The Mac Observer's Daily Observations Podcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.