Bryan Chaffin, Jeff Gamet, and John Kheit get back to their retrospective look at Apple’s operating systems by singling out the most important features in Mac OS, OS X, and macOS through the lens of hindsight.
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
Most Important iOS Features in Hindsight, with Jeff Gamet and John Kheit - ACM 550
Bryan Chaffin, Jeff Gamet, and John Kheit take a retrospective look at what—in hindsight—have turned out to be the most important features in iPhone OS/iOS.
iPhone 12 Low-Light Photography, Movie-fication of TV, Jeff's Shortcuts Tips, with Jeff Gamet - ACM 549
Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet talk about iPhone 12 Night Mode and low-light photography, Loki and the movie-fication of TV, and Jeff’s Shortcuts tips.
Apple's OS Announcements, Favorite New Features, and Directions, with Jeff Gamet - ACM 548
Bryan Chaffin is joined by Jeff Gamet to discuss Apple’s WWDC keynote and software announcements, their favorite new features, and where they think Apple may be taking their products.
Proof of Stake vs. Proof of Work Cryptocurrencies, with Dave Hamilton - ACM 547
Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton dive into the differences between Proof of Stake (PoS) and Proof of Work (PoW) cryptocurrencies, and what that means in terms of energy consumption.
Bryan and Jeff Peek into the Future of Smarthomes and AI - ACM 546
Bryan Chaffin is joined by Jeff Gamet to speculate about the future of smarthomes and artificial intelligence, looking towards a future when these technologies work smoothly and have a real impact on how we live.
An iCloud Issue, Home Automation, NFC Tags, and a Smart Home Friction Point, with Jeff Gamet - ACM 545
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.
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.
Apple One and Fitness+, Apple Watch vs. Apple Watch, with Charlotte Henry - ACM 535
Bryan Chaffin and Charlotte Henry dig into everything they love about Apple One, Apple’s new bundled services plan. They also have Apple Watch fighting Apple Watch for Charlotte’s affections, and they even have a winner!
The Mac Web Today, Apple Event Speculation, with John Kheit - ACM 534
Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit take a look back at the Mac Web 20 years ago and discuss what’s different about today, including how coverage of Apple is different today. They also chew over expectations for Apple’s media event on September 15th.
Apple Silicon, Target Mode, iOS Apps Coming to Mac, with John Kheit - ACM 533
Bryan Chaffin is joined by John Kheit to talk about Apple Silicon and the Mac moving to Apple-designed ARM processors. They also talk about Target Mode’s demise and something John Kheit predicted years ago: iOS apps coming to the Mac.
macOS on ARM and WWDC, HomePod Hopes with Jeff Gamet - ACM 532
Bryan Chaffin is joined by Jeff Gamet to discuss macOS and Mac hardware on ARM processors, along with their ideas about how much we might see at WWDC. They also discuss their hopes for HomePod and how it might improve.
Dads & Grads, Mind Mapping, Work at Home Tips, with Bob LeVitus - ACM 531
Bryan Chaffin is joined by Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus to discuss some of his Dads & Grads gift recommendations. They also discuss mind mapping software and how Bob found his connection for using it. And, they go over some of Bob’s tips for working from home.
Apple Siri Grading Whistleblower, Podcast Exclusivity, with Andrew Orr - ACM 530
Bryan Chaffin and Andrew Orr talk about surveillance capitalism and the former Apple employee and Siri grading whistleblower who recently went public. They also discuss the growing battle for podcast exclusivity between the tech giants and Spotify.
Apple Product Releases, Digital WWDC, and What-We-Wish-Apple-Made, with Charlotte Henry - ACM 529
Bryan Chaffin and Charlotte Henry discuss what seems like a blistering pace of new Apple products, even in the midst of a pandemic. Charlotte explains why she is so excited about the digital version of Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) coming in June, and they both look at the product they wish Apple would make.
Apple Is More Responsive to Customers, But Still Goes a Little Marie Antoinette, with John Kheit - ACM 528
Bryan Chaffin is joined by John Kheit to look at a couple of contradictory things about Apple. The first is that there is no doubt that Apple under Tim Cook is more responsive to customers than it was under Steve Jobs. And yet, Apple still has some “let them eat cake” Marie Antoinette aspects about it, too.