Basic AF: a (mostly) tech podcast

Hosted by Tom Anderson & Jeff Battersby

Technology News Education

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Apple makes incredible products. The tips and insights that actually help are harder to find. Basic AF cuts through the hype cycles and gets straight to what matters for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch users. Plus, app recommendations, gear reviews, AI tools, and the everyday tech that actually shows up in your life. Every other Monday, Tom Anderson and Jeff Battersby bring 25+ years of real-world Apple experience to practical, insightful conversations for people like you.

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October 12, 2026Episode 9852 min

iPhone 18 Pro Camera: A Pro Photographer's Verdict with Chris Freitag

Photographer and YouTuber Chris Freitag is back to explain what the new adjustable aperture does for your photos even if you never touch a setting, why Photographic Styles finally won him over, and how his iPhone replaced a much pricier video camera. Stick around for the free app he still can't believe costs nothing. In this episode: Apple's "Welcome home" event in New York on October 13 and what might show up How a trip for a watch band ended with an iPhone 18 Pro at $0 a month f/1.48 vs. f/4: brighter low-light shots, natural background blur, and sun stars Photographic Styles that work like a Lightroom color profile, plus the new Film look Why Chris is happy shooting HEIF instead of RAW Camera Control: better than the 16, still clumsy What the new aperture means if you just want good party photos Shooting video with Blackmagic Camera, and his one gripe: slippery aluminum Links from the show: Chris Freitag: https://www.chrisfreitag.com Chris on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisFreitag Chris on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@chrisfreitag Blackmagic Camera: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagiccamera Leica LUX: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6477182657 Moment Pro Camera: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6748837351 Halide: https://halide.cam/ Meow Wolf Denver: https://meowwolf.com/visit/denver Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message! Support the show 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 Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating! Review on Apple Podcasts Rate on Spotify Recommend in Overcast Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen Apple Music Spotify Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

September 28, 2026Episode 9751 min

iPhone 18 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 4: One Week In

If you're holding an iPhone or Apple Watch that's a few years old and wondering whether this is the year to upgrade, this one's for you. Jeff went from an iPhone 15 Pro Max to the 18 Pro, and Tom finally retired his original Apple Watch Ultra for the Ultra 4. After a week of living with both, one of them calls his new gadget "just a phone" and the other got a bigger surprise than he expected. Plus, how the AppleCare One Family plan now covers 20 of Tom's devices for less than he was paying before. In this episode: Why Jeff went back to the smaller Pro, and the Burgundy finish Variable aperture, five zoom levels, and the new Photographic Styles Siri AI: better for Tom, still "I can't do that" for Jeff Ultra 4 battery: two days on a charge with everything turned on Double tap by accident, the wrist flick, and Readiness after seven nights AppleCare One Family: 20 devices, $50 a month, and the fine print Trade-in values: $455 for the phone, $190 for the watch Links from the show: iPhone 18 Pro: https://www.apple.com/iphone-18-pro/ Apple Watch Ultra 4: https://www.apple.com/watch/ AppleCare One Family details: https://support.apple.com/en-us/148275 Every Apple Watch Ultra compared: https://www.macobserver.com/tips/round-ups/every-apple-watch-ultra-compared/ Tyler Stalman: https://www.youtube.com/@stalman iPhone 18 Pro Camera Review: Dunton, Colorado: https://www.austinmann.com/trek/iphone-18-pro-camera-review-dunton Mac Power Users: https://relay.fm/mpu Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message! Support the show 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 Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating! Review on Apple Podcasts Rate on Spotify Recommend in Overcast Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen Apple Music Spotify Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

September 14, 2026Episode 961 hr 4 min

Apple Event Recap: iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and more with Joe Moyer

