Tom and Jeff dig into why it's getting harder and harder to buy a Mac mini or Mac Studio in anything beyond a base configuration — and what that might mean about upcoming M5 refreshes. Plus, Jeff gives a six-month health update (he's at 92% and back on stage), and the guys get into a friendly debate about Amazon pulling the plug on pre-2012 Kindles. Is it reasonable after 14 years, or does it prove physical books always win? And they wrap up with four things to know about iOS 26.4.
Topics covered:
- Mac mini and Mac Studio availability issues and what's behind the long wait times
- MacBook Neo demand and Bill McLean's hands-on review
- Jeff's updated take on the BookTracker app
- Amazon deprecating pre-2012 Kindles — and what it means for your digital library
- The Libby app and library cards for free books
- Merriam-Webster's Visual Dictionary (Jeff's new obsession)
- iOS 26.4: keyboard accuracy improvements, Urgent Reminders update, Stolen Device Protection, and AI apps in CarPlay
- Resetting your keyboard dictionary after updating
Links from the show:
- BookTracker app: https://booktrack.app
- Libby app: https://libbyapp.com
- Bill McLean's MacBook Neo review
- Apple Talk newsletter (keyboard reset tip): https://www.tomfanderson.com/p/ios-26-4-iphone-keyboard-fix
- Merriam-Webster's Visual Dictionary
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Contact Us
- Drop us a line at feedback@basicafshow.com
- You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
- Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
- Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
- Tom has a new YouTube channel
- Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design
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Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen
Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.
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