Upgrade

This week Jason has no power or Internet, so Myke gives him the details about the new AirPods Pro, the first reviews of Apple TV+ shows, iOS 13.2 and a perplexing HomePod software update, and Apple’s rumored reboot of its smart-home initiative. In exchange, Jason fashions a story out of a UPS, a floor lamp, and a cassette player from the 1980s.

Everything old is new for Myke, as he tries out his "new" Mac (released in 2017) running a "new" version of macOS (it's Mojave). With Apple TV+ launching late next week, there's an enormous collection of Upstream news. And we ponder what products Apple might release this fall, with or without a special event.

James Thomson joins Jason to discuss converting an app from iOS to Mac via Catalyst, the prospects for using Catalyst on his most profitable app, and the end of an era as his app DragThing and all other 32-bit Mac apps fade away. We also sort out Apple and China, because that's not a complicated topic at all.

macOS Catalina has arrived and Jason's got his full review, plus we dig into the new multi-screened mobile device announcements from Microsoft (and what they might mean for Apple), and put on our sweaters to talk about Deep Fusion photography.

Jason finished his iPhone 11 review nearly two weeks after the fact, Myke is back in the Apple Watch game with a new Series 5 model, and we hear from a bunch of Apple Store employees.

We've got the new iPhones and it's time for our first hands-on impressions. How has Apple improved the upgrade experience? Could the Apple Store pick-up experience use a little more attention? Are the battery and camera improvements worth the upgrade? How much do we miss 3D Touch? Also Jason has a new Apple Watch, and Myke is sorely tempted by the ceramic Series 5.

This week Upgrade turns five and we're waiting for our new Apple hardware to arrive. But there's still time to reflect on last week's announcements, deal with a flood of Apple TV+ news, ponder Apple's fragmented OS release schedule, carefully examine expensive Apple Watch materials, and prepare for the arrival of iOS 13.

Jason has returned from Cupertino, where he watched Apple unveil the new iPhone 11 models, a new Apple Watch that adds a feature we had given up hope of ever seeing, and details about when we'll see Apple Arcade and Apple TV+. We break down the product marketing, new camera features, surprises, and the shocking results of the 2019 Apple iPhone Event Draft.

It’s time for Jason and Myke to reveal their picks for what will happen on stage at the Steve Jobs Theater next week! They draft 10 different things they expect will happen--or not happen--next Tuesday. Has Jason’s recent run of success gone to his head? Will Myke play it too safe? Will a Spın̈al Tap pick be made? All will be revealed!

There's a lot that separates the U.S. and the UK, like the definition of "lemonade" and the launch date for the new Disney+ streaming service. But nothing can separate our hosts this week, as they convene in Jason's office to discuss the impending iPhone event and to reflect on nearly five years of their status as independent workers and of Upgrade itself.

Special guest Stephen Hackett joins us to discuss the current state of the Mac in both hardware and software. We also ponder Apple's choices in naming the new iPhones, Jason muses about whether the Apple Watch even needs an upgrade this fall, and we wrap things up with a Mac-themed #askupgrade.

With Apple's new operating-system releases due next month, Jason and Myke check in on how their beta experiences are going so far, especially the ups and downs of iPadOS 13. We also discuss Disney's aggressive streaming-service bundling and how Apple might respond next month. And does Samsung's announcement of an ARM laptop with 23-hour battery life serve as the perfect reason why an ARM MacBook is inevitable?

Commerce is in the air as Apple reports more money for wearables and services and less money for the iPhone, and begins to roll out the Apple Card. How does Apple react strategically as a company to financial incentives, and does Apple's success in the category formerly called "Other" suggest a new emphasis on wearables? We also follow up on Siri surveillance and Catalina security and then make a bet to be settled in 2031, assuming money will still exist in the future.

The trouble with Apple sending Siri audio to human beings, macOS Catalina's overly aggressive approach to app security, and the possibility of Apple introducing a $3000 laptop cast a little bit of a pall on the Summer of Fun this week. But cheer up--we've also got some interesting Upstream news about Disney and Amazon, and a summer-themed version of Ask Upgrade!

There's a lot of streaming media news in the mix this week, as Apple is rumored to be pondering premium podcasts and Netflix loses subscribers just at the moment its stiffest competition yet is about to arrive. But that's all just a prelude to our special Summer of Fun segment, as Myke and Jason draft the most appealing video streaming services of 2020.

