The current incarnation of The Daily Observations Podcast is coming to an end. But there is still a show to do! TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk about rumors that Apple’s mixed reality headset is being delayed. Plus – Needham analyst Laura Martin thinks Apple and Disney should merge. It’s been fun.

Apple has announced dates and details for WWDC 2023. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk over the remoteness of the conference and what the world can expect. Plus – Glitches with Apple Pay and (maybe) Apple Podcasts. AND – Ken and Jeff give first impressions of Apple Music Classical.

Apple’s making it harder for non-developers to get developer betas of its latest software. TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken with the story. Plus – Ken is worried that changes in Apple Podcasts are reducing independent podcast discoverability. He mixes up the terms “network” and “channels,” though the questions are still sound.

Travelin’ Tim’s taking his time in China. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk over a meeting between China’s commerce minister and Apple’s CEO. Also, Jeff has a look at the lates OS updates from Apple.

Both the New York Times and Bloomberg say there are certain misgivings around Apple’s mixed reality headset inside Apple. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk over the latest chatter. Plus China, the Steve Jobs audio chatbot, and soccer pour out of the mailbag.

Word is Apple is getting serious about having people back in the office three days a week. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken puzzle over the report. Plus – Jeff thinks Apple will release its next OS updates next week. So, no spring product thing then?

Changes to “Friday Night Baseball” on Apple TV make Ken wonder whether Apple is trying to turn Apple TV+ into a superstation. He and TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts bat the idea around. Plus – They talk over the random playlists that are turning up for some Apple Music users.

Since its introduction, most in the tech press have deemed iPhone 14 Plus a failure. New numbers indicate otherwise, leaving most in the tech press to question how Apple got it so wrong? No. That doesn’t make sense. TMO writer Nick deCourville and Ken will discuss it. Plus – Google Bard goes bigger and a very convincing Steve Jobs chatbot.

Counterpoint Research has some staggering data on premium smartphones and iPhone. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken work those numbers. Plus – Is “iPhone” the generic name for “smartphone” in Russia?

Most of the cast of “Ted Lasso” is headed to the White House to talk mental health. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk about some of the great stories on Apple TV+. Plus – the “Steve Jobs” auction revisited, and a quick dip into Mailbag Monday.

The founder of Apple’s chipmaking partner TSMC struck a worrying note this week when assessing US/Taiwanese relations. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk about that. Plus – Adventures in Sleep in the Apple Health app.

If it’s Thursday, it must be realityOS. Signs of Apple’s mixed reality moves turn up on GitHub. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to kick that around. Then, Qualcomm seems to be setting the smart car bar pretty high. Jeff tells us what’s coming down the road.

In a familiar sounding story, Bloomberg says Apple has slowed hiring considerably and rescheduled bonuses in an attempt to control costs. TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken to discuss that. Plus – An email on Apple TV+ and the first installment of Nick’s Picks!

Apple and Foxconn are seeing better conditions for manufacturing in India. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk over the changes and consider worker issues. Plus – Our Apple Watches tell us we’re not getting enough sleep. We’ll look at how our Apple Watches can help.

The Financial Times says Apple’s mixed-reality headset will be Tim Cook’s legacy. But rumor says not everyone at Apple thinks it’s the best idea. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to address the headset. Plus – Apple Music Classical, MLS, and high-priced iPad Pros are in for Mailbag Monday.

Apple Music Classical finally has a release date. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to go over that announcement. Plus – A rumor has iPad Pro seeing a huge price jump in 2024.

Secret so-and-sos say, internally, Apple is viewing India as its own sales region. TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken to talk that over. Plus – secret sources say Apple has an opt-out clause on its ten-year MLS contract. Ken talks about why he thinks Apple’s in for the long haul.

As had been rumored, Apple’s announced big yellow additions to the iPhone 14 line. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk over the Emergency SOS and Apple Pay announcements inside that announcement. Plus – Stay at the pub where Ted Lasso hangs out!

Goldman Sachs has traded an Apple bear for an Apple bull, and suddenly it’s a “Buy” with a $199 target. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk over tales told by financial analysts. Plus – “Ghosted” is ghosting the cineplex and there may be a new yellow iPhone peeking over the horizon.

Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal have tales of more Apple manufacturing in India. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk those over. Plus a quick trip to the Apple Store and Apple’s soccer push continues.

TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken bring Mailbag Monday back for a second round. Email on China, AirDrop, and Passcodes. First though, the EC wants every messaging app to interoperate with every other messaging app. The TDO duo has thoughts.

Will there be an Apple Silicon Mac Pro? TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts wonders aloud about that. Plus – Ken wonders whether Apple actually wants a China exit, or just wants to know where the exit is.

Facebook has a plan to help fight CSAM and revenge porn. TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken with more info. Plus – The European Commission drops its objection to Apple’s In-App Purchase requirements, but has a message on messaging.

Having taken it off the table earlier this year, TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has put iPhone SE 4 back in play. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk about what Apple building its own 5G modem for the SE could mean for other Apple gear. Plus – Bad guys are stealing AirPods Max off of people’s heads in NYC. HOW COULD YOU NOT HEAR THEM CO… oh… yeah…

Thieves are stealing iPhones, punching in passcodes, and ruining people’s lives. Is it an iPhone problem or a person problem? TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to sift through it. Plus, the first weekend of MLS on Apple TV and a kid AirDrops himself into jail.

Morgan Stanley is out with a list of “idiosyncratic tailwinds” for Apple shares in 2023. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk them over. Plus – RR Auctions has a lot of really cool tech related stuff up for bids. Let’s go bidding!

Bloomberg has run a “secret sources” report saying Apple has hit a milestone on no-prick blood glucose monitoring. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts covers the tech in the story, while Ken asks questions about the story itself.

The Financial Times seems torn between praise of Apple’s business acumen and disdain for some of its users. TMO writer Nick deCourville and Ken talk that over. Plus – Florida’s A.G. wants Apple to label apps with where they were developed… for safety?

Ken has a sudden obsession with whatever it is Apple is trying to turn Apple TV+ into. He drags TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts along for the ride. Plus – Mailbag Monday, the Tuesday Edition and taking up a collection for a second Apple headset.

TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to discuss stories that may speak to sentiment around Apple, and social media’s plans to nickel and dime users for security. Plus — A vote of confidence for Mastodon from Apple.

New iPadOS adoption numbers from Apple have piqued Ken’s interest. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to kicks those around. Plus – Jeff dives into AI and Apple’s Neural Engine.

News we don’t want to talk about and not news that we do. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk about not talking about politics, and avoiding such news while also delivering it. The not news is a rumor – but it’s about Apple’s anticipated mixed-reality headset, so – Jeff and Ken were powerless against discussing it.

Apple used narration from human readers to train its A.I. voices. The real readers did not know that, and weren’t too happy when they found out. TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken to talk that over. Plus – an update on the Google Photos breakage, and some security advice for Apple Card holders.

Apple hit with many mini updates on Monday. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk a few points raised by those. Plus – Why it is way too early to talk about Apple going for streaming rights to the NBA.

TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken reach into the Mailbag for thoughts on A.I. and Apple without a Chief Design Officer. Come for the talking, stay for the rest of the talking! And drop your thoughts in the mailbag: observations@macobserver.com

Daily Tech News Show’s Tom Merritt named generative A.I. the most important story of 2022. It is not slowing down in 2023. He joins Ken to talk about this week’s announcements from Microsoft and Google. Plus – what’s going on with Apple and A.I.?

Apple has hired a new Chief of People. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts talk about who she is, and consider some of her roles. Plus – AirTag is not the best solution for keeping track of your dog. Jeff has a few fit-for-purpose suggestions.

Apple says the M-processors have set the company up for a place in the games space. TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken to discuss the road from here to Apple being a true player on the gaming landscape.

Lots of Monday headlines said that Apple had cut the price of iPhone 14 Pro in China. But did it? And if not, who did and why’d they do it? TMO managing editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk that over. Plus a tale of lost luggage three-months in the making, undone by an AirTag.

TMO managing editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk over reactions to Apple’s Q1FY23 earnings call. Plus would/will the general consumer miss an industrial design lead at Apple if Apple ends up without one?

TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to kick through Apple’s December-quarter earnings, plus questions and answers between Apple execs and analysts.

A federal agency is encouraging Congress to make Apple allow sideloading of apps and third-party app stores on the iPhone. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken for a conversation worthy of Groundhog Day. Plus – Samsung hints at an upcoming AR/VR/MR something.

