Gene Steinberg's Mac Radio — Tech Radio with a Twist!

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The Tech Night Owl LIVE Nov 7, 2015 Nov 08, 2015

Show notes

We present columnist Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy." We continue our discussion of Volkswagen's ongoing problems with emissions testing and reporting, but Kirk doesn't know, yet, if his SEAT automobile, built by Volkswagen, is impacted. He also updates his first look at the Apple TV, and explains how broadband speeds are soaring in the tiny village in the UK in which he lives. He'll also talk briefly about his ongoing Apple Watch experiences. You'll also hear from Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer, whose bill of fare includes Apple Watch sales estimates for the first two quarters, where it reportedly outsold all other smartwatches, combined. He'll also talk about Amazon's new book store, which was set up in Seattle, WA, and his ongoing views about the Apple TV and the Apple Watch. The discussion closes with some pop culture talk, focusing on the new TV season and our favorite super hero shows.

The Tech Night Owl LIVE Oct 31, 2015 Nov 01, 2015

Show notes

We present outspoken commentator John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer. His bill of fare includes a discussion of how Apple quietly established a $25 billion enterprise business with support from IBM and Cisco, what if a forthcoming Apple Car, with autonomous driving capability, made a "very bad" decision when faced with the possibility of a potential accident? He'll also talk about the efforts by Apple and Microsoft to rethink the tablet, and why Apple may have turned its back on 4K (Ultra HD) support on the new Apple TV while the industry moves forward to support the new high-resolution technology. You'll also hear a first look at the fourth generation Apple TV from columnist Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy." Does the revised set-top box meet expectations, and what about the impact — or lack thereof — of the missing support for 4K? Did Apple make a bad move, or are they waiting for the new 4K color standards to stabilize? Kirk will also discuss the mixed reaction to OS X El Capitan. Should we take all the complaints seriously?

The Tech Night Owl LIVE Oct 24, 2015 Oct 25, 2015

Show notes

We present Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV" and other titles. The bill of fare includes an extended discussion with Gene about pop culture, with an emphasis on the new TV season in the U.S. and superhero TV shows, based on comic book characters. The discussion turns to the forthcoming Apple TV, and the lack of support for 4K. We move on to the prospects for an Apple Car, Tesla's quality control issues, and car technology. You'll also hear from columnist Rob Pegoraro, of USA Today and Yahoo Tech. He'll talk about the quality issues of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan, and the discussion will also move to his concerns about the features in Photos for OS X, 4K TV prospects, the hope for more models HDR color, and, again, the lack of 4K support in the new Apple TV. Could Apple manage such an upgrade through software? We'll also cover the prospects for an Apple Car, and Tesla's quality issues that resulted in the loss of a Recommended rating from Consumer Reports magazine. Such problems included the hardware, such as rattles and squeaks, and the software.

The Tech Night Owl LIVE Oct 17, 2015 Oct 18, 2015

Show notes

We feature columnist Peter Cohen, whose writings are found at iMore, Macworld and Tom's Guide. During this session, Peter discusses Apple's iMac refresh, and compares Apple's all-in-one computer to the Mac Pro. Which is best for you? He also discusses his experiences with OS X El Capitan, and offers suggestions on dealing with Wi-Fi connection problems. You'll also hear from Kyle Wiens, of iFixit. He explains the circumstances surrounding the company's decision to post a teardown of a preproduction Apple TV that they received through the Apple Developer program. As a result, Apple "fired" them and pulled their iOS app. He'll also offer information about teardowns for the new iPhones, compare them to last year's model, and explain the difficulties in repairing recent Samsung Galaxy smartphones. You'll also hear the results of iFixit's teardown of one of the new 21.5-inch iMacs, and why it's impossible to upgrade its RAM.

The Tech Night Owl LIVE Oct 10, 2015 Oct 11, 2015

Show notes

We are rejoined by columnist Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy," who joins Gene in a discussion about the claims that the battery life of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s may be very different depending on who supplied the chips. So if yours has a processor from TSMC, it may give you up to two hours extra battery life over the Samsung version. Apple, by the way, denies these reports. We also cover Volkswagen's emission control scandal. You'll also hear from Adam Engst, of TidBITS and Take Control Books, who also focuses on car technology. We cover problems with the infotainment interfaces and voice recognition, and the possibilities of an Apple Car. Adam will also explain why he decided not to renew his Apple Music subscription after the free trial period ended, and his deep concerns over what he regards as the poorly-designed iTunes interface. We also present a special appearance by Dr. Timothy C. Summers, President of Summers & Company, a cyber strategy and organizational design consulting firm, who is known as an "ethical hacker." He'll talk about attempts to hack car electronics, the controversial Ashley Madison break-in, and how you can protect your data from unwanted intrusions.

