John Martellaro and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Eddy Cue’s new interview and the evolution of iTunes through the ages.
Not That There's Anything Wrong With Excessive – Mac Geek Gab 768
Sure you know about copy/paste, iCloud family accounts, selection tools, and password managers. But this week you’ll learn at least five new things just learning about all the different ways your fellow MGG listeners are using them to enhance their productivity! Join John and Dave as they dig into all of this and more.
Apple's (Design) Executive Shuffle – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-28
Dave Hamilton and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to talk about the departure of Sir Jony Ive and the new Senior VP of Operations.
Science and Macs, Mozilla's Track THIS – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-27
Andrew Orr and John Martellaro join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the Mac’s value to scientists and the new tracking project from Mozilla.
Apple Skates to the Privacy Puck, Disney Plus Spanner, with John Martellaro - ACM 517
Apple has been skating to the privacy puck for years, and Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro argue it’s about time Apple got some credit for it. They also talk about John’s thesis that Disney Plus pricing threw a spanner into Apple’s plans for Apple TV Plus.
Catalina System Volume, ISP Lobbying Budgets – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-26
John Martellaro and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the new macOS read-only volume and ISP budgets for lobbying lawmakers.
Robocalls, Spotify vs Apple – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-25
Charlotte Henry and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss a new approach to fighting robocalls and Spotify’s complaint against Apple.
TMO Contributor John Kheit (#3) - TMO Background Mode Interview
John Kheit is a New York attorney and a regular contributor to The Mac Observer. We share many common interests, including the 4K/UHD/HDR TV revolution, 8K TV and displays, Wi-Fi/5G technologies and the state of Apple.
In this special post-WWDC show, we chatted about author Kheit’s view of the new Mac Pro. He believes that while the 2019 Mac Pro will meet the needs of most technical and creative professionals, Apple also betrayed an important group of influencers, the Mac enthusiasts by not offering a lower cost model. We discussed various ways Apple could have achieved that goal, and that might suggest a future variation of the current model. John K. has strong feelings about this Mac and wasn’t shy about expressing them.
Smartphone Skull Horns – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-24
Andrew Orr and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to discuss new a new bill regarding user data, and that smartphone skull horn story.
I Hate It When My Computer Won't Behave – Mac Geek Gab 767
So much Cool Stuff Found, so little time. And Quick Tips? And questions? Topics include controlling your date picker, switching apps faster, getting your storage and backups in order, tweaking autocorrect and much, much more. Oh, and Wi-Fi. Yeah, there’s lots here. Let’s go learn five new things, shall we?
Salting Passwords, Wizards Unite Gameplay – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-21
Andrew Orr and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to talk about salting passwords and Andrew and Kelly’s first day playing Wizards Unite.
TV+ Cornered, Apple's Tariff Stance – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-20
Charlotte Henry and John Martellaro join host Kelly Guimont to talk about how Disney+ has cornered TV+, and about Apple’s tariff stance.
Libra: Finally, a Way for Facebook to Control More, with Andrew Orr - ACM 516
Bryan Chaffin and Andrew Orr dig deep into the possibilities—for good and ill (mostly ill)—of Facebook’s new Libra cryptocurrency. They cover how it work, why Facebook went the cryptocurrency route, and what Facebook has to gain from the project. Spoiler, the answer is everything!
4K Blu-ray Players, Openly Operated – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-19
John Martellaro and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont for a chat about John’s 4K Blu-ray player decisions, and the Openly Operated service.
Fake App Sales, Cryptocurrency From Facebook – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-18
Bryan Chaffin and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss iOS apps running “limited” sales, and Facebook getting into cryptocurrency.
Whispering Sweet Nothings at The A-Lady – Mac Geek Gab Podcast 766
Some folks with Catalina on the brain want to know how to prepare. Some folks want to prepare to reinstall Mojave. Joe has advice for future-proofing your home, and the A-Lady wants you to whisper sweet nothings at her. It’s that kind of week here and John and Dave are your stalwart guides. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!
Former Apple Senior Director Michael Gartenberg (#6) - Background Mode Interview
Michael Gartenberg spent three years as Apple’s Senior Director of Product Marketing, reporting directly to Senior VP Phil Schiller. In his sixth encore appearance on Background Mode, Michael and I analyze Apple’s 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
We started with a discussion of the new 2019 Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR. We also pondered why Apple SVP of Product Marketing, Phil Schiller, was noticeably absent from the stage. As an aside, Michael tells a hilarious story about SVP Schiller that happened back at WWDC 2013. Then we turned to Apple’s Catalyst system and some of the nuances of building and running iOS apps on a Mac. We also touched on iPad OS. Michael is well versed in Apple marketing strategies and is always a delight to have on the show.
Tim Cook's Graduation Address, Apple Wants Oscars – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-17
Andrew Orr and John Martellaro join Kelly Guimont to discuss Tim Cook’s Graduation address at Stanford and Apple’s formula to win Oscars.
Surveillance and the Legal System, Mac Pro Apologies – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-14
Bryan Chaffin and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont for a discussion of surveillance and courts, and John Kheit’s take on Mac Pro punditry.
Sign in with Apple, Telegram Attacked – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-13
Charlotte Henry and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Google approving of Sign in with Apple, and China’s attack on Telegram.
A McLaren in a School Zone – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-12
John Martellaro and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont for a discussion of the new adjustments to Dropbox and desire for a Mac Pro.
macOS Catalina Moves Us From User Consent to User Intent – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-11
John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Dave Hamilton to talk about Apple’s march forward towards security-with-flexibility in macOS Catalina. And then it’s time to look at Apple TV’s future… by the numbers.
Professor of Astrophysics Dr. Jo Dunkley - Background Mode Interview
Dr. Jo Dunkley is a professor of Physics and Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University. Her research is in cosmology, studying the origins and evolution of the universe. She holds a Ph.D. in astrophysics from University of Oxford.
Jo had an interesting path to her Ph.D. Her earliest love was mathematics, and soon she realized she could use math to answer questions about the real world. That led to a love for physics (at Cambridge) and getting her Master’s. While there, she discovered relativity and astrophysics, but another event inspired her to go for a Ph.D. In the second segment, we chatted about her true love, using computer code on supercomputers to model the universe and analyzing the Cosmic Microwave Background (the detectable aftermath of the Big Bang). Also discussed: inflation theory, dark matter and theories of the Multiverse.
Apple vs Ad Tracking, New OS Features – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-10
Andrew Orr and Dave Hamilton join Kelly Guimont (and what’s left of her voice) to chat about Apple’s advertising stance and new OS features.