After a bit of a cock up last week which was completely Simon’s fault (and he’s very very sorry about it) Simon does a solo show because Nick is otherwise engaged... Simon has thoughts on AI after more adventures with generative tools, fun tunes from Suno, some with lyrics by Simon, Copilot generated images (some with AI weirdness) and a whip around some of the news stories...

MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL

• The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
• If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact [email protected] or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK simply visit missiontoseafarers.org.

Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!

Recorded 14th April 2024

On this week's show

NICK RILEY

• Spligosh in the Slack
• Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
• Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube

AI – Tunes, Images and Thoughts

• Making Music with Suno.ai and images from Copilot Designer
  • You can find all my AI music here
  • Best place to look at my AI images is in the Slack

APPLE

• Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference returns June 10, 2024 – Apple
• The first gaming emulators are now on the iOS App Store and one has already been pulled – TechRadar
• Apple Vietnam operations expanded, in Chinese diversification – 9to5Mac
• How to edit PDF files on Mac: Pixelmator Pro is the easiest way – BGR
• Apples Self Service Repair Program Will Finally Let You Use Second Hand Parts – TechPP
• Apple's iOS 17.4 browser choice is under fire, despite increased adoption increases – iMore
• Apple quietly added Qi2 charging to the iPhone 12 – The Verge

SECURITY & PRIVACY

• iPhone Lockdown Mode explained as mercenary spyware attacks target users – Lad Bible

VINNE & THE SQUIRRELS VS THE ANALYSTS

• Apple's M4 plans could make the latest MacBooks outdated already – TechRadar

WORTH A CHIRP / ESSENTIAL TIPS

• How To Reduce Photo File Sizes On Your iPhone – SlashGear
• Fix ‘Cannot Be Opened Because the Developer Cannot Be Verified’ Error on Mac – TechPP
• How to Remove Line Under Battery on iPhone – TechPP

JUST A SNIPPET

For things that are not worth more than a flypast

• 'I bought fake Apple Airpods on Amazon - I was shocked at what actually arrived' – The Mirror
  • Newer AirPod 2 and AirPod Pro ones still available on Amazon!

Essential Apple Recommended Services:

• All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
• Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
• Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
• Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
• Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
• 33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
• AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
• Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
• ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
• ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
• Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
• Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
• Wire and on the App Stores – free for personal use, open source and end to end encryted messenger and VoIP.
• Pinecast – a fabulous podcast hosting service with costs that start from nothing.

Essential Apple is not affiliated with or paid to promote any of these services... We recommend services that we use ourselves and feel are either unique or outstanding in their field, or in some cases are just the best value for money in our opinion.

Social Media and Slack

Twitter / Slack / EssentialApple.com / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook / Pinecast

• Also a big SHOUT OUT to the members of the Slack room without whom we wouldn't have half the stories we actually do – we thank you all for your contributions and engagement.
• You can always help us out with a few pennies by using our Amazon Affiliate Link so we get a tiny kickback on anything you buy after using it.
• If you really like the show that much and would like to make a regular donation then please consider joining our Patreon or using the Pinecast Tips Jar (which accepts one off or regular donations)
• And a HUGE thank you to the patrons who already do.

Support The Essential Apple Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/essential-apple-show

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This week Simon and Nick are joined by Mattieu Kopp co-founder and CTO of CYME.io, makers of Avalanche (a tool for migrating photo libraries from App to App), plus Peakto, Find My Snaps, and since we recorded this Peakto for Lightroom, which are amazing AI/ML powered tools for searching and organising your photos in clever and interesting ways. After discussing that they all take a wander through some of the news from the week, including an M series chip flaw and a medical world’s first.

MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL

• The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
• If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin [email protected] or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.

Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!

Recorded 10th March 2024

On this week's show

NICK RILEY

• Spligosh in the Slack
• Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
• Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube

MATTHIEU KOPP

• Links to all their product info, socials and blog at CYME.io

APPLE

• United States v. Apple (Complaint) – Hardcore Software
  • U.S. versus Apple: A first reaction – Six Colors
  • Various comments by John Gruber – Daring Fireball
• Here's why Apple is negotiating with Google on AI partnership – iMore
• Apple 'accidentally' updates every AirTag in the world at the same time – iMore
• Entertainment expert claims "nobody's watching Apple TV Plus" – [iMore]
• What's a Steve Jobs signed business card worth? How about $181,183 – 9to5Mac

TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE

• Pig kidney transplanted into living person for first time – CNN
• Watch This Humanoid Robot Talk and Complete Tasks Thanks to OpenAI Tech – PC Mag

SECURITY & PRIVACY

• Vulnerability found in Apples Silicon M-series chips – and it cant be fixed – Mashable
  • There’s a vulnerability in Apple’s Mac chips –and the fix might be as bad as the flaw – MSN
  • Unpatchable vulnerability discovered in Apple M1, M2 and M3 chips – Tom’s Guide

JUST A SNIPPET

For things that are not worth more than a flypast

• Check Out This Functional 3D Printed Macintosh – MacRumors

Essential Apple Recommended Services:

• All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
• Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
• Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
• Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
• Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
• 33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
• AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
• Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
• ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
• ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
• Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
• Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
• Wire and on the App Stores – free for personal use, open source and end to end encryted messenger and VoIP.
• Pinecast – a fabulous podcast hosting service with costs that start from nothing.

Essential Apple is not affiliated with or paid to promote any of these services... We recommend services that we use ourselves and feel are either unique or outstanding in their field, or in some cases are just the best value for money in our opinion.

Social Media and Slack

Twitter / Slack / EssentialApple.com / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook / Pinecast

• Also a big SHOUT OUT to the members of the Slack room without whom we wouldn't have half the stories we actually do – we thank you all for your contributions and engagement.
• You can always help us out with a few pennies by using our Amazon Affiliate Link so we get a tiny kickback on anything you buy after using it.
• If you really like the show that much and would like to make a regular donation then please consider joining our Patreon or using the Pinecast Tips Jar (which accepts one off or regular donations)
• And a HUGE thank you to the patrons who already do.

Support The Essential Apple Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/essential-apple-show

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

On this show: the World Wide Web turned 35, Nick still has hacker issues, Sonoma bugs, Vision Pro used in neuro surgery, hints that Apple are ramping up on their AI works and more. As ever Simon and Nick have a natter about it all.

MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL

• The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
• If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin [email protected] or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.

Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!

Recorded 10th March 2024

On this week's show

NICK RILEY

• Spligosh in the Slack
• Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
• Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube

APPLE

• The World Wide Web just turned 35 years — and please, stop calling it the Internet – TechRadar
• Vision Pro used in surgery for the first time "to eliminate human error“ – 9to5Mac
• Apple reports AI training breakthrough – Philip Elmer‑DeWitt
• Apple buys startup DarwinAI, adds staff to its AI division, Bloomberg reports – Reuters
• A wrinkle in lawmakers’ plans for TikTok: Finding a willing buyer – CNN
• New macOS Sonoma update is reportedly taking down printers as well as USB Hubs – TechRadar
• Oracle Warns macOS 14.4 Can Cause Java to Terminate Unexpectedly – MacRumors
• Apple is now assembling the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 in Brazil – 9to5Mac
• iOS 18 could bring hearing aid functionality to AirPods Pro – Cult of Mac
• Leaked Apple roadmap hints at iPhone SE 4, foldable iPhone, and AR glasses – TechRadar
• Apple developed chip equivalent to four M2 Ultras for Apple Car – 9to5Mac
• Building Under Regulation – Hardcore Software by Steven Sinofsky

SECURITY & PRIVACY

• GarageBand update comes with an important security patch – 9to5Mac
• Do an iPhone's 'Journaling Suggestions' Settings Reveal Your Name and Location? – Snopes

WORTH A CHIRP / ESSENTIAL TIPS

• How to Fix iPhone Messages Indexing [2024] – TechPP

Essential Apple Recommended Services:

• All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
• Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
• Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
• Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
• Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
• 33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
• AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
• Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
• ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
• ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
• Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
• Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
• Wire and on the App Stores – free for personal use, open source and end to end encryted messenger and VoIP.
• Pinecast – a fabulous podcast hosting service with costs that start from nothing.

Essential Apple is not affiliated with or paid to promote any of these services... We recommend services that we use ourselves and feel are either unique or outstanding in their field, or in some cases are just the best value for money in our opinion.

Social Media and Slack

Twitter / Slack / EssentialApple.com / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook / Pinecast

• Also a big SHOUT OUT to the members of the Slack room without whom we wouldn't have half the stories we actually do – we thank you all for your contributions and engagement.
• You can always help us out with a few pennies by using our Amazon Affiliate Link so we get a tiny kickback on anything you buy after using it.
• If you really like the show that much and would like to make a regular donation then please consider joining our Patreon or using the Pinecast Tips Jar (which accepts one off or regular donations)
• And a HUGE thank you to the patrons who already do.

