MacVoices 25160: Live! - WWDC Anticipation and The Talk Show Without Apple

As WWDC approaches, MacVoices Live! panelists Chuck Joiner, Dave Ginsburg, Jim Rea, Marty Jencius, Web Bixby, Eric Bolden and Jeff Gamet discuss Apple’s surprising decision to skip John Gruber’s Talk Show for the first time in a decade. They debate whether it’s retaliation for past criticism, a desire for tighter message control, or a signal of reduced event value. Opinions vary on the implications for both Apple and Gruber, while speculation builds over WWDC’s keynote length, AI announcements, and Apple’s overall messaging strategy. 

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Show Notes:

Chapters:

00:10 WWDC Anticipation 04:08 Health Scares and Pet Names 08:00 Apple and Gruber's Talk Show 16:23 The Value of Apple's Presence 24:05 AI and Apple's Messaging 31:18 Interpreting Apple's Absence

Links:

Apple Executives Won't Be Appearing at This Year's WWDC Episode of The Talk Show Live https://www.macrumors.com/2025/05/29/no-apple-executives-talk-show-live/

Guests:

Web Bixby has been in the insurance business for 40 years and has been an Apple user for longer than that.You can catch up with him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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.

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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