Apple finally showed the folding iPhone, and it arrived with a $1,999 starting price and a lot of great and interesting features. Tom and Jeff bring Joe Moyer back to walk the whole event: the iPhone Duo, the 18 Pro and Pro Max, new AirPods, and Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4. One of us pre-ordered before recording. One of us is quietly doing the math on owning two phones at once. In this episode: John Ternus hosts his first event as CEO iPhone Duo: 5.4-inch outer screen, 7.6-inch inside, Touch ID, Apple Pencil support What the Duo leaves out: telephoto, Face ID, action button, ProRAW Duo pricing from $1,999 to $3,199, orders Oct 16, delivery Oct 23 iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: variable aperture, 8x telephoto, vapor chamber, A20 New AirPods keep the same price and add noise cancellation to the base model Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: new sensors, readiness, health age, 50-hour battery Audio Intelligence on the Watch, and where the privacy line sits now Live immersive MLB games on Vision Pro The OS 27 updates are here More from Joe Moyer: Website: https://www.24letters.net/ The Journaling Guide newsletter, plus a free 10-day journaling challenge: https://thejournalingguide.com/ Threads: @thejournalingguide Links from the show: iPhone Duo: https://www.apple.com/iphone-duo/ iPhone 18 Pro: https://www.apple.com/iphone-18-pro/ Apple Watch Series 12: https://www.apple.com/apple-watch-series-12/ Apple Watch Ultra 4: https://www.apple.com/apple-watch-ultra-4/ Audio Intelligence privacy paper: https://www.apple.com/privacy/docs/Audio_Intelligence_Privacy_Overview_Sep_2026.pdf Halide: https://halide.cam/ Gentler Streak: https://gentlerstories.com/ Athlytic: https://athlyticapp.com/ Kalri$$ian "The Falcon" (NSFW) Celsius 7 "Manners" (NSFW) Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message! Support the show 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 Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating! Review on Apple Podcasts Rate on Spotify Recommend in Overcast Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen Apple Music Spotify Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

August 31, 202646 min

Apple's iPhone Event is Set, and New Mac mini and Mac Studio Models

Apple just locked in a date for the big iPhone event, and new Mac mini and Mac Studio models landed early with a price jump that'll make your eyes water. Tom and Jeff run the actual numbers on both new Macs, weigh in on the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and the long-rumored foldable, and swap notes on cameras, Face ID quirks, and an update on Tom's new notebook habit. In this episode: Apple's iPhone event is officially set for September 9 New Mac mini and Mac Studio pricing and specs, and why they cost so much more now What a fully maxed-out Mac mini and Mac Studio actually run you iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone, and what it might cost Camera lens talk and Halide's new "film types" Face ID vs. Touch ID, and Jeff's post-stroke Face ID quirks Tom's notebook and habit-tracker update, plus a Lochby Field Folio gift for his son Links from the show: Mac mini: https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/ Mac Studio: https://www.apple.com/mac-studio/ Halide: https://halide.cam/ Lochby Field Folio A5: https://www.lochby.com/products/field-folio-a5 Lochby Pocket Journal: https://www.lochby.com/products/pocket-journal Field Notes: https://fieldnotesbrand.com/ Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message! Support the show 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 Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating! Review on Apple Podcasts Rate on Spotify Recommend in Overcast Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen Apple Music Spotify Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

August 17, 2026Episode 9449 min

Ditching the Phone for Field Notes (and a Tiny E-Reader)

What do you actually do with a stack of pocket notebooks once you own more than you'll ever fill? Tom's been figuring that out for six months, and it turned into an actual system: a custom monthly and weekly planner, daily notes, and a pocket journal that's his new daily carry wallet. Jeff's carried notebooks for decades and joins in with his own habits, plus a magnetic pocket e-reader that's small enough to attach to the back of your iPhone. In this episode: Tom's Field Notes habit, $120 a year and three quarterly drops in: the 1943 set, Explore America, and the penny-themed one that didn't quite land Trading phone pickups for a slower kind of capture, and why that's the actual point The weekly planner Tom sketched himself, plus the accidental discovery that a scanned Field Notes fits a 13" iPad to scale Lochby Pocket Journal: the wax-canvas cover doing double duty as Tom's new wallet Jeff's leather notebook cover, reserved for exactly one thing: his bitters recipes The eventual plan for filled notebooks: scan everything into Craft so it's searchable The Xteink X3, Jeff's tiny magnetic e-reader that snaps onto the back of an iPhone Links from the show: Field Notes Field Notes "1943" Edition Field Notes Explore America Lochby Pocket Journal GoodNotes Carsonial's weekly planner layout video Cal Newport, "Forget Your Phone. You Need a Single-Purpose Notebook" Xteink X3 Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message! Support the show 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 Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating! Review on Apple Podcasts Rate on Spotify Recommend in Overcast Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen Apple Music Spotify Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

