Beyond Devices Podcast

Week 111 – NR – Facebook Ad Targeting, Amazon Buying Channels, Apple Roundup

Sep 15 • 34 min

This week’s news was rather dominated by Apple, but we did still find some other things to talk about in our News Roundup episode. We kick things off with news that Facebook (as well as Google and Twitter) has been offering advertisers the option of…

Week 111 – QotW – Apple September 2017 Event

Sep 12 • 61 min

As per tradition, this week’s Question of the Week episode is a deep dive on Apple’s September 2017 event, which happened this morning. Jan was there in person, while Aaron followed along remotely, and in keeping with our usual format we discuss the…

Week 110 – NR – Roku IPO, Streaming Partners, Amazon HQ2, Equifax

Sep 8 • 38 min

This week’s News Roundup episode covers four major topics. We kick off with a discussion of the Roku IPO filing and the launch of the Roku movie channel, and the implications of the company’s increasingly ad- centric business model. Secondly, we discuss…

Week 110 – QotW – Mark Bergen On Alphabet And Google

Sep 6 • 37 min

As with our last Question of the Week episode, this one is an interview rather than a discussion between Aaron and Jan. This time around, Jan talks to Mark Bergen, who is the Alphabet and Google beat reporter at Bloomberg, and previously did the same job…

Week 109 – NR – Fitbit Ionic, Uber CEO, Google ARCore & EU, Cortana - Alexa

Sep 1 • 26 min

This week Aaron was traveling and so you get a solo episode from Jan again, with five news items from this week. First up is Fitbit’s announcement of its Ionic smartwatch, which will be available in October. Second is Uber’s new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and…

Week 108 – NR – Samsung Note8, Amazon - Whole Foods, Apple Car

Aug 25 • 29 min

This is our News Roundup episode for the week, and as usual we discuss a few of the week’s big news stories. First up is Samsung’s launch of the Note8 device, the successor to last year’s ill-fated Note7, which took place this week in New York City. Jan…

Week 108 – QotW – Mary Jo Foley On Microsoft

Aug 22 • 32 min

After a couple of weeks off for the Question of the Week episode, we have an interview with Mary Jo Foley, a reporter who’s been covering Microsoft pretty much exclusively for 20 years, and who’s one of the most knowledgeable and respected journalists on…

Week 107 – NR – Essential Phone, Apple Watch, Original Video Content

Aug 18 • 29 min

Aaron’s back, and so we’re back to our usual back and forth format, this time around three major topics. First up, we talk about the belated launch of the Essential Phone from Andy Rubin’s company, and the reviews which came out on Friday. Secondly, we…

Week 106 – NR – Google Memo, Uber Board, Netflix/Disney, Facebook Watch, CR & Surface, SoundCloud

Aug 11 • 27 min

With Aaron away, this is a solo episode of the News Roundup by Jan. Because there’s only one of us talking, there are more topics than usual on this week’s episode: six, to be precise. These are: the controversial Google memo; Uber board shenanigans;…

Week 105 – NR – GoPro & Fitbit Earnings, FB Hardware, iPhone Leaks, Market Share Numbers

Aug 4 • 30 min

This week’s News Roundup episode features a discussion of GoPro and Fitbit earnings, how they’re similar and how they’re different; Bloomberg’s reporting on potential Facebook hardware for the home; iPhone details emerging from the HomePod firmware leak;…

Week 105 – QotW – Apple Q2 2017 Earnings

Aug 2 • 42 min

We’re back with another deep dive, this time around our quarterly review of Apple’s earnings for the June 2017 quarter, Apple’s fiscal Q3. We talk through three sets of things: the numbers announced for the quarter, the guidance offered for next quarter,…

Week 104 – NR – Twitter And Amazon Earnings, IPod Line Culled, End Of Flash

Jul 28 • 32 min

This is the week’s News Roundup episode. We’d hoped to have a Question of the Week for you too, but we had a technical hitch in recording and it’ll be out at some point in the next couple of weeks instead, with a deep dive on Apple earnings as usual next…

Week 103 – NR – Netflix Earnings, Lyft Self-Driving System, Google Glass, Twitter Abuse

Jul 21 • 27 min

Here’s our News Roundup episode for the week, with a deeper dive on a few of the big news items from the past few days. We kick off earnings season with a discussion of Netflix earnings and what if anything it has to worry about in future. Secondly, we…

Week 103 – QotW – Apple Health And Wellness

Jul 20 • 34 min

After a couple of weeks’ break, we’re back with another Question of the Week, this time focused on Apple’s health and wellness products and services and the ecosystem it’s built around them. Jan attended a set of briefings last week in which Apple laid…

Week 102 – NR – Microsoft Broadband, Prime Day, Uber - Yandex, Facebook VR

Jul 13 • 29 min

Once again, there’s no Question of the Week episode this week, but here’s our roundup of the major news of the week. We start with Microsoft’s push to expand access to broadband in the rural United States through the use of wireless technology running in…

Week 101 – NR – Jawbone, Preliminary Samsung, LG, Xiaomi Results, Amazon Prime Subs, IPhone Touch ID

