A Healthy Computing Lifestyle

November 13, 2025·1 hr 17 min·5 clips

Federico compares the iPad Pro to a relationship partner who 'refuses to change' after 10 years.

The episode opens with the three hosts — Stephen Hackett, Mike Hurley, and Federico Viticci — reviewing the Nomad Apple Watch Ultra band, with Federico reporting his clasp broke after a week and Stephen noting the orange color does not match the Apple Watch Ultra's action button. They discuss iOS 26.2 Beta 2 adding an option to disable pinned messages in CarPlay, with Stephen arguing Apple should have copied the Phone app's tab-based layout rather than simply offering a toggle to revert. The hosts debate how many pinned messages they need, with both Mike and Federico wishing Apple would allow more than nine. A new 1Password feature that unlocks the app automatically when the Mac is unlocked is discussed, with Mike saying he would enable it immediately given his strong Mac password, while Steven admits he uses a weak Mac password and prefers keeping the two locks separate. The hosts announce a Relay FM membership sale offering 20% off annual plans, with Mike breaking down the cost to just over one dollar per episode for ad-free, longer episodes. A Mac Rumors story about Mophie battery cases prompts a discussion about whether Apple needs to be in the battery pack market, with Mike and Federico both concluding it is largely unnecessary given good third-party options and improved phone battery life. The main topic is the 10th anniversary of the iPad Pro, with Stephen recalling the embargoed launch episode recorded with Federico in London, including a story about Federico breaking his embargo by showing Stephen the device on a train and Apple's ill-advised suggestion to request a private security screening at Heathrow. Stephen reads passages from Federico's 2015 review 'A New Canvas,' which predicted developers would be bold with iPad apps and that the iPad Pro would be preferred over a MacBook by users like Federico. Federico reflects that he has fundamentally changed since writing that review and now lives a computing life split between iPad Pro and Mac. He explains the shift is driven by the reality that AI tools, tinkering software, and popular productivity apps like Slack, Notion, and Superhuman are all better on macOS. Federico argues the iPad's problem is not hardware capability but a decade of developer neglect, with most iPad app versions being inferior 'baby versions' of their Mac or web equivalents. He uses a relationship metaphor, saying that after 10 years of a partner refusing to change, patience runs out. Specific ongoing iPad frustrations cited include no clamshell mode, a single USB-C port, and Safari on iPad being less reliable than on macOS. Federico states that if Apple's mission was for the iPad Pro to replace a Mac, that mission has failed, though he acknowledges Apple is making genuine improvements in iPadOS 26 such as the return of Slide Over and improved local capture. A story from Jason Snell about editing a multicam Final Cut Pro video on iPad is used to illustrate that even in iPad-native workflows, users often need to fall back to the Mac for reliable output. The episode closes with the observation that the iPad's developer problem is fundamentally an Apple developer relations problem, similar to the challenges facing Vision Pro.

As heard by us

A warm Apple-history conversation about the iPad Pro, fussy hardware, and how computing promises age.

Connected 578 is a warm, loose Apple computing conversation about how products age after the keynote glow wears off. Stephen Hackett, Mike Hurley, and Federico Viticci open with a very practical gripe: a pricey Nomad Apple Watch band that stopped fastening properly, followed by…

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Why you'd press play

Three hosts, a $150 Nomad band that quit after a week, and a full retrospective on what the original iPad Pro actually promised.

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