tech
Three nerds discussing tech, Apple, programming, and loosely related matters.
Marco Arman announced the release of his new note-taking app called 'Fineliner', designed for the iPad, iPhone Duo, and other iOS devices. The app features vector drawing, custom UI, and a playful aesthetic with one-time purchases for cosmetics.
Apple announced the new iPad Mini featuring an 8.5-inch OLED display, an A20 Pro chip, optional nanotexture glass, and an acoustic display speaker system. Prices start $100 higher than previous models.
Apple announced new MacBook Pro models featuring tandem OLED displays with touch capabilities, an upgraded hinge design, and the return of the light-up Apple logo. The 14-inch and 16-inch models are significantly lighter while maintaining battery capacity.
Apple updated the iMac lineup with the M6 chip, offering two and four Thunderbolt port variants, optional nanotexture displays, and up to 2.5 gigabit Ethernet adapters.
Apple added the long-awaited 512GB RAM configuration option to the Mac Studio lineup, priced at an additional $15,500 over the base tier.
John has replaced his 7-year-old Intel-based Mac with a new ARM-based computer. He notes a colder tone to his voice due to the ARM architecture, contrasting it with the 'warmth' of Intel processors. This move also allows his wife to use her computer again, as he previously used it for development work.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has been highlighted for its significant global impact, with 18 of its scientists named among the world's most highly cited researchers in November 2025. These researchers have consistently published impactful papers in the top 1% of their fields for approximately a decade. The hospital's research efforts are noted to have worldwide implications beyond American healthcare systems.
The ATP (Accidental Tech Podcast) is organizing a 12-hour "podcast-a-thon" on October 2nd to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This event will be broadcast on Relay's YouTube channel, and listeners can donate via stjude.org/atp. The hosts also introduced the 'Marco Offset' concept, suggesting donations based on the difference between a product's base price and its total cost after upgrades and accessories.
John shared an update on his iPhone 16 Pro, noting its battery health remained at 95% after two years and 451 cycles, despite experimenting with an 80% charge limit for most of that time. He is now using an iPhone 18 Pro and intends to keep it on an 80% charge limit, expecting it to be sufficient.
The sponsored segment introduces Daft Music, a third-party app for Apple Music on Mac and iPhone. It features human-curated mixtapes, an AI fingerprint checker for tracks, and instrument isolation for muting vocals or instruments during playback. The app is built with native code and supports recent Apple technologies.
A developer is experiencing significant delays with Apple's app review process, with their iOS app waiting for approval for 12 days, while their Mac app was approved in six days. This is causing a halt in development and the inability to release new features or bug fixes.
App review times at Apple have reportedly spiked in the last month, with typical waits now around six days, and some developers experiencing up to 12 days. This slowdown is impacting developer productivity and release schedules.
A developer criticizes Apple's perceived 'victim complex' regarding app review times, arguing that Apple created and controls the system and should therefore manage its performance. They suggest Apple blames external factors for delays, rather than taking responsibility for its own system's issues.
A developer's release of a Mac app is blocked because its required in-app purchase is bundled with an unapproved iOS app. Apple's system requires in-app purchases to be approved alongside the app, and the dependency prevents the release of both.
A podcaster successfully replaced a difficult-to-control proprietary ceiling fan in their office with a new fan and a Lutron Caseta switch. The process of removing the old fan was physically demanding due to its weight and installation complexity.
Marco Arment, the developer of Overcast, revealed that a long-standing bug in the app's clip sharing feature, which caused video exports to stall, has been fixed. The solution was found by David Watson, who used AI tools to decompile the app's binary and identified an alternative API call that resolved the issue.
John Gruber reported that Overcast has added a basic transcript search feature to its test flight build. He confirmed that the feature works and will be coming to the App Store soon. Marco Arment later confirmed this feature as one he has wanted for a long time.
Marco Arment announced a significant change to Overcast's episode limiting feature, introducing the option to 'keep the first X episodes' in addition to the existing 'keep the last X episodes' functionality. This change, inspired by listener feedback, aims to improve the user experience and address long-standing edge cases.
Marco Arment attributes the recent surge in Overcast development and new features to the assistance of AI tools like Claude. These tools have helped him overcome significant, long-standing bugs that had previously hindered progress and demotivated him. This has freed him up to implement features he's been wanting for years.
