The Talk Show With John Gruber

Special guest Lisa Jackson — Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives — joins the show for an Earth Day discussion of the state of Apple’s environmental efforts: climate change, renewable energy, responsible packaging, and Apple’s new goal to create a “closed-loop supply chain”, wherein the company’s products would be manufactured entirely from recycled materials. Full transcript of this episode. Sponsored exclusively by: Circle With Disney: Disney’s new way for families to manage content and time across devices. Use code THETALKSHOW to get free shipping and $10 off. Links: Lisa Jackson’s bio. Apple’s 2017 Environmental Responsibility Report (PDF). Recycle your old Apple products. Apple’s charming series of animated spots on the environment by filmmaker James Blagden: “Can We Produce Zero Waste?” “Do Solar Farms Feed Yaks?” “Why Does Apple Make Its Own Sweat?” “Can a Building Breathe?”

MG Siegler returns to the show. Topics includes Virgin America's sad fate as a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pros, "doing work" on an iPad Pro, Walt Mossberg, the absurd bloat of iOS apps, Clips, Netflix and Amazon's spending on video, and more. Sponsored by: Squarespace: Make your next move. Use code gruber for 10% off your first order. Eero: Finally, Wi-Fi that works. Fracture: Your photos, printed directly on glass. Great gift idea. Links: MG: The Great Laptop Stagnation. MG: Death of a Virgin. MG: The Squid. Columbia Journalism Review's interview with Walt Mossberg. Mark Gurman's new weekly video show for Bloomberg. This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.

Matthew Panzarino returns to the show for an in-depth discussion of last week's "future of the Mac Pro" round table discussion between a handful of Apple executives and journalists who cover the company. We talk about what went wrong with the 2013 Mac Pro design, speculate on the timeline of when Apple made this decision, why touchscreen Macs are almost certainly a bad idea even though a lot of people think they want one, and more. Sponsored by: Circle With Disney: Disney’s new way for families to manage content and time across devices. Use code THETALKSHOW to get free shipping and $10 off. Backblaze: Online backup for $5/month. Native. Unlimited. Unthrottled. Uncomplicated. Hullo Pillow: Sleep better with a new buckwheat pillow. It’ll be your favorite pillow, guaranteed. Links: Matthew’s story for TechCrunch on the Mac Pro meeting. Yours truly’s story for Daring Fireball. Apple CFO Luca Maestri on using Circle With Disney with his family. (In Italian.) Longtime Mac developer Dan Counsell on building a hackintosh. Jonathan Hoefler’s posted-to-Twitter critique of a work-in-progress typeface design from Louie Mantia. Notability, the app Hoefler & Co. use for annotating typeface designs on iPad Pro with Apple Pencil. This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.

Special guest Dan Frommer returns to the show. Topics include the end of The Deck ad network, my weird story about getting kicked out of Amazon’s affiliate program, Apple’s new products announced last week (Red iPhone 7 models, larger-capacity iPhone SEs, the new 9.7-inch just-plain iPad, and Apple’s excellent new Clips app), Samsung’s new Galaxy S8, Twitter’s new reply system, CarPlay getting its ass kicked in a head-to-head comparison with Android Auto, ISPs and Privacy, and more. Sponsored by: JAMF Software: Jamf Now helps you manage your Apple devices from anywhere. Use this link and set up your first 3 devices free of charge. Squarespace: Build it beautiful. Use code gruber for 10% off your first order. Audible.com: With Audible, you’ll find what you’re looking for. Get a free 30-day trial. Casper: An obsessively engineered mattress at a shockingly fair price. Use code thetalkshow for $50 toward your mattress. Links: Jim Coudal announces the end of The Deck. My farewell to The Deck. Clips. Dan Frommer on the Galaxy S8 taking a bit of the piss out Apple's purported edge-to-edge iPhone coming later this year. Dan Seifert’s report on the Galaxy S8, from Samsung’s headquarters in South Korea. Viv, the Samsung-acquired voice-AI system from the creators of Siri. The 12-year old Daring Fireball post that apparently got me kicked out of Amazon's affiliate program. Andy Rubin's teaser tweet. Eric Schmidt's tweet promoting Rubin's teaser, on the day of Samsung's S8 announcement. Android Auto vs. CarPlay head-to-head. Sam Biddle tries to get a telecom PR rep to make sense of their official position on “protecting user privacy”. The iPhone Math, Dan’s favorite busted-ass rumor. This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.

