Manton and Daniel react to Apple’s March Special Event. They question the merit of Apple Card with it’s higher-than-expected interest rates. They weigh the benefits of a closed system like Apple News versus the completely free web. They talk about Apple Arcade, how it will impact existing game developers, and whether it will take precedence over the current Games category. Finally, they wonder whether Apple’s wide range of subscription offerings will finally push the company to offer something like “Amazon Prime” to unify everything.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You. Use promo code coreint2019 for $20 credit when you sign up.

Links:

• Apple Card – Apple’s forthcoming branded credit card.
• Apple News+ – Expansion of Apple News with premium offerings for $10/month.
• Apple Arcade – Subscription video games, coming later this year.
• SetApp – Subscription software program for Mac apps.
• AppleTV+ – Streaming service consisting of Apple’s own self-produced shows.
• Disney+ – Disney’s own streaming service has a very similar name!

Daniel talks to Manton about shipping a substantial MarsEdit update in the wake of being busy at his new job. They talk a little bit about one of the Micro.blog features MarsEdit now supports, and how MarsEdit still needs to support a jumble of loosely related blogging APIs. Manton talks about shipping Sunlit 2.4 with a redesigned posting interface. They reacted to Apple’s “week of product announcements”, and talk about the merit of remaining frugal even when you suddenly have some money coming in.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You.

Links:

• MarsEdit 4.3 – Daniel’s post announcing MarsEdit 4.3.
• Sunlit 2.4 – Manton’s post announcing Sunlit 2.4.
• Apple’s new iPads – Apple’s releasing new hardware this week…
• Apple’s new iMacs – … and more …
• Apple’s new AirPods – … and more!
• Layers Conference – A conference about design, technology, creativity, and snacks.
• AltConf 2019 – It’s happening!
• Don’t Give up on WWDC – Manton’s post about making WWDC work on a budget.

Manton catches up on Daniel’s impressions after working the first few days at his new job, which is a “perfect fit” in many ways. They react to Spotify’s “Time to Play Fair” public challenge to Apple, and question how Apple might react to it. They touch on other public trends against Big Tech, including Elizabeth Warren’s suggestion that Apple and other companies should be broken up.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You.

Links:

• Mixed in Key – The audio software company that Daniel is working for.
• Clarion – Daniel’s Mac-based music interval quiz software.
• Time to Play Fair – Spotify’s public challenge to Apple’s alleged anti-competitive behavior.
• Break up Apple – The Verge reports on Eliabeth Warren’s view that Apple should be split up.
• Where Warren’s Wrong – Ben Thompson’s anlaysis of Warren’s plan.
• Spotify Standing up to Apple – Manton’s blog post reacting to Spotify’s actions.
• Antitrust 3: Big Tech – NPR’s Planet Money reports on the power of Big Tech and whether the government should apply anti-trust measures to rein them in.
• Amazon Marketplace – The service through which 3rd parties can sell their own products via Amazon.

Daniel reveals to Manton that he’s (on the verge of) taking a part-time job. They assess the likely impact on Red Sweater, and how it might affect Daniel’s self image as an “independent developer.” Manton talks about updates he’s making to Micro.blog’s billing infrastructure, and how small improvements can lead to recurring increases in revenues. Finally, Daniel reviews his plans for the upcoming 4.3 release, and questions whether having less time to work on Red Sweater might make the time he does spend on it more productive.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

• TextExpander: Communicate Smarter.
• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You.

Links:

• Brent Simmons – Developer of NetNewsWire and other fine apps.
• Inessential.com – Brent Simmons’s blog.
• NetNewsWire GitHub – Open-source repository for Brent’s Mac-based news reader.
• Core Intuition Slack – Join the community of Core Intuition listeners.
• What’s an Indie? – Steve “Scotty” Scott and John Fox on whether you have to sell your own apps to be an indie.
• Six Colors – Apple-centric blog by Jason Snell and Dan Moren.
• Micro.blog – Manton’s microblogging service.
• MarsEdit – Daniel’s Mac-based blogging app.

Manton and Daniel talk about how IndieWebCamp Austin went, and reflect on the virtues of the diverse “open web” community. They react to a debate between Jeff Atwood & David Heinemeier Hansson about their purportedly different approaches to business. Finally, they talk about Daniel’s increasingly glum feelings about his business, Daniel makes some self-assessment of shortcomings, and the two of them talk about making small, productive tweaks to increase revenues.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

• Swift by Midwest: A focused learning experience for Swift, iOS, and macOS developers. Use promo code COREINT for 20% off.
• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You. Use promo code coreint2019 for $20 credit when you sign up.

Links:

• IndieWebCamp Austin – Gathering that Manton helped organize.
• Micro.blog – Manton’s open-web inspired blogging service.
• Eating You Alive Inside – Jeff Atwood’s tweet about what he thinks should motivate entrepreneurs.
• I Have a Confession – David Heinemeier Hansson’s contradictory response to Atwood.
• Permits of Passion – Hansson follows up with a blog post on the subject.
• Basecamp – Company founded by Hansson, along with Jason Fried.
• Red Sweater – Daniel’s indie software business.
• Success Hides Problems – Ed Catmull talk from which the semi-famous phrase comes.
• Black Ink – Daniel’s crossword-solving app.