[SPEAKER_03]: a factual data creation facility production.
[SPEAKER_03]: Recorded live from the mountains of the Great State of Tennessee, it's the OFNT podcast.
[SPEAKER_03]: Now here's your host Jim Schaefer.
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to the OFNT podcast episode 302, which I'm calling New Year, New Year.
[SPEAKER_01]: I hope you had a wonderful New Year celebration.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like my Christmas holiday, my New Year celebration was quiet.
[SPEAKER_01]: As I'm recording this, my lovely wife is chettin' her way across the globe, and she's got a very long trip in front of her.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think I'll start this thing now.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
[UNKNOWN]: Fire!
[SPEAKER_02]: Fire!
[UNKNOWN]: Fire!
[SPEAKER_01]: Tech News!
[SPEAKER_01]: After a week of staring at Tech News fees composed of primarily what they call native advertisements, I didn't manage to scrape up a little while very little bonnified Tech News.
[SPEAKER_01]: After the Apple Centric Tech News predicted the possible discontinuation of Apple's Fitness Plus subscription service, yes, I'm looking at you Mark Herman, or is it Bloomberg's Mark Herman?
[SPEAKER_01]: Fitness Plus has nearly doubled the countries it's available in, and now according to numerous tech sites, now it'll be quoting MacRomers.com here, something big is coming soon to Apple Fitness Plus.
[SPEAKER_02]: What?
[SPEAKER_02]: Whoa!
[SPEAKER_01]: The article didn't state what this something big might be, but expected an announcement from Apple on New Year's Day.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, no such announcement appeared.
[SPEAKER_01]: What we got instead was a press release on January 2nd, which announced a set of pre-set workout programs.
[SPEAKER_01]: These new workout programs will launch on January 5th and be followed by another set being released on January 12th.
[SPEAKER_01]: These workouts set appear to be Apple's answer to Peloton's bootcamp series of programs.
[SPEAKER_01]: Move along, there's nothing to see here.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, very underwhelming to say the least.
[SPEAKER_01]: This will be more for Abid users of Fitness Plus and will do little too dry and new users.
[SPEAKER_01]: In the past, I used fitness plus but didn't like the instructors or the exercise programs they lend.
[SPEAKER_01]: And if you like metrics about your activities, well, forget it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Going being there can save fitness plus at this point would be a partnership or outright purchase of a fitness company, like Peloton for example.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_01]: Either seems to be in the cards at this point, though.
[SPEAKER_01]: I use Apple's CarPlay my vehicle and I enjoy doing so, but lately, car manufacturers are distancing themselves from CarPlay and also Android Auto.
[SPEAKER_01]: Many have already stopped supporting CarPlay and Android Auto for new models of their cars.
[SPEAKER_01]: You might ask yourself, why are they doing this?
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, these automotive companies could save money by supporting these apps.
[SPEAKER_01]: They would no longer have to hire as many people to develop their own proprietary apps, and wouldn't have to maintain them with updates constantly.
[SPEAKER_01]: They could just sit back and let Apple and Google do that for them.
[SPEAKER_01]: The only reason that I can think of for this withdrawal from supporting Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is data.
[SPEAKER_01]: Specifically, your data.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a said fact that these car makers gather and sell the data from various instruments installed in your car, and by forcing you to use their own app solution.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, that means there's more data from you that they can sell.
[SPEAKER_01]: Apple Insider is reporting that there's at least one manufacturer that will be sticking with Apple CarPlayn, I would assume Android Auto, and that would be the Ford Motor Company.
[SPEAKER_01]: Ford feels it should give consumers choice, and I applaud Ford for this stance.
[SPEAKER_01]: However, Apple's CarPlay Ultra, which is coming out real soon now, won't be supported by Ford.
[SPEAKER_01]: Probably because CarPlay Ultra takes over just about everything within the car.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is especially apparent with electric vehicles.
