The Talk Show With John Gruber 438: ‘2025 Year in Review’, With Rene Ritchie
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Dec 31, 2025 
Join technology reporter Rene Ritchie, a former iMore and YouTube expert, as he reflects on a pivotal year for Apple in 2025. The duo critiques Siri and Apple Intelligence's struggles, praises the economical iPhone 16e, and discusses the implications of Apple's mismanagement and overpromising on AI features. They cover the EU's fines, Apple's shifting strategies in China, and the impact of leadership changes. Ritchie brings insightful commentary on YouTube's evolving culture and the challenges of keeping digital archives alive.
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Scale Fractures Shared Culture
- YouTube's scale fractured shared culture into countless micro-fandoms rather than singular national moments.
- Rene Ritchie and John Gruber note modern creators and viewers form many niche communities instead of one shared culture.
Pre-Announcing Created Unnecessary Risk
- Apple pre-announcing Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024 created unrealistic expectations and later reputational damage.
- Gruber argues announcing a half-baked flagship feature drove confusion and was avoidable with a later reveal.
Involve Marketing From Day One
- Involve product marketing early so marketing aligns with product reality instead of retrofitting claims.
- Gruber highlights Apple's strength: product marketing participates from concept through launch to avoid mismatched messaging.