.
June 3, 2020

Wed. 06/03 - Is On-Device Translation Coming to iOS?

Zoom is the new tech earnings report worth covering. Is on-device translation coming to iOS? Google is blocking a Remove China Apps app. The Brave browser is growing. Zuckerberg tries to calm his restless troops. And is FC Barcelona again leading the way for modern sports teams? Sponsors: Go.Rims.org/ridehome TinyCapital Links: Zoom revenue grew 169% during the quarter, and the company doubled its revenue guidance for the year (CNBC) Zoom won’t encrypt free calls because it wants to comply wi...
May 4, 2020

Mon. 05/04 - Usable Keyboards Return to the 13-inch MacBook Pro

Usable keyboards return to the 13-inch MacBook Pro. What is going on at Amazon? Jio Platforms gets another huge investment. Another potential blockbuster acquisition in the Israeli transport-tech space. And can the Apple watch help with Covid-19? Sort of. Let me explain. Sponsors: DoubleUp.agency Kiwico.com/ride Links: Apple announces new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard (The Verge) Amazon VP Resigns, Calls Company ‘Chickenshit’ for Firing Protesting Workers (Vice) Bye, Amazon (Tim Br...
April 20, 2020

Mon. 04/20 – Well, Your iPad IS A Laptop Now, Which Means Bigger And Heavier

Paging Farmville: Facebook takes another stab at owning mobile gaming. Rupert Murdoch's longstanding wish is granted. Dropbox had longstanding doubts about its erstwhile partner Zoom. More data on the health of tech investing, and the first reviews of the iPad as laptop are… mixed. Sponsors: Plume.com/techmeme Mintmobile.com/ride Links: Facebook to Introduce an App for Gaming (NYTimes) Facebook and Google to face mandatory code of conduct to 'level playing field' with traditional news media (...
April 15, 2020

Wed. 04/15 – New iPhone SE!

Hellooooo new iPhone SE. Airbnb raises another debt round. Amazon kneecaps affiliate marketers. Now it’s Medium’s turn to face fake news (or, at least, fake experts) scrutiny. And why Houseparty is now, officially, another unlikely winner of the Coronavirus moment. Sponsors: CognitoHQ.com BuyRaycon.com/tech Podapalooza tickets at: PLZA.org Links: Apple announces the new $399 iPhone SE for 2020 (The Verge) Airbnb raises another $1bn (Financial Times) Amazon slashes commission rates for progr...
April 13, 2020

Mon. 04/13 – Back To The iPhone 5 Design Future?

Deeper dives into that Google/Apple contact tracing project, solid rumors about the new iPhone design, the telecom industry might lose $25 billion dollars this year and international roaming charges are to blame, and an open source live streaming and video streaming app that can help you Twitch and YouTube better, without being beholden to their tools. Sponsors: Harrys.com/techmeme F5.com/ride Links: @moxie Tweet Thread How Apple and Google are tackling one of the toughest parts about tracking...
April 10, 2020

Fri. 04/10 – HUGE: Apple and Google Join Forces For Coronavirus Contact Tracing

Amazon is creating a system to test its own employees for Coronavirus, Google creates a system to help with unemployment claims, one more attempt to keep track of the Google messaging branding mess, more evidence Zuckerberg really is jealous of Instagram, and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride Caramba.store Code: Brian50 Links: Apple, Google debut major effort to help people track if they’ve come in contact with coronavirus (Washington Post) Amazon develo...
March 31, 2020

Tue. 03/31 - Apple Buys Dark Sky!

Snapchat launches its Stories syndication program. Fitbit has a powerful new fitness tracker. Microsoft and Spotify release some family friendly features and apps. It’s time for Zoom to come under the spotlight for privacy concerns. And a court has ruled that simply breaking a site's terms of service does not constitute criminal hacking. Sponsors: F5.com/ride TinyCaptial.com Links: Apple purchases hyperlocal weather app Dark Sky, ending API and killing Android apps (9to5Mac) Snapchat preempts ...
March 27, 2020

Fri. 03/27 - Apple's Covid-19 App

Apple has released an official Covid-19 App. Kuo says Arm-based Macbooks are coming next year. Sony is spinning off a lot of the parts of itself that make it a tech company. Instacart workers are planning a nationwide strike on Monday. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Metalab.co Kiwico.com/ride Links: Apple releases new COVID-19 app and website based on CDC guidance (Apple Newsroom) Kuo: Apple to Launch Several Macs With Arm-Based Processors in 2021, USB4 Support Co...
March 26, 2020

Thu. 03/26 – No New iPhone Until 2021?

