The Congressional Encryption Working Group has issued a year-end report on encryption that finds weakening encryption would harm the national security interests of the United States. Bryan and Jeff discuss the implications, as well as a new request from the Turkish government asking Apple to unlock an iPhone 4s owned by an assassin. They cap the show with a preview of CES expectations.
Spam Call Blockers, USB-C iPhone - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-22
AT&T is getting in on spam call blocking, so Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to look at how their system works and talk about other spam call blockers, too. They also discuss why replacing the Lightning connector on the iPhone with USB-C might not be a bad thing.
Apple's Mixed Mac Message, Favorite Holiday Movies - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-21
Apple seems to be sending mixed messages about its commitment to the Mac platform. John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to discuss where the Mac is today and what may be in store for it over the next couple years. They also share some of their favorite holiday movies.
AirPods Review with Michael Johnston - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-20
Michael Johnston from The iOS Show joins Jeff Gamet to review Apple’s just released AirPods wireless earpods. They dive into the setup, performance, sound quality, fit, and more to help you decide if they’re worth the $159 price tag.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with Scrivener Creator Keith Blount
Keith Blount is the founder of the renowned writing app Scrivener. It’s designed for long-form text such as a thesis or novel. Think of it as a 3-ring binder and corkboard for the author. But Keith didn’t start life as a programmer. In college he studied history and literature. Later he became a school teacher. Interested in writing, however, he discovered that standard word processors didn’t have the facility he wanted for stitching together non-linear work. So he spent six months of evenings teaching himself Objective-C and Xcode. The first major release of Scrivener in 2007 was a huge hit. Today, Scrivener has sold over 500,000 copies and is available for Mac, Windows and iOS. Have you wondered how he named his company? You’ll just have to tune in!
AirPods Alternatives, Plastic OLED - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-19
Apple’s AirPods are in the company’s retail stores, but that doesn’t mean you can buy them. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to look at the limited availability for AirPods, and offer up some alternative wireless earbud options. They also look at Plastic OLED and explain what that means for future iPhone models.
The First Rule of The Darknet Is Don’t Talk About The Darknet – Mac Geek Gab 636
It’s true, John and Dave – and you, fellow listeners – have gone acronym crazy! BYOD is discussed, as is TOR browser on iOS and elsewhere. RAM performance under Sierra makes an appearance as do a TON of tips, especially one for speeding up Safari on slower Macs. VPN makes an appearance in this acronym show (as it should!), and then we have some gift guide suggestions from your fellow listeners. Press play and enjoy!
Super Mario Run, Astra for iPhone - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-16
Super Mario Run hit Apple’s App Store yesterday, so today Bryan Chaffin joins Jeff Gamet to talk about the game and whether or not it’s worth the US$9.99 in-app purchase. They also talk about why Astra is an awesome iPhone app for Amazon Echo and Echo Dot owners.
Yahoo's Data Breach, Mac Laptop Battery Time Estimates - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-15
Yahoo! lost over a billion user’s account information in a data breach. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to talk about what happened, and share some tips for protecting your accounts and data from hackers. They also look at some apps for showing the battery time remaining estimate on your Mac laptop.
Apple AirPods, Kickstarter, and Augmented Reality - ACM 389
Apple shipped AirPods. Sort of. Bryan and Jeff think it was a terrible idea to ship them before Christmas if Apple couldn’t meet demand, which is exactly what’s happening. They also weigh the merits of Kickstarter and discuss the state of augmented reality and its future.
Apple's Big Data Storage Deficit - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-14
Our iPhones, iPads, and Macs can store more and more, but Apple isn’t doing much to address our data storage and backup needs outside of those devices. John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to look at the issue and talk about what Apple could do to help ensure we have the storage and backup services we need.
The Big TV App Rant - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-13
Apple released tvOS 10.1 and iOS 10.2 yesterday with the new TV app. Dave Hamilton and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to explain why the app is too hobbled in its current state, and discuss what needs to change before it’s truly useful.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with Attorney & Mac Power Users Co-Host Katie Floyd
Katie Floyd is an attorney by day. By night, she’s the co-founder and co-host of the Mac Power Users podcast. Katie tells the story of her original passion to be a journalist. She edited the high school yearbook and newspaper on a Mac and, later, majored in journalism in college. Then, in a magical turn of events, she took a political science class from an attorney. It was an both terrifying and exhilarating. September 11, 2001 happened just after graduation, and Katie decided that she wanted to do more. That led eventually to law school. We cover a lot of ground, including her new law firm, the creation of her MPU podcast with David Sparks and a discussion of her new 2016 MacBook Pro. Join me and Katie to hear her inspirational journey.