August 3, 2026Episode 9352 min

Samsung Galaxy Fold8 Hands-On and Apple's New Upgrade Program

Tom got five minutes with Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold8 this week, and it's got him thinking about what Apple's own foldable might feel like this fall. Then Jeff works through Apple's new Klarna-backed leasing program, replacing the old iPhone Upgrade Program, and why the fine print has him uneasy. In this episode: Tom's hands-on take on the Galaxy Z Fold8: build quality, weight, crease, multitasking, pricing ($1,899–$2,499) What the Fold8 previews for Apple's rumored iPhone Fold (expected ~September 2026, Touch ID instead of Face ID, no visible crease, likely $2,000+) Apple's new Upgrade program with Klarna replaces the iPhone Upgrade Program — lease terms, AppleCare+ no longer bundled, what happens if you don't act at lease-end Why the Klarna partnership has Jeff feeling icky about where Apple's headed A wild AI story: Anthropic's Claude models broke out of a sandboxed test and hacked three real organizations A quick tribute to John C. Dvorak, longtime tech columnist and No Agenda co-host, who passed away this month Links from the show: Galaxy Z Fold8 specs & pricing MKBHD's Galaxy Z Fold8 review MrMobile: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Review: Worth The Camera Compromise Apple Upgrade program announcement Apple Upgrade breakdown (MacRumors) Anthropic's AI hacking disclosure (WaPo) Hugging Face Cory Doctorow on The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart Benedict Evans' newsletter Halide camera app Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message! Support the show 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 Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating! Review on Apple Podcasts Rate on Spotify Recommend in Overcast Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen Apple Music Spotify Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

July 20, 2026Episode 9251 min

Is Siri Finally Fixed? We Put Apple’s New Siri AI to the Test

The public betas for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and watchOS 27 landed this week, and Tom and Jeff have been putting them through their paces on phones, watches, iPads, and a Mac. This episode covers what's actually different, under-the-hood polish, and the one feature everyone's been waiting years for: a Siri that finally seems to understand your life. Topics covered: First impressions across devices, plus early battery life quirks on watch and phone Liquid Glass refinements and a smarter notch-aware menu bar on macOS Spotlight opening iPhone-only apps remotely from your Mac CarPlay upgrades: three rows of icons are back, plus navigation volume oddities The big one: the new Siri actually pulling real context from email, calendar, and third-party accounts Real examples — catching a bank fraud alert, scheduling car service, recapping a live product announcement, even sketching out a Shortcut Beta-testing do's and don'ts: what to install where, filing feedback, backing up first A timeline for when these releases arrive (hint: mid-September) Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message! Support the show 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 Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating! Review on Apple Podcasts Rate on Spotify Recommend in Overcast Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen Apple Music Spotify Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

July 6, 2026Episode 9153 min

The Podcast App That’s Changing How We Learn | Kevin Smith (Co-Founder of Snipd)

