Individual app availability and subscription tradeoffs

Our CES highlights wrap with some standout demos, including earbuds that dramatically isolate speech from loud background noise and, a tiny NFC-powered, app-configurable two-button accessory for triggering shortcuts. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Eric Bolden, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Jeff Gamet, Norbert Frassa, Marty Jencius, and Jim Rea also examine Apple's new Creator Studio bundle, what features may be paywalled, and how it stacks up against Adobe and Affinity. The discussion finishes up with the panel's thoughts on Apple Card's move to JPMorgan Chase.

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Chapters:

00:10 VoiceBuds demo and extreme noise cancellation 03:38 Solver accessory and programmable buttons 08:17 Other show highlights and practical innovations 12:05 CES interview coverage preview 16:21 Apple Creator Studio bundle overview 17:49 Competition with Adobe and Affinity 30:17 Apple services momentum and strategy 33:31 Apple Card transition to JPMorgan Chase

Links:

Subtle Computing Voicebuds https://www.subtle.co

Solver AI https://solvertouch.com

Apple introduces Apple Creator Studio, an inspiring collection of the most powerful creative apps https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/01/introducing-apple-creator-studio-an-inspiring-collection-of-creative-apps/

Apple Card Will Move From Goldman Sachs to JPMorgan Chase https://www.macrumors.com/2026/01/07/jpmorgan-chase-apple-card-takeover/

Guests:

Eric Bolden is into macOS, plants, sci-fi, food, and is a rural internet supporter. You can connect with him on Twitter, by email at embolden@mac.com, on Mastodon at @eabolden@techhub.social, on his blog, Trending At Work, and as co-host on The Vision ProFiles podcast.

Brian Flanigan-Arthurs is an educator with a passion for providing results-driven, innovative learning strategies for all students, but particularly those who are at-risk. He is also a tech enthusiast who has a particular affinity for Apple since he first used the Apple IIGS as a student. You can contact Brian on twitter as @brian8944. He also recently opened a Mastodon account at @brian8944@mastodon.cloud.

Norbert Frassa is a technology "man about town". Follow him on Twitter and see what he's up to.

Jeff Gamet is a technology blogger, podcaster, author, and public speaker. Previously, he was The Mac Observer's Managing Editor, and the TextExpander Evangelist for Smile. He has presented at Macworld Expo, RSA Conference, several WordCamp events, along with many other conferences. You can find him on several podcasts such as The Mac Show, The Big Show, MacVoices, Mac OS Ken, This Week in iOS, and more. Jeff is easy to find on social media as @jgamet on Twitter and Instagram, jeffgamet on LinkedIn., @jgamet@mastodon.social on Mastodon, and on his YouTube Channel at YouTube.com/jgamet.

David Ginsburg is the host of the weekly podcast In Touch With iOS where he discusses all things iOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and related technologies. He is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users. Visit his YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/daveg65 and find and follow him on Twitter @daveg65 and on Mastodon at @daveg65@mastodon.cloud.

Dr. Marty Jencius has been an Associate Professor of Counseling at Kent State University since 2000. He has over 120 publications in books, chapters, journal articles, and others, along with 200 podcasts related to counseling, counselor education, and faculty life. His technology interest led him to develop the counseling profession 'firsts,' including listservs, a web-based peer-reviewed journal, The Journal of Technology in Counseling, teaching and conferencing in virtual worlds as the founder of Counselor Education in Second Life, and podcast founder/producer of CounselorAudioSource.net and ThePodTalk.net. Currently, he produces a podcast about counseling and life questions, the Circular Firing Squad, and digital video interviews with legacies capturing the history of the counseling field. This is also co-host of The Vision ProFiles podcast. Generally, Marty is chasing the newest tech trends, which explains his interest in A.I. for teaching, research, and productivity. Marty is an active presenter and past president of the NorthEast Ohio Apple Corp (NEOAC).

Jim Rea built his own computer from scratch in 1975, started programming in 1977, and has been an independent Mac developer continuously since 1984. He is the founder of ProVUE Development, and the author of Panorama X, ProVUE's ultra fast RAM based database software for the macOS platform. He's been a speaker at MacTech, MacWorld Expo and other industry conferences. Follow Jim at provue.com and via @provuejim@techhub.social on Mastodon.

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