[SPEAKER_01]: Tesla is rumored to be planning on supporting both CarPlay and CarPlay Ultra in the future, which is great in surprising at the same time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I'll be sticking with my 2021 Toyota 4 runner for the foreseeable future.
[SPEAKER_01]: So this lack of support for CarPlay won't be affecting me.
[SPEAKER_01]: I was thinking of purchasing a new vehicle this year, but two things put an end to that.
[SPEAKER_01]: One is the enormous price increases for automobiles over the last couple years, and second is the garbage engines being put into these new models.
[SPEAKER_01]: Peota has replaced their virtually indestructible standard 6-cylinder engines with turbocharged 4-cylinder engines.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've heard nothing but complaints about these new engines, so I'm fine what I've got.
[SPEAKER_01]: Nine to five Mac.com, thinks a new Apple TV 4K is coming real soon now.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, come on, they've been saying that for over a year now.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, they have, but hey, they need to write about something during the holiday week.
[SPEAKER_01]: The article proceeded to run down the same rumors we've been hearing about forever.
[SPEAKER_01]: But have a little more detail this time.
[SPEAKER_01]: More like guesses.
[SPEAKER_01]: This new streaming box will be getting an A17 chip.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the upgrade from the current A15 Bionic chip that powers the current Apple TV 4K.
[SPEAKER_01]: The A17 is also the minimum required for running Apple Intelligence.
[SPEAKER_01]: So 9 to 5 Mac expects that AI will be coming to this new box.
[SPEAKER_01]: They also expect that Apple's own N1 networking chip will also equip the device.
[SPEAKER_01]: The N1 will handle Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and thread networking.
[SPEAKER_01]: GoldBee Vision 2 is expected to be supported this time around.
[SPEAKER_01]: Hey, what about a built-in FaceTime camera?
[SPEAKER_01]: That rumor seems to have been dropped this time around.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd rather the new Apple TV box have the capability to connect to an external webcam anyway.
[SPEAKER_01]: But there was nothing mention about that in the article.
[SPEAKER_01]: Nine to five Mac expects this a new wonder streamer to debut this spring.
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll just have to see about that won't we?
[SPEAKER_01]: MacRomers.com is predicting that there will be no base model iPhone 18 released in 2026.
[SPEAKER_01]: Instead, it will be released along with the iPhone 18E in spring of 2027.
[SPEAKER_01]: The reason given for this change is the expected release of the iPhone Fold.
[SPEAKER_01]: According to the article, during this coming September's iPhone event will be seeing the iPhone 18 Pro Pro Max and the iPhone Fold.
[SPEAKER_01]: Going forward, Apple will use a staggered release schedule split into two tiers.
[SPEAKER_01]: The September event will be for the higher tier, read more expensive iPhones.
[SPEAKER_01]: While the spring event will be for the peasant models like the base model iPhone and the E-series.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if I believe this though.
[SPEAKER_01]: The e-series of phones like the SE series before them were announced via a press release.
[SPEAKER_01]: So it'll be no event for the base model iPhone?
[SPEAKER_01]: That model is Apple's bread and butter.
[SPEAKER_01]: What I can see is a spring event which will introduce the new e-series in base model iPhones, along with a base model iPad, regular AirPods and the Apple Watch SE.
[SPEAKER_01]: And perhaps that rumored MacBook that runs off an E-series chip too, if that laptop does in fact become a reality.
[SPEAKER_01]: So the rich people's event will take place in September, and the poor people's event will take place in the following spring.
[SPEAKER_04]: Well, at least Apple is thinking of you peasants.
[SPEAKER_01]: For now, I'll be placed within the rich September category, or at least until the 20th Anniversary iPhone comes out.
[SPEAKER_01]: If Apple decides to release a flip-style foldable iPhone in the future, Blubby announced during the Rich September or Poor People's Spring event.
[SPEAKER_01]: And what about the iPhone Air?