Jul 7 • 31 min

There’s no Question of the Week episode this week, but here’s our roundup of the major news of the week. We kick things off with a discussion of Jawbone’s reported liquidation and what it might mean for the broader wearables market. Secondly, we discuss…

Week 100 – NR – Google & EU, Facebook 2 Billion, Amazon Echo Show Reviews

Jun 30 • 37 min

This week’s News Roundup episode focused on three major news items, plus one smaller related one. First up, we discuss the European Commission’s action against Google over Google Shopping integration in search, including a 2.4 billion Euro fine. Secondly,…

Week 100 – QotW – Voice And Amazon

Jun 28 • 35 min

This is our Question of the Week episode for this week, with our News Roundup to follow on Friday. This week’s question is “Is Voice the Next Big User Interface, and is Amazon Really Winning? ” The question comes from the prevailing narrative in the…

Week 99 – NR – Uber Changes, Amazon Whole Foods, New Xbox, Apple TV Execs, Gmail Scanning

Jun 23 • 30 min

This is our first episode for two weeks, as Jan’s been traveling, and since Aaron is now busy this is a solo News Roundup from Jan on some of the big news stories from the last two weeks. On the agenda today are all the big Uber news including the Holder…

Week 98 – NR – Uber Hires And Fires, Boston Dynamics Sale, Apple Business Chat &

Jun 9 • 33 min

Following our deep dive on Apple’s WWDC news on Monday, here is our News Roundup episode for the week. We kick things off with a bunch of Uber news, much of it involving hiring and firing of executives and others, in a sign that Uber may finally be taking…

Week 98 – QotW – WWDC 2017

Jun 5 • 57 min

This is our annual deep-dive episode on announcements from Apple’s WWDC developer conference. We handle the news from today’s keynote in more or less chronological order: • Introduction, tvOS, watchOS • macOS and new Mac hardware • iOS and iPad • HomePod.…

Week 97 – NR – Essential Phone, Nest Cam IQ, Apple Tidbits

Jun 2 • 34 min

This is our News Roundup episode for the week. Our three topics this time around were the Essential Phone and related products and services announced by Android creator Andy Rubin; the Nest Cam IQ announced by Nest; and a set of minor news items regarding…

Week 97 – QotW – Mary Meeker’s Internet Deck

Jun 1 • 35 min

We skipped last week’s Question of the Week but it’s back this week with a deep dive on Kleiner Perkins analyst Mary Meeker’s annual deck on Internet trends, which was delivered at the Code Conference run by Recode. It’s a massive deck with 355 slides and…

Week 96 – NR – New Surface Pro, LeEco Meltdown, Assistant Ads, Apple News Editor

May 26 • 31 min

This is our News Roundup episode for the week and also our only episode, as we didn’t have time for a Question of the Week episode this week. This was something of a quiet week with only a couple of major announcements, but we still found some stuff to…

Week 95 – NR – Spotify FInancials, Uber/Waymo Lawsuit, Apple Tidbits

May 19 • 32 min

This is our News Roundup episode for the week. Having discussed the week’s big Google news in the Question of the Week deep dive episode, this one covers the other tech news, including Spotify’s 2016 financials, developments in the Uber/Waymo lawsuit, and…

Week 95 – QotW – Google IO

May 18 • 47 min

For the second week in a row, our Question of the Week episode focuses on a developer event, this time around Google’s I/O conference. We focus mostly on the first day keynote, which covered a ton of ground in two hours, from a general pitch around…

Week 94 – NR – Echo Show, Snap Earnings, Uber Court Case

May 12 • 20 min

This is our News Roundup episode for the week, in which we discuss the announcement of Amazon’s Echo Show device with a screen; Snap’s first earnings as a public company; and Uber’s failure to have its court case with Waymo settled in arbitration and…

Week 94 – QotW – Microsoft Build

May 12 • 31 min

This is our Question of the Week episode, with a deep dive on Microsoft’s Build developer conference and the announcements it made there. As Aaron is away this week, Jan – who attended Build in person – talks through the major announcements from the two…

Week 93 – NR – Microsoft Announcements, Hulu Live TV, YouTube & Twitter TV Shows

May 5 • 32 min

Earlier this week, our Question of the Week episode was our quarterly deep dive on Apple’s earnings. This News Roundup episode covers some of the week’s other big tech news: • The first eighteen minutes or so of the episode are a discussion of Microsoft’s…

Week 93 – QotW – Apple Earnings

May 3 • 31 min

This is our Question of the Week episode, with the question being what we should make of Apple’s March quarter earnings, reported on Tuesday this week, so this is our quarterly deep dive on Apple’s earnings. We talk through each of the major product…

Week 92 – NR – Amazon News, Apple Payments, Mobile & Twitter Earnings

Apr 28 • 31 min

Earlier this week, we did our Question of the Week episode, which covered the state of retail, while this News Roundup episode covers some of the week’s big tech news: • Three Amazon topics: its announcement of the Echo Look fashion-focused device; its…

