688: A Company Manhttps://atp.fm/688

[marinaepelman@mastodon.social]

@atpfm My god… https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/style/tim-cook-apple-ceo-fashion.html?unlocked_article_code=1.c1A.edmw.MWhUxZM4-wtS&smid=nytcore-ios-share

[dschaub@mstdn.social]

@atlauren @atpfm

I don't know how Apple's bylaws work, but I would be surprised if the Executive Chairman actually has more voting power than the rest of the board.

The board made Cook Executive Chairman for appearances. He is not needed.

If it comes down to a conflict between the two, the board would be derelict to side with Cook.

Ternus absolutely has the actual power in this situation, so Ternus is the one who is responsible, unless the board gets rid of him.

[dschaub@mstdn.social]

@atlauren @atpfm

Cook is a figure head. Ternus will be in charge unless the board fires him.

[sayitintexan@mastodon.social]

@atpfm I was crushed that there was no black iPhone Pro this year. I was thrilled that there was a silver MacBook Neo. I don't dare let John Ternus see that the MacBook Neo Silver t-shirt didn't make the threshold. I immediately purchased one.

[bbech@mastodon.social]

@mpfef98 @atpfm @siracusa yeah kind of surprised he downplayed it like it was just some state university.

[edmn@mastodon.social]

@atpfm I lost it when Marco started describing the material that Ternus and Cook were wearing in the press release.

[duc@mas.to]

@marinaepelman @atpfm Ha, also came here to post that. Marco does as good a job identifying specific brands as a NYT fashion reporter, which this author only does a couple times

[duc@mas.to]

@ejauch @atpfm This is the way. No unseemly bunching and the sleeves are tucked so they can’t fall down

[marinaepelman@mastodon.social]

@duc @atpfm The reporter is trying to eke out a Big Important Point, whereas Marco is just having fun.

Reminds me of a good old days when ATP did their first fashion segment on pant design and pocketability

[curdriceaurora@mastodon.social]

@atpfm Looks like none of you have been watching Shrinking on Apple TV. Those shirts are the suburban dad Derek’s standard wardrobe on the series.

[janne_o@mastodon.social]

@atpfm te the quick comment on Touchbar: am I the only one who loves the idea? I think the problem is that they replaced function keys with it. I would love if Apple brought the touch bar back, but kept the function keys as well.

[sharding@mastodon.social]

@atpfm You're right that the masses care about convenience and price over quality. But we should be thanking, not dismissing, the minority who do care about quality. Caring about quality is not a character flaw. Those are the people who push for improvements that trickle down to everyone else. Is the person who spends more and inconveniences themself for a 1% improvement in video source quality all that different than someone who buys a Mac Pro to do... whatever John does on his Mac Pro?

[siracusa@mastodon.social]

@sharding I don't think I was "dismissing" people who want better quality! I just think the quality improvement needs to be perceptible in some way, ideally…

[blazesanders@techhub.social]

@lukeratta @atpfm but they would need to charge EVERYONE more money, if they wanted fewer SKU’s. The few people that want / need higher the spec help pay for the people that can’t afford it.

[lukeratta@mastodon.social]

@blazesanders @atpfm

That’s making some pretty big assumptions about cost. Take BMW’s heated seats, for instance. They scrapped the subscription after backlash, so they’re no longer making any subscription revenue from it. Do you really think those cars suddenly stopped being profitable?

[blazesanders@techhub.social]

@lukeratta @atpfm Fair points. But I didn’t say the no subscription purchase mean loss of all profitable. A company like Apple wants to make 40% so they save money by making one SKU and their modeling calculates that if 20% of users do subscribe they make 40% profit.

[sayrer@mastodon.social]

@dschaub @atlauren @atpfm Executive Chairman just means he's still an employee of Apple, not an outside board member, and may have some managerial duties. As the show said, it's probably dealing with world leaders for a few years. It also makes sense because they have to do most things a year ahead at least, so it's still his decisions they're dealing with for a while yet.

[sayrer@mastodon.social]

@atpfm @siracusa @marcoarment the clothes do indeed appear on podcasts. I know it from Search Engine, but there is also a store of theirs not too far from my house. That stuff is expensive, but not like high-fashion expensive.

The Nike shoes make sense, because Tim Cook is the lead independent director at Nike! He kinda has to wear them.

Just a moment...

(investors.nike.com)

[spyder@mastodon.social]

@atpfm polestar 2 is one of the EV models with a paid software unlock for full motor performance. It also adjusts the pedal response curves, adds launch control, and they’ll send replacement stickers to put on the car.

(www.reddit.com)

(Or the official, less useful, FAQ: https://www.polestar.com/au/support/faq/performance-software-upgrade/ )

[janne_o@mastodon.social]

@atpfm re: audiophiles: there was a guy in Japan who installed his own utility pole so he could get “better” electricity:

An 82-Year-Old Japanese Audiophile Searches for the Best Sound by Installing His Own Electric Utility Pole in His Yard

As a longtime record collector (first because it was before CDs were invented) and a budding audiophile (because vinyl does sound better than digital, have at me in the comments if you must), I appreciate a good story about the search for perfect sound. But Takeo Morita takes it to a new level. Open Culture, openculture.com

Open Culture (www.openculture.com)