The one and only Merlin Mann returns to the show. Topics include modern plumbing technology and product marketing, the intricate ordeal of switching from iCloud’s old two-step authentication to the modern two-factor authentication, and the future of voice-driven UI/AI. Also, a wee bit of follow-up on our post-election November 9 Holiday Party. Sponsored by: Eero: Finally, Wi-Fi, that works. Away: High quality luggage with built-in USB chargers. Save $20 with promo code talkshow. Fracture: Now through the end of March, save 20% on Fracture prints with promo code CLEAN. Order now for Mothers Day. Warby Parker: Boutique-quality, vintage-inspired glasses at a revolutionary price. Try up to five pairs at home for free. Links: American Standard VorMax anti-splatter flush technology. “Clinger”. “Skid Marks”. Halfway through this one they flush something soft and brown. Michael Heilemann: “When did Siri figure out to not activate two iCloud connected devices with ‘Hey Siri’ at the same time?” My YouTube video showing how best to remove AirPods from their case. Do By Friday: Excellent new(ish) podcast hosted by Merlin, Alex Cox, and Max Temkin, whose names have an average of one “x” per host. This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.

Serenity Caldwell returns to the show. Topics include the Best Picture fiasco at last week’s Academy Awards, Tim Cook speaking vaguely of “the pro area” at Apple’s shareholders meeting, the conflict between Apple’s culture of secrecy and the glaring embarrassment that is the 1,100-day-old Mac Pro lineup, new iPad Pro rumors and our ruminations on tablet vs. notebook hardware form factors, The Wall Street Journal’s seemingly goofy report on new iPhones replacing Lightning with USB-C ports, and the garbage fire that is Uber’s corporate culture. Sponsored by: Squarespace: Build it beautiful. Use code gruber for 10% off your first order. Harry's: An exceptional shave at a fraction of the price. Use code talkshow for a great deal on your your first purchase. Backblaze: Online backup for $5/month. Native. Unlimited. Unthrottled. Uncomplicated. Links: The Best Picture Oscars fiasco: Vulture’s deep dive on the Best Picture envelope mixup. Variety’s backstage photographic evidence showing how PricewaterhouseCooper accountant Brian Culligan gave Warren Beatty the wrong envelope. Andy Ihnatko’s tweet showing the terrible typographic design of the envelopes. The terrible design of the “The Winner Is…” cards. Tim Cook speaking vaguely of Apple’s commitment to “the pro area” at Apple’s shareholder meeting. Curious Wall Street Journal report claiming the next iPhone will replace Lightning port with USB-C. Ming-Chi Kuo, following up on that WSJ report, says all new iPhones will have Lightning ports. Jonathan Hoefler’s Twitter thread critiquing an in-the-works typeface design by Louie Mantia — a great example of how the iPad is great for some forms of work. This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.

