The Essential Apple Podcast Essential Apple Crew
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- Technology
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An Apple based podcast covering the last 7 - 10 days in the world of Apple news, reviews, rumours, roundups, guides and anything else that catches our eyes in the world of tech.
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Essential Apple Podcast 290: Spats, Hacks & A.I.
On the show this time, Nick got hacked! Apple and Epic get into another spat, in which they both came off looking stupid, and childish... Simon and Nick have been playing with A.I. image tools. Apple made modifications to its new EU rules, a man has recovered over 200 Apple Watches from lakes in Illinois and Donny is disappointed in his Zagg pencils for iPads, and of course some other stuff too!
MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL
The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin Vicar@felixparish.com or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.
Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!
Recorded 10th March 2024
On this week's show
NICK RILEY
Spligosh in the Slack
Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube
APPLE
Apple reverses course and clears way for Epic Games to set up rival iPhone app store in Europe – The Independent
M3 MacBook Air has this one major upgrade Apple didn't advertise – Tom's Guide
Apple confirms the MacBook Air M3 won't be a fingerprint magnet – TechRadar
Apple releases MacOS Sonoma 14.4 with a whopping 64 bug fixes – ZDNet
Apple could be planning a giant, foldable MacBook that doubles as your iPad – TechRadar
Apple's Box Office Misfires: Are Napoleon, Flower Moon, Argylle Worth it? – Variety
Apple’s last-minute App Store changes come with a catch – The Verge
What’s the most popular Mac in the US? Here’s what one study says – 9to5Mac
HomePod 17.4 Lets Siri Learn Your Default Music Service – iDrop News
There is no excuse for failing to action Spotify HomePod support – 9to5Mac
Alternative iOS App Stores Only Work for 'Grace Period' When Traveling – MacRumors
Apple removes big barrier for rival iPhone app stores – Cult of Mac
TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
Google is following Apple's lead by adding new developer fees in the EU – Engadget
Why the hell would Google promise seven years of updates? – Android Central
WORTH A CHIRP / ESSENTIAL TIPS
This Simple Trick Helps Stop Your iPhone Apps Tracking You – Living Etc
I review laptops for a living and this is now the MacBook I recommend – Tom’s Guide
Zagg Pencil wears out in a day – Donny in the Slackroom
JUST A SNIPPET
For things that are not worth more than a flypast
Over 200 Apple Watches recovered from Illinois lakes by metal detectorist – 9to5Mac
Colorware delivers a retro makeover with limited edition 'Apple Number 2 Pencil' – 9to5Mac
Essential Apple Recommended Services:
All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
Fake Name Generator – -
Essential Apple Podcast 289: So long Apple car… We never knew you at all!
This week Simon has a new microphone so hopefully the sound will be a little better. Meanwhile apparently the “Titan has Fallen”, the Apple car project is “officially” dead, Vision Pro returns are no worse than any other Apple product, there is new Post Quantum crytographic protection coming for iMessage, and more! Simon and Nick set to and try to make sense of it all...
MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL
The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin Vicar@felixparish.com or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.
Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!
Recorded 3rd March 2024
On this week's show
NICK RILEY
Spligosh in the Slack
Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube
APPLE
The Apple Car project is reportedly dead – Engadget
Crash of the Titan: a short history of Apple’s doomed car project – The Verge
Apple Car project cost Apple $10 billion over a decade of work – AppleInsider
In loving memory of the Apple Car – Creative Bloq
Apple Vision Pro return rate is about the same as the iPhone 15 Pro – AppleInsider
Apple TV+ to get the most exciting sci-fi TV series to be greenlit in years – T3.com
Apple Wont Remove Home Screen Web Apps From iOS After All – PC Mag UK
Apple Adds M3 Macs to Its Do-It-Yourself Repair Program – iDrop News
Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ movie is now streaming on Apple TV+ – 9to5Mac
Apple ID could get a branding makeover to Apple Account – Cult of Mac
Gurman: No Apple Event Planned for Upcoming iPads and Macs – MacRumors
Apple hit with class action lawsuit over iCloud’s 5GB limit – 9to5Mac
Zoom Pulls the Plug on Older Versions of iOS – PC Mag UK
Netflix Subscribers Can No Longer Pay Through Apple’s App Store – MacTrast
TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
Windows 11 borrowing Apple’s ‘iPhone as a webcam’ feature for Android – 9to5Mac
No physical buttons, but the bottom of the trackpad still clicks.
