Press Pause: Tech Obsession & Remembering the Average User

In this episode, I'm diving into why my latest iPhone video struck such a chord with viewers, Apple's big moves in AI (including that surprising Gemini partnership), and why the AI race might be a solution still searching for problems.

We'll cover:

• Why you probably don't need the Pro iPhone this year

• Apple's new data-sharing requirements for third-party AI

• The Google-Siri deal that changes everything

• AI browsers, agents, and the struggle to find practical use cases

• Updates from Craft, recent bestsellers, and more

Plus, I've rebranded the show to "Press Pause" to better reflect what we're doing here—taking a step back to examine how tech and productivity actually impact our daily lives.

Links mentioned:

Apple Notes Essentials Guide (50% off with code BF25NOTES)

https://billmclean.gumroad.com/l/wdsjz

Ad-free videos on Substack:

billmclean.substack.comFollow me on

Threads for video ideas and tech commentary

https://www.threads.net/@williambmclean

Claude use cases

https://claude.com/resources/use-cases?utm_source=tldrai

Craft updates

https://viktor.craft.me/bdbGJVKw4f2AQ2

If you're tired of tech hype and want honest takes on what actually matters, this one's for you.

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In this episode I talk about the new Notion 3.0 updates and why they matter for you. Apple has revamped its entire operating system lineup and I share some of my early favorite features and of course scratch gate. We have seen early reports of iPhone 17 durability issues both in store and now that people have them in their hands. I cover the process they use to get the colors into the aluminum, how it provides a thin protective layer and if you should be worried about buying one of these phones if you plan on using it long term.Sign up for my new weekly Newsletter The Digital Pulse!https://billmclean.substack.com/The Essential Apple Notes Guidehttps://billmclean.gumroad.com/l/wdsjzCheck me out on Social:https://www.threads.net/@williambmcleanhttps://x.com/wbmcleanhttps://bsky.app/profile/billmclean.bsky.socialMust-have affiliate links:🧵BlackTwist Threads Scheduler: https://blacktwist.app?aff=9mjXLl☀️Raycast Pro Free for 14 days: https://raycast.com/?via=william-mclean💻CleanMyMac Free for 7 days: https://macpaw.audw.net/c/6052342/263631/1733🎵 2 Months Free! Music, Footage, and More from Artlist: https://artlist.io/referral/4646734/William☁️ Backblaze computer and NAS backup: https://secure.backblaze.com/r/05ckce✅ My favorite cross-platform todo app(todoist): https://get.todoist.io/ucypxtigr1jyWebsite:www.williabmclean.comFor business inquiries:[email protected]

Apple has announced a bunch of new devices, including Airpods Pro, Apple Watch, SE, Series 11 and Ultra 3 and the first time a new iPhone has made its way into the lineup in what feels like forever.Come check out the iPhone 17 lineup as well and chat about everything that Apple talked about during their fall event!Sign up for my new weekly Newsletter The Digital Pulse!https://billmclean.substack.com/Check me out on Social:https://www.threads.net/@williambmcleanhttps://x.com/wbmcleanhttps://bsky.app/profile/billmclean.bsky.socialMust-have affiliate links:☀️Raycast Pro Free for 14 days: https://raycast.com/?via=william-mclean💻CleanMyMac Free for 7 days: https://macpaw.audw.net/c/6052342/263631/1733🎵 2 Months Free! Music, Footage, and More from Artlist: https://artlist.io/referral/4646734/William☁️ Backblaze computer and NAS backup: https://secure.backblaze.com/r/05ckce✅ My favorite todo app(todoist): https://get.todoist.io/ucypxtigr1jyWebsite:www.williabmclean.comFor business inquiries:[email protected]

This week brings seismic shifts in the tech landscape that you need to know about. Apple is facing an unprecedented drain as their top AI engineers defect to Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic, raising serious questions about the company's ability to compete in the artificial intelligence arms race. Meanwhile, the AI chip wars are intensifying with Broadcom and OpenAI announcing a groundbreaking partnership to co-develop custom AI hardware optimized for next-generation workloads. On the legal front, Google scored not one but two massive victories against Department of Justice antitrust challenges, successfully defending both their 20 billion dollar search deal with Apple and avoiding the forced sale of their Chrome browser. We'll also dive into how Uber Eats is revolutionizing tech delivery through their new Best Buy partnership, explore warnings from AI pioneers about Big Tech losing its innovative edge, and break down Notion's leaked multi-source database feature that could change how creators and project managers organize their workflows.Thomas Frank Notion video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l53K7YuHUBE&t=1360sDon't forget to SUBSCRIBE for weekly tech news breakdowns and hit the bell for notifications!What do you think about Apple's AI talent problem? Drop your thoughts below!Sign up for my new weekly Newsletter The Digital Pulse!https://billmclean.substack.com/The Essential Apple Notes Guidehttps://billmclean.gumroad.com/l/wdsjzCheck me out on Social:https://www.threads.net/@williambmcleanhttps://x.com/wbmcleanhttps://bsky.app/profile/billmclean.bsky.socialMust-have affiliate links:🧵BlackTwist: https://blacktwist.app?aff=9mjXLl☀️Raycast Pro Free for 14 days: https://raycast.com/?via=william-mclean💻CleanMyMac Free for 7 days: https://macpaw.audw.net/c/6052342/263631/1733🎵 2 Months Free! Music, Footage, and More from Artlist: https://artlist.io/referral/4646734/William☁️ Backblaze computer and NAS backup: https://secure.backblaze.com/r/05ckce✅ My favorite todo app(todoist): https://get.todoist.io/ucypxtigr1jyWebsite:www.williabmclean.comFor business inquiries:[email protected]