Apple is weighing its options, and delaying the release of the 5G iPhone until 2021 is being discussed. Airbnb is offering free housing for medical workers. An interesting raise Thursday that wants to be the flip side of Shopify in the ecommerce space. And a preview of Huawei’s upcoming Google-less flagship phone. Sponsors: Metalab.co Sanebox.com/techmeme Links: Apple weighs delaying 5G iPhone launch by months, sources say (Nikkei Asian Review) Apple Testing AR/VR Headset With HTC Vive-Like C...
March 25, 2020

Wed. 03/25 - Google Podcasts Comes To iOS

How Facebook is coping with Corona, Google Podcasts comes to iOS, ad blocking officially comes to Safari, when Apple thinks it can re-open stores, Singapore open-sources it’s Corona-contact-tracing app, and have your screen time notifications horrified you this week? You’re not alone. Sponsors: Metalab.co Rhone.com/ridehome Promocode: ridehome for 20 percent off Links: Facebook Is ‘Just Trying to Keep the Lights On’ as Traffic Soars in Pandemic (NYTimes) The Coronavirus Revives Facebook as a ...
March 18, 2020

Wed. 03/18 - The iPad is a Laptop Now!

It’s a day of new! New iPads pro, new Macbooks Air, new Macs Mini, and more bye bye butterfly keyboard! A new Transcribe for Android, a new design overhaul for Slack, all the specs for the new Playstation 5, and why Cameo is a new app to keep your eye on. Sponsors: Tinycapital.com Zapier.com/ride Linkedin.com/ride Links: Apple announces new iPad Pro with trackpad support and a wild keyboard cover (The Verge) The MacBook Air gets an updated keyboard and souped-up specs, starting at $999 (TechCr...
March 10, 2020

Tues. 03/10 - Hold Me Closer, Tiny iPhone

A leaked version of Apple’s iOS 14 reveals a treasure trove of details about an upcoming iPhone and iPad, augmented reality software, and tracking tags; an analytics company has secretly operated VPN and ad-blocking apps and gathered data from tens of millions of users without proper disclosure, a company offering panopticon service to the state of Utah once developed disguised social-media scraping apps, Google adds quantum computing to its machine-learning open-source TensorFlow development ki...
March 5, 2020

Thu. 03/05 - Apple Allows Ads in Push Notifications!?

More Cornavirus worries, Apple is allowing ads in push notifications, Google is switching to mobile first indexing, hackers can hack your car keys, Samsung’s 4k and 8k tv lineup is here, and why I’m struggling to find a reason NOT to subscribe to DoNotPay at this point. Sponsors: Metalab.co Capterra.com/ride Links: Microsoft tells Bay Area and Puget Sound employees to work from home if possible as coronavirus spreads (CNBC) Apple Warns Stores About a Shortage of Replacement iPhones (Bloomberg...
Feb. 28, 2020

Fri. 02/28 - Is Apple Gonna Give the iPad a Trackpad?

Are S10 sales in Korea the first indication of the Covid-19 effect? Is the FCC gonna fine the wireless carriers enough for selling location data? Is Apple going to release an iPad Pro with a trackpad? A hybrid scooter/tiny car. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Netgear.com/bestwifi Links: Amazon bars one million products for false coronavirus claims (Reuters) Initial sales of Galaxy S20 series downbeat amid virus fears (The Korea Herald) FCC to prop...
Feb. 26, 2020

Wed. 02/26 - Bad Guys Can’t Use iPhones

Facebook bans ads around the Cornavirus, a deeper dive into how the Coronavirus crisis might be affecting iPhone development, Bob Iger is no longer Disney’s leader (kinda), why Waymo is hiring like crazy in hopes of a self-driving breakthrough, and if you see someone using an iPhone in a mystery movie, guess what? They’re probably not the bad guy. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com TryGrasshopper.com/ride Links: Facebook is banning ads that promise to cure the coronavirus (BusinessInsider) Coronavirus...
Feb. 24, 2020

Mon. 02/24 - ARM-based Macs By Early 2021?

