Peter Cohen is the managing editor of the Backblaze blog. Previously, he’s written for Macworld, The Loop and iMore. Peter talked about how, as a kid, he had a TI-99/4A with bit-mapped graphics. He drew images on graph paper, converted the patterns to Hexadecimal codes and wrote to the display with Basic. The result was color graphics of spaceships shooting at each other. When he first saw the 1984 Macintosh with MacPaint, “it was like the top of my head blew off.” In the second segment, Peter and I chat about how Tim Cook is doing, Apple and its desktop Macs, whether the iPad Pros can replace the Mac and robotics. Peter is very much tuned in and speaks with wisdom on all these subjects. You’ll want to tune in too.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-08-15: Apple Pay's Failing Competitors, Augmented Reality
Contactless mobile payment platforms are pretty much a mess right now. John Martellaro and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to look at the state of Apple Pay and its competitors, and who may be the real winner in the contactless payment game. They also look at Apple’s push into augmented reality.
MGG 618: Quick Tips, iCloud Music and Resistant Clients
Quick Tips are back with a vengeance! Keyboard shortcuts, calculator corrections, audio sync, offline dictation, email archiving and more. Then it’s time to answer your questions, including migrating Notes between accounts, sizing up the Terminal and dealing with resistant clients. Download and enjoy!
TMO Daily Observations 2016-08-12: Microsoft's Leaked Encryption Key, Explaining Internet Speed Tests
Microsoft’s private encryption key for validating Windows software was accidentally leaked, so that’s a problem. Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to explore the issues Microsoft is facing, and how the problem validates concerns over giving governments back door access into our personal data. They also explain why internet speed test results can vary so widely.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-08-11: Reality Checking Apple's Product Focus
Apple seems to be making everything except new Macs, and that has some people wondering if the company has lost its focus. Bryan Chaffin and The Maccast’s Adam Christianson join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on Apple’s new product and product upgrade strategies and weigh in on whether or not the company is still focused.
ACM 372: Samsung Pay’s Security Failure, the Story Behind Apple’s Public Betas
Bryan and Jeff dig into Samsung shenanigans, including reports of a way to hack magnetic stripe reader transactions, and the mysterious case of Apple Watch drawings in a Samsung patent. They also discuss the interesting story of how the flawed Apple Maps rollout led to public beta programs for OS X and iOS.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-08-10: Apple in the Health Market, Listener Comments
Apple has the opportunity to be a big player in the health and fitness market. Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to look at Apple’s place in the health industry, and respond to listener comments. They also follow up on yesterday’s report of an odd Apple vehicle-related patent.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-08-09: Apple's Big Future and New Car Patent
We may not know what Apple has in store for the future, but Tim Cook is saying it’ll be big. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to talk about Apple’s push to be more than the company selling us iPhones and Macs, plus they look at a just published Apple patent for an articulated vehicle.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with Former Apple Sr. Manager & Entrepreneur Dan Burcaw
Dan Burcaw is a former Apple Senior Manager and founder of several notable businesses. In 1999, Dan was the co-founder and CTO of Terra Soft Solutions, developers of the legendary Yellow Dog Linux. That Linux, running on PowerPC was well received by the U.S. Government, businesses and the U.S. Navy. Later, after graduating from college, he worked for Apple as a Senior Manager in retail. In 2008, he founded Double Encore in Denver, a company that specialized in producing iOS apps for clients such as The PGA Tour and Turner Broadcasting. Most recently, Dan was a Senior Director, Product Management at Oracle where he led efforts to build a mobile app marketing capability. Dan is currently working on his next big, secret project. Come listen as Dan describes his fascinating career arc.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-08-08: Apple's Strategy and Values Balancing Act, Google's 16GB iPhone Dig
Apple’s recent Faceshift purchase shows sometimes its values conflict with its strategies. John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to look at how that purchase is impacting Xcessity, and whether or not Apple has an obligation to continue licensing Faceshift’s technology to the company. They also look at Google’s excellent dig at the 16GB iPhone.
MGG 617: Managing Photos, Archiving Email & More
iOS vs. Smart Playlists, filing Mail like a power user, managing iCloud Photo Library, phantom app data vs. your iPhone’s free space and much much more. All of the are covered in today’s MGG. Your questions, your tips, shared and answered by the geeks you love. Download and enjoy!