Join me on For Perspective Season 2, Episode 5! In this episode, I discuss Apple's new AppleCare+ One subscription service that bundles device protection for multiple Apple products at $20/month for three devices. I share my experience switching from SimpliSafe to Ring home security and recommend the Scuff Instinct Pro Xbox controller. Also covering Labor Day tech deals, Apple's upcoming September 9th event, and the latest AI app rankings where ChatGPT leads with Gemini closing the gap. Finally, I dive into my productivity system evolution, comparing Apple Notes with Notion, and tease potential future content including a book club concept.Chapters0:00 - Introduction1:41 - Apple Care One Subscription Service4:41 - Labor Day Tech Deals8:39 - Apple's September Event9:19 - AI News and Rankings12:09 - Apple Notes and Notion Workflow16:06 - Future Content Ideas19:20 - Closing ThoughtsSign up for my new weekly Newsletter The Digital Pulse!https://billmclean.substack.com/Check me out on Social:https://www.threads.net/@williambmcleanhttps://x.com/wbmcleanhttps://bsky.app/profile/billmclean.bsky.socialMust-have affiliate links:☀️Raycast Pro Free for 14 days: https://raycast.com/?via=william-mclean💻CleanMyMac Free for 7 days: https://macpaw.audw.net/c/6052342/263631/1733🎵 2 Months Free! Music, Footage, and More from Artlist: https://artlist.io/referral/4646734/William☁️ Backblaze computer and NAS backup: https://secure.backblaze.com/r/05ckce✅ My favorite todo app(todoist): https://get.todoist.io/ucypxtigr1jyWebsite:www.williabmclean.comFor business inquiries:[email protected]

Apple's Emotional Marketing Strategy, Notes Apps War Heats Up, and Why Tech Prices Keep Rising | For Perspective Podcast

In this week's episode, I dive into Apple's shift toward emotional marketing with their powerful "No Frame Missed" short film about accessibility, the escalating battle between Notion, Obsidian, and Craft for productivity supremacy, and why tech prices seem to be going up everywhere.

Get my new Apple Notes Guide here: https://billmclean.gumroad.com/l/wdsjz

What We Cover:

Apple CarPlay gets Live Activities - finally useful real-world features

Apple's accessibility-focused marketing with "No Frame Missed" action mode film

PlayStation 5 price hikes joining Xbox and Nintendo's trend

Google's nuclear power partnership - why this matters for AI's future

Apple Card's uncertain future as Goldman Sachs exits

The great notes apps war: Notion's $10B valuation vs Obsidian's new "Bases" featureIs Apple Notes falling behind the competition?

My thoughts on Apple's productivity app strategy

Key Takeaways:

Nuclear power might be essential for AI's energy demands

Apple needs to decouple productivity apps from OS updates

The notes app space is more competitive than ever

Sometimes emotional marketing hits harder than feature listsLinks:

No Frame Missed - Apple Video

https://youtu.be/hEalzEnT70k?si=pShIz1LKgUfiUxB9

Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction

0:15 - Apple CarPlay Live Activities Feature

0:59 - Apple's Emotional Marketing with "No Frame Missed"

3:12 - Rising Tech Prices in Gaming Consoles

4:44 - Google and TVA's Nuclear Power Partnership

6:07 - Apple Card's Future with a New Issuer

7:55 - Notes Apps Updates: Notion, Obsidian and Craft

14:43 - Is Apple Notes Falling Behind?

15:15 Apple Notes Guide out now!