Apple's Ongoing AirPods Delay, Calendar's Spam Fix - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-12
Apple said it would ship its AirPods wireless earbuds in October, but that came and went and we still don’t know when they’ll hit store shelves. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to look at what’s keeping Apple from shipping AirPods, and what needs to happen if they ship in time for Christmas. They also dive into Apple’s first attempt to address spam invitations in the Calendar app.
Filing Mail, Router Follow-up, and Geeky Gift Guides! – Mac Geek Gab 635
Filing Mail, RAM suggestions, DOCSIS 3.1 and accessing your data from The Dark Side are just some of the topics of questions answered by John and Dave this week. Then it’s on to a follow-up from the router show with a sandwich of geeky holiday gift suggestions from your two favorite geeks!
Apple Shares AI Research, Listener Comments - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-09
Apple is changing course and letting its engineers publish their research into artificial intelligence. John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on why Apple would do that, plus they respond to a listener comment questioning why Jeff is critical of HomeKit.
Smarthome Automation for the Holidays - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-08
The holidays are a great time for showing off your smarthome skills, so Kelly Guimont and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to share some tips. They talk about Siri, Amazon Echo, IFTTT, and more.
Living with Apple's Touch Bar, the Reverse Toaster Fridge - ACM 388
Bryan Chaffin quizzes Jeff Gamet about living with Apple’s new TouchBar on his MacBook Pro. They also discuss whether or not the so-called Reverse ToasterFridge could be the future of Apple’s hardware. Listener comments have been pouring in, too.
MacBook Pro USB-C Donglegate - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-07
People seem pretty uptight about Apple’s transition to dongle adapters for peripherals on our Macs, so Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on whether or not it’s a big deal. Spoiler: They can’t agree.
Amazon Go Shopping, iPhone as a Desktop Computer - TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-06
First Amazon wanted to be your go-to online shopping destination, and now the company wants to be your local brick-and-mortar store, too. John Martellaro and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to look at Amazon’s planned cashier-free grocery store, plus they dive into the possibility of our iPhones becoming our only computing device.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with Co-Founder of Brydge Technologies Nicholas Smith
Brydge Technologies makes outstanding aluminum, color matched keyboards for most iPads. Co-founder Nicholas Smith took over the original, failing company founded on Kickstarter and breathed new life into it. That was in the form of an outstanding customer relationship and order fulfillment systems. In this episode I chat with Nick about how he turned the product around, moved his company, with 15 people, from SIngapore to Park City, Utah (more consumer focus), decided not to use Apple’s Smart Connector and flourished in a market that now embraces iPads with keyboards. Nick also talks about what prepared him for this kind of venture, his turn-around artistry, and his vision for keyboards on our beloved iPads. He also provides a glimpse of his next new keyboard project. Bonus: we talk about skiing.
Fake News and Snatched iPhones – TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-05
The UK police got unlocked access to a suspect’s iPhone but, unlike the FBI earlier this year, they didn’t have to ask Apple to hack it. Interestingly, though, the FBI did something very similar to the UK police a few years ago. Listen to hear more. Then it’s on to how Apple might just be our last hope to save the integrity of the internet. John Martellaro explains!
Mail Tips & Solving Generic Dock Icons – Mac Geek Gab 634
Quick tips to start: copying mail (instead of moving it), editing your default Touch Bar, a new way to create pinned tabs in Safari, ejecting an external Blu-ray, and disabling notifications. After that it’s time to answer your questions about secure email, SSD upgrades, keychain errors, portable audio recording setups and much more. Press play and enjoy!
Uber Sees You When You're Sleeping…Around – TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-02
“I’ll be watching you” is a line that might make Sting look a lot more prescient after you hear this episode. Uber and Waze want to know where you are even more than they used to, and Apple wants to put drones in the air over your roads and in front of your homes, at least for a little bit. It’s a brave new world. Our advice: don’t go outside without pants on.