[SPEAKER_01]: Apple appeals 1.8 billion UK anti-trust ruling over App Store feeds, reads the headline from an article on MacRomers.com.
[SPEAKER_01]: The Socialist Leaning Government must be expecting a budget shortfall this year.
[SPEAKER_01]: So what better way to make it up and going to a USATM?
[SPEAKER_03]: In this case, Apple.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know the UK should copy the U.S. model for dealing with his sort of situation, and that's by defrauding taxpayers by siphoning off their capital and giving it to NGOs.
[SPEAKER_01]: Come on, Britain, you're falling behind here.
[SPEAKER_01]: By continuously building U.S. tech firms for billions of pounds, you're giving the U.S. Congress something to prove their case with.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you don't want US tech companies to operate within your country, just ban them.
[SPEAKER_01]: Finland's hola could use a nice infusion of capital to build out a worthy ecosystem.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not going to get into the specifics of this case.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because it's just another excuse to siphon money from tech companies in the majority of the fine will probably wind up in politicians' pockets.
[SPEAKER_01]: There.
[SPEAKER_01]: My first political rant of 2026.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're like me, by that you mean old and confused.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, or remember that you used to actually get excited for the annual Consumer Electronics Show, but are known as CES.
[SPEAKER_01]: Then you know that the show is put a shadow of its former self.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's more aimed at businesses these days and consumers, and no real big announcements are made in any longer at CES.
[SPEAKER_01]: The major smartphone manufacturers have stopped announcing things during CES,
[SPEAKER_01]: There, too, as well, an Apple has abandoned both CES and E. M.W.C.
[SPEAKER_01]: completely.
[SPEAKER_01]: What's left of CES is a smidge of mostly Chinese-based manufacturers of televisions, laptops, and wearables, along with a small start-up company's hoping to attract investment.
[SPEAKER_01]: This year's CES kicks off January 6, which is tomorrow, and promises more the same.
[SPEAKER_01]: For me, this is kind of sad.
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember a time when Samsung and other companies would announce a bevy of cutting-edge tech during CES.
[SPEAKER_01]: The same goes for the MWC, where Nokia, HTC and others would make big announcements.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh well, how things change when, given enough time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Tech Eye Musing!
[SPEAKER_01]: Last week I experienced a problem with my fancy rechargeable extra-fi mouse.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've had this problem once before with it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Mind telling us what this problem was.
[SPEAKER_01]: Did you know in patients is not considered a virtue?
[SPEAKER_01]: The problem is that it stopped accepting a charge.
[SPEAKER_01]: The first time this happened was while I was still living up in New York.
[SPEAKER_01]: At that time I handed the problem over to my son who simply just plugged it in and it started
[SPEAKER_01]: As you can imagine, this made me look and feel foolish.
[SPEAKER_01]: Since that incident, there's been no problem with charging it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Last Sunday, I again experienced this problem.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've been charging the mouse using a USB-C cable connected to a port of my Mac Mini.
[SPEAKER_01]: This method has been working fine for over a year.
[SPEAKER_01]: In order to try and rectify this unfortunate situation, while I switch to a different USB-C cable, different USB-C ports on my computer, connect directly to wall outlets using an Apple power adapter, to the same using outlet extenders, and all to no avail.
[SPEAKER_01]: frustrated I started plugging the mouse into different outlet extenders around the house and well, I found one that actually worked, thinking that this was just a glitch.
[SPEAKER_01]: Once the mouse was fully charged, I attempted to plug it in where I had previously charged it, but it didn't indicate that it was charging.
[SPEAKER_01]: Go figure.
[SPEAKER_01]: The mouse, which, as I said, is an expensive extra-fi model, will now only charge while using
[SPEAKER_01]: After going through this, I decided to purchase a cheap backup mouse.
[SPEAKER_01]: This in case this happens again.
[SPEAKER_01]: I visited Amazon.com and typed in low-cost Bluetooth mouse in the search bar and was presented with hundreds of choices.
