In this episode of Basic AF, Tom and Jeff welcome back Chris Freitag and Gannon Nordberg to share their experiences of using the iPhone Air.

The guys cover:

• How impossibly thin and light it feels in the hand
• The stunning 3000-nit display
• The “plateau” bump
• Battery life and overheating scares
• Why it’s delightful and a look at the future
• Is it a keeper?

🎧 Listen in for the unfiltered take: what works, what doesn’t, and whether the iPhone Air should be your next upgrade.

Guest Links

• Chris Freitag → chrisfreitag.com
• Gannon Nordberg → LinkedIn (email marketing strategies & newsletter signup)

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!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

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

We dig into the details of Apple’s recent “Awe Dropping” event! We take a look at the innovative features of the new iPhone Air, display improvements on the iPhone 17, and what’s new with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Get the scoop on the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and new hypertension warnings and Sleep Score. Plus AirPods 3 improvements and our thoughts on when to upgrade any of your devices.

Links:

Apple Events

Introducing iPhone Air, a powerful new iPhone with a breakthrough design

Apple unveils iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max

Apple debuts iPhone 17

Apple debuts Apple Watch Series 11, featuring groundbreaking health insights

Introducing Apple Watch Ultra 3

Apple introduces Apple Watch SE 3

Introducing AirPods Pro 3, the ultimate audio experience

We Tried to Break the iPhone Air | Interview with Apple’s Joz & John Ternus

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!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

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

If you’re an Apple Notes user who’s feeling buried in folders, tags, or forgotten ideas — and you’ve struggled to bring order to your notes — this episode is for you.

We dive deep into the Forever * Notes system with its creator, Matthias Hilse, and explore how it brings clarity, structure, and intentionality to even the messiest note collections.

You’ll hear:

• How to set up a central Home note
• The power of hubs, collections, and simplified tagging
• How Forever * Notes scales beautifully — even with thousands of notes

Plus:

• The features Matthias wishes Apple would add
• How this system completely changed Jeff’s Notes experience
• And why weekly notes are surprisingly complicated

Resources & Links

• Forever * Notes Official Site
• Forever * Notes YouTube Channel
• Forever * Notes Workshop
• Join the community: Forever * Notes Forum

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!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

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

If you’re wondering whether it’s finally safe (or fun) to jump into the Apple public betas, this episode is for you. From iPadOS 26’s dramatic windowing overhaul to macOS Tahoe’s subtle UI tweaks — plus new features in iOS 26 and watchOS 26 — we’ve lived with them all and have thoughts.

You’ll hear why the new iPad multitasking feels like macOS (in a good way), how Liquid Glass adds personality, and where the Mac beta stumbles hard (spoiler: Tom's disk filled up fast). We also dive into CarPlay changes, and watchOS 26.

Find out what works, what’s still rough, and which betas are actually changing how we use our Apple gear — including a full week of iPad-as-primary-computer testing.

And yes, Jeff crashed out over creatine. Hit play and stick around.

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!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

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

What happens when hip-hop meets theater, satire, and sibling bond? In this episode, we meet Jacob Battersby — artist, MC, and the man behind Celsius 7 — as he joins his brother Jeff and Tom for a funny and sometimes unfiltered journey through decades of DIY artistry. From early freestyle circles and cassette-tape beats to the lyrical power of Psychokinetics and the wild, lounge-rap theatrics of Kalri$$ian, Jacob reflects on how music became both an identity and a lifeline.

Links:

Celsius 7 - Apple Music / Spotify

Kalri$$ian - Apple Music / Spotify

Psychokinetics - Apple Music / Spotify

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!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

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

If you’re itching to try iPadOS 26, or just curious how far AI has crept into everyday life, this episode is for you.

Tom and Jeff share how well (or not) AI played doctor, deliver a first look at the iPadOS 26 developer beta, and break down how to beta test like a pro (without nuking your device).

You’ll get honest impressions of the new floating windows, updated UI, Preview on iPad, the surprise “Games” app—and what it all feels like in day-to-day use. Plus: how Jeff tested it, what crashed, and what delighted.

Will Tom install the beta? What did his doctor say when he quoted ChatGPT? And what’s the one thing you should do before installing any beta? It’s all here in a fast, fun 35 minutes.

Links:

Apple Public Beta

Apple Beta FAQ

iPadOS 26

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!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

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

We’re in between WWDC and the Public Betas, and it’s the perfect time for a summer vibe check!

Tom and Jeff break down what they’re reading, watching, listening to, and playing with this summer. Books, newsletters, podcasts, the new Reply All Time and Top Songs playlists in Apple Music, and more. Additionally, Tom gets nerdy with Claude, Readwise, and MCP, while Jeff plans to dabble in sketching and watercolors.

Links:

White Noise – Don DeLillo

Crudo – Olivia Laing

Wellness – Nathan Hill

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories – Ken Liu

Throughline – NPR Podcast

Seeing White (Scene on Radio) – Listen to Episode 1

The Mars Volta – Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacío (Filthy Lucre; The Eyes of the Void)

Pink Elephant – Arcade Fire

Jeff’s Playlist – Trying Not to Cry

Lost in Play – Apple Arcade

Sahil Bloom

James Clear – Atomic Habits

Unreasonable Hospitality

Lean Learning

Vanessa Lau on YouTube

Modern Wisdom Podcast

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!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

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

Tom and Jeff dive into three fun segments: Tom’s updated Mac recommendations for students, Jeff's update on his Forever Notes system using Apple Notes, and how both hosts are using health tracking apps to better understand their stress and recovery. Tom unpacks how Athlytic and Apple Watch are helping him recognize stress and reduce habitual tension, while Jeff shares how Gentler Streak has helped him optimize sleep and workouts. It’s a mix of tech tips, personal stories, and wellness insights—plus a few keg-lifting jokes.

Links from the show:

Best Mac for College – Tom Anderson

My Forever Notes

Gentler App

Athlytic App

Episode 55 - Who Pays for Calendar Apps & Next-Level Notes with Bill McLean

Episode 58 - WWDC Announced, Gentler Streak Workout Tracker, and "The Cybernetic Teammate" by Ethan Mollick

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!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

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