Tap-drag to drag*.
Three finger swipe up reveals all windows and desktops.
*The the tap-drag gesture is tragically flawed, however, as it does not have any form of drag lock, so you have to be able to complete the drag in the available area of the trackpad. Which is nowhere near as big as Apple’s.
SECURITY & PRIVACY
Blog - iMessage with PQ3: The new state of the art in quantum-secure messaging at scale – Apple
Dougee Says:
iMessage lacked post-compromise security.
In the Signal protocol, your communication keys are constantly updated and “ratcheted” forwards. This means that a compromised phone/backup won’t be useful for long. You’ll replace the stolen keys within a few minutes. In iMessage this wasn’t true: public keys were long-lived.
The new update adds periodic rekeying using elliptic curve cryptography, to ensure that compromised keys quickly become useless, both in the future and for decrypting past messages. This closes an important threat vector.
Along with key transparency, this makes iMessage a state-of-the-art cryptographic protocol.
Even with those improvements, the remaining problem is that elliptic curve crypto is not secure against future quantum computing advances. This doesn’t matter today, but if such computers are built in the future, they could be used to decrypt past conversations.
So Apple has made two changes in this update.
Frequent elliptic curve rekeying.
Second “post quantum secure” algorithm: Kyber.
This algorithm rekeys as well, but a litt -
Essential Apple Podcast 288: Happy Birthday Steve
This week Simon and Nick consider Steve’s birthday and, sadly, two years of war in the Ukraine, plus Post Quantum Cryptography, Apple’s first folding device, some Apple TV+, and an Apple Ring?
Apologies if the sound is still a little below par, Simon’s new mic didn’t arrive in time for this recording, but hopefully all will be well by the next show.
MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL
The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin Vicar@felixparish.com or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.
Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!
Recorded 25th February 2024
On this week's show
NICK RILEY
Spligosh in the Slack
Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube
APPLE
Steve Jobs Would Have Celebrated His 69th Birthday Today – MacRumors
Here's how much it costs Apple to make the $3,500 Vision Pro – 9to5Mac
Critical Mac And iPhone Security Warning—Stop Doing These 3 Things Now – Forbes
‘iMessage With PQ3: The New State of the Art in Quantum-Secure Messaging at Scale’ – Daring Fireball
New iMessage PQ3 Encryption Protocol Protects Against Post-Quantum Attacks – TidBITS
Apple’s own descriotion of what they’re doing - Apple
iPhone 15 owners are still having Bluetooth problems – almost 6 months after launch – Tom's Guide
New Rumor Suggests An Apple Ring Could Be ‘Imminent’ – iDrop News
Apple's first folding device won't be an iPhone – iMore
Apple chipmaker moving ahead toward 2nm processors in 2025 – Cult of Mac
Exclusive: Apple Maps to get a big boost in the UK – iMore
MASTERS OF THE AIR Is Apple TV+s Most Watched Series Launch Ever – [GeekTyrant]https://geektyrant.com/news/masters-of-the-air-is-apple-tvs-most-watched-series-launch-ever-which-is-great-news)
Apple TV Plus space thriller Constellation divides opinion – iMore
Apple's hit sci-fi show is finally set to resume filming following production delays – GamesRadar
WORTH A CHIRP / ESSENTIAL TIPS
Sorry But You Need To Stop Using This Old School Phone Hack To Dry Your Phone – HuffPost UK
Apple debunks common charging myth that people claim could harm your battery – UNILAD
15 Cool Apple Watch Features You're (Probably) Not Using – iDrop News
10 iPhone pro tips that are actually helpful – BGR
Essential Apple Recommended Services:
All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
Wire and on the App Stores – free for perso -
Essential Apple Podcast 287: Small, not far away!