20:05 - Conclusion

Sign up for my new weekly Newsletter The Digital Pulse!

https://billmclean.substack.com/

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🎯 What I Cover:* Bloomberg's report on AI impacting entry-level jobs for college graduates

* Why the job market has me genuinely worried (plus my traffic jam revelation)

* Notion CEO's appearance on The Verge's Decoder podcast - key takeaways

* My experiment moving from Apple Notes/Reminders to Notion

* Billionaire drama: Elon vs Apple vs Sam Altman (featuring Grok's hot take)

* Perplexity's $34.5B bid for Google Chrome

* Apple Watch blood oxygen feature returns

* ChatGPT-5 controversy and user complaints

* Sam Altman admits AI is in a bubble⠀💡 Key Insights:* How AI is making small teams (or solo creators like me) more powerful

* Why solving fragmentation matters more than adding more apps

* The real impact of tech layoffs on everyday people

* My honest take on the current economic warning signs⠀🔗 Resources Mentioned:* Dan Miessler's "I'm Worried It Might Get Bad" article: https://danielmiessler.com/blog/im-worried-it-might-get-bad?utm_source=tldrnewsletter

* Stephen Robles' Perplexity Comet browser video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRmDj6RXXMg&t=48sSign up for my new weekly Newsletter The Digital Pulse!https://billmclean.substack.com/Check me out on Social:https://www.threads.net/@williambmcleanhttps://x.com/wbmcleanhttps://bsky.app/profile/billmclean.bsky.socialMust-have affiliate links:☀️Raycast Pro Free for 14 days: https://raycast.com/?via=william-mclean💻CleanMyMac Free for 7 days: https://macpaw.audw.net/c/6052342/263631/1733🎵 2 Months Free! Music, Footage, and More from Artlist: https://artlist.io/referral/4646734/William☁️ Backblaze computer and NAS backup: https://secure.backblaze.com/r/05ckce✅ My favorite todo app(todoist): https://get.todoist.io/ucypxtigr1jyWebsite:www.williabmclean.com

For business inquiries:[email protected]

Powered by Bob G Media [email protected]

Welcome back to Four Perspective! In this week's episode (Season 2, Episode 2), I'm diving into the biggest tech stories making waves right now.

What we're covering:

* Companies are getting serious about return-to-office policies with badge tracking and surveillance - but is this the right approach?

* Meta is poaching AI talent from Apple with insane salary offers ($350K-$500K for product managers!)

* OpenAI hits a $500 billion valuation but only 10% of users actually pay

* My hands-on experience with GPT-5 and why it's now the default model

* Apple adding tariff surcharges to iPhones starting October 1st

* AMD crushing Intel in CPU sales (seriously, how is Intel still around?)

* Did you know your MagSafe charger has firmware that needs updates?

* 11 Labs launches AI music generation - could this replace expensive music licensing?

As a mechanical engineer working in tech, I share my perspective on remote work, AI adoption, and what these changes mean for everyday users like us.

App of the Month spotlight: Apple Freeform - check out my full video review!

Don't forget to subscribe and follow The Digital Pulse newsletter for more tech insights every Sunday.

Links mentioned in this episode:

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/08/its-getting-harder-to-skirt-rto-policies-without-employers-noticing/

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/07/apples-ai-problem-not-just-siri-talent-leaving/

https://www.reuters.com/commentary/breakingviews/openais-valuation-is-tech-booms-key-man-risk-2025-08-07/

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/06/apple-tariff-surcharge-explainer/

https://www.theverge.com/news/719372/amd-is-selling-record-numbers-of-cpus-at-intels-expense

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/05/magsafe-charger-firmware-update-2a168

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2025-08-05/ai-startup-elevenlabs-launches-music-service-video

Chapters:

00:00 - Start

00:22 - Return to office?!

03:03 - AI Job Market

04:33 - OpenAI Valuation

05:43 - GPT 5 Released

07:56 - iPhone Tariff News

09:23 - How is intel still in business?

10:25 - Chargers have Firmware?

11:39 - AI Music for Creators

13:16 - Channel Updates

Sign up for my new weekly Newsletter The Digital Pulse!https://billmclean.substack.com/Check me out on Social:https://www.threads.net/@williambmcleanhttps://x.com/wbmcleanhttps://bsky.app/profile/billmclean.bsky.socialMust-have affiliate links:☀️Raycast Pro Free for 14 days: https://raycast.com/?via=william-mclean

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For business inquiries:[email protected]

