New M4 Macs and Apple Intelligence

Nov 11, 2024

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Join Tom Anderson and Jeff Battersby in this episode as they unpack Apple’s latest announcements, with a nostalgic nod to an internet legend. Highlights include:

Farewell, Elwood “You’ve Got Mail!” Edwards

The voice that welcomed us to the internet in the ’90s, Elwood Edwards, has passed. Tom and Jeff share memories of the AOL era.

New M4 iMacs: Fresh Colors and Powerful Specs

Apple’s M4 iMac arrives with updated colors, an impressive 4.5K Retina display, and options for more RAM. Tom and Jeff discuss why this all-in-one might be ideal for families, creatives, and anyone looking for a sleek desktop.

USB-C "Magic" Accessories

The new USB-C Magic Keyboard, Trackpad, and Mouse sparked mixed feelings. Jeff gets into the eternal frustration of charging the mouse from the bottom.

A New, Smaller Mac mini

Apple’s refreshed Mac mini offers big power in a smaller package, with Jeff calling it one of Apple’s best designs yet.

Updated MacBook Pro 14” and 16” Models

Now available with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, these MacBook Pros pack serious horsepower.

Apple Intelligence: What’s Good and What Needs Work

Wrapping up with a deep dive into the latest Apple Intelligence features, Tom and Jeff explore the promise and quirks of Apple’s on-device AI. They break down highlights, including:

Writing Tools for proofreading, adjusting tone, summaries, and list generation.
Siri Enhancements with context awareness between requests.
Summaries across Mail, Safari, and Notifications for quick info bites.

Links from the show:

AOL’s ‘You’ve Got Mail’ voice, Elwood Edwards, dies at age 74: https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/7/24290700/elwood-edwards-aol-youve-got-mail-voice-obituary

iMac: https://www.apple.com/imac/

Mac mini: https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/

MacBook Pro: https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/

Apple Intelligence: https://www.apple.com/apple-intelligenc

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Contact Us

Drop us a line at feedback@basicafshow.com
You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
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Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

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Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

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