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MacVoices #25318: 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide #8 (2)

Release Date: 12/19/2025

MacVoices #25321: Live! - Implications of Apple's AI Talent Losses

MacVoices

A wide-ranging discussion examines the implications of leadership changes and talent loss within Apple’s AI organization following delays to promised Siri features. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Jeff Gamet, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, and Jim Rea debate whether Apple’s struggles reflect internal turmoil, unrealistic timelines, or a deliberate partnering with external AI options. Privacy, on-device capabilities, and regulatory pressure all factor into a candid assessment of Apple’s AI strategy and credibility. MacVoices is...

MacVoices #25320: Live! - The MacVoices Live! Panel's Holiday Purchases

MacVoices

In response to the inevitable shower of deals and special offers on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and beyond, Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Jeff Gamet, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, and Jim Rea share some of their holiday acquisitions and why the made them. The panel also covers “fake” discounts, deal fatigue, and why loyal customers often miss out while still celebrating the fun of finding genuinely useful gear. MacVoices is supported by The Antigravity A1. Get off the ground like never before with the Antigravity A1. You have to...

MacVoices #25319: 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide #8 (3)

MacVoices

In the final segment of the 2025 Holiday Gift Guide, Kelly Guimont, Jim Rea, Chuck Joiner, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, and Kirk McElhearn out with bigger comfort and productivity picks: a portable lamp with battery power, a TSA-friendly Leatherman, along with a charging station, a long-running text utility, and a travel accessory for cramped flights. (Part 3) This edition of MacVoices is supported by , our free magazine on Flipboard. Updated daily with the best articles on the web to help you do more with your Apple gear and adjacent tech, access MacVoices Magazine content on , on the web,...

MacVoices #25318: 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide #8 (2)

MacVoices

The second part of our final 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide delivers a mix of low-tech problem solvers and smart power picks. Kelly Guimont, Jim Rea, Chuck Joiner, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, and Kirk McElhearn select an interior windshield cleaner, a MagSafe ring mount for comfortable caseless use at home, and suction-based phone chargers/stands to keep devices charged and easy to find. The picks also include a USB-C rechargeable numeric pad, experience gifts like concert tickets, a rechargeable electric candle lighter, and a fun gaming recommendation. (Part 2) This edition of MacVoices...

MacVoices #25317: 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide #8 (1)

MacVoices

Kelly Guimont, Jim Rea, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Kirk McElhearn and Chuck Joiner wrap up the 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guides wraps up with “best of the rest” episodes, packed with practical picks and plenty of laughs. Highlights include keyboard travel cases, socks, portable power options, dictation software, a motorized TV mount, a light, and compact multi-port chargers. (Part 1) MacVoices is supported by The Antigravity A1. Get off the ground like never before with the Antigravity A1. You have to see the results to believe them. Find out everything you need to know to get...

MacVoices #25316: TV+ Talk - Year-End Apple TV Analysis & Favorite Shows

MacVoices

Charlotte Henry and Chuck Joiner wrap up 2025 with a look at Apple TV’s momentum, awards recognition, and strategy. They preview upcoming releases like F1 and returning series Hijack and Tehran, debate sports rights and bundles, and share favorite picks including Slow Horses, Prime Target, The Morning Show season 4, the finale of Mythic Quest, and Foundation—arguing 2025 may be the service’s strongest year yet. Show Notes: Chapters: 00:00 Year-end wrap and what’s ahead 01:03 F1 release and Hijack season return 01:53 AFI “best shows” list and Apple TV’s strategy 06:01...

MacVoices #25315: 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide #7 (2)

MacVoices

The 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide continues with Brittany Smith, Mike Potter, and Chuck Joiner making the picks. They include an affordable Bluetooth blood pressure monitor that syncs to Health, a whimsical LEGO gingerbread Star Wars piece, and a double recommendation of an Audible subscription and a book that covers Apple from a different angle. An app pick, a feline-oriented calendar, and a push to learn large language models responsibly finishes off this guide. (Part 2) MacVoices is supported by the 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guides. Tech and more you want to give and get. Find...

MacVoices #25314: 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide #7 (1)

MacVoices

The 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Gide #7 kicks off with Brittany Smith, Mike Potter, and Chuck Joiner sharing practical and fun picks. Highlights include a fandom-themed backpack, a powerful multi-port charger, compact multi-purpose cables, an iPhone mini alternative, an AI-powered webcam, and a tool for repurposing old Macs. (Part 1) MacVoices is supported by The Antigravity A1. Get off the ground like never before with the Antigravity A1. You have to see the results to believe them. Find out everything you need to know to get off the ground with Antigravity A1 — the world’s first 8K 360...

MacVoices #25313: Jeff Carlson Takes Control of Apple Watch (2)

MacVoices

Jeff Carlson dives deeper into watchOS 26 changes as we continue our discussion about . From a redesigned Workout app and expanded customization to Workout Buddy’s friendly audio updates, Jeff covers some of the most interesting and important updates. He also points out new Control Center options, Smart Stack hints, Focus-based watch face switching, and Ultra 3 satellite support. (Part 2) MacVoices is supported by The Antigravity A1. Get off the ground like never before with the Antigravity A1. You have to see the results to believe them. Find out everything you need to know to get...

