I’ve covered a lot of larger topics from the podcasts, but there are a bunch of little things as well. Let’s close out with my thoughts on some of the smaller items.

Odds & Ends

Myst (Episode 16 – June 2015)

• The hosts mentioned that Hulu had the rights to make a Myst miniseries. This was canceled in 2019
• There is a Village Roadshow version “still under development”

The iMac at 20 (Episode 73 – April 2018)

• At the end they asked when the iMac was just going to be a big iPad on a stand. This happened with the April 2021 introduction of the M1 iMac, whose 24” screen is only half an inch thick, a little thinner than the original iPhone.

Mac Mods (Episode 83 – July 2019)

• Brian was discussing a part he purchased from the U.K. for his classic Mac mod and said the following: “I ordered this from this website, which is in London, I think, or somewhere in the United Kingdom. And it actually arrived pretty quickly. So don’t worry about shipping or customs, I guess, unless you’re listening to this in a weird dystopian future, but let’s not worry about that.”
• Oh how times have changed.

Triumph of the Nerds Part I (Episode 9 – March 2015)

• Covered the PBS documentary Triumph of the Nerds, released in 1996. The documentary mentioned that Intel had 85% market share at that time and the hosts commented that it was because Intel had, and still has, the best fabs. They commented that Intel was ahead of everyone and that’s why Apple used their chips in its laptops.
• That was probably true at the time, but Intel’s fortunes turned soon after with significant delays in its next-generation manufacturing process. Five years later Intel was no longer cutting edge and Apple was building ARM chips of its own design for Macs through TSMC.
• Currently it’s rumored that Apple may shift some of its manufacturing back to Intel, this time to build its Apple Silicon designs, not to use Intel’s designs.

Stocking Stuffers (Episode 52 – December 2016)

• Discussed the original Apple socks for iPod, which were released in 2005 and retailed for $29 for a pack of 6 socks
• Apple introduced iPhone Pocket in November, which is a fancy knitted strap for the iPhone made by the same company that designed Steve Jobs’ mock turtle neck sweaters. The pricing is a bit more expensive at $150 and $230 each, depending on size.

The End

I really enjoyed listening to Simple Beep and reminiscing about the Mac. The podcast ended in January 2021, but came back for two special episodes in March and October of that year focused on Mac OS X and the iPod’s 20th anniversaries. I wish they’d done a few more special episodes, maybe the iPad’s anniversary, a reflection on the Intel era, or Tim’s first 10 years. The pair still have a podcast that isn’t focused on Macs, but there’s always a chance to resurrect it.