We answer a lot of your #askupgrade questions, then break down how Apple's changing its laptop line and retail stores. Also, Warner Media makes a big bet on the HBO brand name, and Apple News+ is unsurprisingly not succeeding. Then we start the show with #snelltalk! This week with Jason and Myke.

Guest Marco Arment joins Jason and Myke to discuss the possibility of new Apple laptop keyboards at last, his Overcast priorities over the next year, and the future of podcasting. There are also some mild opinions about Jony Ive, the streaming-video wars, and cappuccino.

This week the Summer of Fun goes old school, as two of Jason's colleagues from back in the 1990s compare Apple's many transitions over the years to the ones Apple and its developers and users face today. Also, we wonder what happens to the movies and TV shows that aren't available via streaming, and if that means that important cultural works are in danger of fading away.

It's Public Beta season, and Jason's spent the last week reviewing macOS Catalina. Are the Catalyst apps better this year? And what features were pleasant surprises? We also discuss JJ Abrams's big new streaming deal, share our own iPhone home screens, and Myke at the Movies calls on "Kiki's Delivery Service."

After a brief commentary about Twitterrific 6 and the difficult world of App Store pricing, we kick off the The Upgrade Summer of Fun by building the official Upgrade iPhone home screen. 28 apps will be picked! Four will win coveted spaces in the dock! Rules will be invented on the fly! Also, we explain what a draft is.

Myke and Jason get over their WWDC hangover with a discussion of our favorite new iPadOS 13 features. Then we take a look at the future of Apple's platforms with a discussion of Catalyst and SwiftUI and an exclusive interview with Apple's Wiley Hodges and Josh Shaffer.

The WWDC 2019 keynote was packed full with new announcements. Now, live from San Jose, Jason and Myke come together to talk about iOS 13, macOS Catalina, the introduction of iPadOS, and the new Mac Pro.

It’s time for our fourth annual competition regarding what will happen on stage next week at WWDC! Will there be new hardware? What will macOS be called? How many times will we see Tim Cook? This week we guess, but next week reality will be our judge.

With the WWDC draft a week away, Jason and Myke engage in a flight of fancy, discussing all their wishes for iOS and macOS developments that probably won't happen. Also, Jason has to retrieve his iPad.

It's a busy week for Myke as Jason as they discuss hanging on to old software, how third-party apps react to Apple's app updates, the Supreme Court's ruling on an App Store antitrust case, the struggles of Apple Retail, and new reports about this fall's iPhone models. After all that, it's time to discuss the Brydge Pro and Logitech Slim Folio Pro and whether either of them can replace Apple's own Smart Keyboard Folio as our iPad Pro keyboard of choice.

Apple's financial results lead us to discuss the company bringing a new focus to iPhone sales and throwing Intel under the bus. Then Mark Gurman of Bloomberg swoops in with a huge collection of new and slightly used macOS, iOS, and watchOS rumors for us to dissect.

Jason struggles between the Mac's insistence on file management and iOS's lack of it, Podcasts take a step toward going viral with some help from Overcast, and we prepare for the Upgrade Summer of Fun with a new arrival from Dongletown.

What's next for macOS and iOS? This week we discuss all of last week's reporting by Guilherme Rambo about the future of Apple's platforms, from Find My Friends to support for external displays and pointing devices, to the complicated future of automation on macOS. Jason also extolls the virtues of the Kindle, Apple and Qualcomm come to terms, and YouTube goes back to basics.

Disney finally unveils its streaming service at a price that makes us wonder just what game Apple thinks it's playing; we get a sneak peek at some possible new iPad features for iOS 13; and Jason and Myke ponder the major changes due for the Mac this fall with the departure of iTunes and the arrival of Marzipan.

John Siracusa joins Jason to discuss how 2019 is potentially an enormous year for the Mac in both hardware and software. Also, we make time to swap TiVo stories and generate John's Hierarchy of Mac Pro Needs.

This week we say goodbye to AirPower, ponder the place of the new iPad Mini, speculate a bit about Apple Arcade, and take a hard look at Apple News+. Also, Jason literally sits in the iMac Pro Gap.

Apple spent two hours on stage unveiling a bunch of new services, and now it's time to break them down. We discuss the method of the Apple TV+ rollout, whether Apple Channels and a revamped TV app will change Apple's fortunes, what Apple Arcade means for how the App Store works, and the possibility that Apple News+ will make an impact.

After nearly two years, Apple has released new iMacs, and Jason has an exclusive interview with Apple’s iMac product manager, Colleen Novielli. We also discuss the surprising new iPad Air and iPad mini announcements, and then it’s time for another Upgrade draft, as we make our choices for what will be on stage at Apple’s services event next Monday!

