693: Apple’s October 2026 Updates: Touchscreen MacBook Pro, M6 iMac, and a Revamped iPad Mini

Joe and Jerry discuss Apple’s October 28, 2026 product event, focusing on the new “MacBook Pro with Pro LED XDR display,” Apple’s first touchscreen Mac; it uses existing M5 Pro/M5 Max chips, adds a tandem OLED touch display, and debuts a thinner, significantly lighter chassis with improved audio, while the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac get the new M6. They note confusing lineup naming, incremental performance changes, and pricing/upgrade math (RAM and storage), including frustration that the iMac still caps at 2TB. They cover speculation about supply constraints and unlikely price drops, Apple shipping AI-ready hardware before software (Siri), and mixed enthusiasm about AI marketing. They find the updated iPad Mini compelling for its A20 Pro, Wi‑Fi 7/Bluetooth 6, OLED, and nano-texture option. They also address reports of Apple Store subscription opt-ins, briefly mention Duo device issues and ergonomics, and end with an eBay-worthy vintage Apple director’s chair.

00:00 Apple Event Setup

00:41 MacBook Pro Naming Mess

03:08 Touchscreen Arrives

04:17 New Chassis Breakdown

06:16 Touch UX and Hybrids

09:11 Screen Specs Reality Check

11:20 Pricing Creep and iMac Limits

14:06 Supply Constraints Debate

19:17 MacBook Air vs Pro Pricing

21:16 Thermals and Wi-Fi 7

24:20 AI Hardware and Siri Promises

27:07 Siri vs ChatGPT in Practice

29:21 Home View Expectations

30:09 Fixing Productivity Systems

32:55 iPad Mini Temptation

35:56 Incremental Apple Updates

38:53 Store Subscription Opt Ins

43:36 Managing Subscriptions Easily

47:44 Duo Defects And Buttons

51:03 Software Update Impressions

52:01 Apple Directors Chair Outro

Best of CCP: Ya Gotta Monitor the Monitoring

Sam Valencia, Jerry Zigmont and Joe Saponare discuss working with Apple technology and clients. Drawn from their combined experience of over 20 years in the Apple Consultants Network, thaey discuss technical support issues both with the technology and working with clients.

689: Stitches, Switches, and Sketchy Devices: A Podcast Nose Dive

Jerry describes having basal cell carcinoma removed from his nose and urges regular dermatology checkups, then shares how iOS 27 repeatedly warned him before sharing a “sensitive” stitched-and-bloody photo, even suggesting he consult a “trusted adult.” Joe discusses costly RV maintenance and how machines (including hard drives) can fail when left idle, leading into Mac maintenance routines. They debate slang like “cooked,” then talk Apple’s new iPhone lineup, including Jerry’s iPhone 13 Pro Max purchase and their mixed expectations for the first-gen iPhone Duo (weight, outer-screen constraints, camera and battery compromises) alongside improvements like cooling, battery life, and a vapor chamber. They cover Apple Watch “always listening” features, citing Gruber’s privacy rationale, and discuss practical recording/summaries for medical visits. Jerry explains how Claude helps him solve technical issues, analyze security research, navigate health insurance decisions, and produce billable security reporting; they note macOS screen sharing bug fixes and mention keychain migration and safe mode articles. They tease upcoming Patreon topics about a move and walking away from a client.

00:00 Show Kickoff Banter

00:21 Nose Surgery Story

02:30 iOS Sensitive Image Warning

04:43 Scar Care And Skin Checks

05:19 RV Maintenance Costs

06:57 Idle Vehicles And Backup Drives

07:51 Mac Maintenance Cycles

08:57 New Slang Cooked Debate

10:32 New iPhone Pro Purchase

11:09 iPhone Duo First Impressions

13:59 Upgrading From 16 Pro

15:52 Carrier Handoff And eSIM Switching

17:56 Duo Software And Fold Durability

19:26 Foldable Display Durability

20:54 Watch Always Listening Debate

23:24 Trusted Device Privacy Logic

25:53 Real World Recording Use Cases

27:43 Claude as IT Copilot

31:33 AI Summarizes Security Research

34:49 Health Insurance With Claude

39:25 Billable Security Reporting

41:45 macOS VNC Bug Takeaways

43:00 Keychain Migration Confusion

45:33 Safe Mode and Show Wrap

46:19 Patreon Tease and Goodbye

686: North Korean Remote Job Infiltration, Apple Threat Alerts, and Stopping Gift Card Scams

Joe and Sam discuss a Wall Street Journal documentary on North Korean operatives using stolen identities, AI tools, and U.S. accomplices to gain remote jobs at American companies, including schemes where U.S.-based helpers host shipped laptops for overseas workers, raising financial and data-leak risks. They note interview red flags, AI face/voice masking, and an email pitch offering a U.S. partner for a 50/50 split. Sam updates on trying FDA-approved Closee eye drops for age-related vision issues, finding partial improvement but stopping due to itching/burning and concern over past side effects. They troubleshoot Fireflies AI auto-joining meetings via default settings after easy “Sign in with Microsoft” onboarding. Joe reviews Apple threat notifications, Lockdown Mode effectiveness, verification via account.apple.com, and Consumer Reports resources. Sam outlines KnowBe4 security awareness training and shares a near-miss CEO text gift-card scam stopped by verification.