[SPEAKER_01]: Most from unknown Chinese manufacturers.
[SPEAKER_01]: Ignoring those, I settled on a Logitech M240 Bluetooth mouse for the sum of $12 in
[SPEAKER_01]: The mouse is not rechargeable, it just runs off a single AA type battery.
[SPEAKER_01]: I first paired it to my iPad Pro and it worked fine.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, once you use a mouse with iPad OS 26, you begin to realize how macOS like it has to become.
[SPEAKER_01]: The mouse is smaller than I would like it to be, and it's slower than the extra 5, but what do you expect for a little over 12 bucks?
[SPEAKER_01]: I might even order another one for permanent use of my iPad.
[SPEAKER_01]: I wish Apple would just redesign the magic mouse, but I guess that would be asking too much from the giant fruit company.
[SPEAKER_01]: I messed around with my new third generation AirPods Pro.
[SPEAKER_01]: As I've said, the fit is so much better, and they are much more comfortable to wear compared to previous generations.
[SPEAKER_01]: What I was most eager to try out though was the built-in heart rate monitoring these buds come with.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've decided to switch up my strength training from using dumbbells to just using kettle bells exclusively.
[SPEAKER_01]: One of the movements he snatch and press would destroy my apple watch by hitting it, well more like smashing into it.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's just how the movement goes, so I figured if the AirPods Pro paired to the Peloton
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I'd be golden.
[SPEAKER_01]: So when, say, while preparing to do a kettlebell routine, I took off my Apple Watch plugged in my AirPods and opened the Peloton app.
[SPEAKER_01]: I track all my fitness routines using that Peloton app.
[SPEAKER_01]: Previously pairing the app to my Apple Watch.
[SPEAKER_01]: I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the AirPods paired with the Peloton app.
[SPEAKER_01]: But instead of pairing directly, they do so through
[SPEAKER_01]: The AirPods heart rate tracking seems to be more accurate, too.
[SPEAKER_01]: While using the Apple Watch, either I'd lose the connection with the Peloton app temporarily during exercising, or my heart rate would take a minute to update.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, it's no such delay while using the AirPods.
[SPEAKER_01]: The only problem I ran into while using the new AirPods.
[SPEAKER_01]: What's that when the exercise is completed, the data takes a while to update Apple's metrics?
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess this is caused by having to go through the Apple Health app first.
[SPEAKER_01]: But all in all, I'm quite pleased with the third generation of AirPods Pro.
[SPEAKER_01]: entertainment news, besides being the last day of the year 2025, the cemetery saw the worldwide shutdown of MTV just before midnight.
[SPEAKER_01]: MTV stands for or should I say stood for music television.
[SPEAKER_01]: It launched at the beginning of 1981 and quickly became a cultural icon.
[SPEAKER_01]: I watched channels throughout the 1980s well until the mid-80s.
[SPEAKER_01]: While music videos were a new thing in the United States, I had been exposed to such videos in the late 1970s while residing in the United Kingdom.
[SPEAKER_01]: The first music video I remembered seeing was my best friend's girlfriend from the band The Cars.
[SPEAKER_01]: My friend Rick and I were at some pub when it came on the television, and I instantly recognized that this song would be a hit.
[SPEAKER_01]: Rick himself dismissed the song at the time.
[SPEAKER_01]: The second music video I remember watching was by the Rolling Stones.
[SPEAKER_01]: I was home at the time, and I don't recall what song it was, thank you for the trip down memory lane, can we just get on with it now?
[SPEAKER_01]: Fine.
[SPEAKER_01]: What I'm trying to say is that England was ahead of the US when it came to music videos, and by the time in TV launched in US, I wasn't as amazed with it as my fellow countryman were.
[SPEAKER_01]: What MTV was to me was a way to discover new music.
[SPEAKER_01]: I became a fan of new wave because of the channel.
