The MacVoices Live! panel critiques Roku’s intrusive ad tactics, including pop-ups during device startup, and debates the value of a cheaper Apple Vision Pro. Concerns over marketing overload, branding fatigue, and the role of eye-display tech in mixed reality are explored. Humor, frustration, and insights collide as Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Web Bixby, Jim Rea, and Jeff Gamet group weighs tech advancement against user experience and consumer respect. 

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Show Notes:

Chapters:

00:11 Introduction to Mac Voices 03:17 Roku's Aggressive Advertising Tests 11:13 The Impact of Ads on Viewing Experience 15:15 Cheaper Vision Pro Discussions 19:01 The Future of Vision Pro Pricing 20:28 Evaluating the Outward-Facing Display 23:12 Apple's Long-Term Vision for Vision Pro 29:15 Closing Thoughts and Farewells

Links:

Roku marketing boss just gave the best pitch for Apple TV 4K https://9to5mac.com/2025/04/23/roku-marketing-boss-just-gave-the-best-pitch-for-apple-tv-4k/

It seems like most Windows users don't care for Copilot https://www.engadget.com/ai/it-seems-like-most-windows-users-dont-care-for-copilot-195500516.html

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 [email protected], on Mastodon at @[email protected], on his blog, Trending At Work, and as co-host on The Vision ProFiles podcast.

David Ginsburg is the host of the weekly podcast In Touch With iOS where he discusses all things iOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and related technologies. He is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users. Visit his YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/daveg65 and find and follow him on Twitter @daveg65 and on Mastodon at @[email protected].

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 @[email protected] on Mastodon.

 

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