00:00 Show Kickoff

00:08 Overemployed Meets Espionage

02:04 How the Laptop Proxy Scam Works

04:41 Interview Red Flags and Tests

08:22 AI Voice and Face Spoofing

09:13 Suspicious Joint Venture Email

10:57 Eye Drops Experiment Update

14:42 Fireflies Auto Join Mystery

18:20 Apple Threat Notifications Explained

22:33 Can Attackers Fake Apple Alerts

26:42 Lockdown Mode and Best Practices

28:28 Apple Emergency Resources

29:27 Handling Hard-to-Assess Clients

32:56 Jamf Response Playbook

34:50 Developer Mode Malware Evasion

36:46 Staying Ahead of Scams

38:10 Selling Awareness Training

39:45 KnowBe4 Campaigns and Phishing

45:10 Gift Card Scam Case Study

54:51 Phone-Level Limits and Wrap-Up

677: Beyond the Surface: Network Tools and Cloud Security

The hosts discuss several network and security topics, starting with UniFi’s new “Device Supervisor” feature under Power and Resiliency to monitor device heartbeat and automatically recover silent devices, plus UniFi’s move from UniFi Server to UniFi OS Server that may require a migration and re-adoption, pushing remaining sites off a Mac mini to cloud management. They revisit ethernet surge protection and grounding for outdoor cameras and consider alternatives like rack grounding, DIN rails, grounding rods, or using a sacrificial outdoor switch with fiber uplink. They mention Speedify for bonding multiple cellular/Wi‑Fi connections. The conversation shifts to email security: Microsoft’s “impossible travel” detection and API reporting versus Google’s weaker reporting, alongside odd Google reauthentication/password-change loops and MFA fatigue leading to a Google account breach. They cover deploying Claude Enterprise in healthcare with BAA needs and using Microsoft Purview/Defender to block pasting PHI into Claude, then discuss risks of fake password prompts, password managers (1Password vs LastPass), and end-user security training.

00:00 Show Kickoff Banter

00:04 Jerry Well Photo Story

01:10 UniFi Device Supervisor

02:49 UniFi OS Server Migration

03:55 Keyboard Noise Side Quest

04:32 Ethernet Surge Protection

07:17 Lightning Grounding Rods

10:40 Speedify Bonded Cellular

15:06 Impossible Travel Alerts

17:38 Google Reauth Loop Mystery

22:12 Microsoft vs Google Security

23:19 Admin Portal URL Changes

23:49 MSP Learning Curve

24:30 Claude Enterprise in Healthcare

26:06 Audit Logs and Retention

28:12 Purview Defender DLP Demo

29:31 Licensing and Requirements

32:23 Defender on Mac Explained

33:34 Spotting Fake Password Prompts

38:20 Password Managers and MFA Pitfalls

42:23 LastPass Breaches and Risks

44:53 User Training and Future Protections

47:45 Closing Thanks and Support

670: Adam Engst (TidBITS) Apple at 50 — The Anniversary Nobody's Talking About: Community, HyperCard, and What We Lost

670: Adam Engst (TidBITS) Apple at 50 — The Anniversary Nobody's Talking About: Community, HyperCard, and What We Lost

Adam Angst of TidBITS reflects on Apple’s 50 years through the lens of early tech idealism, arguing that what mattered most wasn’t Apple itself but the community around it, which was weakened by shifts like the end of Macworld keynotes, Apple’s vertical integration, and the decline of user groups and independent resellers. He contrasts the Mac’s early “create” ethos (e.g., HyperCard) with later emphasis on communication and content consumption via iPod, iPhone, and social media, while noting growing societal harms from tech giants. Angst describes renewed excitement in creation via AI tools, citing apps he built for track training and race pacing. He recounts how his 1993 Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh bundled software (including MacTCP) and a flat-rate ISP account, prompting an Apple Legal scare resolved by the MacTCP product manager, and closes by urging people to ditch social media and “go outside.”

00:00 Part Two Kickoff

00:37 TidBITS Anniversary

00:52 Apple 50 Reflections

01:59 Pre Web News Era

04:33 Early Internet Optimism

05:20 Flame Wars Then

07:31 Apple Idealism Fades

10:20 Community Was The Magic

11:45 Macworld And User Groups

14:00 Vertical Integration Shift

17:25 Apple Turning Points

22:20 Creators To Consumers

25:43 From Consumption to Creation

26:01 Bicycle for the Mind

27:27 AI as Research Assistant

28:26 Building Runner Tools

29:40 Pacing Math Problem

33:25 AI MVP to Real Code

36:04 Internet Starter Kit Origins

40:56 Apple Legal Scare

43:09 Invent a Better Future

46:04 Go Outside Finale

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