iPhone Lineup Strategy and the 'Fourth Spot' Problem

Dan Moren returns to the show. Topics include Atlas, ChatGPT's new web browser (or anti-web browser) for the Mac; Apple's loss in a "landmark" regulatory lawsuit in the UK regarding App Store commission rates; multiple reports of poor sales for the iPhone Air; and Apple's M5 product announcements: MacBook Pro, iPads Pro, and Vision Pro.

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Transcripts: Unofficial but surprisingly good.

Links:

• Sleep++, David Smith’s iOS sleep app that ties into Apple Health data, and gives what I think is a much more accurate and interesting “sleep score” than does Apple Health itself in iOS 26.
• ChatGPT Atlas: new Chromium browser for Mac:
  • OpenAI’s announcement.
  • Their promotion to get 7 days of higher ChatGPT usage if you make, and keep, Atlas as your default browser.
  • Anil Dash: “ChatGPT’s Atlas: The Browser That’s Anti-Web”.
  • Simon Willison’s initial thoughts.
  • Michael Tsai’s roundup of links.
• Reuters: “Apple Loses Landmark UK Lawsuit Over App Store Commissions”.
• Multiple reports suggest the iPhone Air is not selling well.
  • But it seems like Apple isn’t doing any advertising for the iPhone Air (or regular iPhone 17) at all — (yet?).
• Dan’s Six Colors coverage of the M5 speed bump updates from Apple:
  • Base model 14-inch MacBook Pro.
  • 11- and 13-inch iPads Pro.
  • Vision Pro.
• Dan’s review of the new Dual Knit Band for Vision Pro (which is now the only band included by default with the M5 models).
• My piece on the M5 announcements.
• Dan’s previous appearance on The Talk Show, from October last year, talking about — déjà vu — new Mac hardware.
• “&udm=14” — AI-overview-free Google search, from Ernie Smith. Also: My DF post about it back in May.
• Dan’s personal website, with links to his science fiction novels and short stories.

This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.