Week 92 – QotW – Retail

Apr 26 • 27 min

This is the Question of the Week episode for this week, and the News Roundup episode should be up on Friday. This week’s question is about whether the death of physical retail has been exaggerated, and ultimately what the state of physical retail is in a…

Week 91 – NR – Apple Tidbits, Google Home Multi - User, Netflix Earnings, S8 Reviews

Apr 21 • 30 min

Earlier this week, we did our Question of the Week episode, which covered the Facebook F8 announcements, so this News Roundup episode covers some of the other big news for the week: • Several Apple news tidbits, including a set of environmental…

Week 91 – QotW – Facebook And Innovation

Apr 20 • 33 min

This is the Question of the Week episode for this week, and the News Roundup episode will be up tomorrow. This week, Jan attended F8 and our Question of the Week is “What’s the state of innovation at Facebook?” We use Facebook’s F8 announcements and…

Week 90 – NR – Spectrum, Apple R&D, Uber Finances, Bixby Delay, LeEco News

Apr 14 • 29 min

There won’t be a Question of the Week episode this week as we’ve both been busy. Here is this week’s News Roundup episode, in which we cover the following five topics in quick-fire order: • Spectrum news including the conclusion of the FCC’s spectrum…

Week 89 – NR – Apple GPU And Mac, Comcast Mobile, Facebook Content, Samsung Results

Apr 7 • 26 min

Here is this week’s News Roundup episode, which is a solo effort from Jan as Aaron is traveling. This week, we cover: • Two unusual announcements of future plans from Apple: its intention to build its own GPU, and its roadmap for pro Macs • Comcast’s…

Week 89 – QotW – Accessibility and Devices

Apr 7 • 30 min

This is the Question of the Week episode for this week, and the News Roundup episode will be up shortly too. This week’s format is a little different, as Aaron is traveling, and so I spoke to an old colleague of mine, Chris Lewis, who is also an analyst…

Week 88 – NR – ISP Privacy, Twitter Changes, Streaming Music

Mar 31 • 34 min

This is the second of our new News Roundup episodes, which will usually appear on Fridays and discuss several of the week’s top tech news stories. This week, we cover: • Congressional action to roll back privacy regulations for ISPs, which has been…

Week 88 – QotW – Samsung Galaxy S8 Event

Mar 29 • 30 min

This is the second week of our new split format, and this is the Question of the Week episode. This week’s News Roundup should follow on Friday. This week’s question is “What do you make of the Samsung announcements this week?” Samsung held an event on…

Week 87 – News Roundup – YouTube, Bixby, Twitter Subs, Apple News

Mar 24 • 33 min

This is the first of our new News Roundup episodes, which will usually appear on Fridays and discuss several of the week’s top tech news stories. This week, we cover: – Advertisers in the UK and now the US boycotting YouTube and to some extent Google more…

Week 87 – QotW – Apple Pricing Strategy

Mar 23 • 23 min

As we announced last week, we’re embarking on a change in the format of the podcast, and from here on out you’ll see two episodes from us weekly, with each encapsulating one of the segments of the old format – the Question of the Week, and the News…

Episode 86 - State of AI, News Roundup

Mar 16 • 41 min

This week’s format is a little shorter than usual – we dispense with our third segment and stick to just the News Roundup and Question of the Week, partly in preparation for some format changes we’re planning. More about this in the episode, but we’re…

Episode 85 – Uber’s Ethical Vacuum, Mac vs PC

Mar 8 • 59 min

This week’s News Roundup covers the Wikileaks CIA leak on device hacking and the misreporting that’s been happening around it this week; two “fake news” stories – Facebook’s commencement of its flagging of fake news and Google’s failure to surface true…

Episode 84 – AWS and Outages, MWC Announcements

Mar 2 • 57 min

This week’s News Roundup covers YouTube’s announcement of the appropriately named YouTube TV service, which will offer a bundle of broadcast and cable channels from four major companies for $35; rumors that Apple would replace the Lightning connector on…

Episode 83 – State of Online Advertising, US Wireless Market Update

Feb 22 • 54 min

Our News Roundup this week covers former Uber employee Susan Fowler’s revelations about how she was treated as a female engineer at the company, and the subsequent announcement of an investigation by a semi-independent panel; Waze’s expansion into…

Episode 82 – Original Video Content, Snap’s S-1 Filing

Feb 15 • 58 min

We’re back to our usual format this week. Our News Roundup kicks off with a couple of US wireless stories – Verizon Wireless reintroducing unlimited plans, and T-Mobile reporting its results. Next up, we discuss Apple joining the Wireless Power…

Episode 81 – Business and Politics, News Roundup

Feb 10 • 59 min

We have a slightly different format this week – Jan lost his voice and so we took out the third segment we usually have and spent a little more time on the Question of the Week, where Aaron was going to be doing most of the talking. Our News Roundup…

Episode 80 – Tech Narratives, Apple Earnings

Feb 2 • 61 min

A quick note: we had an glitch at Aaron’s end, which dramatically reduced the quality of his side of the audio, so he sounds like he’s on the other end of a phone line rather than using a high powered mic. We’re not sure what happened, but it wasn’t…

