Adam Christianson joins Bryan Chaffin in this week’s ACM to discuss Apple’s recent efforts to more directly control its narrative. They also chat about Universal Music Group’s directive to stop doing exclusive streaming deals, and the deserved demise of Samsung’s Milk.
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
ACM 373: Apple's Engineering Demands, Fake iPhones, Intel's ARM Move
Apple is relentless with its design ideas regardless of what the hardware engineers say. Bryan and Jeff explain why that’s a good thing for consumers, plus they show you how to spot fake iPhone 7 photos, and look at Intel’s decision to start making ARM processors.
ACM 372: Samsung Pay’s Security Failure, the Story Behind Apple’s Public Betas
Bryan and Jeff dig into Samsung shenanigans, including reports of a way to hack magnetic stripe reader transactions, and the mysterious case of Apple Watch drawings in a Samsung patent. They also discuss the interesting story of how the flawed Apple Maps rollout led to public beta programs for OS X and iOS.
ACM 371: iPad Pro (Surface) Ad, Siri's Shortcomings, Apple's Big Developer Payout
Bryan and Jeff discuss Apple’s commercial that embraces many of the things Microsoft has used to tout Surface Pro. They also talk about Apple’s remarkable success with the App Store, as well as some of Siri’s shortcomings.
ACM 370: A Deeper Look at Apple's Earnings Report, 3D Printing Fingers
Bryan and Jeff dig deep into Apple’s earnings report and the company’s quarterly call with analysts. Topics include Tim Cook’s upbeat delivery, Pokemon, and Wall Street’s reaction. They also jump into the scary future of 3D printing our fingers to bypass biometric security.
ACM 369: BlackBerry Doofus, Black Box Regulation, Twitter Harrassment
BlackBerry CEO John Chen had some seemingly irrational things to say about Apple’s stance on encryption, and Bryan and Jeff break it down. They also take a deeper look into black boxes and self-driving cars with a focus on regulating these devices and surveillance worries. Just to keep things light, they dive into Twitter harassment and social media censorship.
ACM 368: Jeff's HomeKit Breakthrough, Pokémon GO, Post-PC Era
In this episode of The Apple Context Machine, Bryan and Jeff talk about HomeKit, sparked by Jeff’s triumph over something that shouldn’t have been hard to begin with. They also talk about Jeff’s initial foray into PokĂ©mon GO, and look at the Post-PC Era (or lack thereof) in light of Scrivener coming to iOS.
ACM 367: The Joy of iOS 10, Deleting Sideloaded Apps, and Fibonacci Fun
Jeff Gamet has been playing with iOS 10 on his iPad mini 4, and he can’t wait to get it on his iPhone. Why? It starts with the Lockscreen. Bryan and Jeff also talk about regulations in South Korea that might require smartphone makers to allow all preinstalled apps to be deleted by the user. They bookend the show having some fun with Fibonacci numbers.
ACM 366: App Store Surveillance, Google's Phone, and Bryan's Rant
In this episode of The Apple Context Machine, Bryan and Jeff discuss new regulations in China that could make Apple part of that country’s surveillance and censorship apparatus. They also talk about Google’s plans to make its own Android devices, and Amazon offering a discount on two Android phones that display Amazon ads on the lock screen. Bryan somehow manages to ties that into an epic rant about Angry Birds 2.
ACM 365: iOS 10, macOS Sierra, watchOS 3.0, and Differential Privacy
Bryan and Jeff delve into some of the things they’ve learned about iOS 10, macOS Sierra, and watchOS 3.0. Spoiler, it’s all looking really good. They also talk about Differential Privacy and explain (loosely) how it works, what it means, and why it’s important.