TMO Daily Observations 2016-08-05: Apple's Good Data Exploitation, iOS and OS X Hack Bounties
Apple is exploiting some of our data it has collected, but in a good way. Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to talk about the personal touch the Apple Store app for the iPhone and iPad now offers users, plus they share their thoughts on Apple officially announcing it’s offering bounties on iOS and OS X hacks.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-08-04: Stolen iPhone Phishing Scam, Watch the Olympics Online
As if having your iPhone stolen isn’t enough, now the bad guys are trying to get you to give up your iCloud login, too. John Martellaro joins Jeff Gamet look at this latest phishing scam, and to share tips on how to avoid falling victim to these schemes. They also share some tips on how to watch the Rio summer Olympics without a cable TV subscription.
ACM 371: iPad Pro (Surface) Ad, Siri's Shortcomings, Apple's Big Developer Payout
Bryan and Jeff discuss Apple’s commercial that embraces many of the things Microsoft has used to tout Surface Pro. They also talk about Apple’s remarkable success with the App Store, as well as some of Siri’s shortcomings.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-08-03: iOS 10's Squirt Gun Emoji, Instagram Stories
Apple is replacing the pistol emoji in iOS 10 with a squirt gun. Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet share their take on the squirt gun and Apple’s apparent anti-gun stance, plus they look at Instagram’s Snapchat copycat feature, Instagram Stories.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-08-02: FBI Director Comey's New Encryption Debate
FBI Director James Comey says it’s time to restart the debate over whether or not government agencies should have back doors into our encrypted data. John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to look at encryption and what should be kept private and out of the government’s hands. They also dive into how technology may be making people more machine like.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with SCC Director of Mobile App Development Tim DeBenedictis
Tim DeBenedictis is the co-developer of the astronomy sky charting app SkySafari. He’s now the Director of Mobile Application Development at Simulation Curriculum Corp. Tim was first inspired by the sky as a youth going on camping trips and being able to see the stars at night, something city dwellers seldom see. His dad was an avid bird watcher and always had a birding scope on the trips. One night, they pointed the scope at Jupiter and its moons. Tim described it as captivating and launched his interest in amateur astronomy. Later, that led to being a planetary science major at M.I.T. where he developed an extensive C++ code base for celestial mechanics. Years later, with that expertise, he co-developed SkySafari for the Mac, iOS and Android. Come take a grand celestial tour with us.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-08-01: Licensing iOS, Didi Buys Uber China
It’s time for Apple to start licensing iOS to cheap handset makers, or so says one pundit. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on Apple’s business model and decisions to not license its operating systems to other companies. They also take a look at Didi buying rival car sharing service Uber China.
MGG 616: DHS, DHL, DFS It’s All The Same
It’s tips, tips and more tips. And also your questions. iOS Mail power searches, unleashing the power of Image Capture, a free photo-management tool that uses folders, removing and detecting malware, and demystifying 5GHz wireless channels are just some of the topics covered in today’s show!
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-29: Automous Driving Apple Car, a Year with USB-C
Apple hired QNX founder Dan Dodge to help with its Project Titan electric car project. Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to look at what that means for Apple Car and the company’s autonomous driving plans. John also shares his experiences with using USB-C for the past year.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-28: Apple's Evolving Business Model, iPhone Digital Crown Patent
John Martellaro thinks Apple’s “skate where the puck is going” philosophy now includes manipulating where the puck will be. John, along with Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to share discuss Apple’s long term philosophy, plus they offer up their thoughts on why Apple would patent a Digital Crown for the iPhone and iPad.
ACM 370: A Deeper Look at Apple's Earnings Report, 3D Printing Fingers
Bryan and Jeff dig deep into Apple’s earnings report and the company’s quarterly call with analysts. Topics include Tim Cook’s upbeat delivery, Pokemon, and Wall Street’s reaction. They also jump into the scary future of 3D printing our fingers to bypass biometric security.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-27: AAPL Earnings Report, Banning Olympics Tweets
Apple’s 2016 third quarter earnings report is out, and the results both pleased and disappointed analysts. Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on Apple’s numbers, and offer their take on what they mean for the iPad market. They also have plenty to say about the U.S. Olympic Committee trying to control who gets to Tweet about the games.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-26: Stronger iPhone Glass, Debunking iPhone 6SE
Apple’s iPhone display glass is pretty strong, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to look at whether or not the iPhone needs stronger glass, plus they shoot down the idea that the iPhone 7 will really be called the iPhone 6SE.