[SPEAKER_01]: I had a good friend who was really big into MTV.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was the only television channel he watched and he would attend the annual MTV or show whenever he could.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, by 1985 I found myself in Asia, and my priorities had shifted.
[SPEAKER_01]: Even though MTV was available, I really didn't pay attention to it.
[SPEAKER_01]: The last time I recall watching MTV was in 1991, I had just returned to Asia, and MTV Hong Kong was carried by one of the local stations.
[SPEAKER_01]: But by then I was married with children and I missed them.
[SPEAKER_01]: So with no skirt chasing on my agenda, I'd sit and watch MTV Hong Kong at a boredom.
[SPEAKER_01]: I recall a VJ name, no need being the main face of the channel at the time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Once my family joined me in Asia, I didn't bother with MTV again.
[SPEAKER_01]: Over the years MTV stopped playing music videos instead focusing on reality tells a vision series.
[SPEAKER_01]: In fact, MTV was the pioneer of this television genre, and they deserved to be taken off the air just for that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't disagree with that, but it's a generational thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: Young, young, exerves, and then millennials seem to have fond memories of that era of MTV.
[SPEAKER_01]: I blame MTV for unleashing the blight of reality television on the world, which spread like a virus over the television networks of the country and world.
[SPEAKER_01]: I meant to that.
[SPEAKER_01]: As the internet became more popular in the advent of smartphones in YouTube, MTV which was already in the midst of a slow decline of viewership, one into a nose dive.
[SPEAKER_01]: The younger generations have never watched MTV in many have never heard of it.
[SPEAKER_01]: The writing was on the wall, as they say.
[SPEAKER_01]: it had been for a very long time.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm surprised MTV hung on for as long as it did.
[SPEAKER_01]: YouTube had already replaced it for music videos and streaming services such as Spotify had replaced it for music discovery.
[SPEAKER_01]: So farewell MTV, you know, I don't think you'll be missed much.
[SPEAKER_01]: podcast news.
[SPEAKER_01]: According to Edison research, the number one place people in the United States listen to podcast is at home.
[SPEAKER_01]: According to surveys taken by Edison research, 55% listen at home, while no percentage was given for how many listen in their car.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm surprised at this, as before I retired the majority of my podcast listening took place while commuting to and from my workplace.
[SPEAKER_01]: Since retiring I do the majority of my listening at home.
[SPEAKER_01]: Of course that's because I no longer have a commute and do much less driving these days.
[SPEAKER_01]: Edison believes the majority of Americans listen at home because of the lingering effects of COVID.
[SPEAKER_01]: China.
[SPEAKER_01]: The report points out that many people still work from home, though that may be changing.
[SPEAKER_01]: What wasn't mentioned is, many more of the younger generations who can't drive yet are listening to podcasts, and I feel that's the main reason for these results.
[SPEAKER_01]: According to Forbes.com, who are quoting a Pew Research Study, the true crime genre is slowly losing its dominating grip on being the most listened to type of podcast.
[SPEAKER_01]: The study also points out that women are almost twice as slightly as men to regularly listen to true crime podcasts.
[SPEAKER_01]: Some 44% of true crime listeners are women, compared to only 23% of men.
[SPEAKER_01]: The least statistic given for the true crime genre losing steam is that of all the podcasts launched last year, 15% were true crime.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that the true crime genre has become oversaturated, and that's what accounts for this drop in new podcasts being launched within the genre.
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember when I first started podcasting.
[SPEAKER_01]: The biggest independent shows were true crime, mostly hosted by two women getting drunk while reading a Wikipedia article about crime verbatim.
[SPEAKER_01]: I wonder if any of those independent podcasts survived the influx of big money true crime shows, held by voiceover actors.
[SPEAKER_01]: These shows were, or as R, and pickably, researched, and professionally produced.
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess I could do a deep dive and find out, but I have no interest in the true crime genre.
