John Gruber released a new episode of The Talk Show on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, with John Moltz back as the guest.
The episode, titled “Taking Drugs to Get Fat,” centers on two Apple topics: hardware price increases that Gruber says are tied to a worldwide shortage of RAM and SSDs, and early reactions to user-interface changes in the macOS 27 Golden Gate beta.
That first topic is the practical one for buyers. RAM and SSD capacity are the parts Apple uses to segment many Mac configurations, so a supply squeeze there can show up fast as higher build-to-order pricing or less generous base machines. Gruber’s description frames the price changes as a response to component scarcity, rather than a standalone strategy by Apple.
The second topic is more speculative by nature. Gruber describes the discussion of macOS 27 Golden Gate as “spitballing,” which is a useful warning label for beta software commentary. The episode covers what Gruber and Moltz like about the interface changes in the beta, without presenting those impressions as a final review of the operating system.
The show notes also point listeners toward several background links. Those include TidBITS pieces on RAM Doubler and DiskDoubler, two classic Mac utilities from different developers, along with references to StuffIt and Compact Pro. The episode also links to Patrick McGee’s book Apple in China and to McGee’s 2025 appearance on The Talk Show.
Gruber also included a link to “Apple Faced Bipartisan Opposition When It Last Lobbied to Buy Chinese RAM in 2022,” a Daring Fireball item connected to the memory-supply discussion. Another linked item is Go Computer Now!, Ben Zotto’s book on Sphere Computer Corporation.
The less supply-chain-heavy side of the notes includes movie links for The Player, Airplane!, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Gruber also points to Gnome, Lex Friedman’s animated GIF search and library app for Mac and iOS, and to Biff!, Moltz’s superhero TV and movie podcast with Dan Moren and Guy English.
The episode lists Coax, Even Realities, and Squarespace as sponsors. Coax is described as an app for channel surfing a Plex server. Even Realities is promoting its Even G2 smart glasses and a discount code for the R1 Ring and Even Clip. Squarespace is offering a discount code for a first website or domain purchase.
Gruber credits Caleb Sexton as the episode’s editor. The show also links to an unofficial transcript service maintained at podsearch.david-smith.org.
This story draws on original reporting from Daring Fireball.
