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

We feature an extended discussion of Apple Music and how it stands up to the music streaming competition. First up is columnist Kirk McElhearn, who is also known as Macworld's "iTunes Guy,"who gives you a full picture of his early reactions to Apple's subscription music service. Does it make the grade, or are there problems still to be fixed? Since Kirk is a serious classical music lover, did he find Apple's setup a little wanting for people who aren't among the majority of listeners? You'll also hear from Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer, who focuses the first part of the discussion on Gene's new watch. No, not an Apple Watch, but a $12.88 calendar watch that he bought at Walmart. At least it keeps time. You'll also hear Jeff's reactions to Apple Music and the reports of problems with the service and the interface. After a brief pop culture back and forth, Jeff will also talk about the next Apple TV.

We feature Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV" and other titles. On the agenda is his conspiracy theory about Apple Music and the brief dustup with top-selling artist Taylor Swift. You'll also hear his speculations about the next Apple TV, Apple's ongoing support for Macs and a brief discussion about whether Apple's commitment to Intel lessens the possibility of using ARM processors on the Mac. You'll also hear from prolific tech author Joe Kissell, who will recount 11 "stupid" backup methods and why you should avoid them. The list includes Apple's Time Machine, which he says has been the source of occasional problems that require you to backup everything from scratch. He'll also present a reality check about the state of security on the Mac, with a focus on issues with Adobe Flash and Oracle's Java, and whether you should consider buying security software.

We present long-time tech writer Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus, who tells you about his experiences covering Apple's WWDC virtually. He offers his opinions about OS X El Capitan, and iOS 9, and why he has two Apple Watches. You'll also hear his reaction to the new MacBook, why he ended up buying a MacBook Air, and some of the expected limits of being productive on the iPad, even after Apple's promised multitasking improvements arrive. You'll also hear columnist Peter Cohen, Mac Managing Editor for iMore, and Kirk McElhearn, who is also known as Macworld's "iTunes Guy," in a special joint appearance. On the agenda is a recent article from the Wall Street Journal, where the columnist suggested Apple ought to kill the Mac because it represents only a fraction of Apple's revenue. Other topics on the agenda include some of the best promised features of OS X El Capitan, including the ability to kill unwanted autoplay videos in Safari, iOS 9, and Apple Music.

We talk about the major announcements at Apple's WWDC, where operating systems were refreshed, and Apple's long-anticipated music service was announced. You'll hear about the new features of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. Did Apple meet customer's expectations in promising performance and reliability? What about the claims on the part of some members of the media that Apple merely copied features already available in Android and Microsoft Windows? You'll also hear the ins and outs of Apple Music and how it will compete with existing subscription music services such as Spotify. Our guests include Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer, who also talks to Gene about the recent death of the noted character actor, Sir Christopher Lee, famous for horror films and his appearances in two Star Wars prequels, the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. You'll also hear from commentator Kirk McElhearn, who is also known as Macworld's "iTunes Guy."

On this week’s all-star episode, we feature the return of cutting-edge commentator and investigative journalist Daniel Eran Dilger, of Roughly Drafted Magazine and AppleInsider. This time, Daniel will talk about the differences in Apple Maps in China and the dearth of compelling new features announced for the next version of Android — M — at the recent Google I/O conference, pointing out that some of the new features were similar to ones already available in Apple’s iOS. You’ll also hear from columnist John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer and a columnist for The Street, whose bill of fare includes why Apple will be “forced” to add 4K (Ultra HD) to the next Apple TV, whether they will finally be set to “reinvigorate” the iPad,” the possibilities of the next version of OS X, which is being introduced at the WWDC, John’s experiences with his new Apple Watch, and how his new MacBook “speaks” to him.

We feature Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer. The bill of fare includes Jonathan Ive's new job as Chief Design Officer. Is this the promotion it seems, or a way for him to quietly disengage from Apple? You'll also hear about Apple's ongoing problems with the antitrust compliance monitor in the eBook price fixing case, Apple's new same-day delivery system that started in San Francisco, and ongoing problems with Apple's OS updates. You'll also hear from Kirk McElhearn, who is also known as Macworld's "iTunes Guy," who will tell you about his experiences selling used stuff on Amazon and eBay. He'll also talk about what might be forthcoming in the next Apple TV set-top box, and he and Gene will discuss their different tastes in TV programs. Hint: Kirk isn't a fan of shows about comic book heroes.

We feature Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of “Take Control of Apple TV” and other titles, who will talk about the use case for Apple Watch, and whether he would have kept his had he not been a tech editor. He’ll also talk about the prospects for the next Apple TV and whether Apple will add support for 4K TV. Do people even care about 4K and other fancy TV features? Josh will also discuss his one month as an AOL member. You’ll also hear from tech columnist Rob Pegoraro, of USA Today and Yahoo Tech, who will cover what may be the beginning of the end for AOL, which is being acquired by Verizon. He’ll also talk about cable cord cutting, Comcast’s efforts to make the company more likable to customers, prospects for an Apple branded TV subscription service, the fight over the Patriot Act and NSA surveillance, and the arrival of EMV security on credit cards in the U.S.

We present Peter Cohen, Mac Managing Editor for iMore, who covers a number of topics, including the 30th anniversary of Apple's database program, FileMaker Pro. He'll also discuss the curious saga of MacKeeper, which advertises itself as an app that enhances OS X, the ongoing problems with OS X Yosemite, speculation about the next Apple TV and cable cord-cutting. You'll also hear from Kirk McElhearn, who is also known as Macworld's "iTunes Guy," who recounts his experiences in setting up and using his new Apple Watch. He'll also discuss suggestions that Apple may want to consider rebranding OS X in 2016, when iOS 10 is expected to appear. What about returning to Mac OS?

On this week's all-star episode, you'll hear from Susie Ochs, Executive Editor of Macworld, who covers speculation about the next Apple TV set-top box. What features is Apple going to add? Siri support, a touch-based remote, and what about the new higher-resolution TV format, 4K (Ultra HD)? Susie also talks about her experiences as owner of an Apple Watch, and how it's become an important part of her digital lifestyle. You'll also hear from Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer. The topics of discussion include expectations for the next Apple TV, and the key issue of cutting the cable cord. How are existing cable and satellite providers reacting to the new TV landscape, and would some sort of a la carte scheme, where you only subscribe to the channels you want, present the best solution? Jeff will also talk about the Apple Watch, and what Apple might reveal at the next WWDC, to be held from June 8-12, 2015 in San Francisco. What about the next versions of iOS and OS X?

We again offer extensive coverage about the Apple Watch, this time focusing on its usability and potential for success. We also present information on the famous iFixit teardown, featuring Kyle Wiens and Andrew Goldberg, and how the company sent its reps to Australia to get some of the first shipping units to test how easy it is to replace the battery and do other repairs. Author and publisher Adam Engst, of TidBITS and Take Control Books, is a runner and one of the key uses for his Apple Watch is fitness tracking. Just how well does Apple's smartwatch fill that purpose? You'll also hear from Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer, who will focus his discussions on Apple Watch prospects, and some takeaways from Apple's record March quarter financials. Can something be done to boost flagging iPad sales? Will more customers come once they get around to replacing the ones they have?