Accidental Tech Podcast

662: Just Break the Law

October 23, 2025

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  • The ATP Holiday Store is open, featuring the return of the popular 'Chicken Hat' as 'Chicken Hat 2.0' (slightly larger with the logo moved to the front) and new items like the 'ATP Tahoe' shirt referencing awkward macOS Tahoe icons and the 'ATP T568A' and 'ATP T568B' shirts referencing Ethernet wiring standards. 
  • A new ATP member special is available, detailing Marco's experiences and lessons learned from the first year of running his seasonal restaurant. 
  • The M5 Vision Pro features the same displays as the M2 version but renders 10% more pixels in the foveated rendering area, and the new dual-knit band significantly improves comfort by counterweighting the device. 
  • The M5 Vision Pro offers only marginal, non-night-and-day improvements in display fidelity over the M2 version, despite rendering 10% more pixels, with noticeable speed gains primarily in startup and persona generation. 
  • The Dual Knit Band is highly recommended as a significant comfort upgrade for the Vision Pro, effectively counterbalancing weight to reduce facial pressure, even though the device remains heavy overall. 
  • Spatial FaceTime and shared photo viewing are highlighted as surprisingly fully realized and valuable experiences within the Vision Pro ecosystem, contrasting with the demo-like nature of many other applications like Mac Virtual Display, which suffers from lower-than-retina fidelity. 
  • The M5 Vision Pro is considered a worthwhile upgrade only for existing Vision Pro users who prioritize a faster, more modern version, as it fails to solve major physical drawbacks like the dual-cable issue introduced by the new developer strap. 
  • The speaker expresses extreme frustration with Apple's Shortcuts application, comparing the experience for programmers to having fingernails removed with pliers, preferring traditional scripting languages for complex automation tasks. 
  • A highly reproducible and terrifying bug was discovered where files created via a specific sequence of actions within a macOS Sequoia Shortcut are silently deleted from the disk upon switching focus away from and then back to the Finder window. 