Episode 79 – Apple Employee Departures, Q4 2016 Earnings Preview Part 2

Jan 25 • 48 min

This week, our News Roundup features three topics: the conclusion and announcement of the findings of Samsung’s Note7 investigation; Samsung and LG’s earnings for Q4 2016; and Snap’s various preparations and signs of increasing maturity ahead of an IPO.…

Episode 78 – Autonomous Driving, Earnings Preview Part 1

Jan 19 • 61 min

This week, we’re back to our usual format. Our News Roundup features three topics: in streaming video, Netflix reported earnings this week and Hulu indicated that its download feature is coming soon; in the Android world, The Information reported that…

Episode 77 – Themes from CES 2017, iPhone 10th Anniversary

Jan 13 • 58 min

We’re back after our long Christmas, New Year, and CES hiatus – thanks for bearing with us while we took our break, and Happy New Year! We kick things off with a News Roundup, with three topics: Apple’s reported investment in original video content,…

Episode 76 – 2017 Predictions and 2016 Predictions Review

Dec 21, 2016 • 59 min

This episode is all about predictions. First off, we review the predictions we made a year ago for 2016, including a raft of Apple-related predictions as well as some other company-specific ones and then some industry level forecasts. But most of the…

Episode 75 – 2016 Year in Review, AirPods

Dec 15, 2016 • 61 min

Our News Roundup this week covers three topics. We start with a second week in a row of Amazon news, this time the announcement of a drone-based delivery trial in Cambridge, England. Next, we discuss a couple of pieces of news about autonomous driving –…

Episode 74 – Music Streaming, Are Gadgets Dead?

Dec 7, 2016 • 48 min

Our News Roundup this week covers three topics. First, T-Mobile’s announcement of Digits, a service which will allow customers to use their single number on multiple devices, or multiple numbers on a single device. Second, we discuss two news items…

Episode 73 – Apple Structure, State of Smartwatches

Dec 2, 2016 • 58 min

Our News Roundup this week covers three topics. First, two stories about home assistants, with a report that Amazon will make an Echo with a screen, and another that Microsoft will add features to Windows 10 to allow PCs to serve as ambient voice…

Episode 72 – Cord Cutting, Tech Thanksgiving

Nov 22, 2016 • 52 min

This week’s episode is a special Thanksgiving episode for our listeners here in the US. Our News Roundup covers three stories. The first two are WiFi-related, with Google making its new Google Wifi devices available for sale and providing a self-made…

Episode 71 – Samsung buys Harman, MacBook Pro Review and Apple Design

Nov 16, 2016 • 57 min

This week’s episode is back to our usual format, with a News Roundup to kick things off, a Question of the Week, and a third segment, followed by a Weekly Pick. Our News Roundup covers three stories: firstly, Snap (nee Snapchat) released its Spectacles…

Episode 70 – Election & Tech, Google Hardware Review

Nov 11, 2016 • 66 min

In this week’s episode, we cover two topics: technology and the US presidential election, and a review of Google’s three new hardware products: Home, Pixel, and Daydream View. Our first topic, which takes up a little over the first half of the episode, is…

Episode 69 – Q3 2016 Tech Earnings Review

Nov 2, 2016 • 49 min

This week’s episode is a review of earnings for the biggest tech companies that have reported earnings for Q3 2016 so far: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, and Twitter. We cover each for a few minutes in alphabetical order, discussing the…

Episode 68 – Microsoft and Apple October Events

Oct 28, 2016 • 49 min

This week’s episode is all about Microsoft and Apple’s two big events this week. We first talk through Microsoft’s announcements, including the Windows 10 Creators Update, various creativity software, Microsoft’s first VR play, and more. Then we discuss…

Episode 67 – LeEco, Project Titan, Q3 Earnings Preview, Pixel Reviews

Oct 19, 2016 • 59 min

This week’s News Roundup is a little longer than usual as we do a deeper than expected dive into three topics. First off, we discuss the US coming-out party for LeEco, a Chinese consumer technology company that’s taking a content-centric approach.…

Episode 66 – Conflict Minerals, The De-Democratization of Publishing

Oct 12, 2016 • 51 min

Our News Roundup returns this week with three topics: first off, the latest installment of the Samsung Galaxy Note7 saga; secondly, Amazon’s launch of two new streaming music services and the implications for the sector; and thirdly, the figures on iOS 10…

Episode 65 – Google Assistant, Pixel, and Home

Oct 7, 2016 • 40 min

This week’s episode dispenses with our usual format and focuses exclusively on Google’s event. We kick off the episode with a discussion about Google’s AI message and the Google Assistant, and the role of AI in differentiation, both for Google services…

Episode 64 – Demystifying Snapchat, Consumer Tech in Enterprise

Sep 28, 2016 • 54 min

Our News Roundup this week covers BlackBerry’s announcement that it will stop making its own hardware; Twitter’s announcement that the creation of Moments is now open to everyone, in addition to the ongoing rumors of a Twitter acquisition; and Elon Musk’s…