The Tech Night Owl LIVE Oct 3, 2015 Oct 04, 2015

Show notes

We present Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer. His bill of fare includes the curious decision of iFixit.com to post a teardown report of a prerelease Apple TV that they received as part of Apple's developer program, which resulted in the loss of their membership. Bryan will also talk about Amazon's decision to stop carrying the Apple TV and Google Chromecast after releasing a new Fire TV set-top box. Other topics include the iPad Pro and Apple Music, where Gene explains why he has decided not to continue his membership. You'll also hear from Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy," who will also discuss iFixit.com's controversial move with their Apple TV. Gene will expand on his Apple Music decision, and Kirk will explain why, after suggesting he'd rather stick with an iPhone 5s, he decided to buy an iPhone 6s despite the uncomfortably larger size. Kirk and Gene also talk about the emissions problems that impact many Volkswagen's equipped with diesel engines, and whether Kirk's Seat Ibiza, a VW-built car, may be impacted.

The Tech Night Owl LIVE Sep 26, 2015 Sep 27, 2015

Show notes

We present Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer. His bill of fare includes the XcodeGhost malware episode, which infected some copies of Apple's Xcode developer tools downloaded in China. He'll also cover the iOS 9.0.1 update, which fixed a critical installation bug and other problems, a comparison between Proactive Siri, from iOS 9, and Google Now, Apple Car skeptics, and WatchOS 2. There will also be a brief pop culture discussion that focuses on some of the new TV shows for the fall season in the U.S. You'll also hear from Stephen Baker, Vice President for Industry Analysis at the NPD Group, who will discuss whether smartphone sales have reached a saturation point in the U.S. He'll also cover the reasons for slipping tablet sales, and whether Apple's forthcoming iPad Pro will help improve the situation. The conversation also includes the lack of 4K support in the forthcoming Apple TV, the prospects for 4K TV sales this fall, whether the arrival of Windows 10 will help boost PC sales, and the growing prospects for Macs in the enterprise.

The Tech Night Owl LIVE Sep 19, 2015 Sep 20, 2015

Show notes

We return to a slew of newsworthy announcements and software releases from Apple. You’ll hear from Peter Cohen, whose writings are found at iMore, Macworld and Tom’s Guide. He’ll talk about the release of iOS 9, the promise of the fourth generation of Apple TV and its lack of support for 4K (Ultra HD), Tim Cook’s appearance on Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show,” and Apple’s latest appeal, this time to the U.S. Supreme Court, in the eBook antitrust case. You’ll also hear from John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer, who will discuss the best features of the Apple Watch operating system, watchOS 2. You’ll also hear about the things that Apple does that “some hate and few understand.” The discussion also turns to the “contrarian vision” of the fourth generation Apple TV, why the forthcoming iPad Pro is Apple’s “new guiding star,” and Amazon’s failed Fire Phone, which he regards as “too creepy for customers.”

The Tech Night Owl LIVE Sep 12, 2015 Sep 13, 2015

Show notes

We focus on Apple's September 9th, 2015 media event and the extensive range of product announcements. You'll learn about the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and whether the new features are compelling enough. We'll also cover the new Apple TV set-top box and the new features, including its gaming potential, but why does it lack 4K? Also on the agenda is the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil. Is it maybe a little too close in concept to the Microsoft Surface 3? And what might come when or if Apple introduces a subscription TV service? On the agenda for this discussion is Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV" and other titles. You'll also hear from tech columnist Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy." Last year, Kirk returned his iPhone 6, and decided to stick with an iPhone 5s. One reason is that he prefers the 4-inch display. So are Apple's new offerings enough to tempt him, or does the lack of a smaller display remain the deal breaker?

The Tech Night Owl LIVE Sep 5, 2015 Sep 06, 2015

Show notes

We present Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer. He'll discuss predictions about the fourth generation Apple TV. What new features can we expect? Will Apple raise the price, and what about 4K (Ultra HD) support? You'll also hear a debate about a recent report from columnist Jonny Evans, a friend of the show, who suggested Apple ought to consider making a version of OS X that'll run in a virtual machine on a Windows box for enterprise use. Would that endanger sales of high priced Macs? And what about the admission, from an Apple executive, that they are working on fixes for Apple Music problems? You'll also hear from Avram Pitch, the Online Editorial Director for Laptop magazine. He'll also discuss what might be expected from the next Apple TV. The discussion will also focus on Apple's rumored plans for a subscription TV service, and the potential pitfalls of cord-cutting. What about cable and satellite companies offering a la carte, where you pick just the channels you want? There's also an extended discussion about ad-blockers, which are designed to shield you from ads on web sites. But is there a downside — the large potential loss of income by online publishers? Avram will also briefly discuss the possibilities for a larger version of the iPad, subbed iPad Pro by the media.

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