Jeff Butts joins Jeff while Bryan is out of town to share macOS High Sierra experiences so far, talk about the state of Apple Watch apps, plus nerd out on Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
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
iOS 11, Siri, APFS Backups, and T-Mobile's Band 71 - ACM 429
Apple tech podcaster and blogger Peter Cohen is here while Bryan is out of town to chat with Jeff about iOS 11 and the iPad, Siri, APFS and backing up your files, T-Mobile’s band 71 and the iPhone, and more.
The Steve Jobs Theater, iTunes Rant, iPhone X, and Apple Watch Series 3 - ACM 428
Apple’s new Steve Jobs Theater had its debut, and Bryan and Jeff talk about some of the amazing things we saw. They also spew some vitriol all over Apple’s decision to pull the App Store from iTunes, and discuss their favorite aspects of Apple Watch Series 3 and iPhone X.
iOS 11 Favorite Features, Apple’s Entertainment Plans, Apple Watch Cheaters - ACM 427
iOS 11 is coming, and Bryan and Jeff discuss some of what they’re looking forward to. They also talk about Apple’s big plans in making movies and TV shows, and why it’s important for Apple to do so. The cap the show with a look at Apple Watch being involved with a baseball cheating scheme.
Tim Cook’s Political Junket and Amazon’s Master Plan for Alexa - ACM 426
Is Tim Cook running for President? Bryan and Jeff take a look at his recent higher public profile and the political junket he seemed to take through the midwest. They also talk about Amazon’s recent improvements to Alexa and how they fit in with the company’s master plan for the platform.
Lava Lamp Love, Eclipse Disaster Preparedness, and the Bitcoin Fork - ACM 423
Lava Lamps are the bee’s knees. It is known. And in this episode, Bryan and Jeff discuss how they make the perfect random number generator. They also look at how eclipse watching is an excellent window into what would happen in a disaster, and discuss the Bitcoin fork that resulted in Bitcoin Cash being created.
Eclipse Tips, AR Needs Eyeware, and No Apple Television Set - ACM 424
The eclipse is coming, and Bryan and Jeff have some tips for viewing it. They also explore practical limitations on augmented reality (AR) without the help of specialized eyeware. For a bookend, they deconstruct a new rumor about a supposed Apple television set. Spoiler, it ain’t happening.
The Silofication of Movies and TV, LOL Fitbit, and Fooling Self-Driving Cars - ACM 423
Disney said it’s pulling its huge portfolio from Netflix in 2019, and Bryan and Jeff are concerned that the silofication of more and more content will be bad for consumers. They also chat about Fitbit’s plans for a smartwatch…ah, we’re just kidding. LOL Fitbit. Oh, and it turns out it’s pretty easy to fool a self-driving car.
AAPL Conference Call Quirks and Can Apple Be the Microsoft of Cars? - ACM 422
Could Apple be the Microsoft of cars? Bryan and Jeff dig deep into this idea, as well as some of the quirkier aspects of Apple’s quarterly conference call with analysts. They also chat about the importance of Apple Park.
Peering into the Real Future of AI, AR, VR, and Self-Driving Cars - ACM 421
Bryan and Jeff don their futurist hats and explore what they think is the real future of augmented reality, virtual reality, AI, smarthomes, and self-driving cars.
Amazon Pay Places, Atari Flashback, and Apple's New Emojis - ACM 420
In episode 420, Bryan and Jeff discuss whether or not Amazon was high when it came up with Amazon Pay Places. They also discuss Atari Flashback 8 Gold, the new Atari retro gaming box, as well as Apple’s new emojis.
The Apple of Tomorrow, and the Wild West of Home Automation - ACM 419
What exactly is “Apple?” The company is changing dramatically, and Bryan and Jeff explore where Apple might be going. They also talk about home automation, and how we are in the Wild West days of this future technology.
iPhone 8 Face Scanning, Building a Hackintosh, High Sierra Beta – ACM 418
Bryan is out on vacation so Jeff Butts joins Jeff Gamet to talk about reports saying the iPhone 8 will ditch Touch ID for facial recognition, building a hackintosh, and macOS High Sierra beta experiences.
