The Mac Observer Show

The European Union says Ireland’s tax laws aren’t legal, so Apple owes an extra €13 billion in back taxes. Bryan Chaffin joins Jeff Gamet to look at the ruling, how it impacts Apple, Ireland’s response, and more. They also offer up their quick predictions for Apple’s September 7th Media Event.

New photos show what looks like the battery for the Apple Watch 2, and it seems to support John Martellaro’s premise that the next model won’t be any thinner. Today John and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet for a little gloating at Bryan’s expense because he’s been championing a thinner Apple Watch 2. They also look at Microsoft’s latest Surface Pro 4 ad and dive into why slamming the MacBook Air was a smart move.

This week TMO’s Daily Observations turns to the musical side of the Apple community. Today Dave Hamilton from Fling and Mac Geek Gab joins Jeff Gamet to talk about his musical life outside of the podcasting world, recording and producing Fling’s Bovine Abduction, the tools he uses for recording and mixing, and more.

This week TMO’s Daily Observations turns to the musical side of the Apple community. Today Jean MacDonald from Ruby Calling and App Camp for Girls joins Jeff Gamet to share how she became a musician, how music inspired App Camp for Girls, and more.

This week TMO’s Daily Observations turns to the musical side of the Apple community. Today Andrew Tokuda, also known as Digital Droo joins Jeff Gamet to talk about creating his own music, working with MacAddict, and his own musical past, and his most popular song.

This week TMO’s Daily Observations turns to the musical side of the Apple community. Today jazz musician and podcaster Victor Cajiao joins Jeff Gamet to talk about his new album with Joe Christina, Surrender, his experience producing and mastering the album, working with musical legends, and more.

This week TMO’s Daily Observations turns to the musical side of the Apple community. Today Airplane Mode’s Dave Wiskus joins Jeff Gamet to talk about the band, his musical journey, and finding success as an indie band.

The FCC wants to stop spam robocalls, and now it has a strike force to help make that happen. Dave Hamilton and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to examine the FCC’s plan and share their thoughts on trying to stop unsolicited marketing calls. They also take a first look at Microsoft’s new Evernote to OneNote importer for the Mac.

Apple has a lot of money outside the United States, and not everyone is pleased with that. Bryan Chaffin joins Jeff Gamet to talk about Apple’s tax minimization strategy, and whether or not that has ethical implications. They also have some thoughts on Target’s claim that declining Apple product sales negatively impacted its revenue.

John Martellaro has been hosting some great interviews on TMO’s Background Mode podcast, so today Jeff Gamet turns the tables and interviews John. They go behind the scenes to learn learn how John makes his interviews happen, and to look at some of the high points from the show so far.

Apple plans to open a research and development center in China before the end of the year. Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to explore why Apple is opening the center and how that fits into the company’s plans in the country. They also look at Microsoft’s clever iPad Pro slam.

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.

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.

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.