Apple's Week of Tech Press Domination

·27 min·2 clips

Jim Schaefer starts his tech podcast with a warning from his Aura ring that his body shows major strain, making him feel woozy.

The episode opens with Jim Schaefer introducing the theme of Apple's week of tech press domination, noting his personal health warning from an Aura smart ring. He reviews Apple's new products, including updated Apple Watch bands in colors like soft pink and bright guava, with luxury Hermes straps costing up to $549. Jim discusses the iPhone 17 E and MacBook Neo, highlighting Apple's strategy to target the lower-end market with the $600 Neo, which he compares unfavorably to the iPad Air. He speculates on missing updates to the base iPad, Apple TV, and HomePod Minis, suggesting redesigns or software delays. A segment on security vulnerabilities reveals that iOS 13 through 17.2.1 have 23 exploits from stolen U.S. government tools. Jim then shifts to Mobile World Congress, noting its decline and overshadowing by Apple, with Chinese brands like Xiaomi dominating. He covers Aura's acquisition of gesture recognition startup DoublePoint, criticizing feature bloat in smart rings. Personal anecdotes include gifting his wife an iPad Air she disliked, leading to lessons about jewelry preferences, and his keyboard preferences between Apple's Magic Keyboard and a Logitech mechanical one. Entertainment news covers Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, with concerns about HBO Max merging into Paramount Plus. Podcast news details Jim's failed experiment with condenser microphones due to noise issues, prompting a return to his Electro-Voice RE20. The episode closes with a call for donations and his signature 'get off my lawn' sign-off.

As heard by us

Jim weighs Apple's product news, MacBook rumors, security concerns, and Mobile World Congress competition.

Apple's run of product announcements takes over the technology news cycle, but Jim Schaefer keeps the launch excitement at arm's length. He moves through refreshed Watch bands, rumored MacBook changes, and vulnerabilities affecting older iOS versions with a consumer's…

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Why you'd press play

You want Apple's headline takeover filtered through skepticism, practical ownership questions, and a little tech-industry memory.

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