Apple has a new augmented reality idea for counting calories. But is it for an iPhone or a headset? TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken to talk that over. Plus a public service announcement from The Wall Street Journal that has nothing to do with man’s money, and everything to do with man’s best friend.

TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says there will be a foldable iPad in 2024. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says there won’t. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk over the opposing sides. Plus a look at HomePod scarcity.

T.D.O.O.G. Jeff Gamet has a bone to pick with the likes of Siri and Alexa. Basically, he thinks they should be better. He joins Ken to talk about how and why. Plus – Ken has questions about Mastodon. Jeff has answers.

Friend of the show Charlotte Henry of The Addition (theaddition.substack.com) joins Ken to talk about streaming media. Is TV broken? Binge-TV or weekly viewing? Is Apple TV+ worth it? Hits, misses, and TV talk from both sides of the Atlantic.

Secret sources tell the Financial Times that Apple is trying to lessen its ties with Google over feelings of betrayal tied to Android. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken discuss why it’s a good article anyway. Plus – Rumor has Apple loosening its COVID policies. Yay?

It won’t be another CODA year at the Oscars, but Apple TV+ has been nominated for two Academy Awards. TMO writer Nick deCourville and Ken talk those over. Plus – the Mac was first shown off 39-years ago this week. Ken and Nick discuss their earliest Mac memories and want to hear yours, too! Email them in: observations@macobserver.com

One of the biggest changes introduced in this week’s OS updates from Apple is the across the board option to use physical security keys for iPhone, iPad, and the Mac. Info-sec guy Duane Waddle joins Ken to talk about what they are, their implementation, and possible futures for the tech.

Thousands of layoffs across the tech sector in recent weeks prompt a discussion between TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken. That includes a sort of inspiring message from the head of Nintendo back in 2013, and wondering where Apple is in all of it. Plus – a short Mailbag Monday on supply chain diversification.

India has given Chinese companies a green light that should help Apple grow manufacturing on the subcontinent. But, if it requires Chinese companies, is diversification into India really diversification? TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken puzzle over that. Plus – a how-to on making use of HomePod’s temperature and humidity sensors.

Apple has re-introduced the original form factor HomePod. TMO writer Nick deCourville and Ken talk over the new machine and changes coming to other HomePods. Plus – the story of an Apple Watch, a workout, and 15 cops.

Monday’s rumors of new Macs were spot-on. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk over the new machines Apple introduced on Tuesday. Plus – as far as Apple’s concerned, an Intel-based Mac Pro is not worth what it used to be (nor what it still costs).

With a new MacBook Pro announcement rumored for today, TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken question what might make a laptop exciting again. Plus – continuing to size-up iPhone sales for the current quarter.

Updates on the false Crash Detection calls coming from the ski slopes and Twitter nixing third-party clients start us off this week. Then, TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken find mixed-reality, touchscreen MacBooks, and the US government waiting in Mailbag Monday.

Snippets of code in an Apple-made Windows app namecheck two AR/VR/MR related operating systems. TMO Managing editor Jeff Butts and Ken kick those around. First though, examining analyst sentiment around Apple. Grok the fullness. Grok it!

POTUS thinks he’s found a cause to unify the left and the right in Congress: Fighting big tech. TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken to discuss President Biden’s WSJ call to arms. Then – A rumor about a touchscreen Mac on the horizon. Nick and Ken discuss the merits.

On a day that Apple trumpets the many successes of its Services segment, ripoff ChatGPT apps are infesting Apple’s App Store. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to discuss the issue. Plus – generative A.I. isn’t just for drawing pictures and cheating on term papers anymore. Jeff looks at ways A.I. is building the cures of tomorrow.

iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max supply and demand have pretty much met. Is this good news, or no? TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk that over. Plus – the falling snow has given rise to false-positive Crash Detections. Jeff and Ken seek a solution.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple’s AR/VR headset push will mean placeholder upgrades for the rest of Apple’s hardware and operating systems. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken discuss his predictions. Plus – Mixpanel says iOS 16 adoption is at 70-percent. Is that slow? And if so, why?

A few suppliers have called shenanigans on Nikkei’s story about Apple reducing orders. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk that over. Plus – The people reading Apple’s latest audiobooks aren’t people (but they really sound like them).