Episode 63 – Research on Product Recalls, iPhone 7 & Watch 2 Review

Sep 21, 2016 • 58 min

Our News Roundup this week covers the reports that Apple has been considering an investment in or outright acquisition of British supercar manufacturer McLaren; the release of Google’s Allo messaging app; and Comcast’s announcement that it will finally…

Episode 62 – Verily Overview, iPhone Reviews Review

Sep 14, 2016 • 55 min

Our News Roundup this week covers the ongoing fallout from the Samsung Galaxy Note7 battery problems; the story that Amazon is going to be experimenting with a 30-hour work week for some of its employees; and the expansion of comment filtering…

Episode 61 – Apple September 2016 Event

Sep 7, 2016 • 63 min

This week’s episode is entirely taken up with a discussion of Apple’s September 2016 iPhone and Apple Watch event. Jan attended in person and Aaron watched remotely, and we recorded this discussion a couple of hours after the conclusion of the event while…

Episode 60 – Social Media Insights, Apple Event Preview

Aug 31, 2016 • 58 min

In our News Roundup this week, we talk about the EU’s action against Apple with regard to its Irish tax arrangements; Facebook’s firing of the editors who used to handle its Trending Topics section, and the somewhat predictable results; and the news from…

Episode 59 – Tim Cook’s 5 Years, Intel IDF Announcements

Aug 24, 2016 • 52 min

Our News Roundup this week covers the Backchannel article about Apple’s AI efforts; Spotify, Amazon, and Pandora’s attempts to negotiate new rights deals with music labels; and the shutdown of John Gruber’s Vesper note-taking app for iOS (and what it says…

Episode 58 – Unsticking Twitter, What We Use

Aug 17, 2016 • 56 min

Our News Roundup this week covers the Samsung Note7 reviews that came out this week; Google’s launch of its Duo video calling app for Android and iOS; and Apple’s announcement of an R&D center in China. Our Question of the Week is “Why does Twitter seem…

Episode 57 – Business Ethics, Verizon-Yahoo Acquisition

Aug 10, 2016 • 51 min

We’re back to our usual format this week, with a News Roundup, Question of the Week, and a third topic, as well as a Weekly Pick. In our News Roundup, we cover what’s been happening with Nintendo’s share price recently, this week’s reports about Apple…

Episode 56 – Q2 2016 Tech Company Earnings Review

Aug 3, 2016 • 45 min

We’re back after a two-week break, and this episode is exclusively devoted to a review of major tech companies earnings for Q2 2016, which were reported over the last several weeks. We take a thematic approach to the topic, focusing first on hardware…

Episode 55 – Pokemon Go Prospects, Facebook Live Video

Jul 13, 2016 • 53 min

Our News Roundup this week covers Amazon’s Prime Day, Twitter’s recent deals and experiments around professionally produced live video, and Microsoft’s announcement of Surface as a Service. Our Question of the Week is “What do the economics of the mobile…

Episode 54 – Apple Watch Sensors, Tesla Autopilot Crash

Jul 6, 2016 • 52 min

Our News Roundup this week covers three topics: BlackBerry killing off its Classic device (though refuting reports that it’s killing the BlackBerry 10 OS); Comcast and Netflix reaching a deal to put Netflix on Comcast set top boxes; and a report that the…

Episode 53 – Apple in India, Facebook News Feed Changes

Jun 29, 2016 • 49 min

Our News Roundup this week covers three topics: Microsoft’s announcement that Windows 10 now has 350 installations; Twitter’s addition of stickers to photos shared through the platform; and Amazon’s new strategy for selling third-party Android phones with…

Episode 52 – Differential Privacy, macOS Sierra Reviews, iPhone 7 Reports

Jun 23, 2016 • 58 min

We returned to our usual format this week, kicking things off with a News Roundup, and including a Question of the Week and Weekly Pick. Our News Roundup covered three topics: Instagram’s release of user numbers, including 500 million monthly active users…

Episode 51 – Themes from WWDC 2016

Jun 15, 2016 • 52 min

This episode is entirely devoted to covering the 2016 edition of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), which we previewed last week. Rather than go through chronologically, as we often do with these episodes, or even by product/platform, we felt…

Episode 50 – Our First Year, WWDC 2016 Preview

Jun 8, 2016 • 54 min

This week’s episode marks the one-year anniversary of the first episode, with both episodes offering previews of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). Given the anniversary, we thought it would be fun to do a little retrospective of some of the…

Episode 49 – State of the Smart Home, Mary Meeker Deck

Jun 1, 2016 • 52 min

This week’s News Roundup covered three topics: Microsoft’s deal with Xiaomi to share patents and pre-install Office and Skype on Xiaomi devices; rumors of a new 5K display from Apple; and a new EU Code of Conduct on policing hate speech signed by major…

Episode 48 – Consumer Tech in Africa, Apple & AI

May 25, 2016 • 58 min

Our News Roundup covered three topics: Spotify’s financials, which Jan wrote about earlier in the week; Microsoft’s decision to exit the consumer smartphone market; and Twitter’s planned change to the 140-character limit. Our Question of the Week…