Special guest Marco Arment returns to the show. Topics include WWDC moving back to San Jose, the latest rumors about this year’s new iPads and iPhones, and the thinking behind the design changes in the just-released Overcast 3.0. Sponsored by: Casper: An obsessively engineered mattress at a shockingly fair price. Use code thetalkshow for $50 toward your mattress. Eero: Finally, Wi-Fi, that works. Use code thetalkshow for free expedited shipping. Audible: With Audible, you’ll find what you’re looking for. Get a free 30-day trial. Links: WWDC moves back to San Jose. Marco on the design details of Overcast 3.0. iPhone and iPad rumors: FastCo: “Here’s Why Apple’s 10th Anniversary iPhone Will Likely Cost More Than $1,000”. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo: “iPhone 8 to Feature 5.8-Inch OLED Display With 5.15-Inch Main Screen and Virtual Buttons Below”. If this is true, this new iPhone (which I do not think will be called “iPhone 8” — I’d guess “iPhone Pro” — will have a radically different aspect ratio. 3D facial recognition to replace or supplement TouchID? Mac Otakara: Apple to introduce new iPad Pros (7.9-inch (mini), 9.7-inch, 12.9-inch, and a new 10.5-inch with an edge-to-edge display), red iPhone 7’s, and 128 GB iPhone SE at event next month. This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.

John Moltz returns to the show. Topics include: 🐩💨, iPad vs. Mac for productivity (and why the iPad isn’t a self-sufficient platform), nostalgia for System 7, speculation on this year’s upcoming new iPhones, and more. Alternative title for this episode: 🏢🍆. Sponsored by: Squarespace: Make your next move. Make your next website. Use code talkshow for 10% off your first order. Setapp: An “Unstore” Alternative to the Mac App Store. Casper: An obsessively engineered mattress at a shockingly fair price. Use code thetalkshow for $50 toward your mattress. Links: DF: “Comparing the First Seven Years of the iPad and Mac”. Why isn’t there a version of iBooks Author for iPads? Tim Cook, introducing the iPad Pro in September 2015: “The iPad is the clearest expression of our vision of the future of personal computing.” Ulysses, a great project-based app for writers, with cross-platform iOS and Mac versions. Ken Case’s Omni Group year-in-review post, with a tease at their upcoming cross-platform JavaScript-based automation system. Two stories on the same rumor about this year’s new iPhones: Mark Sullivan, writing for Fast Company. KGI analyst Ming Chi Kuo. This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.

Matthew Panzarino returns to the show. Topics include Apple’s Q1 2017 financial results (including record iPhone sales and continuing cooling iPad sales), issues with LG’s new 5K UltraFine display (not so fine if you use it near a Wi-Fi router), the tech industry’s response to Trump’s immigration ban, and the highlights at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Sponsored by: Squarespace: Make your next move. Make your next website. Use code talkshow for 10% off your first order. Ministry of Supply: Performance dress clothes for men and women. Use this link and get a free pair of socks. Audible: With Audible, you’ll find what you’re looking for. Get a free 30-day trial. Links: Apple’s just-announced Q1 2017 results. LG’s new 5K display can have problems if used near a Wi-Fi router. Steve Jobs set the goal of 10 million iPhones sold in the first year (1 percent market share). Tim Cook’s response to Trump’s immigration ban. Google employees rallied against the ban. Sergey Brin went to SFO to join the protests. Steve Bannon suggested there are too many Asian CEOs in Silicon Valley. Movies that debuted at Sundance: The Big Sick Marjorie Prime This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.

Ben Thompson returns to the show. Topics include the state of the Mac (and our shared belief that it’s death has been greatly exaggerated), the NFL playoffs, Chris Lattner leaving Apple for Tesla (and the general problem of talent retention), ruminating on the origins of the word “podcast”, and more. Sponsored by: Casper: An obsessively engineered mattress at a shockingly fair price. Use code thetalkshow for $50 toward your mattress. Eero: Finally, Wi-Fi, that works. Use code thetalkshow for free expedited shipping. Away: First-class luggage at a coach price, including built-in USB chargers. Links: “America’s slow but very real decline into a fascist state as told by the Milwaukee Bucks logo.” Pittsburgh cab driver says John Elway is the best quarterback in history, not know that Elway was sitting in the back seat. Yours truly back in 2005: “Is That a Podcast in Your Pocket?” MPW, Apple's classic-era IDE. Pastebot, a great new clipboard utility from Tapbots. This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.