Late yet again! However, this time Nick and Simon talk about the DMA (again), the Vision Pro (again), Peleton backpedalling, and look at the award-winning, world’s smallest humanoid robot ironically reported on by Giant Freakin Robot!
Also Simon’s microphone failed suddenly and unexpectedly with no apparent cause just before the show... so sound quality isn’t quite as good as normal - sorry.
MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL
The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin Vicar@felixparish.com or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.
Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!
Recorded 18th February 2024
On this week's show
NICK RILEY
Spligosh in the Slack
Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube
APPLE
Apple's iMessage Avoids EU's Digital Markets Act Regulation – Mac Rumors
Apple's iMessage dodges tough new EU regulations – and Google isn't happy – TechRadar
Apple's Latest AI Tool Can Animate an Image Based on Your Description – Mac Rumors
The 3 reasons people are sending back their Apple Vision Pro headsets – TechRadar
3 Ways Apple Vision Pro Owners are Modding Their Headsets For Comfort – Inverse
Someone has already used Apple Vision Pro while cycling and it went as well as you might expect – iMore
Say goodbye to web apps – iOS 17.4 removes useful feature on iPhones in the EU – [TechRadar/(https://www.techradar.com/phones/say-goodbye-to-web-apps-ios-174-removes-useful-feature-on-iphones-in-the-eu)
Gruber: Apple was 'effectively forced' by China to bring RCS to iPhone — 9to5Mac
Apple shares Super Bowl Halftime Show behind-the-scenes video shot entirely on iPhone 15 Pro — 9to5Mac
Apple Podcasts bug prevents listeners from enjoying new episodes — AppleInsider
Apple’s longest-serving designer to retire; cost-cutting efforts causing ‘unrest’ inside the design team — 9to5Mac
Peloton will continue to support Apple Watch GymKit following userbase uproar — iMore
Mark Zuckerberg dishes on Apple ‘fanboys’ and how his Vision Pro review compares to Steve Ballmer’s iPhone reaction - 9to5Mac
TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
Arc Search – App Store
Former Apple exec introduces new AI-powered glasses — Fox Business
World's Smallest Humanoid Robot Created By High Schoolers — Giant Freakin Robot
Legacy IT infrastructure accounts for more than a third of enterprise power consumption, and it’s creating a sustainability nightmare for IT leaders – IT Pro
SECURITY & PRIVACY
'GoldDigger' trojan targets iOS users to steal facial recognition data and bank accounts — 9to5Mac
Protect against iPhone trojan GoldPickaxe: How-to - 9to5Mac
Fake LastPass App Sneaks Past Apple's Review Team – Mac Rumors
Apple pulls pirated movies and TV shows app disguised as a vision testing tool — 9to5Mac
WORTH A CHIRP / ESSENTIAL TIPS
10 Hidden Messages Features in iOS 17 – [Mac Rumors]
Essential Apple Recommended Services:
All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, -
Essential Apple Podcast 286: Don't Mess About
Simon and Nick have a chat about the Vision Pro, Apple's DMA proposals and the Quarterly results... And yes, the title is a deliberate misquote of Kenneth Williams' famous "stop messing about!"
MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL
The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin Vicar@felixparish.com or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.
Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!
Recorded 4th February 2024
On this week's show
NICK RILEY
Spligosh in the Slack
Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube
APPLE
Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it’s not – The Verge
Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it’s not – YouTube
The Vision Pro – Daring Fireball
Tim Cook teases AI, but wont pick favorites – Six Colors
Apple reports nearly $120B quarter: Full charts – Six Colors
Apple Vision Pro gets rave reviews — but Tim Cook won’t predict future – The Tiimes
Apple announces changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the EU – Apple Newsroom
Apple’s Plans for the DMA in the European Union – Daring Fireball
TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
Startup develops new ‘I-State’ battery that could make electric cars cheaper and more sustainable than lithium-ion – The Cool Down
SECURITY & PRIVACY
Apple Warns Proposed UK Law Could 'Secretly Veto' Global User Protections – MacRumors
Essential Apple Recommended Services:
All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
Wire and on the App Stores – free for personal use, open source and end to end encryted messenger and VoIP.