Mac Malware, Cell Service Providers, Upgrading to macOS High Sierra – ACM 417
With Bryan out on vacation Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus joins Jeff Gamet to talk about why Bob doesn’t routinely run a malware checker on his Mac, plus the rant a little about cell service providers, and talk about their macOS High Sierra upgrade experiences.
iOS 11 and AR, iBooks in Apple Stores, Listener Email - ACM 416
Where’s Apple going with ARKit in iOS 11? Bryan and Jeff weigh the pros and cons of mobile-device AR versus goggle/glasses AR. They also talk about Bryan’s cockamamie idea for iBooks inside Apple Stores, and go deep on some listener email on HomePod and Apple Car.
Silicon Valley Company Towns and Going Deep on Tim Cook's Plans for Apple Car - ACM 414
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan have made a major donation to a group helping teachers buy homes near Facebook’s headquarters. Bryan and Jeff think Silicon Valley may need to think even bigger and build some company towns. They also dive deep into Tim Cook’s Apple Car plans, including his three vectors of autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, and ride sharing services.
Gruber's Talk Show Live, iMac Pro, and HomePod - ACM 414
Bryan and Jeff share their takeaways from John Gruber’s Talk Show Live interview with Apple senior VPs Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi. They also discuss Apple’s newly announced iMac Pro and HomePod and explore how they’ll fit into our professional and personal lives.
Carpool Karaoke on Apple Music Is Good, Woz Is Cool, AI Chips Are Important - ACM 413
Carpool Karaoke is coming to Apple Music, and Bryan and Jeff argue that this is a great move for Apple, whether or not the echo chamber thinks so. Speaking of the echo chamber, what’s with the hate on Steve Wozniak? Bryan and Jeff think he’s awesome and say anyone who has accomplished half so much as Woz is welcome to cast the first stone. They cap the show with thoughts on Apple developing its own AI chip.
Samsung's Iris Scanning Joke, Crappy Business is Not OK, and PC Design - ACM 412
Unsurprisingly, Samsung’s crappy iris scanner on the Galaxy S8 has been defeated. Worse, defeating it is easy. Bryan and Jeff think it’s a joke and another example of Samsung’s delusions of relevance. They also discuss Bryan’s theory that PC makers can’t compete with Apple’s MacBook with me-too design, and say that surveillance capitalists being honest about spying on your doesn’t make their spying OK.
New Macs at WWDC, Apple vs Diabetes, Lattice Data - ACM 411
This could be the year Apple breaks form and introduces new hardware at WWDC, and Bryan and Jeff explain why. They also discuss Apple’s big bets on an even bigger future and the importance of AI, neural nets, and machine learning.
Imagining a Siri Smarthome, Apple and Sleep Tracking, and the Real iPhone 8 - ACM 410
With Alexa Show and Microsoft Invoke, Bryan and Jeff envision the Siri smarthome of the future to make the case for an Apple Siri device. They also talk about what Apple might do with sleep tracking technology from Beddit, as well some sexy new renders of Apple’s unannounced iPhone 8.
Dr. Mac on Procrastinating, Touch-Screen Macs, and Siri at Home - ACM 409
Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus joins Bryan and Jeff to talk about his new book, Working Smarter for Mac Users. It’s all about beating procrastination. They also talk about Apple, toasterfridges, and touch-screen Macs, and whether Apple would compete with Amazon’s Alexa in the home.
Epic Facebook Rant, CAPTCHA Complaints, and Apple Store Hangouts - ACM 408
Bryan and Jeff go on an epic rant about Facebook and its attitude about humanity and our very lives. They also talk about problems they’ve been seeing with CAPTCHA systems, and ask whether or not Apple can make its retail locations places where people hang out.
Touch Screen Macs, iPhone's Name, and Star Wars - ACM 407
Would Apple ever make a touch screen Mac? Bryan and Jeff chew over recent rumors about Apple making an iMac for creative pros that would compete with Microsoft’s Surface Studio. They also talk about iPhone’s name and Disney’s management of the Star Wars franchise.