On today’s show, we give an overview of what to expect, as well as discuss Apple’s new three-year iPhone plan. Plus, the worst thing that happened this week, this week in Apple history, and more.
This is episode 948 with Michael Simon, Jason Cross, and Roman Loyola.
Watch episode 948 on YouTube
Listen to episode 948 on Apple Podcasts
Listen to episode 948 on Spotify
Apple September 9 event
This was the main topic of the show. Click on the link below to get more info.
The worst thing this week
- Elon Musk’s xAI sues Apple and OpenAI over antitrust claims
- Your Apple TV+ subscription is going up by a whopping 30%
This Week in Apple History
On August 24, 2011, Tim Cook was named CEO of Apple. Steve Jobs was battling cancer, and Tim Cook stepped up to cover for Jobs a few times when Jobs went on medical leave, so it wasn’t a surprise that Cook was made CEO.
When Cook became CEO, there was some worry that he wasn’t the right person, but it’s clear why Jobs wanted Cook: The next step for Apple at that time wasn’t to create new products, but to grow. And Cook has been great.
Here are a few articles that look at Apple CEO Tim Cook:
- Apple’s Tim Cook era: 14 years of prolific products, profits, and politics
- Apple turns to Tim Cook to replace Steve Jobs (August 24, 2011)
- What challenges does Tim Cook’s Apple face? (August 25, 2011)
- Tim Cook, not Steve Jobs, is Apple’s MVP (October 5, 2021)
The Macworld Podcast Mailbag
These are your comments about recent Macworld articles and podcasts, and recent Apple happenings.
The awe is gone
The big news is the announcement of Apple’s September 9 event. On Facebook, someone who goes by the name Oliver Twist (they have a cool-looking profile pic of Darth Vader on a skateboard) said this about it:
The awe is long gone. The presentation, especially Craig’s, will be cringe worthy [stet] to the point where I’ll switch off, like I always do these days. They’ll all move and act like maniacs on speed, trying hard to copy Steve’s body language and hand gestures. It’ll be a shit fest with no innovation at all.
Oliver Twist on Facebook
Spotify vs. Apple Music
Macworld contributor Mahmoud Itani recently wrote about why he switched from Spotify to Apple Music. And reader Scott File wrote us with very good reasons why he’s a Spotify user. Scott wrote:
Apple’s algorithms are still vastly inferior to Spotify. Apple still can’t replicate Spotify’s Discover Weekly in any shape or form.
Apple’s huge issue is allowing separate accounts within its Apple One subscription used by a family. The Apple Music interface is a collection of everyone’s playlists and music which severely hampers Apple’s already bad algorithms. That’s a game changer Apple needs to fix.
Apple also has to do away with “authorized devices”. It’s 2025 for goodness sake.
Scott File via email
If you missed it, here are the 10 reasons why you need to switch from Spotify to Apple Music.
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Apple
Apple’s Awe Dropping event is set for September 9, 2025. Want to know what to expect? We’re anticipating new hardware releases including the iPhone 17 (running iOS 26), Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3 and SE 3rd-gen (running watchOS 26), and potentially new AirPods. Find out how, when, and where to watch the Apple September Event, and keep tuned to our Event Guide for all the latest coverage. If you just can’t wait, here’s our satirical take on the Apple September Event keynote script – and don’t miss the Macworld Podcast iPhone event preview.