Episode 47 – Apple in Asia, Google I/O Announcements

May 20, 2016 • 58 min

Aaron is finally back from his travels in Africa, and so we returned to something more like our usual format this week. We kicked things off with a News Roundup, with two of the topics concerning Apple in Asia. We first discussed Apple’s investment in…

Episode 46 – WSJ Tech Columnist Christopher Mims Interview

May 11, 2016 • 44 min

As a reminder, Aaron is still out of the country for one more week, working with students and fellow faculty on various projects in Ghana, Africa. He’ll be back for next week’s episode. In the meantime, this week’s episode is an interview with Christopher…

Episode 45 – Music Industry Interview

May 4, 2016 • 36 min

As we said last week, Aaron is out of the country for the next couple of weeks on a trip to Ghana, in Africa. As such, we’re switching up the format of the podcast a little in his absence. This week, that means you get an interview between Jan and Ryan…

Episode 44 – Apple March 2016 Quarter Earnings

Apr 27, 2016 • 41 min

For the next few weeks, we’re going to be messing with our usual format as Aaron will be traveling. This week, the only topic was Apple’s earnings for the March quarter. The first twenty minutes or so are mostly Aaron, who had just a brief window before…

Episode 43 – EU Android Antitrust Action, Tech Earnings Roundup

Apr 22, 2016 • 51 min

Our three News Roundup topics this week were: * China’s blocking of two Apple content services * Apple’s MacBook update * Uber’s settlement with drivers. Our Question of the Week is “What should we make of the European Union’s antitrust action against…

Episode 42 – Evaluating Corporate VC, Facebook F8

Apr 13, 2016 • 51 min

Our News Roundup this week featured the following topics: * Amazon’s new Kindle Oasis * KGI Securities’ downbeat Apple Watch forecast for 2016 * Hands on with the iPad Pro. Our Question of the Week is: “What is corporate venture capital and is it worth…

Episode 41 – Apple News for Publishers, Tesla Model 3

Apr 7, 2016 • 55 min

Our News Roundup this week covered the following topics: * Conflicting reports on early iPhone SE sales * Samsung’s decent preliminary Q1 financials * Twitter’s deal for NFL rights. Our Question of the Week is “What is Apple News like for a small…

Episode 40 – Apple & Google CSR Initiatives, Build 2016

Mar 30, 2016 • 56 min

This week’s News Roundup covers three topics: * Music News – Tidal had its one-year anniversary and announced 3 million subscribers, while SoundCloud launched its paid subscription, SoundCloud Go. * The FBI/Apple case regarding the San Bernardino shooter…

Episode 39 – Apple March 2016 Event

Mar 21, 2016 • 47 min

This episode of the podcast is a slight departure from our usual pattern. We dispensed with our News Roundup, Question of the Week, and Weekly Pick segments and simply spent the whole episode talking about today’s Apple event in Cupertino. Jan was at the…

Episode 38 – Apple Event Preview, Apple News Opens Up

Mar 16, 2016 • 48 min

Our News Roundup this week covers: * The announcement by navigation company HERE that it will discontinue its apps for Windows 8 and Windows 10 * Sony’s big PlayStation VR announcement * A Recode article about a healthcare startup that’s working on an…

Episode 37 – What is 5G? Samsung’s New Phones

Mar 9, 2016 • 43 min

Our News Roundup this week covers three new items: Android’s early developer preview of Android N; the conclusion of the Apple eBooks trial; and the debut of Amazon’s first live TV show. Our Question of the Week is “What is 5G? And should you care?” and…

Episode 36 – Explaining the All Writs Act, AT&T’s New Video Offers

Mar 2, 2016 • 56 min

Our News Roundup covers three topics, triggered by two news stories each: * Yahoo – stories about Verizon being the most likely buyer for the core business, and indications that Yahoo may have to further write down the Tumblr asset * Live video – Twitter…

Episode 35 – State of the Smartphone Market, more Apple/FBI

Feb 24, 2016 • 50 min

This week, our News Roundup covers Apple’s response to beta users’ feedback on iPad Pro Pencil navigation support in iOS 9.3, smartphone announcements from Mobile World Congress, and Fitbit’s earnings. Our Question of the Week is “What’s the state of the…

Episode 34 – Apple’s Cash and Borrowing, Apple and the FBI

Feb 19, 2016 • 51 min

episode goes on. It only appears when Jan is talking, so it doesn’t affect Aaron’s side of the audio, but you may find it irritating to listen to. Unfortunately, it’s on the master recording of Jan’s audio, and so it can’t be removed. Our apologies for…

Episode 33 – iMessage as a Platform, Twitter Earnings

Feb 12, 2016 • 49 min

We kick off this week’s episode with our usual news roundup. This week, our topics are 5G (and AT&T’s announcement on this topic earlier today), Apple’s rumored March event, and ASICS’ acquisition of the Runkeeper fitness app. Our Question of the Week is…