Support The Essential Apple Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/essential-apple-show

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

On the show this time, Nick got hacked! Apple and Epic get into another spat, in which they both came off looking stupid, and childish... Simon and Nick have been playing with A.I. image tools. Apple made modifications to its new EU rules, a man has recovered over 200 Apple Watches from lakes in Illinois and Donny is disappointed in his Zagg pencils for iPads, and of course some other stuff too!

MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL

• The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
• If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin [email protected] or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.

Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!

Recorded 10th March 2024

On this week's show

NICK RILEY

• Spligosh in the Slack
• Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
• Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube

APPLE

• Apple reverses course and clears way for Epic Games to set up rival iPhone app store in Europe – The Independent
• M3 MacBook Air has this one major upgrade Apple didn't advertise – Tom's Guide
  • Apple confirms the MacBook Air M3 won't be a fingerprint magnet – TechRadar
• Apple releases MacOS Sonoma 14.4 with a whopping 64 bug fixes – ZDNet
• Apple could be planning a giant, foldable MacBook that doubles as your iPad – TechRadar
• Apple's Box Office Misfires: Are Napoleon, Flower Moon, Argylle Worth it? – Variety
• Apple’s last-minute App Store changes come with a catch – The Verge
• What’s the most popular Mac in the US? Here’s what one study says – 9to5Mac
• HomePod 17.4 Lets Siri Learn Your Default Music Service – iDrop News
  • There is no excuse for failing to action Spotify HomePod support – 9to5Mac
• Alternative iOS App Stores Only Work for 'Grace Period' When Traveling – MacRumors
• Apple removes big barrier for rival iPhone app stores – Cult of Mac

TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE

• Google is following Apple's lead by adding new developer fees in the EU – Engadget
• Why the hell would Google promise seven years of updates? – Android Central

WORTH A CHIRP / ESSENTIAL TIPS

• This Simple Trick Helps Stop Your iPhone Apps Tracking You – Living Etc
• I review laptops for a living and this is now the MacBook I recommend – Tom’s Guide
• Zagg Pencil wears out in a day – Donny in the Slackroom

JUST A SNIPPET

For things that are not worth more than a flypast

• Over 200 Apple Watches recovered from Illinois lakes by metal detectorist – 9to5Mac
• Colorware delivers a retro makeover with limited edition 'Apple Number 2 Pencil' – 9to5Mac

Essential Apple Recommended Services:

• All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
• Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
• Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
• Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
• Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
• 33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
• AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
• Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
• ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
• ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
• Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
• Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
• Wire and on the App Stores – free for personal use, open source and end to end encryted messenger and VoIP.
• Pinecast – a fabulous podcast hosting service with costs that start from nothing.

Essential Apple is not affiliated with or paid to promote any of these services... We recommend services that we use ourselves and feel are either unique or outstanding in their field, or in some cases are just the best value for money in our opinion.

Social Media and Slack

Twitter / Slack / EssentialApple.com / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook / Pinecast

• Also a big SHOUT OUT to the members of the Slack room without whom we wouldn't have half the stories we actually do – we thank you all for your contributions and engagement.
• You can always help us out with a few pennies by using our Amazon Affiliate Link so we get a tiny kickback on anything you buy after using it.
• If you really like the show that much and would like to make a regular donation then please consider joining our Patreon or using the Pinecast Tips Jar (which accepts one off or regular donations)
• And a HUGE thank you to the patrons who already do.

Support The Essential Apple Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/essential-apple-show

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This week Simon has a new microphone so hopefully the sound will be a little better. Meanwhile apparently the “Titan has Fallen”, the Apple car project is “officially” dead, Vision Pro returns are no worse than any other Apple product, there is new Post Quantum crytographic protection coming for iMessage, and more! Simon and Nick set to and try to make sense of it all...

MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL

• The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
• If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin [email protected] or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.

Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!

