The Tech Night Owl LIVE — Tech Radio with a Pop Culture Twist!

Featured on this episode is Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV" and other titles. Josh talks extensively about the controversial MacBook Pro, and its tentpole features, including the Touch Bar and Touch ID. Did Apple overprice this new computer? What about Apple's desktop Macs that haven't been upgraded in quite a while? Gene suggests a potential replacement for the Mac Pro, a souped up iMac with eight-core processor and dual SSDs. You'll also hear about the forthcoming TV app for Apple TV and iOS. He'll focus on the missing services, including Amazon Instant Video and Netflix, and move on to the proposed merger between AT&T and Time Warner. You'll also hear from Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer. Brian will also talk extensively about the MacBook Pro, the Touch Bar, and whether prices might come down after the first year, similar to other Macs in recent years. What about the future of the Mac Pro? Does Apple give it a decent burial, or deliver a refresh in 2017? Gene brings up his mythical professional iMac, as the discussion moves to the twin processor design of the MacBook Pro, which has not just an Intel processor but an ARM processor with a slimmed down version of watchOS that powers the Touch Bar. Should Apple consider wholesale move to ARM on the Mac platform? There's also a brief discussion of the AT&T and Time Warner merger.

Featured on this episode is columnist and podcaster Kirk McElhearn, also known as Macworld's "iTunes Guy." Gene and Kirk dissect the good, bad and ugly points in Apple's media presentation where the main focus was to introduce a new MacBook Pro line. But what about the tentpole feature of the refreshed notebooks, the Touch Bar. Does it offer enough advanced features, as a context sensitive OLED-based control strip, to justify price increase of between $300-$400? More to the point, does Kirk plan to buy one? And what about the missing hardware, such as the three-year-old Mac Pro? It's still available from Apple, but does it have a future? You'll also hear from tech editor Sean Aune, director of operations for TechnoBuffalo, an online blog and gadget review site. He starts the discussion with his observations about the new hardware from Microsoft, introduced the day before Apple's event, where costly Surface Books and the Studio all-in-one computer were introduced. Did Microsoft take the wrong approach to actually exceed Apple's prices on their new gear. Gene and Sean also talk about the MacBook Pro and the pricey new models with Touch Bar and Touch ID. The discussion moves to questions about the planned merger between AT&T and Time Warner. A match made in heaven — or that other place? And what about the DDoS attacks against DynDNS, which, for hours recently, nearly brought down a large portion of the Internet.

Featured on this episode is columnist Rob Pegoraro, who writes for USA Today, Yahoo Tech and Wirecutter. He'll discuss what's expected from Apple's October 27, 2016 media event, rumored to focus on new Macs, and what might come from it. He'll also offer his personal experiences with macOS Sierra, cybersecurity and the recent hack of Democratic emails, posted in WikiLeaks, which has become a campaign issue, and tech policy and the election. Rob will also talk about the Pixel, Phone by Google, and its prospects. You'll also hear from Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer. He'll join Gene in a brief pop culture discussion, comparing the two visions of DC Comics, and whether the more optimistic TV version is a better fit for super hero fans than the dour movie version. The discussion will move to the prospects for the Apple Car, and whether the focus will be on creating a new car or offering a turnkey solution for autonomous driving to be licensed to car makers. Jeff will also talk about the prospects for new Macs at Apple's media event, expectations for a refreshed MacBook Pro, and the possible fates of two models that haven't been updated in a while. So will there be a refreshed Mac mini, and what's going to happen to the Mac Pro? And what about the failure of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, and shouldn't the company take a few lessons on corporate damage control?

Featured on this episode is outspoken blogger and podcaster Peter Cohen. This week, Peter talks about Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 scandal, in which the product was discontinued because over 100 handsets overheated or caught fire. How is Samsung handling the controversy, and how will Apple deal with the fallout? The discussion also focuses on falling Mac sales and whether the dearth of new models is at least partly responsible. And what about the Pixel, Phone by Google smartphone? How will Google's Android partners react to the competition? You'll also hear a comprehensive security update from ethical hacker Dr. Timothy Summers, President of Summers & Company, a cyber strategy and organizational design consulting firm. This week, Dr. Summers talks about the reports that the Russians are responsible for the recent hacks of Democratic emails and Twitter accounts. Can we believe the WikiLeaks disclosure of this material, or has it been altered? Is this the beginning of a possible Cybersecurity Cold War? How will it play out, and how can you protect your own email and other online accounts from hacks? Dr. Summers also discusses the recently revealed email hack at Yahoo, and whether the late disclosure will impact Verizon's decision to acquire that company.

You'll also hear from blogger and podcaster Kirk McElhearn, also known as Macworld's "iTunes Guy." Kirk will detail the problems he confronted trying to set up Apple's two-factor authentication scheme on his devices, and the inability of Apple's tech support to help him. He'll also discuss iCloud growth pains and respond to Gene's query as to whether it would make sense for Apple to add online support for Time Machine and other backup systems. Kirk also discusses the Pixel, Phone by Google smartphone, Google WiFi and other products. The discussion concludes with the disconnect between regular users and tech savvy users, using Apple's decision to make macOS Sierra an automatic download to customers as a notable example.

