Designed in California

About Designed in California

Expertly-told stories about the 50-year history of Apple and the world it created, from Jason Snell and Myke Hurley. We cover the entire range of the last half-century, from Apple's earliest days in a garage, to the rise of the Mac, to the return of Steve Jobs and the creation of some of Apple's most iconic products. Apple's history is also our shared tech history, and these are all stories worth telling. Hosted by Jason Snell and Myke Hurley.

Publisher

Relay

Category

business · history · technology

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

25 Aug 2026

Latest episode

9 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

13 of 13 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   9 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   12: Ron Johnson and the Genius of the Apple Store

   Host Jason interviews former Apple SVP of Retail Ron Johnson about Steve Jobs' retail vision and the genius behind the Apple Store's customer experience.

2. 

   7 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   11: Apple's Mac OS Crisis: Advisor to the Chairman (Part 7)

   Gil Amelio and Steve Jobs negotiate a pivotal deal for Mac OS, as host John Doe interviews Jobs about his future at Apple and Pixar.

3. 

   30 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   10: Apple's Mac OS Crisis: The Bake-Off (Part 6)

   Host John Siracusa interviews Gil Amelio as he scientifically analyzes Be and NeXT demos, exploring the critical decision behind Apple's Mac OS crisis.

4. 

   23 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   9: Apple's Mac OS Crisis: Who's NeXT? (Part 5)

   Host Alex Kidman interviews Apple's former Senior Director of Software Engineering, Bertrand Serlet, about NeXT's operating system and its potential to save Mac OS.

5. 

   16 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   8: Apple's Mac OS Crisis: To Be, or Not? (Part 4)

   Host John Siracusa interviews Apple CEO Gil Amelio about the critical negotiations with Jean-Louis Gassée's Be for a Mac OS replacement, exploring Amelio's limited options.

6. 

   8 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   7: Apple's Mac OS Crisis: Plan Be (Part 3)

   Host John Gruber explores Apple's Mac OS crisis as a charismatic former executive's company offers a potential replacement in this interview.

7. 

   2 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   6: Apple's Mac OS Crisis: Copland (Part 2)

   Host John Siracusa explores Apple's Copland OS crisis, detailing its failure and the company's subsequent search for external solutions.

8. 

   2 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   5: Apple's Mac OS Crisis: The End of the Road (Part 1)

   Host John Doe explores Apple's mid-1990s struggle to replace the classic Mac OS as it faced an existential crisis.

9. 

   25 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   4: Road to the Apple II: Computer Faire (Part 4)

   Host Alex Knapp interviews Steve Wozniak about the Apple II's public debut at the Computer Faire, revealing its pivotal role in personal computing history.

10. 

    25 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

    3: Road to the Apple II: A Complete Computer (Part 3)

    Steve Wozniak, Rod Holt, and Jerry Manock discuss the creation of the integrated color Apple II computer under Steve Jobs's guidance.

11. 

    25 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

    2: Road to the Apple II: The Partnership (Part 2)

    Host Alex Knapp explores the evolving partnership between Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak as the Apple II takes shape during the summer of 1976.

12. 

    25 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

    1: Road to the Apple II: Apple for Sale (Part 1)

    Host Alex Lindsay explores Steve Jobs's 1976 efforts to sell Apple or secure investment for the nascent company.

13. 

    25 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

    0: The Origin of Apple

    Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak explore Apple's Silicon Valley origins and early innovations in this interview.

Inside a recent episode

12: Ron Johnson and the Genius of the Apple Store

Published 9 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] What kind of models should I buy? And what's the configuration? And when's it good? You couldn't do that. You had to go to the store to figure it out. And once I knew people came four or five times, I said, it's not about selling them a computer. It's getting them to come in once, but getting them back, come back a second time and a third time. So it's all about the experience. And so we kind of thought of, where do you get great service? And we thought of five-star hotels. They have the best service in the world. Because a hotel, you've already booked the hotel. All that matters, you go home, you tell your friends about it, so they'll book the hotel. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

49 ratings

Contact Designed in California

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Designed in California