Recorded 3rd March 2024

On this week's show

NICK RILEY

• Spligosh in the Slack
• Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
• Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube

APPLE

• The Apple Car project is reportedly dead – Engadget
  • Crash of the Titan: a short history of Apple’s doomed car project – The Verge
  • Apple Car project cost Apple $10 billion over a decade of work – AppleInsider
  • In loving memory of the Apple Car – Creative Bloq
• Apple Vision Pro return rate is about the same as the iPhone 15 Pro – AppleInsider
• Apple TV+ to get the most exciting sci-fi TV series to be greenlit in years – T3.com
• Apple Wont Remove Home Screen Web Apps From iOS After All – PC Mag UK
• Apple Adds M3 Macs to Its Do-It-Yourself Repair Program – iDrop News
• Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ movie is now streaming on Apple TV+ – 9to5Mac
• Apple ID could get a branding makeover to Apple Account – Cult of Mac
• Gurman: No Apple Event Planned for Upcoming iPads and Macs – MacRumors
• Apple hit with class action lawsuit over iCloud’s 5GB limit – 9to5Mac
• Zoom Pulls the Plug on Older Versions of iOS – PC Mag UK
• Netflix Subscribers Can No Longer Pay Through Apple’s App Store – MacTrast

TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE

• Windows 11 borrowing Apple’s ‘iPhone as a webcam’ feature for Android – 9to5Mac
  • No physical buttons, but the bottom of the trackpad still clicks.
  • Tap-drag to drag*.
  • Three finger swipe up reveals all windows and desktops.
  • *The the tap-drag gesture is tragically flawed, however, as it does not have any form of drag lock, so you have to be able to complete the drag in the available area of the trackpad. Which is nowhere near as big as Apple’s.

SECURITY & PRIVACY

• Blog - iMessage with PQ3: The new state of the art in quantum-secure messaging at scale – Apple

  • Dougee Says: iMessage lacked post-compromise security. In the Signal protocol, your communication keys are constantly updated and “ratcheted” forwards. This means that a compromised phone/backup won’t be useful for long. You’ll replace the stolen keys within a few minutes. In iMessage this wasn’t true: public keys were long-lived. The new update adds periodic rekeying using elliptic curve cryptography, to ensure that compromised keys quickly become useless, both in the future and for decrypting past messages. This closes an important threat vector. Along with key transparency, this makes iMessage a state-of-the-art cryptographic protocol. Even with those improvements, the remaining problem is that elliptic curve crypto is not secure against future quantum computing advances. This doesn’t matter today, but if such computers are built in the future, they could be used to decrypt past conversations. So Apple has made two changes in this update.

  • Frequent elliptic curve rekeying.

  • Second “post quantum secure” algorithm: Kyber.

    • This algorithm rekeys as well, but a little less frequently. (This is because Kyber cophertexts are much bigger and “eat” more space on the wire.) An important note here is that the two main encryption algorithms are arranged into a “combiner”: this means that as long as one algorithm remains secure, nobody should be able to break the encryption. This means Apple gets the safety of elliptic curves today, plus PQC in the future (maybe.)

  • Ok, so what? You might point out that this is overkill. Quantum computers are years away, and key compromise is rare. So why should I care about this? The answer is you probably don’t need to care. It is overkill. But sometimes overkill sends a useful message, one that should be heard by people who aren’t technical at all.

VINNE & THE SQUIRRELS VS THE ANALYSTS

• Forget the M3 and A17 Pro, Apple might already be designing chips using 2nm – iMore
• New Apple Watch bands tipped for Spring launch iOS 17.4 code reveals... – iMore

WORTH A CHIRP / ESSENTIAL TIPS

• 10 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in Next Week's iOS 17.4 Update – MacRumors

JUST A SNIPPET

For things that are not worth more than a flypast

• Apple TV+ Gains Over 50 Movies for a Limited Time – MacRumors

Essential Apple Recommended Services:

• All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
• Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
• Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
• Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
• Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
• 33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
• AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
• Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
• ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
• ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
• Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
• Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
• Wire and on the App Stores – free for personal use, open source and end to end encryted messenger and VoIP.
• Pinecast – a fabulous podcast hosting service with costs that start from nothing.

Essential Apple is not affiliated with or paid to promote any of these services... We recommend services that we use ourselves and feel are either unique or outstanding in their field, or in some cases are just the best value for money in our opinion.

Social Media and Slack

Twitter / Slack / EssentialApple.com / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook / Pinecast

• Also a big SHOUT OUT to the members of the Slack room without whom we wouldn't have half the stories we actually do – we thank you all for your contributions and engagement.
• You can always help us out with a few pennies by using our Amazon Affiliate Link so we get a tiny kickback on anything you buy after using it.
• If you really like the show that much and would like to make a regular donation then please consider joining our Patreon or using the Pinecast Tips Jar (which accepts one off or regular donations)
• And a HUGE thank you to the patrons who already do.