Featured on this episode is commentator Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer. The discussion begins with his experiences as owner of an Apple Watch Series 2. Is it something one comes to love, or simply like a little more than the original Apple Watch? The discussion also focuses on the iPhone 7, and Samsung's battery defects on the Galaxy Note 7. And what is Google doing that has allowed Chromebooks to soar in popularity at U.S. schools? Is it all about price? If so, how can Apple possibly compete? The discussion also briefly covers the latest scuttlebutt about the Apple Car. You'll also hear from one of our most popular guests over the years, Joe Kissell, author of over 60 books on technology, including 'Take Control of Upgrading to Sierra." You'll learn about the best features of the new macOS. The discussion will also cover Time Machine backups, and its limitations, and Apple's new APFS file system, first introduced in development form in Sierra, which is expected to be ready for public consumption by the time the next macOS arrives in 2017. You'll also hear hints and tips from Joe from one of his books, "Speeding Up Your Mac," and the best ways to get maximum performance from your vintage computer. Joe will also present common sense advice from another book, "Troubleshooting Your Mac."

We present blogger and podcaster Kirk McElhearn, also known as Macworld's "iTunes Guy." He'll talk about his strange problems moving from the beta channel of iOS 10 to the release version, outline the interface changes that are meant to simplify Apple Music, and briefly comment about a decision by the U.S. Senate to spend a mere $19.5 million on plans for Mars exploration and a new spaceship design. The discussion moves to computer speakers, as Gene talks about his quest to find a system that won't blow the circuit breaker for his office when he's listening to music and also printing a document on his laser printer. You'll also hear from commentator Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer. He'll also talk about Gene's quest for new computer speakers, Apple's application to patent an exclusive design for a — paper bag, Apple's alleged attempt to discourage customers from buying music with Apple Music, new developments in AI technology at Apple, and the latest scuttlebutt about alleged plans for an Apple Car. Is Apple giving up on building a car and focusing on self-driving technology? What about those published reports that Apple is in talks to acquire a luxury sports car maker, McLaren Automotive, and whether such a move even makes sense.

We present Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV" and other titles. The topics include speculation about iPhone 7 sales in light of reports of heavy preorders and sellouts, particularly for the iPhone 7 Plus. As author of "iOS 10: A Take Control Crash Course," Josh details some of the best features of the new OS, and discusses the download glitch that, for an hour, gave Apple customers a defective version that bricked some devices until they could be restored, usually via iTunes. You'll also hear from tech editor Sean Aune, director of operations for TechnoBuffalo, an online blog and gadget review site. Gene begins the discussion with his tale of woe about a Brother HL-5450DN printer that keeps tripping the circuit breaker in his home office, and surprising solution from the manufacturer. Gene and Sean go back and forth about Apple's "courageous" decision to remove the headphone jack on the iPhone 7, the possible reasons and the impact to customers. Sean will also discuss an Apple poll of Mac notebook owners reportedly circulating in which they are asked whether they ever use the headphone jack. The discussion also focuses on Samsung's quality control problems with the Galaxy Note 7 that has been recalled due to episodes of the battery bursting into flames or exploding.

On this week's all-star episode, we present columnist and podcaster Kirk McElhearn, also known as Macworld's "iTunes Guy." In pointed remarks, Kirk explains why he's not terribly impressed with Apple's explanation for ditching the headphone jack, nor, for that matter, with the iPhone 7, which he doesn't regard as a significant improvement over previous models. In response to Gene's remark about the headphone jack being a notorious source of unreliability, Kirk brings up problems with frayed Lightning cables. There's also a brief discussion about the failure of the paperless revolution. You'll also hear from prolific author and commentator Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus, who works with Gene in setting up the Golden Master version of macOS Sierra, which was released on September 8th to public beta testers. Gene briefly toys with the Mac version of Siri, not his favorite feature, before the discussion moves to the iPhone 7. Contrary to Kirk's reaction, Bob explains why he's impressed with the new features, particularly the camera enhancements that may allow him to leave his DSLR camera home. You'll also hear Bob's reaction to the loss of the headphone jack, and Gene will talk about Apple's announcement that it will no longer reveal first weekend sales for the new iPhone. The excuse is that they won't have enough stock on hand to meet demand, so potential sales can't be reported.

We present tech journalist Sean Aune, director of operations for TechnoBuffalo, an online blog and gadget review site. He'll focus mainly on what's expected from Apple during the September 7th media event in San Francisco. The predictions mainly cover an iPhone 7, but Sean will also discuss the possibilities for introducing an Apple Watch 2, and Apple's skirmish with the European Commission over a $14.5 billion tax bill. You'll also hear from security expert and ethical hacker Dr. Timothy Summers, President of Summers & Company, a cyber strategy and organizational design consulting firm, who will discuss the latest hacks impacting the Democratic National Committee and other Democratic facilities. Are the hackers strictly focusing on one political party? And what about those recent security fixes from Apple? The final half of the show will feature John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer. His bill of fare includes such topics as "Blood in the Macintosh Water," why "There Ain't No Such Thing as Free TV," "Is There Anything Apple Can't Do? That's Now a Problem," and how "Autonomous Vehicles Might Develop Superior Judgement." Gene wonders whether the day might come in the next few years where he will have to give up the keys to his car and surrender to a self-driving vehicle.