MacBook Neo, Apple’s First 50 Years, and the Weirdest Wearable Yet Artwork

Basic AF: a (mostly) tech podcast

Spilling trash, talk, tech, and tea (though Tom says no politics). Plus, games, plenty of Apple tech, or whatever else comes into our heads. It’s a show where we get to hang out and talk tech, talk shit, and have fun every couple of weeks (and sometimes more often - only your podcast app knows for sure). We'll give you the lowdown on the gear we're using, some knowledge bombs to help you use your gear better, and answer listener questions.

All Episodes

Basic AF: a (mostly) tech podcast

MacBook Neo, Apple’s First 50 Years, and the Weirdest Wearable Yet

March 16, 2026 • Tom Anderson & Jeff Battersby • Episode 83

0:00 | 51:53

Tom and Jeff are back with a packed episode that wanders from Apple hardware to Apple history to Apple TV+ sports to, well, a scientific fart study. If that sounds like a lot, it is.

Topics covered this episode:

MacBook Neo hands-on — Tom got a brief look at the new $599 MacBook Neo at an IT conference. Build quality impressions, the Indigo color, and why the "it's just an iPhone chip" skepticism sounds a lot like what people said about the original M1 with 8GB of RAM. (Spoiler: they were wrong then too.)
David Pogue's Apple: The First 50 Years — Tom pre-ordered it, it arrived while he was out of town, and he's had exactly 15 minutes with it. It's a 600-page textbook-style history (not a glossy coffee table book), and he's planning a more thorough read over the summer.
A history tangent worth taking — The origin story of the PowerBook's palm rest design — and how one engineer's persistence against resistance accidentally shaped every laptop keyboard layout that followed.
Jeff discovers F1 — Apple TV+ now carries every F1 race, and Jeff is in. The tech angle (real-time telemetry, PlayStation-style steering wheels, hybrid power transitions) makes it surprisingly interesting.
The Human Flatus Atlas — Jeff has enrolled in a legitimate University of Maryland research study on human flatulence. Smart underwear device incoming. Butt tag update promised for next episode.

Links from the show

Tom’s Photos of the MacBook Neo

Apple: The First 50 Years – David Pogue

Human Flatus Atlas Project

F1 on Apple TV+

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Contact Us

Drop us a line at feedback@basicafshow.com
You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
Tom has a new YouTube channel
Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.