Episode 32 – Alphabet, Facebook, Yahoo Earnings

Feb 3, 2016 • 43 min

As usual, we kick off this episode with our News Roundup. This week, we discuss Microsoft and Amazon’s earnings briefly, including the rather counterintuitive investor reaction to each of them. Then we have a quick conversation about the positive video…

Episode 31 – News Roundup, Apple Earnings

Jan 28, 2016 • 48 min

This week, we once again did our brief news roundup on several topic items, but then we spent the bulk of the time on Apple’s fiscal Q1 2016 earnings, which came out earlier this week (and skipped our Question of the Week and Weekly Pick features). Our…

Episode 30 – News Roundup, Media M&A, Apple Earnings Preview

Jan 20, 2016 • 44 min

This week, we again kick off with a quick roundup of a few news items, and we’re feeling like this is probably how we’ll start all our episodes going forward. One side effect is that many of our episodes will end up being a little shorter than before –…

Episode 29 – News Roundup, Fitbit, Apple Betas

Jan 13, 2016 • 46 min

We kick this week’s episode off with a new format, which is a rapid-fire review of three news items from this week: IDC’s new PC sales numbers for Q4, Buzzfeed’s article about Apple removing itself as the sales middleman for iAd, and rumors that Time…

Episode 28 – CES, Netflix Everywhere, App Store Numbers

Jan 8, 2016 • 58 min

For our first episode of 2016, we focus mostly on CES and the announcements made there. Jan was there in person, while Aaron followed the news remotely. We discuss the following trends and products, among others: * The rise of USB-C * Cars, technology,…

Episode 27 – News Roundup, Predictions for 2016

Dec 17, 2015 • 59 min

For our final episode of the year, we decided to focus on our predictions for 2016. We kick off the episode with a review of three news items from the past few days: the Apple management changes announced on Thursday, December 17th; the recent Morgan…

Episode 26 – Pixel C Reviews, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Apple Shelving TV Plans

Dec 9, 2015 • 56 min

Our first topic this week is the reviews for Google’s new Pixel C tablet, and what they signify about the state of Android. We also talk about the overall state of the tablet market and (the lack of) tablet-optimized operating systems. Our second topic is…

Episode 25 – Clayton Christensen, Apple Resellers, Samsung Mobile

Dec 2, 2015 • 50 min

We kick off the discussion this week with a conversation about Clayton Christensen and his theory of disruptive innovation. Specifically, we talk about the recent controversy about whether his theory has a monopoly on the use and definition of the term…

Episode 24 – Mac App Store, Facebook’s Meta OS, Apple Watch Dock

Nov 18, 2015 • 49 min

This week, we kick off our discussion with a review of what’s happened over the last week or so with the Mac App Store, which suffered from a certificate-related bug that broke a number of apps previously downloaded from the store. We also use this as a…

Episode 23 – iPad Pro Reviews, Apple Watch vs. Apple TV, Cord-Cutting

Nov 11, 2015 • 56 min

We kick off this week’s episode with a discussion of the iPad Pro reviews that came out on Wednesday. We talk through the common themes – both the consistent gripes and the things that were consistently praised – as well as some of the unique things…

Episode 22 – Apple TV, Payments Primer, Twitter Faves

Nov 4, 2015 • 60 min

On this week’s episode, we kick off the discussion with Jan’s thoughts on the new Apple TV, which he’s been using for five days now, and broaden the conversation into a review of where it might go from here. Our second topic (starting at 25:35) is our…

Episode 21 – Apple September Quarter Earnings, Mashable Article/Interview

Oct 28, 2015 • 53 min

This episode is devoted almost entirely to Apple’s September quarter earnings (Apple’s Fiscal 2015 fourth quarter, and calendar quarter Q3 2015). Following up on last week’s preview episode, we discuss the guidance for next quarter and what it signifies,…

Episode 20 – New iMacs and Peripherals, Apple Earnings Preview, Surface Book Reviews

Oct 21, 2015 • 52 min

This week, we kick things off with a discussion of Apple’s new iMacs and associated peripherals – Aaron has been using the new Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad and talks about his experience with them. We also discuss the surprisingly basic hard drives…

Episode 19 – Music Survey Results, Elon Musk and Foxconn, Overcast and iOS Business Models

Oct 15, 2015 • 53 min

Our Question of the Week this week concerns Elon Musk’s recent comments on Apple’s car efforts. In an interview with a German newspaper, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said (among other things), “You can’t just go to a supplier like Foxconn and say: Build me a car.”…

Episode 18 – Microsoft event, US wireless market, Steve Jobs

Oct 8, 2015 • 53 min

This week, we follow up last week’s coverage of Google’s event with discussion of Microsoft’s big Windows 10 event, which had a very different feel to it. We evaluate the big announcements, but we also talk about the presentations and demos and the…

Episode 17 – Google Event, A Series Chips, iPhone and Apple Music Impressions

Sep 30, 2015 • 57 min

We kick off this week’s episode with a discussion of Google’s event on Tuesday. We discuss the new Nexus phones and the history of Google’s Nexus programs, the new Chromecast devices, and Google’s strategy for the TV. Our Question of the Week is about…

