Happy Holidays! Joe Moyer returns and joins Tom and Jeff for a fun and festive discussion in the third-annual “These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things” show! Picks range from backpacks to iPhone accessories, books, apps, and more.

Find more from Joe at https://www.24letters.net/.

Links:

• Bellroy Transit Workpack
• Bullstrap Men's Wallets
• Bullstrap iPhone Cases
• Peak Design Phone Cases
• Gentler Streak Workout Tracker
• Craft: Docs, Notes, Tasks & AI
• The Ugmonk Pen
• Discbound Analog Productivity System
• Field Notes Notebooks
• iPad Pro
• Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Station
• Highland Pro Screenwriting App
• Snipd AI Podcast App
• Readwise
• Version History Podcast
• Book Tracker - Reading Journal
• YouTube Premium
• Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor
• Culpability by Bruce Holsinger
• What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
• Asana Project Management

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.

In this episode of Basic AF, Tom and Jeff revisit all the Apple hardware they use every single day, 18 months after their last gear rundown. From Macs to iPads, Apple Watch, AirPods, HomePods, and even a brief Vision Pro confession, they break down what’s still great, what’s aging surprisingly well, and what upgrades they’ve made along the way.

Jeff shares updates on his recovery journey, including walking unaided, writing again, and adjusting to double vision, while Tom heaps praise on the iPad Pro M5 and laments the quirks of iOS 26 battery life on his iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Other highlights include:

• Why the M1/M2 Mac lineup still punches way above its weight
• Whether the Studio Display’s nano-texture finish is worth it (spoiler: it depends)
• AirPods Pro 3 comfort after long-term use
• HomePod improvements thanks to quiet-but-solid AirPlay tuning
• Foldable iPhone rumors, realistic upgrade cycles, and what Apple still gets right

They wrap with a reminder to check out the important episode about Jeff’s stroke and recovery, and a tease for the upcoming Favorite Things of the Year show with guest Joe Moyer.

Links:

Support Jeff Battersby's Stroke Recovery

Teaching, B******t Jobs, and AI — Jeffrey Fisher

Stroke!: An Account of Jeff’s Symptoms, Recovery, and What You Should Trust in a Medical Emergency

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.

This episode starts with listener feedback on window management in iPadOS 26, then Jeff opens up about his recent stroke. He walks through the initial symptoms, the frustrating EMS response, his time in the hospital and rehab, and what recovery looks like day-to-day. He also shares Siri's surprisingly helpful response when he asked about stroke symptoms.

Links from the show:

iPadOS Stage Manager feedback from @iamrishio

Stroke Symptoms and Warning Signs

Support Jeff’s Stroke Recovery

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.