Command Control Power: Apple Tech Support & Business Talk

The hosts discuss early impressions of iOS 27 on an iPhone 15 Pro Max and interest in Siri AI on newer iPhone hardware, plus Apple's macOS 27 compatibility list ending Intel support while continuing support for 2020 M1 Macs, which they estimate could extend security updates to roughly 2029. They debate device lifespans for home and business, note iOS 27 supports iPhone 11, and consider how Siri AI's on-device, voice-first, screen-aware approach could change form factors and competition. A cautionary story highlights lost Quicken 2016 data due to missing backups and limitations of iCloud Drive and Backblaze, including Backblaze's cloud-sync folder controversy and retention/restore issues, while Carbon Copy Cloner's option to temporarily download cloud-only files is raised. They recount multiple Migration Assistant failures resolved by re-wiping and redoing the migration, identify a client complaint as Stage Manager, and briefly cover testing the UniFi 5G Max cellular backup with AT&T and a low-income T-Mobile-based SIM option.

Ben Greiner is a pioneer in the Apple IT consulting industry and a longtime leader in the Apple Consultants Network. He founded Forget Computers in Chicago in 1998, transforming it into one of the nation's most respected Apple-focused managed service providers, and later created Robot Cloud, an innovative multi-tenant management platform that helped popularize managed services and automation for Apple consultants. Widely recognized for championing standardized device management, recurring service models, and operational efficiency, Ben continues to influence the Apple consulting community as an Apple Champion and Growth Advisor at Addigy, where he helps MSPs build and scale successful Apple practices

The hosts discuss Jerry installing iOS 27 beta on an iPhone 15 Pro Max and watch, reporting strong stability, snappy performance, and minor reported edge-case crashes, while noting Siri AI requires newer hardware due to RAM constraints and that others find the new Siri improved. Joe shares a fresh issue deploying an MDM configuration profile to disable Siri: users still received "unable to use Siri" prompts because "Listen for 'Hey Siri'" could remain enabled, requiring removing the profile, turning it off locally, and reapplying; Apple Intelligence also wasn't fully disabled. Sam describes improving client offboarding by building a monday.com form that feeds Zendesk tickets, and the group compares running lean teams, using subcontractors and Foundation as pay-as-you-go helpdesk support (including an optional branded phone line). They also cover business uncertainty, tax-law changes affecting S-corps, and handling time-consuming "I've been hacked" client calls.
 
00:00 Show Kickoff Banter
00:35 iOS 27 Beta First Impressions
01:42 Installing Live and Siri AI Limits
04:40 MDM Glitch Disabling Siri
07:52 Advising Clients on Apple AI
10:16 Offboarding Workflow in Monday
12:25 Solo Juggling Without the Team
15:49 Jerry Business and Tax Updates
19:05 Hacked Device Panic Call
20:51 Explaining Normal iOS Mac Features
22:46 Clean Bill of Health Limits
24:07 Lean Teams and Overhead
28:51 Using Outsourced Helpdesk
29:58 Onboarding Big Client While Away
34:56 Pricing and Custom Phone Line
37:57 How to End Free Calls
41:56 Defining Success and Boundaries
45:23 Wrap Up and Outro

In this episode of Command Control Power, the hosts discuss practical IT uses of AI, including improving client communications, speeding email migration due diligence via AI-generated PowerShell reporting (mailbox size, forwarding rules, aliases, naming pitfalls, licensing limits), and reducing billing friction by summarizing recorded RingCentral calls in Claude to log hours and generate detailed invoices, including for Ubiquiti camera projects. They debate risks such as blindly running AI-suggested commands, clients acting on AI advice, and data leakage when employees paste company information into public AI tools, emphasizing guardrails, policies, and potential local/private AI setups (e.g., Mac mini with Ollama). The conversation broadens to AI's impact on IT business models, automation in ticketing, and Apple's lackluster AI progress, delayed Siri features, privacy positioning, and reliance on partners like Google/Gemini.
 
00:00 Show Kickoff
00:02 New Studio Tour
00:31 Flag Outage Story
01:35 AI Migration Prep
03:26 PowerShell Due Diligence
05:36 Call Summaries Invoicing
07:31 Automating Call Logs
09:35 AI As Expert Helper
11:51 Safety With Commands
12:58 Clients Using AI
13:54 Data Privacy Guardrails
17:17 Industry Shift Fears
20:07 Auto Reply Ticketing
24:18 Local AI Knowledge Base
26:02 AI Eats Software
27:35 Future Of IT Services
29:04 AI Automation Ethics
30:06 Market Pressure On IT
31:03 Apple Intelligence Doubts
33:10 Privacy And Gemini
35:06 Apple Strategy And Mindshare
37:43 MDM Guardrails Needed
39:39 First Mover Myth
43:32 Ubiquity And AirPods AI
47:21 Beta Plans And Rollout
48:06 AI Policy And Profiles
51:32 Wrap Up And Outro

Topics:
-This week we welcome Dave Hamilton of Mac Geek Gab!
-Dave actually grew up a street away from our very own Joe Saponare.
-Dave has some knowledge on the music history in the area.
-Dave has known his co-host, John Braun since they were 15 years old.
-He remembers the days of NCSA Mosaic.
-The Mac Observer and BackBeat Media are just some of Dave's major accomplishments.
-Wasn't 2001 just a few years ago?
-Dave takes us down memory lane in the early days of The Mac Observer.
-His original plan was not to continue hosting Mac Geek Gab.
-Being persistent paid off as he reached out to Steve Jobs himself to be included in their new Podcast Directory.
-In both Texas and the northeast, Dave has a quite a technical background.
-Quick Tip from Joe - If the minimum brightness is too bright on your iPhone, you can Reduce White Point under Accessibility>Display & Text Size.
-We talk about listener burnout in the podcast world.
-Mac Geek Gab is on episode 941!
-A tip that Jerry heard on Dave's show was about Tailscale, which makes a virtual network out of your devices, no matter where you are.
-Sam talks about some tips he learned on recent episodes of Mac Geek Gab.
-The simple stuff is why you get paid the "big bucks".
-Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast is another show Dave co-hosts with Shannon Jean.
-The 20 minute rule - keeping clients engaged every 20 minutes along the way.
-Besides his podcasts, you can find Dave at https://www.davethenerd.com or on Twitter @davehamilton