[SPEAKER_01]: don't want to take the time researching this.
[SPEAKER_01]: In my opinion, another reason for the decline of new true crime podcasts is to rise of audio dramas, particularly shows that deal with horror and paranormal occurrences.
[SPEAKER_01]: As far as why women are the biggest audiences for true crime and probably horror and paranormal type shows, is that in my experience, some reason, women like being
[SPEAKER_04]: I bet you can't guess what I've got sitting in front of me on my desk.
[SPEAKER_04]: Bo boy, does it happen to be yet another audio interface?
[SPEAKER_04]: Ah, you know me so well.
[SPEAKER_04]: Of course I do.
[SPEAKER_04]: You're the one responsible for telling me what to say.
[SPEAKER_01]: Hey, what did I tell you about breaking down the fourth wall?
[SPEAKER_01]: Oops.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, I've taken possession of a solid state logic SSL2 Mark II audio interface.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll be putting it through its paces over the next week, and I'll see if it lives up to its hype.
[SPEAKER_01]: Heck, I might even do a short test episode using it paired with my Neumann TLM102.
[SPEAKER_01]: That would be the setup I'd use for my VoiceOverside gig I mentioned in a previous episode.
[SPEAKER_01]: First impressions.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, the device is larger than I thought it would be, and it has a retro look about it.
[SPEAKER_01]: It reminds me of some of the audio listening gear I had in the late 70s and early 80s.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm like in the whole retro look of it a lot.
[SPEAKER_01]: Another thing I like is that Oxford inkland is stenciled around the back of the unit.
[SPEAKER_01]: I lived just outside of the city of Oxford in a place called Horsepath.
[SPEAKER_01]: I have fond memories of spending my weekend in Oxford, which usually started on Saturday afternoons.
[SPEAKER_01]: I would attend concerts at the Oxford New Theater, then after the show was over, I'd head over to the Corn Dolly and other venues.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd end my evening at the monks' retreat, which was a quiet place where I'd hit on the two bar maids, both of them?
[SPEAKER_01]: Why yes, both of them, at the same time?
[SPEAKER_01]: Of course, I wasn't picky.
[SPEAKER_01]: Unfortunately for me, I always managed to strike out.
[SPEAKER_01]: Back to the SSL 2 Mark 2.
[SPEAKER_01]: The interface doesn't have any digital signal processing on board, but if you listen to this podcast and you know I have plenty of plug-ins, speaking of which, because I purchased in SSL 2, I get a bunch of plug-in 3 from the manufacturer.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's only 2 that I'm interested in.
[SPEAKER_01]: When is a channel strip in the other is a noise gate?
[SPEAKER_01]: Most of, if not all, of their plugins are dedicated to music production, which means I really have no use for them.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll be having some fun this week, missing around with the SSL-2 Mark II audio interface.
[SPEAKER_01]: Keep an eye on the RSS feed of this podcast for that test episode I mentioned.
[SPEAKER_01]: The music is playing on this layer of unusual episode of the OF&T podcast.
[SPEAKER_01]: As it did last year, it signals the beginning of the end of the episode.
[SPEAKER_01]: I hope you enjoyed this episode.
[SPEAKER_01]: I enjoyed making it for you.
[SPEAKER_01]: But like what you heard, you can donation using the link in these show notes.
[SPEAKER_01]: And in all, donations will be greatly appreciated.
[SPEAKER_01]: It always reached me at ofntpodcast at gmail.com if you're so inclined.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd enjoy hearing from you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Remember, don't listen to what they say.
[SPEAKER_01]: Watch what they do.
[SPEAKER_01]: And for the first time in 2026, get off my lawn.
[SPEAKER_01]: Stay skeptical.
[SPEAKER_01]: See ya!
[SPEAKER_00]: Come on, English Guy!
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't be late on this first episode of 2026!
[SPEAKER_05]: And that folks is the end of the show!