Support The Essential Apple Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/essential-apple-show

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This week Simon and Nick consider Steve’s birthday and, sadly, two years of war in the Ukraine, plus Post Quantum Cryptography, Apple’s first folding device, some Apple TV+, and an Apple Ring? Apologies if the sound is still a little below par, Simon’s new mic didn’t arrive in time for this recording, but hopefully all will be well by the next show.

MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL

• The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
• If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin [email protected] or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.

Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!

Recorded 25th February 2024

On this week's show

NICK RILEY

• Spligosh in the Slack
• Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
• Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube

APPLE

• Steve Jobs Would Have Celebrated His 69th Birthday Today – MacRumors
• Here's how much it costs Apple to make the $3,500 Vision Pro – 9to5Mac
• Critical Mac And iPhone Security Warning—Stop Doing These 3 Things Now – Forbes
• ‘iMessage With PQ3: The New State of the Art in Quantum-Secure Messaging at Scale’ – Daring Fireball
  • New iMessage PQ3 Encryption Protocol Protects Against Post-Quantum Attacks – TidBITS
  • Apple’s own descriotion of what they’re doing - Apple
• iPhone 15 owners are still having Bluetooth problems – almost 6 months after launch – Tom's Guide
• New Rumor Suggests An Apple Ring Could Be ‘Imminent’ – iDrop News
• Apple's first folding device won't be an iPhone – iMore
• Apple chipmaker moving ahead toward 2nm processors in 2025 – Cult of Mac
• Exclusive: Apple Maps to get a big boost in the UK – iMore
• MASTERS OF THE AIR Is Apple TV+s Most Watched Series Launch Ever – [GeekTyrant]https://geektyrant.com/news/masters-of-the-air-is-apple-tvs-most-watched-series-launch-ever-which-is-great-news)
• Apple TV Plus space thriller Constellation divides opinion – iMore
• Apple's hit sci-fi show is finally set to resume filming following production delays – GamesRadar

WORTH A CHIRP / ESSENTIAL TIPS

• Sorry But You Need To Stop Using This Old School Phone Hack To Dry Your Phone – HuffPost UK
• Apple debunks common charging myth that people claim could harm your battery – UNILAD
• 15 Cool Apple Watch Features You're (Probably) Not Using – iDrop News
• 10 iPhone pro tips that are actually helpful – BGR

Essential Apple Recommended Services:

• All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
• Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
• Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
• Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
• Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
• 33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
• AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
• Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
• ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
• ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
• Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
• Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
• Wire and on the App Stores – free for personal use, open source and end to end encryted messenger and VoIP.
• Pinecast – a fabulous podcast hosting service with costs that start from nothing.

Essential Apple is not affiliated with or paid to promote any of these services... We recommend services that we use ourselves and feel are either unique or outstanding in their field, or in some cases are just the best value for money in our opinion.

Social Media and Slack

Twitter / Slack / EssentialApple.com / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook / Pinecast

• Also a big SHOUT OUT to the members of the Slack room without whom we wouldn't have half the stories we actually do – we thank you all for your contributions and engagement.
• You can always help us out with a few pennies by using our Amazon Affiliate Link so we get a tiny kickback on anything you buy after using it.
• If you really like the show that much and would like to make a regular donation then please consider joining our Patreon or using the Pinecast Tips Jar (which accepts one off or regular donations)
• And a HUGE thank you to the patrons who already do.

Support The Essential Apple Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/essential-apple-show

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Late yet again! However, this time Nick and Simon talk about the DMA (again), the Vision Pro (again), Peleton backpedalling, and look at the award-winning, world’s smallest humanoid robot ironically reported on by Giant Freakin Robot! Also Simon’s microphone failed suddenly and unexpectedly with no apparent cause just before the show... so sound quality isn’t quite as good as normal - sorry.

MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL

• The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
• If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin [email protected] or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.

Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!

Recorded 18th February 2024

On this week's show

NICK RILEY

• Spligosh in the Slack
• Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
• Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube

APPLE

• Apple's iMessage Avoids EU's Digital Markets Act Regulation – Mac Rumors
  • Apple's iMessage dodges tough new EU regulations – and Google isn't happy – TechRadar
• Apple's Latest AI Tool Can Animate an Image Based on Your Description – Mac Rumors
• The 3 reasons people are sending back their Apple Vision Pro headsets – TechRadar
  • 3 Ways Apple Vision Pro Owners are Modding Their Headsets For Comfort – Inverse
• Someone has already used Apple Vision Pro while cycling and it went as well as you might expect – iMore
• Say goodbye to web apps – iOS 17.4 removes useful feature on iPhones in the EU – [TechRadar/(https://www.techradar.com/phones/say-goodbye-to-web-apps-ios-174-removes-useful-feature-on-iphones-in-the-eu)
• Gruber: Apple was 'effectively forced' by China to bring RCS to iPhone — 9to5Mac
• Apple shares Super Bowl Halftime Show behind-the-scenes video shot entirely on iPhone 15 Pro — 9to5Mac
• Apple Podcasts bug prevents listeners from enjoying new episodes — AppleInsider
• Apple’s longest-serving designer to retire; cost-cutting efforts causing ‘unrest’ inside the design team — 9to5Mac
• Peloton will continue to support Apple Watch GymKit following userbase uproar — iMore
• Mark Zuckerberg dishes on Apple ‘fanboys’ and how his Vision Pro review compares to Steve Ballmer’s iPhone reaction - 9to5Mac

TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE

• ‎Arc Search – App Store
• Former Apple exec introduces new AI-powered glasses — Fox Business
• World's Smallest Humanoid Robot Created By High Schoolers — Giant Freakin Robot
• Legacy IT infrastructure accounts for more than a third of enterprise power consumption, and it’s creating a sustainability nightmare for IT leaders – IT Pro

SECURITY & PRIVACY

• 'GoldDigger' trojan targets iOS users to steal facial recognition data and bank accounts — 9to5Mac
  • Protect against iPhone trojan GoldPickaxe: How-to - 9to5Mac
• Fake LastPass App Sneaks Past Apple's Review Team – Mac Rumors
• Apple pulls pirated movies and TV shows app disguised as a vision testing tool — 9to5Mac

WORTH A CHIRP / ESSENTIAL TIPS

• 10 Hidden Messages Features in iOS 17 – [Mac Rumors]

Essential Apple Recommended Services:

• All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
• Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
• Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
• Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
• Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
• 33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
• AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
• Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
• ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
• ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
• Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
• Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
• Wire and on the App Stores – free for personal use, open source and end to end encryted messenger and VoIP.
• Pinecast – a fabulous podcast hosting service with costs that start from nothing.

Essential Apple is not affiliated with or paid to promote any of these services... We recommend services that we use ourselves and feel are either unique or outstanding in their field, or in some cases are just the best value for money in our opinion.

Social Media and Slack

Twitter / Slack / EssentialApple.com / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook / Pinecast

• Also a big SHOUT OUT to the members of the Slack room without whom we wouldn't have half the stories we actually do – we thank you all for your contributions and engagement.
• You can always help us out with a few pennies by using our Amazon Affiliate Link so we get a tiny kickback on anything you buy after using it.
• If you really like the show that much and would like to make a regular donation then please consider joining our Patreon or using the Pinecast Tips Jar (which accepts one off or regular donations)
• And a HUGE thank you to the patrons who already do.

Support The Essential Apple Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/essential-apple-show

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Simon and Nick have a chat about the Vision Pro, Apple's DMA proposals and the Quarterly results... And yes, the title is a deliberate misquote of Kenneth Williams' famous "stop messing about!"

MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL

• The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family
• If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin [email protected] or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.

Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!

Recorded 4th February 2024

On this week's show

NICK RILEY

• Spligosh in the Slack
• Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
• Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube

APPLE

• Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it’s not – The Verge
  • Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it’s not – YouTube
  • The Vision Pro – Daring Fireball
• Tim Cook teases AI, but wont pick favorites – Six Colors
  • Apple reports nearly $120B quarter: Full charts – Six Colors
  • Apple Vision Pro gets rave reviews — but Tim Cook won’t predict future – The Tiimes
• Apple announces changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the EU – Apple Newsroom
  • Apple’s Plans for the DMA in the European Union – Daring Fireball

TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE

• Startup develops new ‘I-State’ battery that could make electric cars cheaper and more sustainable than lithium-ion – The Cool Down

SECURITY & PRIVACY

• Apple Warns Proposed UK Law Could 'Secretly Veto' Global User Protections – MacRumors

Essential Apple Recommended Services:

• All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
• Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
• Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
• Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
• Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
• 33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
• AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
• Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
• ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
• ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
• Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
• Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
• Wire and on the App Stores – free for personal use, open source and end to end encryted messenger and VoIP.
• Pinecast – a fabulous podcast hosting service with costs that start from nothing.

Essential Apple is not affiliated with or paid to promote any of these services... We recommend services that we use ourselves and feel are either unique or outstanding in their field, or in some cases are just the best value for money in our opinion.