You love podcasts. You're always hearing something worth remembering. And then... you forget it. Sound familiar? Tom and Jeff sit down with Kevin Smith, co-founder of Snipd — the AI-powered podcast app designed to solve exactly that problem. Kevin shares the story behind Snipd, from riding his bike to work in Zurich and frantically stopping to write notes, to building an app that captures great moments automatically. Want to try the app? Kevin provided listeners of the show a free one-month Snipd Premium trial: https://link.snipd.com/Cx7S/basicaf Topics covered: How Kevin went from quantitative finance to AI engineering — and why machine learning grabbed him the way it did The origin story of Snipd: a personal frustration turned into a full-featured podcast app How the core "snipping" feature works — tap your headphones, and the AI saves the audio clip, transcript, and a generated note automatically The new Snipd DJ feature (currently in beta), which distills long episodes down to the 20–25% most relevant moments — with an AI "moderator" to guide you through them How Snipd connects with apps like Readwise for a personal knowledge management workflow The "chat with episode" feature, auto-generated chapters, book mentions, and speaker identification Why Snipd is unapologetically built for knowledge-rich podcasts — and why that focus is a strength Listener offer: Kevin is providing a free one-month trial of Snipd Premium — link in the show notes! Links from the show: Snipd: snipd.com — also available in the App Store and Google Play (search "Snipd") Kevin on X/Twitter: @KevinBenSmith Free one-month Snipd Premium trial: https://link.snipd.com/Cx7S/basicaf Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message! Support the show 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 Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating! Review on Apple Podcasts Rate on Spotify Recommend in Overcast Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen Apple Music Spotify Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

June 22, 2026Episode 9049 min

Simple, Effective Ways to Use Apple Reminders with Robin Kai

Robin Kai, based in Munich, Germany, is a husband, dad, and writer on Medium and at ForMacUsers.com. He's built a simple, flexible system around Apple's built-in apps that actually fits real life: family, day job, and side projects. In this episode, Robin walks us through how he captures tasks without thinking about it, organizes them into a structure that doesn't require daily upkeep, and builds a custom "today" view that shows exactly what matters — without the noise. Topics covered: Why Robin left third-party apps like Remember the Milk and Wunderlist behind His inbox-first capture method and weekly Friday review How he uses folders (groups) in Reminders to separate work, side hustle, and family The "Your Day" and "Growth" smart list setup for a cleaner today view Month → Week → Priorities planning cadence Connecting Reminders to Notes for project context What Robin is most excited about from WWDC 2026: AI-powered Shortcuts and Safari improvements Tom's own journey from Evernote + OmniFocus to Craft tasks Links from the show: Robin on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@robinsanahkai ForMacUsers.com: https://www.formacusers.com/ Robin's Apple Reminders guide on Medium: https://medium.com/macoclock/apple-reminders-full-setup-deb28e755eb6?sk=21ab358dbf39f28ed90133d706fb7cf5 Stories from Ukraine: The True Price of War: https://a.co/d/0gu6KDAl Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message! Support the show 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 Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating! Review on Apple Podcasts Rate on Spotify Recommend in Overcast Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen Apple Music Spotify Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

June 9, 2026Episode 891 hr 10 min

WWDC 2026 Keynote Recap with Riley Hill and Joe Moyer

Tom and Jeff are joined by returning guests Riley Hill (Slatepad.org) and Joe Moyer (24letters.net) for a full roundtable on what Apple announced during the WWDC keynote and what it means for everyday users. Topics covered: The three pillars of WWDC 2026: performance improvements, trust & safety, and Apple Intelligence/Siri AI Why this keynote felt like Apple's "Snow Leopard" moment — focusing on performance and stability Siri AI: the personal context features Apple promised two years ago… that may actually work now The Gemini partnership and what Apple's privacy promises mean in practice New Photos features, Image Playground upgrades, and the philosophical question: "what even is a photo anymore?" Safari custom extensions built by Siri — Riley tried it live on the dev beta AI-powered Shortcuts: promising, half-working, and full of potential Parental controls overhaul and why it still needs a centralized management solution Which devices get left behind — iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Watch compatibility breakdowns Tim Cook's farewell WWDC keynote Links from the show: Riley Hill: slatepad.org Joe Moyer: 24letters.net (and The Journaling Guide newsletter) Support the show: basicafshow.com Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message! Support the show 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 Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating! Review on Apple Podcasts Rate on Spotify Recommend in Overcast Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen Apple Music Spotify Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.