The phantom announcements from MWC start trickling in. Safari might be getting strict with HTTPS certificates. Apple might release an ARM-based Mac as soon as early 2021. TONS of specs revealed concerning the Xbox Series X. And Fintech continues to be on a roll. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com MintMobile.com/ride Links: Huawei unveils the Mate Xs and MatePad Pro 5G w/ no Play Store access (9to5Google) Intel debuts 5G server and base station chips, plus a PC network card (VentureBeat) Apple drops a...
Feb. 18, 2020

Tue. 02/18 - Apple's Coronavirus Warning

The Coronavirus crisis forces Apple to miss their already cautious revenue guidance. Wait. Is the Galaxy Z Flip using real glass or not? Qualcomm claps back at Apple with its next gen 5G modem. And Jeff Bezos plans to donate $10 billion dollars to combat climate change. Sponsors: Metalab.co Capterra.com/ride Links: Investor update on quarterly guidance (Apple Newsroom) APPLE WARNS THAT CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN CHINA WILL AFFECT REVENUE THIS QUARTER (Daring Fireball) Forget foldable: These lea...
Jan. 29, 2020

Wed. 01/29 - Apple Has More Active Devices Than Microsoft

Apple earnings, Google is testing another chat app, we know Uncle Sam is wary of Huawei but did you know he doesn’t trust DJI either, Lime is testing AI scooters and the new app that will let you skip the ads without screwing over publishers. Sponsors: Metalab.co Links: Apple shares rise after company reports better-than-expected revenue of $91.8B (TechCrunch) Apple could see some impact from coronavirus in China, Cook says (CNET) Google Developing New ‘Unified’ Communications App for Busine...
Jan. 28, 2020

Tue. 01/28 - Gruber's iPad Disappointment

The UK government will allow Huawei to build SOME 5G components, the coronavirus is testing the Great Firewall of China, Product Hunt has a social network, Gruber is critical of the iPad at 10, and would you stay at an Atari Hotel? Sponsors: Metalab.co Wealthfront.com/techmeme Links: UK Huawei decision appears to avert row with US (The Guardian) As Virus Spreads, Anger Floods Chinese Social Media (NYTimes) iPhone 11's new multicam app lets you shoot video with two cameras at once (CNET) Pro...
Jan. 21, 2020

Tue. 01/21 - Why Didn't Apple Encrypt iCloud Backups?

Apple could have encrypted iCloud backups… but didn’t… ostensibly to play nice with the government? Getting an Uber from the airport is about to get more expensive. Digital media is actually making money??!! Is IGTV on the way out? Some interesting raises and (potentially) the most consequential lawsuit in Silicon Valley history. Sponsors: DoubleUp.agency Zapier.com/ride Links: Exclusive: Apple dropped plan for encrypting backups after FBI complained - sources (Reuters) Uber Tests Feature All...
Jan. 16, 2020

Thu. 01/16 - Apple Acquires Xnor.ai

Apple has acquired a pretty interesting AI startup, the Chromium-based Edge browser is here, but there is trouble in Mozilla land, Fitbit is first to market with blood oxygen monitoring, the state of the app economy and ‘instant’ weather forecasts from Google. Sponsor: Metalab.co Links: Exclusive: Apple acquires Xnor.ai, edge AI spin-out from Paul Allen’s AI2, for price in $200M range (GeekWire) XNOR.ai frees AI from the prison of the supercomputer (TechCrunch) Microsoft launches Chromium Ed...
Dec. 20, 2019

Fri. 12/20 - Now Apple Joins The Space Race?

Does Apple have a secret team to do an end run around telecom carriers, Google buys a game studio, IAC buys Care.com, Ripple is an interesting raise, and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors:Tiny CapitalGetQuip.com/rideBooknotesapp.com (or on iPhone and Android) Links:Apple Has Secret Team Working on Satellites to Beam Data to Devices (Bloomberg)Google buys triple-A game dev Typhoon Studio to beef up Stadia (VentureBeat)Care.com shares surge after Barry Diller’s IAC agrees to...
Dec. 19, 2019

Thu. 12/19 - What If Apple Owned James Bond?

That big NYTimes piece about location data, is Facebook taking another run at creating its own OS, is Apple considering buying James Bond, is Spotify building a social graph, and do e-athletes need gaming socks? Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Rhone.com/ridehome Links: Twelve Million Phones, One Dataset, Zero Privacy (NYTimes) Facebook will bar posts, ads that spread disinformation about the U.S. Census (Washington Post) To Control Its Destiny, Facebook Bets Big on Hardware (The Information) App...
Dec. 10, 2019

Tue. 12/10 - Wheels For Your Mac Pro Are $400 Extra

Apple is suing its former chip architect, the Apple Card finally makes sense to me, wheels on the Mac Pro will run you $400, Softbank abandons Wag, Microsoft brings Office to Linux and I want the new tech bubble to be about exoskeletons. Sponsors: PixelUnion.net Today In Digital Marketing Podcast Links: Apple sues iPhone CPU design ace after he quits to run data-center chip upstart Nuvia (The Register) Apple’s Ad-Targeting Crackdown Shakes Up Ad Market (The Information) Apple Cards' interest...