Episode Summary
Executive Summary: The episode ranges from Apple platform frustrations to practical home and work-tech advice. The hosts discuss Apple News channel removal, opaque App Store accounting, developer account name limitations, the new WWDC 2020 format, MacBook Air/Pro tradeoffs and the end of the butterfly keyboard, a Raspberry Pi garage-door/HomeKit experiment, RSI mitigation, conference-call audio tips, and nostalgic car retrofits and BMW European delivery ending.
Main Topics: Apple’s opaque platform policies and reporting: John complains about an Apple News channel removal notice, App Store revenue reports that don’t match payouts, and the difficulty of changing the legal/company name shown on an Apple developer account. WWDC 2020 goes virtual: The hosts react to Apple announcing WWDC on June 22, noting the free online format, student initiatives, and uncertainty about how labs and the event schedule will work without an in-person conference. Mac lineup, butterfly keyboard, and 13-inch Pro confusion: They celebrate the end of the butterfly keyboard, discuss value and tradeoffs between the MacBook Air and the low-end/high-end 13-inch MacBook Pro, and note the confusing existence of two different machines with the same name. ARM Mac predictions and transition strategy: They revisit past predictions about when Apple Silicon Macs would arrive and debate whether the first ARM Mac should be a MacBook Air, a new 12-inch-style model, or a higher-end/lower-volume machine to absorb the risks. DIY Raspberry Pi garage door/HomeKit project: A long follow-up covers using Raspberry Pi Zero W boards, reed switches, relays, SSH/Wi‑Fi setup tricks, and a proof-of-concept garage-door status light and future HomeKit-enabled opener. RSI, ergonomics, and input-device rotation: In Ask ATP, they argue that repetitive strain injuries are best managed by reducing the specific strain, rotating devices, improving fitness/strength, and using medical evaluation mainly to rule out serious damage. Video-call audio quality and working from home: They recommend getting a microphone close to your mouth, using headphones/headsets to reduce echo, and improving lighting for video calls; they stress that intelligibility matters more than audiophile fidelity.
Key Arguments: Apple’s reporting systems are opaque enough that even exact reports often do not reconcile with actual payouts, so developers often have to trust Apple’s final payment rather than the report. Changing the visible name on an Apple developer account is effectively locked down once set, and the process is surprisingly difficult even for a sole-member LLC. WWDC can function without a fixed one-week in-person schedule; in a virtual format, Apple can release sessions and labs on whatever timeline works best. The butterfly keyboard’s removal is framed as a major quality-of-life win because the new keyboards are merely unremarkable instead of fragile. For a first ARM Mac, Apple might choose the MacBook Air because it is a mass-market machine that would benefit from better battery life and performance, but there is also a strong argument for using a lower-volume model to reduce early adoption risk. RSI has no magic hardware fix; the practical solution is to stop repeating the exact motion that causes pain, spread load across different devices/tasks, and address body strength and posture holistically. For conference calls, putting the microphone near the mouth and using headphones/headsets is the most reliable way to improve clarity, because room noise and echo cancellation degrade quality more than microphone brand differences.
Data Points: Apple News channel inactivity removal notice: 3 months or more inactive; removal in 1 week - John reads the Apple email warning that the Marco.org Apple News channel will be removed Apple App Store payment mismatch: Within 2% / a few cents - Reported revenue versus actual Apple payout did not exactly match Old App Store payouts: 7 wire transfers/month - Early App Store era payments came from multiple Apple subsidiaries/regions MMachine split payments: 2 Apple deposits - John noticed two Apple deposits in one recent pay period WWDC date: June 22, 2020 - Apple announces the virtual WWDC keynote date WWDC student jacket access: Winners only - Only students who win specific programs can get the WWDC 2020 jacket Pi Zero W cost: $10 - Marco describes the Raspberry Pi Zero W as a $10 computer Garage project budget: About $100 - Marco estimates his garage-door/HomeKit experiment cost so far BMW European deliveries: About 2,000 annually historically; under 500 recently - BMW ends European Delivery for North American customers MacBook Air configured price: $1,850 - 2.0/fastest CPU, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB storage 13-inch MacBook Pro configured price: $2,000 - Four-port i5 2.0, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB storage Price difference: $150 - Pro costs $150 more than the fully spec’d Air in their comparison RAM upgrade cost: $400 - Upgrading to 32 GB RAM on the discussed MacBook Pro Porsche retro radio price: 1,300 euros - A Porsche-branded retro head unit with CarPlay for older cars Single-DIN Porsche unit screen size: 3.5 inches - They note how tiny the single-DIN CarPlay display looks ATR 2100X microphone: About $100 - Suggested as a decent USB/XLR mic for calls
Pivotal Quotes: "This is dumb." — John: His reaction to Apple’s inability to let him change the visible company/developer name "The butterfly keyboard is gone from the entire Mac lineup. I am so, so happy." — Marco: Celebrating the end of the butterfly keyboard in the new 13-inch MacBook Pro "Stop bending the metal back and forth in that spot." — John: His core analogy for dealing with RSI by reducing the repeated harmful motion
Implications: Listeners get a snapshot of Apple’s continuing platform friction, the practical end of butterfly keyboards, likely ARM transition paths, and useful remote-work/ergonomics advice. The episode also shows the hosts favoring tinkering, simplicity, and clear tradeoffs over Apple’s opacity and overengineered processes.