Have you suffered from Butterfly damage? TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken to talk over Apple’s in-process Butterfly keyboard settlement. Plus, iPhone 14 Plus is a failure! Just ask the people who say iPhone 14 Plus is a failure! (Ken is not one of the people. He and Nick discuss it.)

Good news from “iPhone City,” news goes bad for Apple from Nikkei, and The Information has information about an ugly sounding mixed-reality headset from Apple. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken kick it all around.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney Ended 2022 hinting at Fortnite’s return to iOS in 2023. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts wants to talk about it. Ken doesn’t. They do anyway. Plus – Citi analyst “Gentleman” Jim Suva likes Apple shares at all the levels. We’ll look at his three Apple catalysts for 2023.

iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max are pretty easy to get these days. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken ponder why. Plus – Mac Pro and the standalone Apple Classical Music app both “missed” delivery in 2022. Which was the biggest miss, and does either matter?

TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts turns the tables on TDO Host Ken Ray today, asking Ken about his most important and most interesting stories of 2022. That the answers are COVID and AR respectively will likely come as no surprise.

TDO OG Jeff Gamet stays out of the Apple space on our 2022 review. His most important story takes us to the Twittersphere though, specifically Elon Musk buying Twitter. Plus – peeking the deepest and darkest with the James Webb Space Telescope is his most interesting story of 2022.

Daily Tech News Show’s Tom Merritt broadens the scope on our 2022 review. His most important story is an intelligent look at A.I. image and text generation, while peak streaming grabs his interest.

TMO writer Nick deCourville continues our week reviewing 2022. His most important story is a mix of Apple events and iOS 16, while crashing at the amusement park really piques his interest.

TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts kicks off our week reviewing 2022. His most important story is a life saver, while an iPhone feature has a lock on most interesting.

Citi and Needham analysts have thoughts on Apple’s year ahead. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken kick those thoughts around. Plus – Jeff updates us on trouble with HomeKit, and Apple to the rescue for some last minute shoppers.

What do relatively recent Macs and a proposed battery rule have in common? TMO writer Nick deCourville says Apple’s Self Service Repair may be the answer. Plus, Nick and Ken look at some of their favorite Apple TV+ titles of 2022.

With the closed loop broken and zero-COVID restrictions lifted, iPhone City workers are reportedly making iPhones while suffering with COVID – sometimes by choice, sometimes as directed by management. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken puzzle over the issue. Then, why the slow walk on AirTag info? And why can’t we prompt them to update?

If you’re giving electronics this holiday season, there are some steps you might want to take ahead of time. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts fills us in. Plus – Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives has a few predictions for the new year. Ken and Jeff kick them around.

The closed loop at Foxconn’s iPhone City plant in Zhengzhou is open. Most of the plant’s COVID restrictions have been lifted as China pulls a big “never mind” on its zero-COVID policies. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk that over. Plus – Will Smith, AirDrop, and Continuity are in for Mailbag Monday.

An OfCom study on smart speaker use prompts TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken to talk tech that disappoints and tech that delights.

Bloomberg says Apple is prepping iOS for third-party app stores and app side-loading in the EU as early as iOS 17. TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken to talk over potential pros and cons. Plus – a couple of financial analysts have early takes on the talk.

Last week, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that Apple has way scaled back its automotive plans. Apple watchers have wondered about Apple Car for years, but what does the automotive world make of Cupertino’s plans? Tech and automotive journalist Roberto Baldwin (@strngwys on Twitter) joins Ken to do a bit of Apple Car talk.

CIRP says where iPhones are sold in the states may be a weak point for Apple. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken discuss that. Plus – talking over SNL’s very bloody parody of “A Christmas Carol” and Apple Pay.

Canadian politicians are angry about changes to AirDrop on behalf of Chinese citizens. Wait’ll they hear what’s going to happen to Canadians! Also, Twitter Blue is a thing again. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk it all over.

Dreamlight Valley resident and TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken today to discuss Apple’s Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. What is it, who needs it, and how does one activate it? Plus – Will Smith is promoting Apple TV+. Too soon?

TMO writer Nick deCourville brings us two tales of fantasy: The Disney video game Dreamlight Valley is headed to the Mac, and Microsoft is considering a super-app. One of these exposes a few levels of nerd for Ken.

