Federico Viticci, Stephen Hackett, and Myke Hurley work through the week's Apple news and their own gear problems.
Connected follows Myke Hurley, Stephen Hackett, and Federico Viticci through the week’s Apple stories, from iPadOS wishes to Mac Pro postmortems. It is technical without turning sterile, with listener emails often steering the conversation into sharper, stranger, more useful corners.
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Connected is a three-person panel discussion recorded weekly for the Relay FM network, running past 600 episodes. Federico Viticci, Stephen Hackett, and Myke Hurley trade hosting duties and occasionally record as a duo when one is traveling or unavailable. Each episode moves through a loose but consistent structure: Apple corporate and product news, a deeper technical or personal thread (a hardware upgrade, a backup failure, an app complaint), and listener mail or a closing segment like a quiz. Recurring subject matter includes Apple leadership and reporting-line changes, iOS/iPadOS and macOS betas, Apple's on-device AI strategy compared with Gemini and Claude, Mac Pro and Mac Studio hardware history, and iPad-versus-Mac productivity debates. The hosts frequently narrate their own setups in detail — backup software choices (Backblaze, Dropbox, Arc), always-on Mac servers, external storage — rather than treating hardware only as news. Sponsor reads (Ecamm, Sentry, Squarespace) appear most episodes. Guests are rare; the show is built around the three named hosts' recurring dynamic and their disagreements, rather than outside interviews. Listeners get a mix of Apple industry commentary and first-person troubleshooting of real Apple hardware and workflows. It suits people already following Apple news who want the story worked through in more personal, opinionated detail than a straight news recap.
Made for: Apple ecosystem users and prosumers who already follow Apple news and want detailed hands-on takes on hardware, backups, and AI features.
What sets it apart: Three fixed co-hosts narrate their own hardware and backup setups alongside Apple news, rather than bringing in outside guests or a straight news-recap format.
Connected is a weekly panel discussion on Apple and the impact of technology on our lives. With each co-host having a unique background — and accent — Connected provides a perspective that no other show can. Hosted by Federico Viticci, Stephen Hackett, and Myke Hurley.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Connected makes Apple's product decisions clearer by testing interfaces, rumors and technical changes against years of hands-on experience.
Connected turns close attention to Apple into an informed, good-humored conversation about how its products behave in actual use. The co-hosts move easily from repair-part restrictions and iPadOS browser shortcomings to photographic controls, software-update performance and the…
Three friends turn iPad browser tabs into a constitutional convention, if that is your flavor of fun.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A precise Apple wish list covering iPadOS, Safari, repair-part color swaps, and the iPhone camera experience.
Connected is in full pre-episode-600 housekeeping mode, with Mike Hurley and Federico Viticci turning Apple-platform loose ends into the main event.
A warm, meandering Connected where broken school Macs, a work PowerBook, and early iPods turn into personal Apple origin stories.
Connected takes a personal turn as Stephen Hackett and Mike trade stories about Macs, early OS X, and the iPod years that pulled them deeper into Apple.
A funny, clear-eyed look at the Mac Pro's fading role in the Apple Silicon era.
Connected's "S-Tier: Jason Snell" is strongest when the hosts turn the Mac Pro into a story about the Mac's retreat from modular computing. The best stretch tracks the 2019 model as something impressive, expensive, expandable, and short-lived in practical terms once Apple…
A sharp, funny Apple AI preview built around Gemini distillation and a possible standalone Siri app.
Connected episode 596 spends its strongest stretch on Apple AI, especially Federico Vatici's theory that Apple could use Gemini to distill a set of smaller Foundation models for specific jobs.
A loose, sharp Connected episode about Tidal, audio gear, and how tech habits quietly harden over time.
Connected is at its best when the hosts let a small tech tangent turn into a bigger read on habits, platforms, and taste. Mike Hurley, Federico Botticchi, and Stephen start with the usual Relay banter about titles, year-end grading, and predictions, then drift into Apple…
A relaxed Apple software conversation about update timing, performance, and why faster phones may sell point releases better than new features.
Connected uses its Thanksgiving-week, two-host setup to settle into a relaxed but pointed Apple software discussion. Federico and Mike spend the strongest stretch on update timing: whether Apple is holding back the wider automatic rollout for 26.2, and why these early point…
A loose Apple accessory discussion finds substance in the Issey Miyake design context behind iPhone Pocket.