Pinecast – a fabulous podcast hosting service with costs that start from nothing.
Essential Apple is not affiliated with or paid to promote any of these services... We recommend services that we use ourselves and feel are either unique or outstanding in their field, or in some cases are just the best value for money in our opinion.
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Essential Apple Podcast 285: Seafarers & The Wizard of Woke
This week Simon and Nick are joined by the Revd Canon Andrew Dotchin, Suffolk MUG member, longtime Mac user and Vicar of Felixstowe (Britain’s busiest port), to talk about Apple, 40 years of the Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro and lots of other stuff which may (or may not) be related to tech…
MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL
The Mission to Seafarers provides help and support to the 1.89 million crewmen and women who face danger every day to keep our global economy afloat, transporting over 90% of the world’s goods and fuels.
Being able to contact home when making shore half way round the world from home is something priceless to these merchant matelots.
The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin Vicar@felixparish.com or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.
Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!
Recorded 21st January 2024
On this week's show
REV CANON ANDREW DOTCHIN
Vicar St John the Baptist and St Edmund, King & Martyr, Parish of Felixstowe
@suffolkvicar on X/twitter
Vicar@felixparish.com
Felixstowe Parish https://felixparish.com
NICK RILEY
Spligosh in the Slack
Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube
APPLE
Forty Years Ago, the Mac Triggered a Revolution in User Experience – Smithsonian
Computer History Museum in Mountain View celebrates Apple's Mac turning 40 – NBC Bay Area
Apple Execs Talk About the Mac’s 40th Birthday This Week – iPhone in Canada Blog
The one unbeatable benefit I've enjoyed by going all-in on Apple – Digital Trends
Apple had an update ready months ago to switch off the Apple Watch pulse oximeter – 9to5Mac
Apple Issues New Warning For Millions Of MacBook Users – Forbes
Apple Vision Pro is not wireless and this is driving some people to distraction – TechRadar
Apple Says Vision Pro Does Not Support Hard Contact Lenses – MacRumors
Scalpers are already hawking the Apple Vision Pro on eBay. Here’s why you shouldn’t buy from them – Fast Company
Apple offers to open iPhone tap-to-pay to other payment systems in the EU – Cult of Mac
Spotify Attacks Apple’s ‘Outrageous’ 27 Percent Commission From External Links – Daring Fireball
Apple Vision Pro content can be beamed to other Apple devices via AirPlay – TechRadar
Is the best Windows laptop an M3 MacBook Pro? It could be with Parallels Desktop – Windows Central
iPhone users left raging by 'woke' update that allows for pronouns to be added – Toronto Sun
SECURITY & PRIVACY
FTC Order Prohibits Data Broker X-Mode Social and Outlogic from Selling Sensitive Location Data – FTC
Meta faces another EU privacy challenge over 'pay for privacy' consent choice – TechCrunch
California’s Delete Act lets consumers make one request to delete personal data – The Verge
WORTH A CHIRP / ESSENTIAL TIPS
7 Secret iPhone Tips You Should Know According to This Ex-Apple Employee – iDrop News
What Is Mail Drop, And How Do You Use It? – SlashGear
Essential Apple Recommended Services:
All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
AnonAddy – Disposable email a
Customer Reviews
Funny, entertaining, and positive
I live in the US and found your show through Apple News. I now listen to your show every week and enjoy its nice blend of funny moments with current events in technology. I also want to point out the positive nature of the show, since many others don't have the jovial feel as this one does on Apple Podcasts. I find myself smiling at the overall happy nature of the show, and I feel well informed by the end. I have been listening since August, and I look forward to hear what you have to say this September and onward.
So glad the crew is back
I was sorely missing the Mac and Forth show when Mark agreed to change from his Rampant Mumblings to Essential Apple. (thanks Mark!) It's great fun to hear you all talking Apple stuff again. The humor is greatly appreciated as I sit in traffic on my way to and from work. One of my favorite podcasts.
the new mac and forth show
This show is a great place to find out what is going on in the world of apple. With almost the entire crew from the mac and forth show there it was great. Even the same sound board. Great job.