Segments

Goose Infection Anecdotes
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Multiple people, including a friend named Dave, have become deeply ‘infected’ listeners of the band Goose following a shared concert experience.
  • Summary: The hosts opened the Accidental Tech Podcast by sharing anecdotes about recently encountering people who have become avid listeners of the band Goose after attending a show. One host mentioned a friend who has listened to nothing but Goose since the concert. This shared experience is noted as being much more enjoyable than COVID-19.
New Member Special Announcement
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(00:01:10)
  • Key Takeaway: The new ATP Members’ Special covers the lessons learned from the first year of operating Marco’s seasonal restaurant.
  • Summary: The hosts announced the new members’ special, which details the technical, people, and business lessons from the first year of Marco’s seasonal restaurant. Feedback indicated listeners appreciated hearing the perspective from ’the other side of the pass’ regarding food service management.
Outerwear Wardrobe Debate
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(00:03:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Vests are generally disliked by the hosts as they fail to adequately warm the arms, which are perceived as the coldest extremities, unlike jackets or hoodies.
  • Summary: The discussion pivoted to an aside about outerwear, specifically vests, which Marco strongly dislikes, preferring jackets for fall weather. John offered potential advantages for vests, such as providing pockets without sleeves or offering intermediate warmth regulation, though he admitted he doesn’t wear them.
ATP Holiday Store Launch
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(00:10:07)
  • Key Takeaway: The ATP Holiday Store is open until November 9th, featuring the ‘ATP Chicken Hat 2.0’ and new ‘ugly clothing’ themed items like the macOS Tahoe icon shirt.
  • Summary: The ATP Holiday Store launched early to ensure delivery before the holidays, running through November 9th. New items include the ‘ATP Quarter Zip’ and the ‘ATP Tahoe’ shirt, which features the ‘god-awful’ crescent wrench icon from macOS Tahoe. The store also features the return of the ‘ATP Chicken Hat’ as version 2.0, which is slightly larger.
Nerdy Ethernet Wiring Shirts
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(00:18:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The store is selling two highly niche shirts, ‘ATP T568A’ and ‘ATP T568B’, which incorporate the specific color stripe patterns of the two Ethernet wiring standards into the ATP logo.
  • Summary: Inspired by Adam Brandon, the store offers shirts depicting the T568A and T568B Ethernet wiring standards using the six-color stripe pattern within the ATP logo. These are considered among the nerdiest shirts ever offered, designed to be recognized by network engineers.
M5 Chip and Mac Pro Updates
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(00:22:01)
  • Key Takeaway: M5 shirts are available, and the hosts continue to sell the ‘Mac Pro Believe’ shirts while awaiting any official product announcement or cancellation.
  • Summary: The store lineup includes M5 logo shirts, which may be mistaken for BMW merchandise, and the perpetually available ‘Mac Pro Believe’ shirts. The hosts also noted that only ten of the original, over-ordered ATP mugs remain, which are now heavily discounted.
Recognition Corner and Bug Fixes
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(00:25:29)
  • Key Takeaway: Apple fixed a long-standing, fast-scrolling bug (FB17661404) in Call Sheet within iOS 26.1, but a new bug regarding ‘Menu(::primaryAction:)’ functionality is now broken in 26.0 and 26.1.
  • Summary: The Recognition Corner celebrated two listeners meeting at a protest while wearing ATP shirts. The host thanked Apple for fixing a specific SwiftUI list scrolling bug in 26.1, though they vented frustration over Apple splitting a multi-faceted bug report into two separate feedback numbers. A new, widespread SwiftUI bug is reported where the primary action closure for tap-and-hold menus is being dropped.
M5 Vision Pro Details Confirmed
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(00:37:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The M5 Vision Pro utilizes the same displays as the M2 version but achieves sharper visuals via foveated rendering of 10% more pixels in the focus area, and the M5 chip includes Memory Integrity Enforcement, suggesting CPU cores derived from the A19.
  • Summary: Feedback confirmed the M5 Vision Pro uses identical displays to the M2 model, achieving visual improvements through rendering more pixels where the user focuses. The M5 chip includes Memory Integrity Enforcement, implying its CPU cores are derived from the A19 generation rather than the A18. Furthermore, the M5 MacBook Pro is significantly cheaper in EU regions when purchased without the charger.
Vision Pro Weight and Strap
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(00:53:25)
  • Key Takeaway: The M5 Vision Pro unit weight is identical to the M2 version without straps.
  • Summary: The physical unit weight of the M5 Vision Pro is the same as the M2 Vision Pro when comparing hardware without any straps attached. The new Dual Knit Band is highly praised as a $100 accessory that significantly improves comfort for the heavy device. The speaker intends to purchase the Dual Knit Band for their own M2 Vision Pro upon returning the review unit.
M5 Display Pixel Rendering Test
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(00:53:49)
  • Key Takeaway: A clever eye chart test was devised to check if foveated rendering on the M5 results in discernible clarity improvements.
  • Summary: The M5 Vision Pro renders 10% more pixels in the foveated area, which is meant to increase clarity where the user is looking. The test involved comparing the smallest readable line on a vector eye chart between the M2 and M5 models. The result indicated only a marginal improvement, allowing the user to step back about half a foot further away with the M5.
M5 Performance and Display Fidelity
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(00:56:27)
  • Key Takeaway: M5 Vision Pro improvements are better but not night-and-day better, with noticeable speed in startup and persona generation.
  • Summary: The M5 Vision Pro is incrementally better, but the display fidelity difference was not stark, even during Mac Virtual Display testing. Startup time and the persona generation process were noticeably faster on the M5 compared to the M2. The speaker notes that their vision limitations (due to keratoconus and hard contacts, despite the device working fine) might affect their perception of display differences.
