Episode Summary
Executive Summary: The episode centers on Apple’s fall 2015 product cycle: complaints about the format and hosting of “Top Four,” deep skepticism of 16GB iPhones and Apple’s battery tradeoffs, analysis of the new Apple TV’s capabilities and limitations, and excitement around the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. It closes with a discussion of Marco’s new iOS 9 content blocker, Peace, and the broader case for ad/tracker blocking.
Main Topics: Top Four show format and hosting jokes: The hosts begin with light banter criticizing Marco’s handling of the Top Four format, especially his tendency to mix rankings instead of cleanly listing four items. 16GB iPhone storage as a bad user experience: They discuss David Smith’s analytics showing that 16GB iPhones are near-full for many users, arguing Apple’s low-capacity base model is a deliberate upsell strategy rather than a technical necessity. iPhone 6S battery and the tradeoff with thinness: The conversation examines the smaller 6S battery, whether Apple can offset it with chip/process improvements, and whether battery cases actually solve the real-world problem of poor endurance. Apple TV platform decisions: They cover the developer giveaway, WebKit/web view restrictions, inability to require controllers, 24p playback concerns, and the likely strategic goal of forcing lightweight, touchless TV apps rather than console-style games. iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and pro app economics: The hosts discuss refresh rates, pen latency, and whether the iPad Pro can support a sustainable market for higher-priced professional applications. Repair process and device security: A follow-up on the iPhone screen repair leads to concerns about Apple requiring Find My iPhone to be disabled and other security compromises during service, even for seemingly simple hardware repairs. Peace content blocker and ad/tracker blocking: Marco describes his new iOS 9 content blocker, Peace, which uses Ghostery’s database, and explains why curated, efficient rule sets matter for speed and compatibility.
Key Arguments: Apple’s 16GB iPhone strategy is driven by profit segmentation, not user needs; the data suggests many customers quickly run out of space. Battery cases are theoretically the answer to thin phones, but in practice most are too bulky or ugly to justify relying on them. Apple TV is intentionally constrained to shape the app ecosystem toward simple, living-room-friendly software rather than console-style gaming or arbitrary web-based UI. Blocking WebKit/web views on Apple TV may be a strategic push for native apps, but it also removes a practical tool many developers use for UI rendering. The iPad Pro could enable a real professional-app market only if enough users buy it and developers can sustain higher prices in the App Store economy. Apple repair workflows can feel unnecessarily invasive because users must disable security features before service, even when the repair is only a screen swap. A content blocker is only as good as its database: smaller, curated lists can perform better and break fewer sites than large generic blocklists.
Data Points: iPhone 6/6 Plus 16GB adoption among Audiobooks customers: 43% - Used to argue the 16GB model is still common among new iPhone buyers. 16GB iPhone 6/6 Plus owners with less than 1GB free: 37% - Shows many 16GB users are effectively out of space. 64GB iPhone owners with basically full storage: 1% - Used to show that higher-capacity models are not as easily filled. Audiobooks customers with effectively full phones: 17% - Calculated as a rough overall estimate of users walking around with almost no free space. iPhone 6 battery capacity: 1,810 mAh - Referenced when comparing the 6 to the 6S battery. iPhone 6S battery capacity: 1,715 mAh - About 100 mAh smaller than the iPhone 6 battery. Battery capacity difference: ~5% lower - The iPhone 6S battery is about 5% smaller than the iPhone 6 battery. Apple Pencil input rate: 240 Hz - Michael B. Johnson’s cited figure for pencil data on iPad Pro. Finger input rate on iPad Pro: 120 Hz - Cited as the iPad Pro’s touch sampling rate. iPad Air 2 refresh/input rate: 120 Hz - Mentioned as faster than older iPads but slower than Pencil input. Other iOS devices refresh/input rate: 60 Hz - Baseline rate for most iOS devices. Piece content blocker rule count: ~2,000 rules - Marco says Peace’s Ghostery-based list is smaller and faster than larger alternatives. Larger blocker rule sets: ~10,000 entries - Used as a comparison point for slower, less compatible content-blocking databases. Apple TV price: $150 - Used to explain why Apple TV is cheaper than the watch and why it may attract developers/users. Automatic discount: 20% off ($80) - Podcast sponsor offer mentioned during the show. Squarespace starting price: $8/month - Sponsor pricing mentioned during the ad read. Lynda.com monthly price: $25/month - Sponsor pricing for unlimited access.
Pivotal Quotes: "Pick four things and write them down. That's it. So easy to do." — Casey: Criticizing the Top Four show format and Marco’s inconsistent ranking style. "The reason they do it is not because they can't afford to put 16 gigs in a $650 phone... It's because if they did that, it would hurt sales of the one that's $100 more." — John: Explaining Apple’s incentive structure for keeping the base iPhone storage low. "The prices are unsustainably low, and the reason is no trials." — Sketch developers (quoted by the hosts): Summarizing the pessimistic view of iOS app economics and the challenge for professional apps.
Implications: The episode suggests Apple is optimizing for strategic upsells and ecosystem control, not maximum convenience. That creates friction in storage, battery, TV apps, and repair, but also opens space for pro tools and better ad-blocking utilities.