When Apple announced new M2-based Macs, a new HomePod, and the launch of Advanced Data Protection with little more than a press release and video on their site, we were caught a little off guard. Whilst we’re not a news show, per se, we wanted to chat about the impact these new systems, particularly the M2 Pro-powered Mac Mini would have on the Apple ecosystem.

Returning guest, Jeff Butts of The Mac Observer, was kind enough to join us for a discussion of not only the new products, but also a few detours into gaming on the Mac, some of Apple’s new HomeKit features, and a few thoughts on the state of the Apple Silicon transition.

Are you going to be buying any of the new M2-based systems, maybe as your first Apple Silicon Mac? Are you as happy as we are to see the HomePod return? We’d love to hear from you, so please send a note over to [email protected], leave a comment on the post, or join the discussion over on our Discord server.

If you liked this episode or any of our content, we’d greatly appreciate any little bit of support you can throw our way over at our Ko-Fi page.

Episode Links

• Jeff Butts on Mastodon
• The Mac Observer
• Apple introduces new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro (Apple Newsroom)
• Apple unveils MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max (Apple Newsroom)
• 2nd Generation HomePod
• How To Use Your HomePod’s Temperature and Humidity Sensors (The Mac Observer)
• Apple advances user security with powerful new data protections (Apple Newsroom)
• Jeff’s previous appearance ‘Green Bubbles’
• Our chat with Noah about the Steam Deck

Chapter Times

1. 00:00:04: Introductions
2. 00:03:47: Apple's Change of Announcement Style
3. 00:11:37: More M2 Chips
4. 00:11:57: Mac Mini
5. 00:22:44: Mini Goes Pro
6. 00:26:17: Gaming on the Mac
7. 00:31:58: Mini Size Changes?
8. 00:33:07: MacBook Pros
9. 00:41:27: New HomePod
10. 00:47:48: Sound Recognition for Smoke Alarms
11. 00:52:43: The Benefits of the Apple Ecosystem
12. 00:54:32: Advanced Data Protection
13. 01:06:26: How Are Apple Looking for 2023?

Credits

Intro and outro theme: Ace of Clubs by RoccoW