Episode 452: One Unfolding Disaster

Manton updates Daniel on the state of things in Texas, where a disastrous winter storm has wreaked havoc. Switching gears back to tech, they point to confirmation of the vague problems Daniel recalled hearing about building apps on M1 Macs. Finally, they reconsider how and when they’re likely to spend the $500 DTK credits they are expecting.

No sponsor this week! Please consider sponsoring us, or asking your employer to do so.

Links:

  • Winter Storm – Houston Chronicle weather page covering the impact of the storm.
  • Signing Code on Apple Silicon – Quinn from Apple provides an overview of the problem and workaround for signing code for older versions of macOS.
  • I’m Coping and Okay – Dan Rather tweets from the midst of Austin, TX during the winter storm.

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February 20, 2021 at 5:03 pm.

Episode 451: I Was Expecting Nothing

Daniel and Manton catch up on last week’s news from Apple that they will offer $500 instead of $200 to DTK leasers. They discuss the general state of Apple’s Developer Relations compared to other companies such as Microsoft, and challenge Apple to strive to outdo their competition. Finally, they compare notes about what they each plan to spend their respective $500 credits on.

No sponsor this week! Please consider sponsoring us, or asking your employer to do so.

Links:

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February 10, 2021 at 10:32 pm.

Episode 450: The Full Indie Experience

Daniel shares that he has resigned from his nearly-full-time contract in order to refocus on Red Sweater and “the indie software dream.” Also, Manton and Daniel react to Apple’s email warning that Developer Transition Kits will soon be called hom, and talk about Apple’s missed opportunity for better PR with developers.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

  • PDFpen: Edit PDFs with Ease!

Links:

  • Mixed in Key – The music-oriented software company Daniel is resigning from.
  • Cocoa Job Opportunity – Job listing from Mixed in Key
  • Silverpine Software – Software company run by long-time friend of the show Jonathan Hays, where Manton also works part-time.
  • Two Weeks Notice – Manton’s 2015 blog post announcing his resignation from VitalSource, his former employer.
  • I Didn’t Expect Anything – Daniel’s tweet reacting to people’s rage over Apple’s DTK return credit.

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February 7, 2021 at 5:05 pm.

Episode 449: Geezer Programming Languages

Daniel and Manton reflect on the passing of Brad Cox, inventor of Objective-C, and the impact his work has had on Mac and iOS developers.

No sponsor this week! Please consider sponsoring us, or asking your employer to do so.

Links:

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January 29, 2021 at 9:27 pm.

Episode 448: A Long Sigh Of Relief

Manton and Daniel briefly observe their personal feelings of relief after the US Presidential inauguration, while acknowledging that the past four years have not been all bad for most of us. They talk about Apple’s rumored VR headset, about how they may be too old and grumpy to see the promise of AR/VR, but that they are nonetheless eager to be proven wrong by whatever Apple is working on.

No sponsor this week! Please consider sponsoring us, or asking your employer to do so.

Links:

  • Apple’s Headset – TechCrunch digests the rumor that Apple may have a new VR device in the works.
  • Doing a Fine Job – Daniel’s previously pinned tweet.
  • Macintosh Portable – A former Apple product that didn’t quite hit the sweet spot, size-wise.
  • AR Dev Kit – Matthew Panzarino chimes in with a succinct observation.

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January 22, 2021 at 5:22 pm.

Episode 447: The Loose-end Bucket

Daniel updates Manton on his ongoing quest to “tie up all the loose ends” in his software lineup, and questions whether perpetually tying up loose ends might be a form of procrastinating coming up with new ideas. Daniel talks about the strange situation he’s in with FastScripts in the Mac App Store, having been non-sandboxed from the beginning, and continuing to be that way. Finally, Daniel acknowledges that he may have to take FastScripts out of the Mac App Store because he wants to charge an upgrade fee for the forthcoming major update.

No sponsor this week! Please consider sponsoring us, or asking your employer to do so.

Links:

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January 16, 2021 at 4:03 pm.

Episode 446: It’s A Fresh Start

Manton and Daniel kick off the new year after taking some time off. Daniel talks about giving himself permission to work on wrapping up loose ends with his own various apps while waiting for the next big inspiration. Manton talks about doing new work with Jon Hays and taking the foot off the pedal slightly with Micro.blog over the holidays. Finally, they compare notes about applying for Apple’s Small Business Program, and discuss the potential downsides of applying if you don’t really need to.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

Links:

  • FastScripts – Daniel’s Mac scripting utility.
  • Silverpine Software – Jon Hays’s mobile development company that Manton also works for.
  • Micro.blog 2.0 – Manton’s iOS client for the Micro.blog service.
  • Sunlit – Open source iOS photoblogging app co-developed by Manton and Jon Hays.
  • Wavelength – iOS podcasting app that works with Micro.blog.
  • Basecamp – A moderately large company that doesn’t sell through the App Store.
  • Epic Games – A very large company that doesn’t sell through the App Store.
  • RailModeller Pro – Advanced model railroad design app for the Mac.

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January 11, 2021 at 6:09 pm.

Episode 445: I Need Validation

Daniel and Manton take stock of Apple’s 2020 “Apps of the Year”, and question what the criteria for winning might actually be. Then they talk about Salesforce’s acquisition of Slack, and weigh the odds of any company being able to thrive after being acquired.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

Links:

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December 9, 2020 at 3:59 pm.

Episode 444: Say You Like The Peanut Butter

Manton and Daniel talk about the rumors of newly designed Macs coming next year, and compare notes on our regrets or satisfaction with having purchased Intel-based MacBook Pros recently. They also talk about Apple’s PR blitz in the aftermath of announcing 15% App Store commissions for “small businesses.”

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

  • Organize your inbox (and never waste time on email again) with SaneBox.

Links:

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November 25, 2020 at 11:07 pm.

Episode 443: A Reboot of Macs

Daniel and Manton talk about Apple’s newly-announced Small Business program, promising to halve the amount of commission Apple takes from App Store sales. They celebrate the instant raise this will give to many developers, but question whether it alters the overall proposition for folks who have a choice of whether to sell inside or outside the App Store. Finally, they talk about the newly-released M1-based Macs and how they appear to be a resounding success.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

Links:

  • Trust Me on This – James Thomson’s advice on Twitter not to do the math on your history of 30% App Store commissions.
  • Fixing the App Store – Manton’s post from earlier this year about what he thinks Apple needs to do.
  • About that 85 Percent – Jacob Eiting’s blog post about how the 15% deal for subscriptions doesn’t pan out.
  • $999,999 – Daniel quips about trying to keep his earnings under $1M.
  • Free Fortnite: Australia – Epic launches a new attack against Apple in Australia.
  • Check with Manton – Nick Ager posts on Twitter, suggesting an unlikely solution for MacBook Pro fan noise.

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November 22, 2020 at 7:35 pm.