Longtime Apple podcaster Adam Christianson joins Ken to kick around the pricing tools Apple’s opening for developers. Plus – with close to 40-years combined of Apple news under their belts, Adam and Ken talk about what they did not see coming, and what they look forward to seeing.

Foxconn says it’s getting iPhone production back on track. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk righting the ship post holidays. Plus Apple’s pause in Twitter ads was not about Elon Musk nor free speech. It was apparently about propriety and decency. We’ll talk it over.

Bloomberg and TF International have info on Apple’s mixed reality headset. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to discuss that. Plus the Sunbird messaging app, Eufy video storage, and Elon Musk are in for Mailbag Monday.

Want a positive spin on the current quarter? Ken tries to convince TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts how great things will look for Apple in Q1FY24 – provided nothing goes wrong. Also – Android is getting one communications app to rule them all (and ditch the green text bubbles). Jeff fills us in on Sunbird.

Year’s end can mean only one thing: War between Spotify and Apple Music. Nick deCourville joins Ken to talk about the end of the year music recaps Wrapped and Replay. Plus – New old content is officially “Included with Apple TV+,” and Will Smith does PR for “Emancipation”

Mac Geek Gab co-host Dave Hamilton is really excited about Rapid Security Response coming in iOS 16.2. Ken is as well, though he seems argumentative about it anyway. Also – societal norms around smartphones are still being hammered out, in Dave’s estimation. He’ll drive a conversation about those.

Elon Musk has decided to pick a fight with Apple. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk over the Twitter Owner and CEO’s trollish behavior. Plus – Disney CEO Bob Iger addresses talk of Apple acquiring Disney, and Tim Cook’s post-Thanksgiving visit with victims of the Hingham Apple Store crash.

“iPhone City” isn’t the only city in China seeing protests. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins us to talk societal issues, Foxconn issues, and issues for Apple investors. Then, a Mailbag Monday question from Johnny: If chipmaking needs water, why are chipmakers going to Arizona?

News on the Hingham Apple Store tragedy, stirring the Apple/Disney M&A stew, and the noise around various voice assistants – we’re wrapping a holiday shortened week with TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts. Happy Thanksgiving, one and all.

Bad news and interesting topics to tackle Tuesday. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to discuss a tragedy at a Boston-area Apple Store, whether Apple can keep outperforming the markets, processors coming out of the Arizona desert, and Bob Iger’s return as CEO of Disney.

Will Apple buoy the markets or is it set to sink? Two pieces from Barron’s argue both sides. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to talk them over. Plus – An Apple exec has left Twitter and a former president is invited to return. How likely are Apple and Google to keep a check on the birdhouse?

Is Apple’s plan to buy chips sourced from Arizona actually good news? Depends which headline you read. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to to talk about the glass half-empty takes. Plus – Apple hardware is filling the glass with medical goodness.

When is old content new again? When Apple TV+ uses it to generate buzz. TMO writer Nick deCourville joins us to talk the Cupertino-streamer’s stealth programming plan. First though, TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts walks us through the Emergency SOS via satellite demo on iPhone 14.

Warren Buffet doesn’t invest in fads. This used to mean he didn’t invest in tech, though between his Apple holdings and the $4.1B he’s invested in chipmaker TSMC, he’s pretty deep in tech at this point. So – what does that mean for technology? “Daily Tech News Show” host Tom Merritt joins Ken to trip down memory lane and peer into tomorrow.

There’s word of a certain malaise inside Apple’s ad department. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to kick that around. Plus – Russian code has been found in apps used by the CDC and the US Army. Jeff will fill us in.

Security researchers say Apple was/is tracking a lot of App Store activity in iOS 14.6. In the time of iOS 16.1.1, this has led to a lawsuit. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk that over. Plus – Twitter and Emergency SOS via Satellite and Steve Jobs’ sandals make it into Mailbag Monday!

China’s new AirDrop limit may go global in 2023. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts joins Ken to discuss that. Plus, rumor has people inside Disney hoping that Apple will try to buy Disney. Ken and Jeff kick the idea around.

Samsung keeps predicting foldable phones and TMO writer Nick deCourville can’t wait. He joins Ken to talk about that, plus a group that made a foldable iPhone of their own. Then, Oculus creator Palmer Luckey says he’s made a VR rig with a sick and twisted twist: When a user dies in VR, they die in meatspace, too.