Episode Summary
Executive Summary: The episode ranges from holiday stress and bill reconciliation to a deep discussion of Apple’s App Store reorg, web font performance, and broader product/OS strategy. The hosts also review a 60 Minutes Apple feature, debate design tradeoffs, and introduce Up There, a cloud-first storage startup led by ex-Apple talent. The show ends with Marco’s Tesla order and a long, playful detour into bagel taxonomy.
Main Topics: Holiday logistics and personal finance: The hosts begin with Christmas shopping stress and Marco reconciling a Visa bill mid-show, using it as a jumping-off point for jokes about spreadsheets, burn-down charts, and money management. Apple App Store and executive reorganization: A substantial segment examines Apple moving App Store responsibilities under Phil Schiller, what that could mean for developer relations, app review, and stalled improvements across Apple’s ecosystem. Web performance, blogging, and font tradeoffs: Marco explains why he dropped a web font while migrating his site to a new server and HTTPS, arguing that font loading overhead hurts mobile users and that aesthetics must be balanced against speed. Apple media coverage and product design philosophy: The hosts critique a 60 Minutes/Charlie Rose Apple feature for lacking depth, while also discussing Jony Ive’s design idealism and the tension between beauty, thinness, and practical usability. Cloud-first startup Up There: John describes Up There, a cloud-storage and media service founded by ex-Apple software chief Bertrand Serlet, emphasizing its fast photo syncing, cloud-native architecture, and promise to reduce reliance on local backups. Personal tech purchases and car buying: Marco announces he ordered a red Tesla 90D with specific options, explaining why he chose it over BMW performance models and what tradeoffs he expects in luxury, ride quality, and control layout. Extended bagel debate: A long comedic argument erupts over proper bagel pairings, especially sesame vs everything bagels and egg salad vs tuna/chicken salad, serving as a running joke and character marker.
Key Arguments: Apple’s App Store and related services have stagnated for years; moving more of it under Phil Schiller could signal real intent to improve the platform, even if app review rules themselves likely won’t change soon. The split of App Store responsibilities across multiple Apple divisions likely caused friction, miscommunication, and slow feature progress; consolidating them may reduce organizational drag. Web font performance matters, especially on mobile connections; a 300KB font and extra requests can materially slow page loads and harm user experience. John’s blog migration to a new server and HTTPS created a natural opportunity to remove or rethink the web font, since the old setup was due for renewal and was slowing the site down. Apple’s product ecosystems (Apple TV, iPad Pro, Watch) are constrained by App Store and developer economics issues; more apps do not automatically mean better discovery or better platform health. The 60 Minutes feature offered access but not depth; editing produced dramatic snippets without enough context, so it was interesting as a spectacle but weak as analysis. Up There’s promise is in architecture and execution: its cloud-first model, fast photo access, and minimal local storage footprint suggest a genuinely new approach rather than just another sync tool. Marco’s Tesla choice reflects a balance between range, speed, and daily usability rather than raw performance; he deliberately skipped options he felt did not justify their cost or fit his preferences.
Data Points: Visa bill reconciliation: 4 transactions away - Marco says he is nearly done reconciling his Visa bill during the recording. Web font payload: 300 kilobytes - Marco estimates the font files load in roughly 300KB and require extra requests. Web host credit: $10 credit - Linode sponsor offer via promo code Accidental Podcast 10. Fracture discount: 15% off - Fracture sponsor offer using code ATP15. Harry’s discount: $5 off first purchase - Harry’s sponsor offer using promo code ATP. App review time: 7 or 8 days - Described as a typical iOS review timeframe under current App Store processes. Mac App Store review delay: about a month - Cited as an example of a serious problem in some Mac App Store cases. Photo library size: about 10,000 photos - John’s small photo library uploaded into Up There for testing. Apple App Store age: since 2008 - Used to argue that the store has changed only modestly over roughly seven years. Tesla order timing: late March - Marco expects delivery when his lease ends. Tesla model: 90D - Marco ordered the all-wheel-drive Tesla Model S 90D. Tesla wheel choice: 19-inch Silver Cyclone wheels - Chosen to avoid curb rash issues and for appearance/practicality tradeoffs. Tesla options skipped: $2,500 air suspension - Marco declined the smart air suspension due to ride preference and cost. Tesla premium audio option skipped: $0 extra (not chosen) - He declined ultra-high fidelity sound after a showroom comparison showed little difference.
Pivotal Quotes: "We'd like the word backup to vanish from the dictionary." — Up There CEO Roger Bodammer: The startup’s vision statement for a cloud-first storage service where the cloud is the primary home for user data. "even a tenth of a millimeter of thickness is sacred to us" — Dan Riccio: Quoted from the 60 Minutes Apple feature, illustrating Apple’s obsession with thinness in hardware design. "I'm like four transactions away from reconciling my visa bill" — Marco: Opening holiday-money stress and the basis for several jokes about bookkeeping and closure.
Implications: Listeners get a snapshot of how Apple’s internal org choices affect developer pain and product quality, why mobile performance still matters, and how cloud-native startups may shape the future of media storage. Marco’s Tesla decision also hints at a coming shift in premium EV competition.