Episode Summary
Executive Summary: The episode ranges from personal health and diet woes to a long analysis of Apple’s March 25 event. The hosts discuss cholesterol-driven diet changes, then debate Apple News Plus, Apple Card, Apple Arcade, the TV app/channels, and Apple TV Plus. They mostly agree Apple is expanding into recurring services and trying to improve user experience, but they question the execution, presentation, and whether these products truly fit Apple’s old strengths.
Main Topics: Diet, cholesterol, and the shift from low-carb to plant-based eating: The hosts open with personal health updates: low-carb dieting has led to high cholesterol, prompting a doctor-recommended move toward a 100% plant-based diet. They discuss shopping, cooking, and maintaining weight without reverting to unhealthy habits. Apple News Plus: usefulness, usability, and the web problem: They evaluate News Plus as a lower-cost way to access magazines, but criticize its poor navigation, hard-to-find favorites/downloads, lack of web integration, and the fact that it is not really the web. One host likes the magazine access; the other is skeptical overall. Apple Card as a modernized but still conventional credit card: The card is seen as a polished, Apple-designed credit card with daily cashback and better UX around spending, but still fundamentally a credit card with standard rates. They debate its value, especially for Apple purchases and whether it will become annoying marketing infrastructure for Apple. Apple Arcade and Apple’s growing role as a game publisher: The hosts are surprisingly optimistic about Apple Arcade because it funds curated, high-quality games, bans ads/in-app purchases, supports family sharing, and spans iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. They also note Apple lacks deep game-industry experience and may struggle to pick winners. TV app, channels, and Apple TV Plus as a broader services strategy: They break down Apple’s improved TV app, channel subscriptions, and original content plans. The TV app is viewed as a functional improvement, while Apple TV Plus announcements are seen as overlong and underwhelming because they focused on celebrities and storytelling instead of showing compelling trailers. Apple’s changing identity and service-driven business model: A recurring theme is that Apple is no longer the same company it once was. The speakers argue that long-time Apple followers are used to reinvention, but the company now behaves more like a large services business chasing recurring revenue, bundles, and ecosystem lock-in. Random hardware/software frustrations and Apple QA issues: The episode also covers unrelated but telling frustrations: a mail login bug with G Suite accounts after macOS 10.14.4, HomePod reboot weirdness, TV HDMI-CEC issues, and butterfly keyboard failures in the press. These are used to underscore ongoing quality and support concerns.
Key Arguments: A low-carb diet can improve weight but may worsen cholesterol dramatically, forcing a pivot to a plant-based approach. Apple News Plus is attractive mainly as cheap magazine access, but its product design is inconsistent and it disconnects content from the open web. Apple Card’s real innovation is UX and Apple Pay integration, but it is still a conventional Mastercard with ordinary credit-card economics. Apple Arcade could improve the mobile gaming ecosystem by funding quality games and banning predatory monetization. Apple’s TV strategy is more compelling as an ecosystem play than as an original-content announcement because the presentation emphasized branding over proof of quality. Long-time Apple watchers should expect reinvention; what feels like a dramatic change is normal for a company that keeps re-forming itself. Apple is increasingly a services company, not just a hardware company, and many of these announcements are designed to create recurring revenue and ecosystem stickiness.
Data Points: Cholesterol increase: About 40% higher - One speaker says both cholesterol numbers were roughly 40% above where they should be after a low-carb diet. Total cholesterol threshold: A few points above 200 - The other speaker describes total cholesterol slightly above 200, the rough boundary between healthy and unhealthy ranges. Low-carb duration: Almost a year - The diet that contributed to the cholesterol issue had been followed for nearly a year. Apple News Plus price: $10 per month - Discussed as the subscription price for Apple News Plus. Apple Card cashback: 3% on Apple purchases, 2% on other purchases with Apple Pay, 1% via the physical card - The cash-back structure is described as tiered based on where and how the card is used. Apple Card availability: Summer 2019 - The card was announced as coming in the summer. Apple TV Plus availability: Fall 2019 - Apple’s original video service was announced for fall 2019. Apple Arcade availability: Fall 2019 - Apple’s gaming subscription service was also announced for the fall. Apple News Plus trial: 1 month free - A host notes the free trial and advises setting a reminder to cancel. Live ATP event ticket price: $29 - Mentioned during the WWDC live show promotion. Live ATP event start: Doors at 5, show at 6 - For the WWDC live episode in San Jose. Backblaze price: $5/month per computer - Sponsor ad for unlimited cloud backup. Backblaze restore scale: Over 28 billion files restored - Used as a proof point for the service’s scale and reliability. Backblaze storage under management: Over 500 petabytes - Another scale metric cited in the sponsor read. Linode promo credit: $20 - Promo code ATP2019 for new users. HomePod reboot method: Unplug and plug back in - Described as the recommended way to restart the device. Butterfly keyboard issue: 2018 MacBook Air keyboard still problematic - The discussion references Joanna Stern’s Wall Street Journal piece and Apple’s repair extension gap.
Pivotal Quotes: "Apple at its best is a company that announces something that you want right now and can get in a short time." — Craig Hockenberry: Used to frame disappointment with Apple announcing many services long before launch. "This ain't your daddy's Apple anymore." — Mike Hurley: Referenced as shorthand for Apple’s evolution into a very different company. "This is just a big company doing a boring big company thing." — Marco: Describing Apple Card and Apple’s broader move into recurring services and financial products.
Implications: Apple is increasingly winning by bundling services, not just hardware. But listeners should expect tradeoffs: more subscriptions, more ecosystem lock-in, and more products that feel polished yet incomplete until launch. The company’s future looks more like a platform operator than a pure device maker.