Episode Summary
Executive Summary: The episode centers on troubleshooting Casey’s iMac Pro performance issues, attributing trackpad stuttering to Catalina-era thread contention worsened by CrashPlan, Plex, and networked storage activity. The hosts then pivot to a broader strategy for backups and storage, weighing Synology, Backblaze, B2, external drives, and Mac Mini-based solutions. The latter half debates WWDC’s likely cancellation due to COVID-19, the future of conferences, and practical Mac shortcuts, ending with a review of BMW’s new logo and design direction.
Main Topics: Catalina/iMac Pro performance troubleshooting: Casey reports severe trackpad lag and investigates Apple feedback suggesting kernel thread contention, likely exacerbated by backup and media services. Turning off CrashPlan and moving Plex off the iMac Pro improves responsiveness, reinforcing the suspicion that background network and file activity is the culprit. Backup strategy for a large Synology-based media library: A long discussion weighs CrashPlan, Backblaze B2, Glacier, and alternative approaches for protecting Casey’s 13TB library. The strongest practical options discussed are either backing up local drives attached to a Mac Mini with Backblaze or using a large external disk and trimming what truly needs to be preserved. WWDC 2020 and the impact of COVID-19: The hosts discuss the likelihood that WWDC will be canceled or moved online due to the coronavirus pandemic. They argue Apple should prioritize safety and use the opportunity to improve documentation, sample code, and developer support infrastructure. Value and future of conferences: They debate how large platform conferences and smaller community conferences have changed as podcasts and YouTube reduce the need for in-person talks. While some networking value remains, especially for new developers, the economics and accessibility of conferences are under pressure. Mac power-user shortcuts and launch-at-login behavior: The Ask ATP segment covers favorite macOS and Xcode shortcuts, plus a detailed explanation of why app-specific launch-on-login checkboxes now rely on embedded launcher apps instead of older shared login items. The hosts also discuss discoverability and workflow improvements on Mac. BMW’s new logo and electric-car design language: The bonus discussion critiques BMW’s updated transparent logo and the i4 concept’s oversized grille. The hosts debate whether preserving brand identity makes sense in the EV era and whether the new styling works in practice.
Key Arguments: CrashPlan and Plex together likely create enough thread and network contention to trigger the Catalina trackpad problem, and disabling or relocating them substantially improves performance. The iMac Pro’s issue appears to be worse on Catalina than Mojave, suggesting an OS-specific regression rather than pure hardware failure. Backblaze B2 is attractive because it is turnkey in Synology software, but at Casey’s scale it becomes expensive enough that a local-disk strategy may be better long-term. The most practical low-disruption solution is to attach a large external drive to a Mac Mini and let Backblaze treat it like a normal computer backup target. Casey values Synology as the central hub of his data world, even if a simpler architecture might be more rational financially. WWDC is very unlikely to happen in person in 2020 because Apple is risk-averse and would not want the liability of exposing attendees to COVID-19. If WWDC goes online, Apple should use the saved effort to improve docs, sample code, and DTS-like support rather than merely replacing the stage event with videos. Conferences remain valuable for networking and mentorship, especially for first-time attendees, but their economics and discoverability have worsened as podcasts and online video have replaced many talk-based benefits. Many macOS features remain hidden unless users know the right shortcuts or menu locations; discoverability through menus is still essential. The new BMW logo is aesthetically weaker on gray backgrounds but can look acceptable on the car itself, while the oversized EV grille is criticized as unnecessary branding. Launching apps at login in modern macOS requires workarounds because sandboxing broke the old shared login-items model.
Data Points: Trackpad issue timeframe: about a week - Casey says the machine mostly improved after moving Plex and turning off CrashPlan CrashPlan backup cost: $10/month - Casey’s current CrashPlan plan for one computer Backup set size: 13 terabytes - Casey estimates the total amount of data being backed up Media folder size on Synology: 8 terabytes - Most of the storage Casey cares about is media Photos subset size: less than 1 terabyte / about 1 terabyte - The photo library is discussed as part of the larger media set Backblaze B2 cost estimate: $70/month for 13TB; $40/month for 8TB - Used to compare cloud backup costs against hardware replacement WWDC ticket price: $1,600 - Discussed as part of total conference attendance cost Typical conference trip cost: $4,000–$5,000 - Estimated travel, hotel, ticket, and food for WWDC Conference hotel cost: $400/night - Used to illustrate San Jose/Silicon Valley pricing Older hardware age: 6–7 years - Casey notes some Synology drives are this old Apple conference scale: about 5,000 attendees - Referenced as the size of WWDC in recent years Large platform conference scale: 60,000 attendees - Used to compare WWDC to Salesforce-style events Launch timing issue: 5 minutes - Marco describes how Catalina’s Apple ID settings prompt can recur very quickly during a bad server-side period
Pivotal Quotes: "The Mac Mini saved my bacon." — Casey: Casey summarizes the successful workaround after moving Plex off the iMac Pro and reducing background activity "I think they are way too smart to do that." — Marco: Marco argues Apple will not hold an in-person WWDC during the COVID-19 outbreak "There are no magic solutions that are going to be like, I have a way for you to do that for three cents or five dollars a month." — Marco: Marco explains why backing up 13TB of data will inevitably cost real money or require compromise
Implications: Listeners should expect more cloud events, fewer in-person conferences, and greater reliance on simpler local-storage architectures. For Apple developers, the real opportunity is better online docs, tooling, and support. For power users, the episode reinforces that background services and storage choices can dramatically affect macOS performance.