Social Media and Slack

Twitter / Slack / EssentialApple.com / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook / Pinecast

• Also a big SHOUT OUT to the members of the Slack room without whom we wouldn't have half the stories we actually do – we thank you all for your contributions and engagement.
• You can always help us out with a few pennies by using our Amazon Affiliate Link so we get a tiny kickback on anything you buy after using it.
• If you really like the show that much and would like to make a regular donation then please consider joining our Patreon or using the Pinecast Tips Jar (which accepts one off or regular donations)
• And a HUGE thank you to the patrons who already do.

Support The Essential Apple Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/essential-apple-show

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This week Simon and Nick are joined by the Revd Canon Andrew Dotchin, Suffolk MUG member, longtime Mac user and Vicar of Felixstowe (Britain’s busiest port), to talk about Apple, 40 years of the Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro and lots of other stuff which may (or may not) be related to tech…

MISSION TO SEAFARERS APPEAL

• The Mission to Seafarers provides help and support to the 1.89 million crewmen and women who face danger every day to keep our global economy afloat, transporting over 90% of the world’s goods and fuels. Being able to contact home when making shore half way round the world from home is something priceless to these merchant matelots. The Mission to Seafarers is looking for donations of old, but working, smartphones and internet capable tablets to give seafarers far from home a way to talk to friends and family

• If you have any old smartphones or tablets cluttering your cupboard and drawers why not donate them to this worthy cause? If you are in the UK contact Rev. Andrew Dotchin [email protected] or your nearest Mission to Seafarers Centre, or if you live outside the UK and would like to help, simply visit missiontoseafarers.org and make a donation.

Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!

Recorded 21st January 2024

On this week's show

REV CANON ANDREW DOTCHIN

• Vicar St John the Baptist and St Edmund, King & Martyr, Parish of Felixstowe
• @suffolkvicar on X/twitter
• [email protected]
• Felixstowe Parish https://felixparish.com

NICK RILEY

• Spligosh in the Slack
• Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
• Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube

APPLE

• Forty Years Ago, the Mac Triggered a Revolution in User Experience – Smithsonian
  • Computer History Museum in Mountain View celebrates Apple's Mac turning 40 – NBC Bay Area
  • Apple Execs Talk About the Mac’s 40th Birthday This Week – iPhone in Canada Blog
• The one unbeatable benefit I've enjoyed by going all-in on Apple – Digital Trends
• Apple had an update ready months ago to switch off the Apple Watch pulse oximeter – 9to5Mac
• Apple Issues New Warning For Millions Of MacBook Users – Forbes
• Apple Vision Pro is not wireless and this is driving some people to distraction – TechRadar
• Apple Says Vision Pro Does Not Support Hard Contact Lenses – MacRumors
• Scalpers are already hawking the Apple Vision Pro on eBay. Here’s why you shouldn’t buy from them – Fast Company
• Apple offers to open iPhone tap-to-pay to other payment systems in the EU – Cult of Mac
• Spotify Attacks Apple’s ‘Outrageous’ 27 Percent Commission From External Links – Daring Fireball
• Apple Vision Pro content can be beamed to other Apple devices via AirPlay – TechRadar
• Is the best Windows laptop an M3 MacBook Pro? It could be with Parallels Desktop – Windows Central
• iPhone users left raging by 'woke' update that allows for pronouns to be added – Toronto Sun

SECURITY & PRIVACY

• FTC Order Prohibits Data Broker X-Mode Social and Outlogic from Selling Sensitive Location Data – FTC
• Meta faces another EU privacy challenge over 'pay for privacy' consent choice – TechCrunch
• California’s Delete Act lets consumers make one request to delete personal data – The Verge

WORTH A CHIRP / ESSENTIAL TIPS

• 7 Secret iPhone Tips You Should Know According to This Ex-Apple Employee – iDrop News
• What Is Mail Drop, And How Do You Use It? – SlashGear

Essential Apple Recommended Services:

• All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
• Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
• Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
• Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
• Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
• 33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
• AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
• Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
• ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
• ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
• Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
• Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
• Wire and on the App Stores – free for personal use, open source and end to end encryted messenger and VoIP.
• Pinecast – a fabulous podcast hosting service with costs that start from nothing.

Essential Apple is not affiliated with or paid to promote any of these services... We recommend services that we use ourselves and feel are either unique or outstanding in their field, or in some cases are just the best value for money in our opinion.