In response to listener feedback, Marco Arment clarified Overcast's data collection policies. He stated that the app collects only anonymous usage data to improve the app, and no personally identifiable information is collected or shared. He emphasized the importance of user privacy.
The hosts of Accidental Tech Podcast discussed their experiences with Swift development on Apple Silicon chips. John noted that compiling and building apps is "lightning fast" and the overall experience feels "snappy and responsive." Casey echoed this sentiment, calling it a "substantial upgrade from the Intel chips."
A listener named Mark is encountering difficulty creating a new Apple ID for app development because Apple's policy requires every account to be linked to a phone number for security and recoverability. Mark's existing phone number is already linked to his primary Apple ID, preventing him from creating a new one for development purposes.
The hosts of Accidental Tech Podcast debated their ability to create short-form video content suitable for platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts. They expressed skepticism about their own capabilities in this area, with one host stating, "I think we would be horrendous at it."
Adam One, a listener, updated the podcast hosts after his detailed email about FileMaker was turned into a blog post, thanking them for their encouragement. Separately, Ingmar Witkall wrote in to praise the Mac's screen sharing feature for its ability to transfer files by simply dragging them between windows, calling it a "great example" of Mac-as-Mac app functionality.
The hosts discussed the perceived inefficiencies and slowness of macOS's standard file sharing feature, contrasting it with the smoother experience of using screen sharing for file transfers. John mentioned filing a bug three years ago regarding a checkbox that "does nothing" for remembering passwords in keychain, which has not been addressed.
Jason Griffy, who has a career in library technology, explained the legal framework for game preservation, referencing copyright exceptions like Title 17, U.S. Code, Section 108, which is format-neutral. He highlighted the conflict between laws allowing preservation copies and the DMCA making it illegal to circumvent DRM to do so, noting that exemptions for video game DRM must be re-won every three years.
Jason Griffy emphasized that while libraries have the legal standing and mission for game preservation, the primary missing element is funding. He stated that "The best way to make sure this preservation actually happens is to lavishly fund libraries around the country," advocating for support at all levels, from local branches to academic collections.
The ATP hosts John and Casey shared their overwhelmingly positive experiences using Swift and Xcode on Apple Silicon Macs. John described compiling as "lightning fast" and the experience as "snappy and responsive," while Casey called it a "substantial upgrade" that made their development process "so much more pleasant."
The speaker's Magic Trackpad experienced a failure when the small nubbin used to power it on broke off. This event served as the catalyst for upgrading to newer USB-C versions of the Magic Trackpad and keyboard, opting for the black models.
The speaker discusses a significant change in the new Magic Keyboard design where the control key has been replaced by a globe/function key, and the option and command keys are shrunken. This shift disrupts the common 'control-click' method for right-clicking, leading to accidental function clicks.
The speaker expresses frustration that their new black Magic Keyboard, while aesthetically pleasing, lacks the Touch ID functionality present on older iMac Pro keyboards. They note that newer models do not seem to have it, forcing a choice between functionality and design.
A new key has been added to the Magic Keyboard, located next to the delete key, which appears to function as a context menu key. While its exact purpose is debated, it's suggested to be for keyboard-based navigation or context menu access, though it can be accidentally triggered.
The speaker notes that to obtain full-height up and down arrow keys on the new Magic Keyboard, one must purchase the model with a numeric keypad. This is presented as an inconvenience, forcing the use of a feature the speaker doesn't frequently need.
A new icon for the Magic Trackpad has appeared in recent iOS beta updates, which has generated excitement for its retro design. The icon is said to resemble the aesthetic of the iMac G3 'Bondi Blue' era icons.
In a follow-up segment, the hosts discussed the ability to integrate the Nugs.net music streaming service into the Sonos app. This allows users to stream music directly from Nugs through their Sonos speakers, similar to other services like Apple Music or Spotify.
Host John shared an update on a persistent bug in his app that he thought he had fixed in the previous episode. Unfortunately, shortly after recording, a new crash report confirmed the bug was still present, leading him to jokingly acknowledge his own "curse" and the ongoing nature of software development.
The hosts announced a new member special episode titled 'ATP Dev Mac Asked Mac Apps,' which aims to define what constitutes a great Mac application. This special is a response to listener questions about the criteria for good Mac apps, especially for those new to the platform or macOS development.