In this installment of Ken Ray’s new short-form podcast, we talk a little bit about Apple Arcade. It turns out that Ken has had enough of it and recently ended his subscription. Meanwhile, I’m enjoying it and consider it well worth the $5 a month I pay. It’s a little ironic, given that I used to review games and by some measure should be a lot more jaded with Apple’s offerings than I am. Let’s unpack it.
In A Few Minutes with Ken Ray: Coronavirus, iPhones, and the Perfect Storm
Ken Ray of “Mac OS Ken” fame has a new short-form podcast (about 20 minutes per episode). He was kind enough to have me on as a guest recently. We recorded these a couple of weeks ago and life comes at you fast. Back then I was just speculating about how COVID-19 might affect Apple’s product rollouts and WWDC, and, well, here we are.
Talking Apple with TMO
Had a nice (and quick – less than 20 minutes) chat with Kelly Guimont for the Mac Observer’s Daily Observations podcast. Subjects ranged from the Mac App Store, Twitter polls and how the App Store ranks as a service.
Solving Apple’s problems with Everyday Robots
Had a great time chatting about Apple with Jonathan Ruiz and Mark Fransen recently on their Everyday Robots podcast. We ran the gamut from discussing the idea of changing user default apps in iOS to what an ARM or AMD-based Mac might look like, ruminated on future “universal” app purchases thanks to Catalyst on the Mac, and all sorts of other stuff.
Talking iPad’s 10th and more
My latest podcast appearance with Space Javelin is available for your consumption. I filled in for regular host Mike, talked about the iPad’s recent 10th anniversary, coronavirus and its effect on Apple, cool free iPhone software and much more.
MacBook, Farewell But Not Goodbye
Apple has quietly laid the MacBook to rest following its July refresh of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. I don’t think this is goodbye to the MacBook, however. Just farewell for now. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see it again before too long.
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About Those MacBook Pro keyboards
Apple recently acknowledged that some of its laptop users are having problems with their keyboards, almost three years after a new “butterfly” mechanism was introduced. It’s a product quality issue that has Apple users understandable upset, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Apple often designs for the user it wants, as opposed to the users it actually has.
Apple’s Ambitious Plans for Apple Arcade
I’ve been writing about Mac games on and off for 25 years, and I can’t think of a single announcement from Apple that has intrigued me as much as Apple Arcade. It could be a real game changer, or it could be a total disaster. Apple Arcade, announced before Apple’s introduction of Apple TV+, is coming this fall. The Mac is getting the new games alongside iPhones, iPads and Apple TV. What’s more, Apple is contributing to the development costs. This is the first time I can remember Apple footing the bill. That should tell you that Apple has some ambitions beyond just launching a new service.
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What happened to the iMac?
The iMac debuted 20 years ago. It’s not hyperbole to say that it’s the computer that saved Apple and set the stage for Apple’s ascendance to becoming the biggest tech company in the world. All that said, Apple’s lost something in the translation – while the iMac is still a fixture in Apple’s product line, it lacks some essential qualities of that first model. Its personality has changed. The iMac has gotten harder. It’s lost the sense of whimsy, fun, and wonder that made the first iMac such a joy to use.
Why it’s OK that Apple killed AirPort products, finally
Last week Apple made official news we’d suspected for a very long time: It’s discontinued the AirPort line of network routers. Apple says once its current stock of supplies is depleted, that’s it. Apple hasn’t needed its own line of networking gear for many years, but let’s remember how truly disruptive AirPort was.
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