Episode Summary
Executive Summary: The episode is a wide-ranging ATP discussion that begins with baseball fandom and hometown identity, then shifts into major product and platform updates: MacBook Pro rumors, iOS 13.2 instability, HomePod update issues, AirPods Pro first impressions, Apple’s Mac Pro and ARM transition questions, Time Machine/APFS, Letterboxd, and a side conversation about electric cars. The dominant theme is frustration with Apple software quality and developer pain, contrasted with enthusiasm for a few standout products like AirPods Pro and the BMW i3.
Main Topics: Sports, hometown identity, and regional fandom: The hosts spend a long opening segment debating what makes a 'hometown' team, using baseball and regional examples like Connecticut, Virginia, Ohio, New York, and Boston to argue that sports allegiance is often shaped by geography, upbringing, and convenience rather than strict logic. Apple software quality and iOS 13.2 regressions: A major portion of the episode is devoted to how aggressively iOS 13.2 appears to kill background apps, making multitasking unreliable and frustrating both users and developers. The hosts frame this as part of a broader Apple quality and documentation problem. MacBook Pro hardware rumors and the 16-inch keyboard: They discuss a leaked image of a 16-inch MacBook Pro that appears to confirm an escape key, Touch ID separation, and possibly scissor-switch keys, while still leaving keyboard spacing and arrow-key layout unclear. Expectations are cautiously optimistic. AirPods Pro impressions: One host offers an enthusiastic first-impressions review of AirPods Pro, highlighting fit, noise cancellation, transparency mode, controls, sound quality, and pocketable case design. The other hosts discuss whether they are worth upgrading from regular AirPods. Apple platform instability and developer frustration: The conversation expands beyond iOS 13.2 into broader complaints about undocumented app-killing conditions, changing system behavior, and the burden placed on developers trying to keep apps functional across unstable releases. Apple ecosystem odds and ends: HomePod, Mac Pro, ARM, Time Machine, Letterboxd: The hosts quickly cover the HomePod 13.2.1 fiasco, the unclear status of the new Mac Pro, the likely timing and risks of ARM Macs, APFS/Time Machine compatibility, and how to use Letterboxd as a movie-tracking social app. Electric cars and the BMW i3: In the closing discussion, they talk about replacing a car with a BMW i3, the appeal of electric driving, the unusual design, and how first EV ownership often creates strong brand loyalty.
Key Arguments: Sports allegiance is often a mix of upbringing, local geography, and convenience; people claim teams based on where they lived most formatively or where the nearest viable option is. iOS 13.2 appears to terminate background apps far more aggressively than prior versions, harming multitasking and creating a poor user and developer experience. Apple’s undocumented app-killing rules and rapidly changing OS behavior make development on the platform feel unstable and hostile. The leaked 16-inch MacBook Pro image is encouraging because it appears to show a real escape key and a separation around Touch ID, implying a keyboard redesign is imminent. AirPods Pro meaningfully improve comfort, fit, sound, and controls over standard AirPods, especially for people who had fit problems or want noise cancellation. Transparency mode and active noise cancellation make AirPods Pro feel like a major leap in convenience and potential hearing-assist technology. Apple should prioritize stability, documentation, and developer support over shipping new features and changing rules without warning. ARM Macs may eventually be better, but buyers of current Intel laptops should not wait indefinitely if they need a machine now; the safer wait is for a keyboard redesign rather than for ARM. Time Machine on APFS likely requires a deeper rewrite to exploit APFS snapshots properly, rather than a simple symlink substitution. Letterboxd works best as a small, social movie-tracking tool where users log watches, ratings, and watchlists, and discover films through trusted people. Electric cars are disruptive to internal-combustion vehicles and can be a major improvement in driving experience, but broader transportation reform is still needed.
Data Points: iOS 13.2 app termination behavior: Apps often relaunch after ~10 seconds or even when switching back immediately - Used to illustrate how aggressively iOS 13.2 is killing background apps and harming multitasking Apple cloud backup price: $6/month per computer - Backblaze sponsor segment describing unlimited cloud backup Backblaze scale: 800 petabytes backed up - Backblaze sponsor segment Backblaze restores: 45 billion files restored - Backblaze sponsor segment ATP store preorder deadline: Sunday, November 17 - Holiday ATP shirts pre-order window HomePod update size: ~900 MB - HomePod update repeatedly downloaded before the update was pulled AirPods Pro battery life: 5 hours without ANC, 4.5 hours with ANC - Apple/host discussion of AirPods Pro battery performance AirPods Pro price: $250 - Host compares replacement cost to other Apple gear AirPods Pro tips: $4 - Replacement ear tip price discussed as unusually cheap AirPods / AirPods Pro case battery life claim: 5 hours per charge - Comparison between standard AirPods and AirPods Pro BMW i3 gas tank: 2.5 gallons - Discussion of the range extender/generator in the i3 BMW i3 demo mileage: ~100 miles - The demo model selected at the dealership had very low mileage Electric range extender contribution: ~60 miles - Discussion of the small gas generator's added range AirPods first-gen purchase timing: March 2019 - Mentioned in relation to buying the previous non-Pro AirPods AirPods Pro fit options: 3 tip sizes - The Pro model ships with multiple ear tip sizes Backblaze version history: 30 days standard, up to 1 year+ with upgrade - Described during sponsor mention Bombas donation count: 20 million+ pairs - Sponsor segment on Bombas philanthropy
Pivotal Quotes: "This is the least crappy version of iOS 13 yet." — Marco: Assessment of iOS 13.2 after discussing ongoing stability problems "The environment that it's running in is both unstable itself and is acting increasingly hostile towards my app." — Marco: Complaint about Apple’s undocumented app termination rules and platform instability "These sound really good." — Marco: First impressions of AirPods Pro after a brief hands-on test
Implications: Listeners get a clear picture of Apple’s uneven state: exciting hardware like AirPods Pro and possibly the new MacBook Pro coexist with unstable software, unclear policies, and developer frustration. Expect cautious optimism for hardware, skepticism for software, and continued value in practical tools like Backblaze and Letterboxd.