Podcasts

On a completely separate note, I updated my Apple Podcast app recently. I really dislike the changes they made. OK, maybe I’m old and I resist change, but it seems like Apple sometimes just changes stuff, not for the better, just because.

Nearly every time I manually download a podcast, the app mixes the title and content. In other words, the first title in the feed is Criminal. The second is The Indicator. I tap on Criminal to play, and The Indicator content comes from the speaker. Kind of an amateur mistake.

So that makes me cranky.

And when I get cranky, other stuff bothers me, too. Especially, and this is the crux of it, you no longer subscribe to podcasts. You follow them. This does not rise to the level required for real complaint, I know. Remember, I told you I’m cranky. What it does say is that Apple is losing dominance of the phenomenon it created.

Take the name “podcast.” It was essentially invented by Apple, named for the iPod. Which is probably a metaphor for the changes in podcasting. Know how many iPods were sold last year? Neither do I. That’s because the number is so low that they stopped publishing the sales data in 2014.

Some of my favorite shows are slowly becoming exclusive to other platforms. Gimlet shows are transitioning to Spotify. Which bought Gimlet a little while back, so that makes sense. Some Radiotopia shows, like 99 Percent Invisible are going to Stitcher, part of XMRadio. So that makes a lot of sense too.

So maybe Apple really does need to get “with it.” I doubt that they will make much difference just by changing their vocabulary.

I’m so cranky.