The Context Machine

Jeff and Bryan are on a roll, and Bryan might be a little manic. Whatever the case, they go on a tear about the growing complexity of managing our iOS devices, and they speculate on what it will take to manage the Apple Watch. Speaking of the Apple Watch, the boys chew over some ideas on Apple Watch longevity, or the lack thereof. And to cap off this tempestuous tantrum, they dive into Apple's Mac market share. Fun, right?

The Mac Observer was on location this week at CES 2015, and along with all the cool products that are coming soon, the crew picked up on some trends for the coming year. Jeff and Bryan talk about the interest-or lack of-device makers were showing in HealthKit and HomeKit, what's happening with home automation products, who wants to support Apple Watch, and more.

GT Advanced Technologies wants to pay out US$6 million in bonuses to company executives in the midst of its bankruptcy proceedings, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Jeff and Bryan look at the pros and cons of GTAT's bonus plan, plus they rant on Twitter's sponsored links in our Following lists, and they share their favorite Apple-related stories for 2014.

Jeff and Bryan want to know why Apple didn't jump on the opportunity to run The Interview, the Sony comedy about two Hollywood celebrities tapped by the CIA to assassinate the dictator of North Korea. They also explore the implications of the Apple and Microsoft-owned Rockstar Consortium, Inc. selling off all or most of its vast patent holdings. Is this the end of the mobile patent wars? It's a holiday episode that counts as short in their world.

The jury in the class action lawsuit claiming Apple violated antitrust rules to unfairly keep competitors out of the mobile device music market shot down the plaintiff's claims, and Jeff and Bryan are pretty pleased with the ruling. They also have plenty to say about Apple's ebook antitrust appeal and Tag Heuer's planned move into the smartwatch market.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg thinks Apple CEO Tim Cook is off base with his philosophy on relationships with customers, so Jeff and Bryan call him to task for missing the point Mr. Cook was really making. They also look at Apple's growing R&D efforts outside of the United States and what that means for the company's future and us.

Apple is headed back to court to appeal Judge Denise Cote's ruling that it orchestrated a conspiracy to artificially raise the price of books, and Jeff and Bryan have some thoughts on what Apple did, Judge Cote's ruling, and the book industry. They also have something to say about music file formats and the lack of Apple Lossless as an iTunes Store option.

Bryan and Jeff get their steampunk nerdery on this week after finding some amazingly cool USB drive designs. They also have something to say about the growing momentum behind the not-yet-shipping Apple Watch, and reports that Apple has teamed up with Foxconn for iPhone sapphire glass production.

Microsoft just doesn't get how to deliver a compelling message, and that's so clear in its latest Surface Pro 3 ad. Jeff and Bryan take a look at Microsoft's lack of vision in its product designs and marketing messages, plus they have plenty to say about yesterday's Apple Watch SDK beta announcement and the DOJ's efforts to pressure Apple into making a back door into iPhone encryption.

Apple is facing a potential class action lawsuit over text messages that never made it to former iPhone users, and the fight for Net Neutrality is turning very political. Jeff and Bryan dive into both topics, plus they take a look at recently unsealed documents in the GT Advanced Technologies bankruptcy filing and debate whether or not Apple bullies its suppliers.