MacVoices #25312: Jeff Carlson Takes Control of Apple Watch (1)

MacVoices

Thinking of giving or getting an Apple Watch for the holidays? You need to hear Jeff Carlson discuss the new edition of . Jeff talks about the latest Apple Watch lineup and watchOS 26 and deciding when an upgrade makes sense. He compares Series 10, Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE models, emphasizing real-world differences, longevity, and value. Evolving health features, everyday usability improvements, and subtle interface enhancements all go factor in that decision-making process. MacVoices is supported by Incogni. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Get 60% off an...

More Episodes

The second part of our final 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide delivers a mix of low-tech problem solvers and smart power picks. Kelly Guimont, Jim Rea, Chuck Joiner, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, and Kirk McElhearn select an interior windshield cleaner, a MagSafe ring mount for comfortable caseless use at home, and suction-based phone chargers/stands to keep devices charged and easy to find. The picks also include a USB-C rechargeable numeric pad, experience gifts like concert tickets, a rechargeable electric candle lighter, and a fun gaming recommendation. (Part 2)

This edition of MacVoices is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Get access to the MacVoices Slack and MacVoices After Dark by joining in at Patreon.com/macvoices.

Show Notes:

Chapters:

[0:00] Part 2 kickoff and Patreon support message
[0:31] Inside-windshield cleaning tool: safer night driving
[4:22] Going caseless at home: MagSafe ring/repurposed laptop mount
[8:36] Phone “parking spots”: suction-mounted MagSafe charging stand
[12:17] Rechargeable Bluetooth numeric pad with arrow keys
[16:44] Experience gifts: concerts, venue cards, ticket gift cards
[23:10] USB-C electric candle lighter: no fuel, rechargeable convenience
[29:22] Game pick: Stray and why the cat movement sells it
[33:18] Multi-port 70W power adapter and the “charging station” problem
[36:32] USB-C reality check: device wattage, missing bricks, cable confusion
[41:17] Wrap-up and ways to support the show

Links:

Jim Rea:

Bluetooth Number Pad, Lekvey Aluminum Rechargeable Wireless Numeric Keypad Slim 34-Keys External Numpad Keyboardhttps://amzn.to/48CJzTX

Kelly Guimont:

TicketMaster Gift Cards
https://www.ticketmaster.com/giftcards

Kirk McElhearn:

Belkin iPhone MagSafe Camera Mount for MacBook, Continuity Camera Mount https://amzn.to/4aDCOCw

Stray on Nintendo 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1332010/Stray/

Stray on Mac App Store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stray/id6451498949?mt=12

Chuck Joiner:

Scosche MagicMount Charge Pro Qi2 Home/Office MagSafe Suction Mount
https://amzn.to/48S4fHq

Scosche USB-C PowerFlux 70
https://amzn.to/4ryogdH

Brian Flanigan-Arthurs:

Car Windshield Cleaning Tool, Windshield Cleaner with 4 Washable and Reusable Microfiber Pads and Extendable Handle
https://amzn.to/495J4lo

FUKKUDA Electric Candle Lighter with Safety Switch - USB Rechargeable Windproof & Flameless Plasma Arc Lighter
https://amzn.to/4oMLKsH

Chuck Joiner:

Anker MagGo 3 in 1 iPhone 17 Charging Station, MagSafe-Compatible Wireless Charger Stand, Qi2 Certified 15W Foldable Charger for iPhone 17/16/15/14/13/12, AirPods, Apple Watch Ultra(Adapter Included)
https://amzn.to/4oPXniM

Guests:

Brian Flanigan-Arthurs is an educator with a passion for providing results-driven, innovative learning strategies for all students, but particularly those who are at-risk. He is also a tech enthusiast who has a particular affinity for Apple since he first used the Apple IIGS as a student. You can contact Brian on twitter as @brian8944. He also recently opened a Mastodon account at @brian8944@mastodon.cloud.

Kelly Guimont is a podcaster and friend of the Rebel Alliance. You can also hear her on The Aftershow with Mike Rose, and she still has more to say which she saves for Twitter and Mastodon.

Kirk McElhearn writes about Macs, iPods, iTunes, books, music and more. He is a regular contributor to TidBITS, as well as several other web sites and magazines. He is an avid podcaster who’s shows include The Next Track,. You can follow him on Twitter, and visit his personal web site, Kirkville.

Jim Rea built his own computer from scratch in 1975, started programming in 1977, and has been an independent Mac developer continuously since 1984. He is the founder of ProVUE Development, and the author of Panorama X, ProVUE's ultra fast RAM based database software for the macOS platform. He’s been a speaker at MacTech, MacWorld Expo and other industry conferences. Follow Jim at provue.com and via @provuejim@techhub.social on Mastodon

Support:

Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon
http://patreon.com/macvoices

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Connect:

Web:
http://macvoices.com

Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner
http://www.twitter.com/macvoices

Mastodon:
https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner

MacVoices Page on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/

MacVoices Group on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/