Join John, Dave, and Pilot Pete as they celebrate the 900th episode of Mac Geek Gab. What will they do? They’ll answer your questions, share your tips, and ensure you (and they!) learn at least five new things, of course. That’s how it has worked for 899 episodes, so there’s no reason to think this one will be any different! Press play and enjoy hanging out with your three favorite geeks!
DirecTV
AT&T Raises Price of DirecTV Again
Despite losing millions of customers the last time it did this, AT&T decided to once again raise the price of DirecTV. Monthly rates will increase by US$8/mo starting on January 19, 2020.
The $8-per-month increase will apply to the DirecTV Premier plan that currently costs $189. A $7 increase will apply to the Ultimate package that costs $135 and to the Xtra package that costs $124; a $5 increase will apply to the Choice plan that costs $110; a $4 increase will apply to the Select package that costs $81 a month and to the Entertainment package that costs $93; and increases of $1 or $3 will apply to basic plans.
iOS 13 and iPhone 11s Have Shipped. What's Next for Apple?
Amidst all the fuss about iOS 13/13.1 and new iPhones, John found some real gems in this week’s news roundup.
Not All Robocall Blocking Apps on Your iPhone Can be Trusted
Are robocall-blocking apps on your iPhone trustworthy? It seems some have bypassed Apple’s scrutiny.
CBS vs DirecTV, Microsoft Ad Deconstruction – TMO Daily Observations 2019-08-01
John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the evolution of the CBS/DirecTV standoff, and a new ad from Microsoft.
MacBook Saga, DirecTV and CBS Squabble – TMO Daily Observations 2019-07-26
John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to talk about the latest in John’s MacBook saga, and the CBS/DirecTV kerfuffle.
The DIRECTV - CBS Dispute is a Mess
CBS has blocked DirecTV’s CBS feed since July 19. Customers are angered. CBS All Access subscriptions have surged.( Duh.) Finger pointing abounds. Bloomberg writes: “CBS Blackout on DirecTV Is What’s Wrong With the TV Market.”
If the market for television and video-streaming services wasn’t frustrating enough for consumers, now comes news that millions paying for DirecTV suddenly can’t watch CBS, the most popular TV network in the U.S., due to a contract dispute between the media giants. The good news is that it’s not yet football season, and it’s also in both companies’ interests to reach an agreement soon. The bad news is that the channel-blackout trend is only getting worse.
I’d love to see Stephen Colbert’s take on this. If I could watch him.
AT&T Raises DirecTV Price an Extra $10 Per Month
Back in December AT&T CEO Randal Stephenson said that it would hike the DirecTV price and adjust the content available.
DIRECTV Gets Apple TV App Integration
AT&T has integrated DIRECTV with Apple TV. Users can now discover content on the service via the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.
Podcasts
DirecTV Extends Free Apple TV 4K Deal to June 8
Good news, procrastinators! If you’ve been planning on signing up for DirecTV NOW and taking advantage of the free Apple TV 4K offer, you have an extra week. The promotion was supposed to end, but DirecTV is extending it out to June 8th. You have to pre-pay for three months service, and you have to be a new subscriber. If that’s you, and you didn’t get around to signing up during the initial deal now you have a second chance to either take advantage of the offer or procrastinate a few more days.