The Mac Observer Show

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.

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.

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.

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.

Becoming an organ donor will get a lot easier once iOS 10 ships this fall. John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to look at Apple’s partnership with Donate Life America to add donor registration to the Health app, plus they offer up their thoughts on the impact of the tragic Tesla autopilot car crash.

Word on the street says Apple is in talks to buy the streaming music service Tidal. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on whether or not a deal between the two makes sense, plus they look at Spotify’s complaint that Apple is blocking competition in the streaming music market with its App Store approval process.

Apple, Amazon, and Google are all big players in the tech market, and Senator Elizabeth Warren says they’re stifling competition. John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to look at the Senator’s concerns and share their thoughts on competition in the tech world.

Apple patented a way to block our smartphone cameras from recording. Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on the patent and its potential for abuse. They also look at a lawsuit alleging Apple stole the idea for the iPhone.

Speculation about the audio ports on the next iPhone are still going strong. Today Dave Hamilton joins Jeff Gamet to talk about the potentially missing headphone jack on the new iPhone, digital to analog converters, and how we listen to our music. They also get a little creeped out over Facebook’s location-based friend suggestions.

Apple’s stock isn’t a high as it used to be and understanding why can be a little daunting. Bryan Chaffin joins Jeff Gamet to look at Wall Street’s dysfunctional relationship with Apple and the Brexit impact on the stock market. They also check out Google’s new Blocks programming platform for kids.

It’s official: Apple is killing off the Thunderbolt Display. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on what this means for Apple in the display market, plus they have something to say about John C. Dvorak’s claim that it’s time for Apple to spin off the Mac into its own company.

It’s listener comment day on TDO. Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to respond to your thoughts on Alicia Keys locking up attendee’s smartphones at her concerts, and on Apple’s new APFS file system for macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

John Martellaro has been busy learning all about APFS, and he has plenty to share. John, along with Kelly Guimont, join Jeff Gamet to take a closer look at Apple’s new file system for the Mac, iOS, Apple Watch, and tvOS.

Going to an Alicia Keys concert will get your iPhone locked away, but not by the police. Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on concert goers being forced to drop their smartphones in locked bags as a condition to see the show. They also take a look at Russia’s bill calling for backdoors into encrypted chat apps.

Apple wants to be an electric company, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be buying iElectricity soon. John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to talk about Apple’s plans for the surplus electricity it generates through its renewable energy efforts, plus they share their thoughts on Apple’s plans for biometric passcodes and protecting our privacy.