Ken Ray is the host and producer of several notable podcasts, including the Mac OS Ken shows. It’s not surprising that Ken started out in radio broadcasting. Early on, he was a behind the scenes person at a small radio station in Boston. There, he became operations director and learned a lot about radio tech without the on-air disc jockey pressure. He learned the station’s digital editing suite, and that led to producing some commercials and radio shows. Later, at ZDTV radio, he had the opportunity to interview some high-profile people: Jesse Jackson and Ray Kurzweil. It’s not hard to see how, after he fell into the world of Apple, he brought all his skills to bear into a whole suite of modern-day podcasts, including work with Rod Roddenberry, Gene’s son.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-25: Bob Mansfield's Apple Car, iPhone 7 Launch Date
A new report claims Bob Mansfield is in charge of the Apple Car project. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on Bob running Project Titan, plus they have some things to say about a report tagging September 16th as the iPhone 7 release date.
MGG 615: John and Dave Trade Places
Quick Tips: All those little things you know that you don’t think about? Other people know and don’t think about them, too… so we think about them and share them, enhancing everyone’s knowledge! Then it’s on to some questions, with a surprising number about Ethernet. Go Figure!
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-22: Unlocking iPhones with 3D Printed Fingers, Uber-waterproof iPhone 7
Scientists are working with the FBI to 3D print fingers so they can unlock smartphones. Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to talk about the potential privacy and security issues related to 3D printing copies of our fingers. They share their thoughts on a report claiming the iPhone 7 will sport pro-grade waterproofing.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-21: Apple Car Delays, Listener Feedback
A new report says Apple’s car won’t ship until 2021, but is that a problem? Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to weigh in with their opinions, plus they respond to listener comments from yesterday’s show where we discussed black box recorders in autonomous cars.
ACM 369: BlackBerry Doofus, Black Box Regulation, Twitter Harrassment
BlackBerry CEO John Chen had some seemingly irrational things to say about Apple’s stance on encryption, and Bryan and Jeff break it down. They also take a deeper look into black boxes and self-driving cars with a focus on regulating these devices and surveillance worries. Just to keep things light, they dive into Twitter harassment and social media censorship.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-20: Autonomous Car Black Boxes, WebP in iOS 10 and macOS Sierra
Germany wants black box recorders in autonomous cars. Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to look at Germany’s plans and what that means for anyone considering buying a self driving car. They also explain WebP, Google’s image format Apple is supporting in the iOS 10 and macOS Sierra betas.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-19: Iran's Smartphone Database, Apple Music Improves Song Matching
Iran wants Apple to join a smartphone registry, or it’ll ban and confiscate iPhones in the country. Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on Iran’s demands, plus they dive into the changes in Apple Music song matching.
MGG 614: Travel Tips and Cool Stuff Found
Dave’s back from Europe and he and John have a metric ton of Cool Stuff Found and Quick Tips for you and from you! Plus, Dave’s got some travel tips from Europe to share with you, too. Download… and enjoy!
TMO Background Mode: Interview with Rogue Amoeba Software Co-founder Paul Kafasis
Paul Kafasis is the co-founder and CEO of Rogue Amoeba Software. His company specializes in stellar audio products for the Mac such as Audio Hijack, Loopback, Piezo and more. His early work with colleagues (2001) was with MacAmp, an MP3 player. That led to the founding of Rogue Amoeba in 2002 and Audio Hijack 1.0. Paul and his co-founders realized that audio was emerging as an important niche where his team had special talent. Paul starts off with the story about how they chose such a memorable name for the company and then explains the evolution of Audio Hijack, then the pro version, and now Audio Hijack 3. We chat about challenges for the Mac developer and why an app like this, and its siblings, are not found in the Mac App Store.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-18: SoftBank's ARM Purchase, Apple TV's Cord Cutter Miss
SoftBank is buying chip designer ARM, which may—or may not—have implications for Apple. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to look at the SoftBand and ARM deal, plus they share their thoughts on why Apple TV still isn’t an all-in-one solution for TV cord cutters.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-15: Apple's Fall Launches, Apollo's Open Source Code
We know Apple is releasing macOS Sierra, iOS 10, watchOS 3, tvOS 10, and new iPhones this fall, but there could be more in store, too. John Martellaro joins Jeff Gamet to discuss what announcements Apple may be planning, and how the announcements will be managed. They also talk about NASA releasing the Apollo 11 source code and how important Margaret Hamilton was to the space program.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-14: Eddy Cue on Apple TV, Samsung goes to the Supreme Court
Apple’s Eddy Cue recently shared some insight into the company’s plans for original TV content. Bryan Chaffin joins Jeff Gamet to look at what he had to say and how Apple fits into the entertainment market, plus they have some thoughts on the scheduled Supreme Court hearing in the Apple and Samsung patent infringement fight.