Disney opens the vault for its streaming service, we rank our own MacBook Hierarchy of Needs, and Jason goes against Myke's advice and records some podcasts using only an iPad.

This episode covers all the hot-button issues of the day! Is Apple micromanaging the content of its forthcoming video service? Is Face ID really superior to Touch ID? Will the arrival of iOS apps be good for the Mac? Why do British TV licence fees exist? Is the Netflix 'Skip Intro' button evil? Should Netflix be banned from the Oscars? Prepare your complaint emails now!

Major players Samsung and Huawei have introduced expensive smartphones with foldable screens, but do their different approaches tell us anything about the future of the category? And where goes Apple fit in to the equation? We also take some time to contemplate the roll-out of Marzipan and what it means for the future of macOS.

A 16-inch MacBook Pro? A 6K Apple external display? Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has dropped the first detailed report of Apple's 2019 hardware plans, and Myke and Jason take turns dissecting them and wildly speculating about possible features. Also we ponder what a services-themed Apple event might look like, which is a lovely discussion until someone mentions Drake.

It's been reported that the iPad's home screen will be evolving in 2019, but what form will that evolution take? Myke and Jason make a wish list, and also discuss Angela Ahrendts's departure from Apple Retail, Spotify's investment in podcasting, and Apple and Disney's latest streaming-media moves.

What Apple's quarterly results had to say about iPhone sales and prices, Apple reaches a fork in the road when it comes to keyboard design, and just after the official opening of 2019 iPhone Rumor Season comes the official opening of 2020 iPhone Rumor Season.

It's time once again for Jason's annual poll of more than four dozen Apple watchers and commentators, who have shared their judgments of how the company fared in 2018. We break down the categories on the rise (look at you, Apple Watch!) and the ones that are on the decline (iPhone, Apple Watch). Also, we discuss Apple's possible new game app subscription service -- and how it strongly suggests a forthcoming Apple services bundle.

This year Samsung plans to release a smartphone with a foldable OLED display. Is this technology that Apple would use in future iPhones, and if so, how? We also discuss Apple's new videos that highlight the iPad Pro, and Jason tries to explain NBC Universal's interesting new streaming service announcement.

This week we officially open 2019 iPhone Rumors season, as the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple may be adding more cameras to the back of this year's high-end iPhone. Will this restore bragging rights to the members of the Max Club? Also, it was a smart-devices Christmas at the Snell house, as Jason took delivery of a smart lock and a Roomba.

The new year starts with a bang, as Apple misses its iPhone sales forecast and announces surprising partnerships with Samsung and other TV makers in advance of the launch of its new video service. We discuss these earth-shattering issues in detail, not to mention Jason's world-exclusive trial of a new iPad Pro keyboard.

As the year comes to an end, it's time for the Fifth Annual Upgradies! Myke and Jason discuss their favorites of 2018, take the input of more than a thousand Upgradians, and hand out awards in numerous categories! Only the finest will walk away with the most coveted of titles: Upgradies Winner.

Then it was, as Myke and Jason began their preparations for the Christmas holiday, that they were visited by three ghosts, representing the spirit of Apple past, present, and future.

This week we try to understand Apple's plans to build a "Netflix for magazines" inside of Apple News, Jason confesses his love for the new Apple Pencil, and we celebrate the season with a special Myke at the Movies about "Miracle on 34th Street".

Are Apple's recent aggressive promotional deals for iPhone an indicator that its aggressive pricing strategy isn't working, or is this all part of a larger strategy? Are the old rules giving way to a whole new set of Apple strategies? We also discuss WarnerMedia's strange streaming strategy and Jason's attempt to merge Shortcuts with ancient Web APIs.

John Siracusa joins Jason to discuss the future of Apple's ARM processors and how they might change the Mac, Apple Music coming to the Amazon Echo and what that might mean about the future of Apple's forthcoming TV service, whether they're using their TiVos as much as they used to, and the prospects for an Apple-built external touchscreen display.

Where does iOS go from here? This week Myke and Jason discuss the top 10 iPad features for iOS 13 they'd like to see. Also, Myke at the Movies returns, as Myke watches "My Neighbor Totoro" for the first time.

This week we follow up on our iPad Pro reviews, as Jason integrates the new iPad Pro into his writing set-up and starts using the Apple Pencil for more than just drawing doodles. Plus there's more about external keyboards, Apple's dream of Academy Awards, and a heaping dose of #askupgrade.