Mac Virtual Display Experience
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(01:06:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Mac Virtual Display significantly degrades the sharpness of a Retina display, making the physical screen preferable when available.
  • Summary: Mac Virtual Display works even with Intel Macs, but it effectively ‘unretinas’ the display, making the virtual screen noticeably less sharp than the physical Pro Display XDR. While usable in confined spaces like airplanes, the actual screen is superior when the user is near their computer. The experience is technically amazing but technically inferior in resolution compared to native Retina displays.
Virtual World Instability and Drift
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(01:09:49)
  • Key Takeaway: Virtual objects and windows exhibit noticeable drift and misalignment over time, requiring manual readjustment.
  • Summary: Despite initial amazement at how solid virtual objects appear, the user frequently noticed that placed widgets or windows would become slightly tilted or misaligned after moving between rooms. The system corrects this drift, but the user noticed the shift before the automatic adjustment occurred. The mechanism by which the Vision Pro maintains spatial anchors across different rooms remains a mystery to the speaker.
Demoing Immersive Video Issues
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(01:14:40)
  • Key Takeaway: HDCP protection causes immersive video playback to black out both the Vision Pro view and the mirrored laptop screen simultaneously.
  • Summary: When attempting to demo immersive video content, the screen blacks out for the wearer due to copyright protection, even though the audio continues to play. The speaker strongly urges Apple to violate the HDCP standard for this specific use case, arguing that pirating foveated rendering streams is not a realistic threat. Changing environments also caused both screens to black out, which seemed like a bug rather than an intentional feature.
Spatial FaceTime and Game Room
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(01:26:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Spatial FaceTime provides a surprisingly intimate, near-present feeling for remote interaction, while the new personas are close but remain in the Uncanny Valley.
  • Summary: The Spatial FaceTime call with three participants, including a first-time user, felt closer to real-life hanging out than standard video calls, despite the avatars being slightly uncanny, especially in motion. Sharing photos together in the virtual space is a fully realized, superior experience compared to phone screens because images can be resized to fill the room. Playing the legally distinct Battleship game in Game Room is a good demonstration of shared virtual object interaction, though the game itself is not exciting.
New Developer Strap Details
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(01:43:13)
  • Key Takeaway: The second-generation Developer Strap increases data transfer speeds up to 20 Gbps, potentially improving Mac Virtual Display latency.
  • Summary: The new strap replaces the original USB 2.0 connection with a USB-C connection supporting up to 20 Gbps, which is beneficial for shipping development builds to the device faster. This wired connection could also lower latency for Mac Virtual Display, which currently relies on ad hoc Wi-Fi. However, the physical awkwardness of having cables running down both sides of the head remains unsolved in the new design.
M5 Vision Pro Upgrade Value
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(01:46:32)
  • Key Takeaway: The M5 Vision Pro’s value hinges on the quality of the Mac Virtual Display experience for heavy users, despite its high $300 accessory cost.
  • Summary: The M5 Vision Pro might be worth the cost for users who rely heavily on Mac Virtual Display for hours daily. The speaker notes the new developer strap also costs $300, similar to the original. The overall M5 Vision Pro upgrade is only recommended for those who loved the original but wanted a faster version, not as a necessary upgrade from the M2 version.
Developer Strap Physical Flaw
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(01:47:03)
  • Key Takeaway: The new Vision Pro developer strap failed to address the original’s major physical drawback: the awkwardness of having two cables running from the headset.
  • Summary: The original developer strap had two major problems: cost ($300) and the physical issue of requiring a second cable running into the headset’s connection stick. The speaker criticizes Apple for making no apparent effort to solve this dual-cable problem in the second iteration of the developer strap. This failure is cited as an example of the M5 update solving performance issues but ignoring significant drawbacks.
M5 Vision Pro Summary
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(01:48:45)
  • Key Takeaway: The M5 Vision Pro is a great modern iteration for enthusiasts, but not a necessary upgrade for current M2 Vision Pro owners.
  • Summary: If a user enjoys the Vision Pro and desires a more modern, faster iteration, the M5 is excellent. However, upgrading from an M2 model is not recommended, especially since Apple offers no trade-in value. The speaker suggests the visual improvements are subtle, requiring phenomenal eyesight to notice a significant difference.
Sponsor and Overtime Plug
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(01:49:38)
  • Key Takeaway: ATP members gain access to ATP Overtime, which this week covers Apple’s new exclusive broadcast partnership with Formula One in the US.
  • Summary: The hosts thank sponsors Squarespace, Leesa, and DeleteMe. Membership perks include ad-free episodes and ATP Overtime. The bonus topic for Overtime concerns Apple becoming the exclusive broadcast partner for Formula One in the United States.
John’s Unresolved Finder Bug
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(01:51:14)
  • Key Takeaway: A highly reproducible, silent data loss bug exists in macOS Sequoia where files generated by a specific Shortcut workflow disappear when the Finder window regains focus after being backgrounded.
  • Summary: The speaker details a bug encountered while preparing images for the new ATP Holiday Store, involving AVIF conversion and resizing via a custom Shortcut. The created files vanish from the directory without being moved to the trash or showing console errors, eliminating standard causes like Hazel or cron jobs. The deletion is reliably triggered when the user clicks back into the affected Finder window after activating another application, suggesting an issue with open file descriptors held by the running Shortcut process.