Apple Context Machine

Facebook has a scary new patent application that Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet say “is so Zuck.” They also talk about how Apple might position and price its streaming original content, and there are a lot of possibilities. Plus, Apple’s long-running patent fight with Samsung is over. What does that really mean?

What would using your iPhone as your car key look like in practice? Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet run through the possibilities. They also look at the on-again, off-again case where plaintiffs accuse the company with a minority share of the smartphone business of having an App Store “monopoly.”

Bryan and Jeff dig into Samsung shenanigans, including reports of a way to hack magnetic stripe reader transactions, and the mysterious case of Apple Watch drawings in a Samsung patent. They also discuss the interesting story of how the flawed Apple Maps rollout led to public beta programs for OS X and iOS.

Bryan and Jeff discuss Apple’s commercial that embraces many of the things Microsoft has used to tout Surface Pro. They also talk about Apple’s remarkable success with the App Store, as well as some of Siri’s shortcomings.

Bryan and Jeff dig deep into Apple’s earnings report and the company’s quarterly call with analysts. Topics include Tim Cook’s upbeat delivery, Pokemon, and Wall Street’s reaction. They also jump into the scary future of 3D printing our fingers to bypass biometric security.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen had some seemingly irrational things to say about Apple’s stance on encryption, and Bryan and Jeff break it down. They also take a deeper look into black boxes and self-driving cars with a focus on regulating these devices and surveillance worries. Just to keep things light, they dive into Twitter harassment and social media censorship.

In this episode of The Apple Context Machine, Bryan and Jeff talk about HomeKit, sparked by Jeff’s triumph over something that shouldn’t have been hard to begin with. They also talk about Jeff’s initial foray into Pokémon GO, and look at the Post-PC Era (or lack thereof) in light of Scrivener coming to iOS.

Jeff Gamet has been playing with iOS 10 on his iPad mini 4, and he can’t wait to get it on his iPhone. Why? It starts with the Lockscreen. Bryan and Jeff also talk about regulations in South Korea that might require smartphone makers to allow all preinstalled apps to be deleted by the user. They bookend the show having some fun with Fibonacci numbers.

In this episode of The Apple Context Machine, Bryan and Jeff discuss new regulations in China that could make Apple part of that country’s surveillance and censorship apparatus. They also talk about Google’s plans to make its own Android devices, and Amazon offering a discount on two Android phones that display Amazon ads on the lock screen. Bryan somehow manages to ties that into an epic rant about Angry Birds 2.

Bryan and Jeff delve into some of the things they've learned about iOS 10, macOS Sierra, and watchOS 3.0. Spoiler, it's all looking really good. They also talk about Differential Privacy and explain (loosely) how it works, what it means, and why it's important.

Apple CEO Tim Cook put his money where is mouth is and brought significant diversity to the WWDC stage this week, including four powerful women. Bryan and Jeff think it was cool. They also dig into watchOS 3, Swift Playgrounds, and ask if Steve Jobs would have opened up Siri, Maps, iMessage, and Phone to third party developers.

Bryan Chaffin is joined by John Kheit to talk about the state of music at Apple, including iTunes, rumored changes to iTunes, and where they'd like to see it go. They also discuss the value of music downloads and who is driving the push towards streaming services (Bryan says it's consumers and John screams something about getting the kids off his lawn).

Bryan and Jeff are joined by John Kheit, TMO's Devil's Advocate, for an in-depth look at ways to improve AI and machine learning while maintaining user privacy. There are some interesting technologies out there, including Apple's own VocalIQ, fully homomorphic encryption, and the less formally named "learn and purge."

Apple held a media event on Monday, and Bryan and Jeff talk about the products announced and why they warranted an event. They also discuss what kind of message Apple was sending by talking about the environment and its ongoing fight with the FBI. It's also Bryan has a meltdown when it comes to the new iPad Pro (9.7-inch). The two also dig into the newest legal developments in that fight with the FBI.

Dueling surveys have been published on whether people support Apple or the FBI in a fight over the government forcing Apple to create a backdoor in iOS. Bryan and Jeff discuss the differences in the polls as well as the demographic differences in opinion they reveal. They also look in on Apple's decision to play the free speech card in its legal fight. Plus, robot overlords.