Social Media and Slack

Twitter / Slack / EssentialApple.com / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook / Pinecast

• Also a big SHOUT OUT to the members of the Slack room without whom we wouldn't have half the stories we actually do – we thank you all for your contributions and engagement.
• You can always help us out with a few pennies by using our Amazon Affiliate Link so we get a tiny kickback on anything you buy after using it.
• If you really like the show that much and would like to make a regular donation then please consider joining our Patreon or using the Pinecast Tips Jar (which accepts one off or regular donations)
• And a HUGE thank you to the patrons who already do.

Support The Essential Apple Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/essential-apple-show

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Happy New Year! It is 2024 (even though it was 1976 a few months ago wasn’t it?) Anyway, Simon and Nick finally get back together after the Holiday Season (and a few other things) got in the way... Chatter covers the Vision Pro, a bunch of security stories, a nuclear battery, and lots more, as always seems to happen.

Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!

Recorded 14th January 2024

On this week's show

NICK RILEY

• Spligosh in the Slack
• Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
• Nick’s church stream videos on You Tube

APPLE

• Apple Vision Pro demos will include scanning your glasses to identify your prescription – The Verge
  • Apple says its Vision Pro is ‘spatial computing,’ not VR – Fast Company
  • Apple Vision Pro – Apple
    • Go Pro Max 360º – Go Pro
    • Angels Landing Survival Guide: Things to Know Before You Go – Earth Trekkers
• U.S. appeals court upholds tribunal decisions in Apple-Masimo patent dispute – Reuters
• I tried Apples alternative iPhone interface in iOS 17 here’s what happened – Tom’s Guide
• It's official: Apple's Find My network now lets you track twice as many devices – Tech Radar
• UKs digital markets regulator gives flavor of rebooted rules coming for – TechCrunch
• Apple security releases – Apple Support
• Now that Wi-Fi 7 is official, let's see the return of AirPort – iMore

TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE

• Qi2 Wireless Charging: Everything you need to know – Laptop Mag
• EU antitrust chief meets Apple, Alphabet, and Qualcomm chiefs – Reuters
• Groundbreaking nuclear battery produces 50 years of power without needing to be recharged – Brighter Side News

SECURITY & PRIVACY

• Operation Triangulation – Securelist
  • 4-year campaign backdoored iPhones using possibly the most advanced exploit ever – Ars Technica
• Apple admits to secretly giving governments push notification data – Ars Technica
• Apple Magic Keyboards are at risk from security attacks, update now – TechRadar
• AirDrop 'Cracked' By Chinese Authorities to Identify Senders – MacRumors
  • Apple ignored warnings that AirDrop had a vulnerability that China learned to exploit – Techspot

VINNE & THE SQUIRRELS VS THE ANALYSTS

• iOS 17.3 Beta drops 'Pro' from 'Apple Vision' could another model be on the way already? – iMore
• Apple to release new Mac Studio and Mac Pro this year, new ‘M3 Ultra’ – The Apple Post
• Samsung's Apple Vision Pro competitor might be one-third the price – Android Central

NEMO’S HARDWARE STORE (47:34)

• Scosche MagicMount Travel Folding 2-in-1 Wireless Charger – Amazon $75 USD / Not currently on Amazon UK
• Scosche PowerVolt PD35 Dual-Port USB-C Charger $50 USD direct, not currently available on Amazon

Essential Apple Recommended Services:

• All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
• Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
• Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
• Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
• Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
• 33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
• AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
• Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter... You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
• ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE... what more can you ask?
• ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
• Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
• Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
• Wire and on the App Stores – free for personal use, open source and end to end encryted messenger and VoIP.
• Pinecast – a fabulous podcast hosting service with costs that start from nothing.

Essential Apple is not affiliated with or paid to promote any of these services... We recommend services that we use ourselves and feel are either unique or outstanding in their field, or in some cases are just the best value for money in our opinion.

Social Media and Slack

Twitter / Slack / EssentialApple.com / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook / Pinecast

• Also a big SHOUT OUT to the members of the Slack room without whom we wouldn't have half the stories we actually do – we thank you all for your contributions and engagement.
• You can always help us out with a few pennies by using our Amazon Affiliate Link so we get a tiny kickback on anything you buy after using it.
• If you really like the show that much and would like to make a regular donation then please consider joining our Patreon or using the Pinecast Tips Jar (which accepts one off or regular donations)
• And a HUGE thank you to the patrons who already do.

Support The Essential Apple Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/essential-apple-show

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.