Dive into the week’s biggest tech stories as we unpack Big Tech’s record-shattering $344 billion AI spend in 2025, ChatGPT vs. Google Gemini head-to-head performance, and Tim Cook’s bold stance on Apple Intelligence, all from my brand-new basement studio. We break down how on-device AI, privacy-first machine learning, and cloud LLMs are reshaping productivity, plus why Mark Gurman’s “We’ve rarely been first” report signals Apple’s next move. If you’re tracking AI news, large-language-model trends, Apple Shortcuts automation, or the best AI tools for creators, this episode is packed with insights you can’t miss.Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, indie creator, or productivity nerd looking for hands-on Mac, iPad, and iPhone tips, you’ll get actionable advice to level up your workflow. Subscribe for weekly tech podcasts, Apple ecosystem deep dives, and AI-powered productivity hacks, and don’t forget to hit the bell so you never miss a drop from For Perspective!Articles mentioned:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-01/big-tech-s-big-bet-on-ai-driving-344-billion-in-spend-this-year?utm_source=chatgpt.com&embedded-checkout=truehttps://techcrunch.com/2025/07/31/figmas-stock-soars-in-its-highly-anticipated-ipo-market-cap-instantly-hits-45b/?utm_source=tldrdesignhttps://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/01/tim-cook-apple-all-hands-meeting-ai/?utm_source=chatgpt.comSign up for my new weekly Newsletter The Digital Pulse!https://billmclean.substack.com/Check me out on Social:https://www.threads.net/@williambmcleanhttps://x.com/wbmcleanhttps://bsky.app/profile/billmclean.bsky.socialMust-have affiliate links:☀️Raycast Pro Free for 14 days: https://raycast.com/?via=william-mclean💻CleanMyMac Free for 7 days: https://macpaw.audw.net/c/6052342/263631/1733🎵 2 Months Free! Music, Footage, and More from Artlist: https://artlist.io/referral/4646734/William☁️ Backblaze computer and NAS backup: https://secure.backblaze.com/r/05ckce✅ My favorite todo app(todoist): https://get.todoist.io/ucypxtigr1jyWebsite:www.williabmclean.comFor business inquiries:[email protected]

Is Google already winning the personalized AI race? While Apple Intelligence was expected to lead with personal context, it seems Google is storming ahead, leveraging its vast ecosystem – Search, Drive, Gmail – to train an AI that truly knows you. But is it all good news for users, especially with confusing new paid plans on the horizon?In this episode of 'For Perspective,' we dissect Google's latest barrage of AI announcements. From the impressive (but still gapped) 400 million Gemini users to the truly interactive potential of Project Astra, we're breaking down what these advancements mean for your productivity, creativity, and even your YouTube hustle.Here’s a glimpse of what we cover:The Personal Context Battle: Google's existing data vs. ChatGPT's improving memory – who will offer a more tailored AI experience?Search Reimagined: Is "AI Mode" and "Deep Search" the new normal? We explore Project Astra's interactive capabilities and Project Mariner's agentic functions. AI in Your Shopping Cart (Again?): Virtual try-ons look promising, but can AI finally get online shopping right where Alexa stumbled? Gemini Everywhere: From Gemini Live connecting to your apps (Maps, Calendar, Tasks) to Gemini in Chrome and customizable deep research using your Drive and Gmail docs. The Price of Progress: Unpacking Google's new paid tiers – AI Ultra and AI Pro. Is it getting too confusing for consumers already on Google One Premium? Creative AI on the Rise: Lyria 2 for audio generation could be a game-changer for YouTubers needing copyright-free music, and image generation is finally nailing text. The Smart Glasses Wars 2.0?: With Android XR, Samsung's Moohan headset, and a Warby Parker partnership, Google is back in the smart glasses game. How will this stack up against a potential Nike/Apple collaboration and Ray-Ban Meta? Productivity Boosts: Notebook LM gets a handy phone app for on-the-go audio overviews – a cool feature for content research. The Human (or Not-So-Human) Touch: We also touch on the... unique presentation style of some of these announcements. Tune in to get the full perspective on whether Google is truly innovating or just adding to the AI overwhelm. What Google AI feature are you most excited or skeptical about? Let us know in the comments below!https://blog.google/technology/ai/google-io-2025-quiz/https://www.theverge.com/google/670250/google-io-news-announcements-gemini-ai-android-xrhttps://blog.google/technology/ai/google-io-2025-all-our-announcements/Sign up for my new weekly Newsletter The Digital Pulse!https://billmclean.substack.com/Check me out on Social:https://www.threads.net/@williambmcleanhttps://x.com/wbmcleanhttps://bsky.app/profile/billmclean.bsky.socialMust-have affiliate links:☀️Raycast Pro Free for 14 days: https://raycast.com/?via=william-mclean💻CleanMyMac Free for 7 days: https://macpaw.audw.net/c/6052342/263631/1733🎵 2 Months Free! Music, Footage, and More from Artlist: https://artlist.io/referral/4646734/William☁️ Backblaze computer and NAS backup: https://secure.backblaze.com/r/05ckce✅ My favorite todo app(todoist): https://get.todoist.io/ucypxtigr1jyWebsite:www.williabmclean.comFor business inquiries:[email protected]