Connected uses Apple's iPhone Pocket as a small object lesson in how tech products pick up meaning from design history. Mike Hurley leads the review, with Federico and Stephen folding in listener follow-up that reframes Apple's phrase "a piece of cloth" as a reference to Issey…
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…
David Sparks and Stephen Robles dig into Keyboard Maestro, Shortcuts, and Mac automation weekly.
Jason Snell and Myke Hurley debate Apple's product roadmap, leadership, and rumors weekly.
Long-form Apple talk with sharp product judgment and deep tech history.
Paul Thurrott and Richard Campbell break down Microsoft's week in Windows, Xbox, and AI.
Episode 599 starts as a two-person Connected, with Mike Hurley and Federico carrying the show while Stephen is away and episode 600 already looking a little cursed in Notion.
Connected episode 598 opens with Federico at the Romex comic-book convention in Rome, where Stephen Hackett jokes about a Space Jam anniversary screening and texts Federico about whether he has ever seen the movie.
Connected is closing in on 600.
Episode 596 opens with chairman-grade nonsense.
The hosts discuss listener feedback challenging their previous dismissal of the Satechi iPad dock, revealing professional use cases in photography and audio production.
The hosts discuss the latest iOS beta update, focusing on new accessibility features like 'reduce bright effects' that improve text readability by adjusting display settings.
The hosts introduce the episode, discuss new Retro Relay Collection merchandise inspired by old Apple designs, and banter about their roles.
A panel of tech journalists discusses Apple news, the Six Colors Report Card, and prepares for their annual predictions game, the Rickies.
A panel discussion on Apple and technology news, including OpenClaw joining OpenAI.
The hosts discuss the latest iOS 26.3 release candidate and a bug causing green tint on iPhone 16E.
The hosts discuss Apple-related topics including iOS 26 quirks and fitness app scrolling issues, with sponsor mentions and banter.
The hosts banter about birthdays and introduce the show, setting up a tech discussion.
The hosts discuss Steven's absence due to losing his voice, mention his upcoming 40th birthday, and tease upcoming news and follow-up topics for the episode.
The hosts of Connected engage in humorous banter about their roles and a sandwich metaphor while introducing a guest and mentioning sponsors.
The hosts kick off 2026 by grading their 2025 Apple predictions and making new picks for the year ahead.
The co-hosts of Connected banter about New Year's, titles, listener feedback, and recent guests in a lighthearted episode.
The hosts review Apple news from 2025 month by month, scoring each month on a scale from nightmare to best.
Apple's week is dominated by leadership changes: Lisa Jackson is retiring in January, Jennifer Newstead is moving from Meta, and Kate Adams is shifting into a transition plan that could leave Apple with a new general counsel by late 2026.
The hosts of Connected discuss upcoming Apple software developments, particularly focusing on photo management in light of the new Photos app and revisiting the concept of Sherlocking.
Thanksgiving tightens the room.
Connected 579 puts on a tie, more or less.
Connected episode 578 marks the 10th anniversary of the iPad Pro, prompting Federico Viticci to reassess a decade of iPad-first computing and conclude that Apple has failed to replace the Mac for knowledge workers.
A weekly panel discussion on Apple and technology, with hosts bantering about an iPad bath setup and personal updates.
The hosts discuss receiving and reviewing the new Vision Pro dual knit band, sharing impressions on comfort and comparing it to other bands.
The hosts open the show with casual banter about wind and a home improvement story before diving into Apple-related topics.
The hosts discuss Apple-related topics, including a listener's comment about a Beats case with a stand for iPhone.
A weekly panel discussion on Apple and technology's impact on life, with hosts discussing recent events and community fundraising.
A panel discussion on Apple and technology, with humorous banter about a co-host takeover and a space tourism anecdote.
A weekly panel discussion on Apple and technology, covering follow-up topics like HDMI Mesa and camera notches.
The hosts discuss a listener question about a neighbor stealing herbs from a balcony plant.
A panel discussion on Apple news, focusing on iPhone camera design rumors and improvements.
A weekly panel discussion on Apple and the impact of technology on our lives, with hosts sharing personal anecdotes and tech news.
The hosts discuss listener follow-up about an iPad keyboard failure and share personal updates.
A weekly panel discussion on Apple and technology's impact on life, with follow-up from listeners and promotion of an App Stories episode.
A humorous panel discussion about Apple, iCloud account merging issues, and tech news, with congratulations on a co-host's new baby.