Upgrade

We've got the new iPhones and it's time for our first hands-on impressions. How has Apple improved the upgrade experience? Could the Apple Store pick-up experience use a little more attention? Are the battery and camera improvements worth the upgrade? How much do we miss 3D Touch? Also Jason has a new Apple Watch, and Myke is sorely tempted by the ceramic Series 5.

This week Upgrade turns five and we're waiting for our new Apple hardware to arrive. But there's still time to reflect on last week's announcements, deal with a flood of Apple TV+ news, ponder Apple's fragmented OS release schedule, carefully examine expensive Apple Watch materials, and prepare for the arrival of iOS 13.

Jason has returned from Cupertino, where he watched Apple unveil the new iPhone 11 models, a new Apple Watch that adds a feature we had given up hope of ever seeing, and details about when we'll see Apple Arcade and Apple TV+. We break down the product marketing, new camera features, surprises, and the shocking results of the 2019 Apple iPhone Event Draft.

It’s time for Jason and Myke to reveal their picks for what will happen on stage at the Steve Jobs Theater next week! They draft 10 different things they expect will happen--or not happen--next Tuesday. Has Jason’s recent run of success gone to his head? Will Myke play it too safe? Will a Spın̈al Tap pick be made? All will be revealed!

There's a lot that separates the U.S. and the UK, like the definition of "lemonade" and the launch date for the new Disney+ streaming service. But nothing can separate our hosts this week, as they convene in Jason's office to discuss the impending iPhone event and to reflect on nearly five years of their status as independent workers and of Upgrade itself.

Special guest Stephen Hackett joins us to discuss the current state of the Mac in both hardware and software. We also ponder Apple's choices in naming the new iPhones, Jason muses about whether the Apple Watch even needs an upgrade this fall, and we wrap things up with a Mac-themed #askupgrade.

Stephen Hackett

With Apple's new operating-system releases due next month, Jason and Myke check in on how their beta experiences are going so far, especially the ups and downs of iPadOS 13. We also discuss Disney's aggressive streaming-service bundling and how Apple might respond next month. And does Samsung's announcement of an ARM laptop with 23-hour battery life serve as the perfect reason why an ARM MacBook is inevitable?

Commerce is in the air as Apple reports more money for wearables and services and less money for the iPhone, and begins to roll out the Apple Card. How does Apple react strategically as a company to financial incentives, and does Apple's success in the category formerly called "Other" suggest a new emphasis on wearables? We also follow up on Siri surveillance and Catalina security and then make a bet to be settled in 2031, assuming money will still exist in the future.

Not WWDC, the Apple Card was unveiled in March! Whoops.

The trouble with Apple sending Siri audio to human beings, macOS Catalina's overly aggressive approach to app security, and the possibility of Apple introducing a $3000 laptop cast a little bit of a pall on the Summer of Fun this week. But cheer up--we've also got some interesting Upstream news about Disney and Amazon, and a summer-themed version of Ask Upgrade!

There's a lot of streaming media news in the mix this week, as Apple is rumored to be pondering premium podcasts and Netflix loses subscribers just at the moment its stiffest competition yet is about to arrive. But that's all just a prelude to our special Summer of Fun segment, as Myke and Jason draft the most appealing video streaming services of 2020.