ACM 368: Jeff's HomeKit Breakthrough, Pokémon GO, Post-PC Era
In this episode of The Apple Context Machine, Bryan and Jeff talk about HomeKit, sparked by Jeff’s triumph over something that shouldn’t have been hard to begin with. They also talk about Jeff’s initial foray into Pokémon GO, and look at the Post-PC Era (or lack thereof) in light of Scrivener coming to iOS.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-13: Mac Sales Decline, Tesla's Latest Crash
Mac sales are showing a decline and that has some pundits saying Apple has a big problem on its hands. John Martellaro joins Jeff Gamet to look at the state of Mac sales, the long gap between product refreshes, and the reaction we can expect when new models ship. They also look at the ramifications of the latest Tesla autopilot crash.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-12: Goodbye iPhone Mute Switch, Hello Pokémon GO
The latest round of leaked iPhone 7 pics show a smartphone without the familiar mute switch. Bryan Chaffin joins Jeff Gamet to talk about why this has them concerned, and why it may not be such a big a deal. Jeff also explains why he’s enjoying Pokémon GO even though he’s not big into gaming.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with TLA Systems Founder James Thomson
James Thomson is the founder of TLA Systems, famous for the apps Drag Thing and PCalc. He tells the story of growing up in the 1980s in Scotland when the personal computer was on the rise. The 1982 movie Tron captured his imagination and inspired him to buy a Commodore 64. At age 12, his school got its first PC, but no one knew what to do with it! James and just three other students became the “Guardians of the Computer.” Later, his first Mac was at the university in 1990, and he spent a year learning it inside out. The original PCalc, written in Pascal, launched his career as a Mac programmer. Later James worked for Apple in Cork, Ireland. James chats about his development as an indie Apple developer with a host of charming stories.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-11: The (Potential) Demise of the Mac Pro and Mac mini
With the Mac Pro and Mac mini languishing as years-old machines without refreshes, the future of Apple’s desktop lineup is in question. John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on what Apple may‚or may not—have in store for its desktop computers.
MGG 613: Deep Dives Into APFS, Synology, Powerline & More
Dave’s traveling, so when he and John pre-recorded this one they decided to take a bit of a different direction and do a bit of a deep dive into one of their favorite topics: Synology DiskStations. But don’t worry, they also answered a few of your questions and shared a couple tips. It’s still your two favorite geeks, after all!
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-08: Apple Sabotage, Installing Apple's Public Betas
Apple is being accused of intentionally ruining performance on older devices to push sales. Bryan Chaffin joins Jeff Gamet to talk about a petition calling out Apple for planned obsolescence, plus they talk about how to install the iOS 10 and macOS Sierra public betas.
ACM 367: The Joy of iOS 10, Deleting Sideloaded Apps, and Fibonacci Fun
Jeff Gamet has been playing with iOS 10 on his iPad mini 4, and he can’t wait to get it on his iPhone. Why? It starts with the Lockscreen. Bryan and Jeff also talk about regulations in South Korea that might require smartphone makers to allow all preinstalled apps to be deleted by the user. They bookend the show having some fun with Fibonacci numbers.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-07: iOS 10 and Sierra Public Betas
The iOS 10 and macOS Sierra public betas are here! John Martellaro joins Jeff Gamet to look at the public beta releases, talk about what they like, and remind everyone that betas shouldn’t go on our primary devices. They also have something to say about gun-shaped iPhone cases.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-07-06: AI Agents and Privacy, Backdoor.MAC.Elanore Mac Malware
AI agents are great for helping us, but the come with a cost that not everyone is comfortable with. John Martellaro joins Jeff Gamet to talk about the personal data we give up to make AI agents more useful, and how we can limit what we share. They also take a look at the Backdoor.MAC.Elanor malware that’s threatening Macs.
TMO Background Mode: Former Apple Sr. Director of Product Marketing Michael Gartenberg
Michael Gartenberg is currently the analyst in residence for iMore.com. However, before that, he spent three years as Apple’s Senior Director of Product Marketing, reporting directly to SVP Phil Schiller. Michael tells the story about how he got his gig with Apple. After years of working at various tech industry research firms, he was always on the periphery of Apple and working with Apple executives, especially Greg “Joz” Joswiak and Phil Schiller. Then, one day in 2013, he got phone call from Joz, and it didn’t sound like it was going to be a schmooze session. Michael was alarmed. What could he have done wrong? But Joz wanted to invite Michael to Cupertino for an interview. Listen as Michael tells me how he got hired and what he did at Apple for three years.