Episode Summary
Executive Summary: The episode moves from cautionary talk about OS upgrades and Apple’s changing ecosystem to a long debate about iOS ad blockers, Apple Music’s messy integration, and the practical value of new hardware features like 3D Touch, Live Photos, and Touch ID. It closes with a scathing review of LG’s toaster-like appliance and excitement mixed with frustration over the TiVo Bolt’s design and capabilities.
Main Topics: Risk and ritual around OS upgrades: The hosts discuss the danger of upgrading a podcasting machine to a new OS release right before recording, reinforcing the audio-production rule of leaving working setups alone unless absolutely necessary. Ad blockers on iOS and web economics: A long debate centers on whether iOS 9 content blockers will materially hurt publishing. The discussion focuses on adoption rates, discoverability, and the gap between blocked Safari ads and unblocked in-app ads. Apple Music trial experience and its design problems: The speakers compare Apple Music’s discovery features, Siri integration, and cloud syncing to Spotify and iTunes Match, arguing that the service is useful but overly complex and unreliable in places. iPhone 6s/6s Plus features: 3D Touch, Live Photos, Touch ID: They react positively to 3D Touch, the Taptic Engine, Live Photos, and faster Touch ID, while noting discoverability issues, quality tradeoffs, and real-world quirks like Touch ID failing while charging. Apple’s cloud/service reliability versus hardware strength: The conversation criticizes Apple’s server-side reliability and cloud UX, suggesting that Apple’s product and hardware excellence can hide weaknesses in its online infrastructure. Hardware design pet peeves: LG appliance and TiVo Bolt: One sponsor segment becomes a detailed rant about an LG microwave/convenience oven with awful packaging and controls, followed by criticism of TiVo Bolt’s bent, white industrial design despite admiration for its speed and new features.
Key Arguments: Working audio and production setups should not be changed lightly; upgrading an OS minutes before a podcast is reckless even if it works out. The ad-blocker panic is overstated because only a minority of iOS users will install and enable blockers, and many ads in apps won’t even be blocked. Ad-blocker impact should be judged by realistic adoption percentages, not hypothetical universal uptake; a 10–20% install rate is likely more plausible than catastrophe-level numbers. Apple Music is useful for discovery and Siri control, but the service is overcomplicated, uneven, and not worth the monthly fee for users who mostly buy music selectively. Apple’s cloud services suffer from “weather-like” variability: they may appear fine in internal testing yet be unreliable in real-world use due to CDN/routing/server issues. 3D Touch and Live Photos are promising because they add value without hurting users who ignore them, but both suffer from discoverability and quality tradeoffs. Touch ID’s speed improvements and the Taptic Engine meaningfully improve the phone experience, though they are not literally instant. The TiVo Bolt’s bent, white design is a mistake even if its internals and software features are attractive; home AV gear should be stackable and unobtrusive.
Data Points: Ad blocker adoption estimate on iOS: 10% to 20% (closer to 10% initially) - Speakers estimate how many iOS users might install an ad blocker after iOS 9 Optimistic ad-blocker ceiling: 20% - One speaker’s upper-end guess for iOS content blocker adoption and enabling Desktop ad blocker usage on general web: well under 20% - Rough estimate for typical desktop users Nerdy-site ad blocker usage: around 50% or less - Estimate for the most privacy-conscious readerships Stratechery ad blocker rate: over 50% - Ben Thompson’s comment about his audience, measured via Google Analytics vs server logs VFX compositor tablet usage: around 50% - Daniel Mellitz anecdote about Wacom tablet adoption for RSI reasons Apple Music trial duration: 3 months - The trial period that just ended for day-one adopters Apple Music individual song price: $1.29 - Songs were purchased individually after discovery in Apple Music iTunes Match price: $25/year - Cost compared favorably to Apple Music subscription Apple Music subscription cost discussed: $15/month - Reason given for not renewing after the free trial Sonim XP7 battery claim: long battery life - Listed among rugged-phone specs Sonim XP7 protection claims: drop/impact, oil/chemical, temperature, pressure, microparticles, waterproof, puncture-resistant - Features cited as evidence of ruggedized Android phones LG appliance model: LCSP 1110ST - The reviewed microwave/convenience oven
Pivotal Quotes: "once you have something that works, don't touch anything ever" — host: Advice about audio setups and software stability before upgrading the podcasting machine "it is the least convenient oven ever" — host: Description of the LG microwave/convenience oven after unpacking and testing its controls "success hides problems" — host: Point made while arguing that Apple’s product excellence can obscure weaknesses in cloud services
Implications: Adoption and UX details matter more than headlines: ad blockers, 3D Touch, Live Photos, and Apple Music will succeed or fail based on real-world behavior, not hype. Apple’s hardware remains strong, but its cloud and software complexity may increasingly shape user satisfaction.