Episode 16 – iOS 9, Content Blockers, iPhone 6 Reviews

Sep 24, 2015 • 55 min

Episode 16 is a fairly iPhone-centric affair. We start out with a review of the new software releases from Apple over the past week, with iOS 9 landing on schedule last week and WatchOS 2 arriving a few days late. We discuss some of our favorite built-in…

Episode 15 – Apple Event Deep Dive – Watch, iPad Pro, and Apple TV

Sep 16, 2015 • 57 min

Last week, we did a quick half-hour quick take on Apple’s September event, and briefly covered all the major announcements. This week, we dive a little deeper on each of the announcements, but focus mostly on the Apple Watch, iPad, and Apple TV…

Episode 14 – Apple September Event First Take

Sep 9, 2015 • 26 min

This is our quick take on Apple’s September event, which was recorded with Jan sitting outside the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, immediately following the conclusion of the Apple event. As such, the audio on this episode is not up to our usual standards.…

Episode 13 – Apple Event Preview, Apple TV as Console, Android Wear on iPhone

Sep 3, 2015 • 51 min

Ahead of Apple’s big event next week, we spend the majority of our time previewing the likely announcements. The conversation kicks off with a general discussion of what we’re expecting with regard to new iPhones, iPads, and the new Apple TV, including a…

Episode 12 – Apple in China, In-car Technology, Apple Retail

Aug 27, 2015 • 50 min

Episode 12 of the Beyond Devices Podcast is a very Apple-centric episode, with three different topics relating to the company. We kick off with a discussion of this week’s news around Apple in China and Apple’s share price, and tackle whether the market…

Episode 11 – Google OnHub, Samsung Apple Patent Update, Apple Fall Preview

Aug 19, 2015 • 51 min

This week’s Question of the Week is answered by Aaron, who (aside from being a business school professor) is a qualified lawyer, and digs into the details of the Apple vs. Samsung patent litigation, recent news in the case, and the implications for these…

Episode 10 – Google’s Alphabet move, Privacy, Mobile Payments

Aug 13, 2015 • 52 min

Our three topics this week are Google’s Alphabet restructuring, privacy policies and concerns for major smartphone vendors, and trends in mobile payments. We kick off with a discussion of Google’s announcement that it will create a new parent company…

Episode 9 – Apple’s MVNO, the Law of Large Numbers, Apple Music subscribers

Aug 6, 2015 • 44 min

This week, we talk about the reports (now shot down by Apple) that Apple was doing trials for launching a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), and the reasons why this might (and mostly might not) be a plausible scenario. Our Question of the Week…

Episode 8 – Apple Music issues, Windows 10, Apple TV

Jul 30, 2015 • 47 min

In Episode 8 of the Beyond Devices podcast, we discuss some of the recent criticisms of Apple Music from some prominent Apple commentators, whether they have merit, and what can be done about them. Our Question of the Week is about Windows 10, Microsoft’s…

Episode 7 – Apple’s June quarter earnings review

Jul 24, 2015 • 46 min

This week, we review Apple’s earnings report for the June 2015 quarter. We kick of the discussion with a focus on the Apple Watch and what we learned about it from Apple’s earnings. Next up is our Question of the Week, which is “How is the Apple Watch…

Episode 6 – Apple earnings preview, new iPods, iPhone ads

Jul 17, 2015 • 49 min

We took a break last week as we were both traveling, but we’re back this week with Episode 6. We moved our Question of the Week to the beginning of the episode this week, as it provides useful context for our discussion of Apple’s earnings, which are due…

Episode 5 – Apple Music launch, Apple’s shifting PR strategy, indie developers

Jul 1, 2015 • 49 min

This week, our first major topic of discussion is the Apple Music launch, the new service, and Beats 1, along with our first impressions. We have somewhat different reactions to Beats 1, but both enjoy the other features. Our Question of the Week is “How…

Episode 4 – Taylor Swift, Public Betas, and Liquidmetal

Jun 25, 2015 • 39 min

This week, we kick off our conversation with a discussion of the very rapid turnaround that happened this past weekend when Apple reversed its stance on paying royalties to artists and labels in the face of a blog post from Taylor Swift. Our question of…

Episode 3 – WWDC Content Announcements (Music, News, and Beats 1 DJs)

Jun 17, 2015 • 48 min

We discuss more of the announcements from Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), with a focus on the content announcements, and in particular Apple Music and the News app. In addition, our Question of the Week this week is about the DJs Apple has…

Episode 2 – WWDC 2015 announcements, part 1

Jun 10, 2015 • 44 min

In Episode 2, we discuss some of the announcements made at Apple’s WWDC keynote earlier in the week, including the enhancements to iOS and OS X, the announcement of watchOS 2, and the introduction of search APIs and related technologies for Spotlight and…

Episode 1 – Introduction and WWDC 2015 Preview

Jun 4, 2015 • 42 min

This is the first episode of the Beyond Devices Podcast, featuring Jan Dawson and Aaron Miller. In this episode, we look forward to Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference next week, and discuss some of what we’re expecting, and some of what we’d like to…