Space Javelin

We've returned to a regular schedule, though the website still isn't quite finished ("nobody knew web coding could be so complicated!"). Mike and Charles, in the same room for once, not only run down a bunch of the latest Apple product news, security threats (and how to fix/avoid them), Mike's latest home project (4K+TB3=awesome), Apple's purchase of Workflow, Microsoft injecting ads in Win10, and the FCC and Congress teaming up to sell you out (those rats!), but in the grand tradition of local news shows, we've got some big "coming soon" announcements that we've waited until literally the last minutes of the episode to tell you about. We'll catch super-hell for that, we're sure. Come visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/spacejavelins

A short but important update on the progress of our new Space Javelin website. We decided to add an upstairs bathroom and a space patio, so that's pushed us back a bit longer than we intended, but we are still here and, we hope, so are you. We wanted to keep you in the loop as we work to complete this major refit, and we're sorry for the delay -- but we have a special treat coming before the end of the month to tide you over. Stay tuned, cadets!

We have had an idea (uh oh ...) which has resulted in a change of plans (UH oh ...), and we wanted to let our listeners know. Instead of taking one week off, we're gonna do three weeks off ... but for a very good cause: building (finally) a real Space Javelin website to serve as a home base for our various shenanigans and jibber-jabber. Please stay tuned, amuse yourself with some of our older episodes, and we'll be back before you know it with more and better everything!

This week, Charles and Mike delve into the meat of the technology week with a closer look at Apple's latest headphones, the pure-wireless AirPods and the brand-new BeatsX. Both have the W1 chip for incredible range and smarts, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Also covered is Jawbone's oddball opt-out from the consumer market, Tim Cook (and us) on the future of augmented reality in the near-term, and the threat of targeted Mac malware (average users have little cause for alarm, but all users must be vigilant).

We also talk about Apple's quickly-fixed iCloud non-issue, the very real but not yet widespread reports of matte black iPhone 7 units getting coloring scuffs and chips, the remarkable progress of Apple Pay (bank switching is a thing now), and we take another look at the weird and whacky world of rumors, a magical land where a certain percentage of dreams come true. All this, practical advice and tips, and snark to spare on the Space Javelin! Climb aboard, cadets!

[The following should be read in character as Lemony Snicket] At best, dear listeners, all we can say is that this episode starts off on some very promising notes -- what with the stellar Apple financials and the insanely great new Pro Apps educational bundle -- but soon turns dark and dire with news of under-shielded displays, Virtual Reality lawsuits, hackings of the non-axe variety, and a shocking litany of notable deaths and departures. In addition, there are a couple of family-unfriendly mentions, security breaches, and missed opportunities in abundance. We'd recommend you look away after the first half, as you've probably gotten enough punches to the gut this year thus far, but as for us, we must press on into the sordid underbelly of tech, TV, and talents snuffed out prematurely.

Mike and Charles take on some of the top tech stories this week, but start off with a look at a cool (but pricey) add-on for the Mac (anything with Thunderbolt 2 or later): the Power Colored Devil Box. Beyond that, the pair look at the predictions for Apple's Q1 results, the failure of Samsung's Knox (and Android generally) to be good enough for military security; the Vitality (UK) health incentive, and where it almost fell down; Dropcam founder Greg Duffy's move to Apple; and the MacPaw SetApp subscription service. All this and more on board the Space Javelin, cadets, so climb on board!

Welcome to an unusual half-hour episode of Space Javelin, necessitated by Charles' manflu (which is way, way worse than your flu). We still cover a lot of ground, though, staring with the tangled web of lawsuits and accusations between the Federal Trade Commission, Qualcomm, and Apple. Also discussed is the much-stupider lawsuit against Apple for not disabling FaceTime in moving vehicles (because there's no such thing as free will or personal responsibility, apparently), and a warning about the serious security issues found in the fun anime-style selfie app Meitu. Then Charles and Mike put on our big "NO" hats and shoot down the already-walked-back "iPads in March" rumor, and point out that there's no technical way to make KGI's claim of a 32GB Kaby Lake MBP revision later this year work. And finally, in this time of political fractiousness, we encourage you to march ... your friends who are still holding on to their Verizon Galaxy Note 7 phones straight to the nearest store and force them to turn them in already! For America!

Once again, so much going on, so much of it not fake! Charles and Mike tackle a really ridiculously wide range of topics, including (but not limited to): Kaby Lake chips, the Nintendo Switch, the return of two zombie lawsuits that just won't die, and the tenth anniversary of the iPhone introduction. Now how much would you pay?

But wait, there's more! Lessons in how to discern quality news, the Consumer Reports/MBP brouhaha, Cellebrite hacked, the failure of the Lily drone, and the (puts pinkie to lips, Dr. Evil-style), ONE TRILLION DOLLARS that the iOS ecosystem has generated over the past 10 years. All this and a sneak preview of stuff Mike is working on, so climb aboard and blast off ... to knowledge!

We're back, it's 2017, and that means lots of CES news to cover. We get to most of the things coming out of Vegas that we planned to, but the dominant themes were USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, HomeKit, CarPlay, and Alexa -- most of those technologies made by Apple, who wasn't even there (as usual). Charles and Mike go over the cool things, the weird things, and the good things that will be coming to market (probably) later this year, but we also talk about Apple's holiday performance (and profits), the App Store raking in the cash, the history of dongles, who should control the car infotainment experience, the excess of USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 docks for PCs and Macs, the new LG 5K monitor, and a remarkable story coming out of the tragic attack at the Fort Lauderdale airport. And more, in this 10 percent fatter than usual episode.

It's our last episode of the year (but you'll hear more from us in 2017, we promise), and we decided to give you a little bit more: an XL version of the podcast that runs 15 percent longer than usual, but includes a developer interview about Macphun's latest photo-editing app, Luminar, and a spoiler-riffic discussion (at the end, with plenty of very obvious warning we should add) about the latest Star Wars franchise film, Rogue One. Before Mike and Chas play Siskel and Ebert (or, more accurately, Statler and Waldorf) for the movie, though, we have tech news! The AirPods are shipping (contrary to rumors), Super Mario Run is out, there's an outrageous assault on the Fifth Amendment over an iPhone (again), and plenty of lawsuits for Apple to lose.

We talk to Kevin LaRue from Macphun about its amazing new full-featured image editor Luminar, and we encourage our listeners to check it out via a free trial to be found at macphun.com/luminar, and the team have a fantastic sale price on it (and a sweet discount for owners of any other Macphun software) running until the end of the year. For our finale, we then proceed to ruin Rogue One for you (well, if you ignore the vociferous alerts and wander into our penultimate segment) before finally wishing you all a happy holiday season until we meet again on January 9th. Sorry for being a bit overlong, but what's a holiday episode without feeling stuffed? Thanks for listening!