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

There's heavy coverage of the Apple Watch, which began shipping the weekend this show was broadcast. We'll cover the sort of customers who might actually want to buy one, and provide a reality check about the crazy critical coverage from people that, for the most part, never actually used one. First up is prolific author Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus, who was not the first to order an Apple Watch, but did it a few hours later and will wait a few weeks to get his. He also discusses his early feelings about the new MacBook, and how he converted his workflow from a Mac workstation to a MacBook Pro with Retina display. You'll also hear from commentator Kirk McElhearn, who is also known as Macworld's "iTunes Guy," who will tell you about his experiences trying on an Apple Watch after he ordered two of them, and whether he regretted his decision. He'll also explain why he cancelled his order for a MacBook, and about the limits of online backups. Hint: It's all about the dreaded bandwidth cap that may come into play if you upload too much of your stuff and it exceeds your ISP's monthly allotment for you.

We present John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer and a columnist for The Street, with a big plate of topics. He’ll explain how his skepticism about Apple’s new MacBook was lessened after he had a chance to use one, and why it’s not a “4-year step backward.” Apple Watch is also on the agenda, as John suggests it won’t be a luxury for long. The topics of discussion also include why iPad sales are faltering, the Microsoft Surface 3 tablet, and Apple’s new association with IBM. You’ll also hear from Kyle Wiens and Andrew Goldberg from iFixit. This time they’ll tell you about their experiences tearing down the new MacBook, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, and some Windows gear. Which models are easy to fix? Which models are just messy? They’ll also outline their plans to take apart the Apple Watch.

We offer extensive coverage of the Apple Watch launch. You’ll hear from Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of “Take Control of Apple TV” and other titles, who will discuss his plans to buy an Apple Watch, and about the use case for the MacBook, Apple’s fancy and super slim notebook that has just one peripheral port. He’ll also talk about a recent report in which Intel’s CEO, Brian Krzanich, used a wristband and gestures to command four robot spiders. We only wonder why Intel believes anyone cares. You’ll also hear from outspoken commentator Kirk McElhearn, who is also known as Macworld’s “iTunes Guy,” who will recount his experiences ordering two Apple Watches online. He also wonders why Apple sold out of them so quickly, and why the new MacBook is also back-ordered. We’ll also talk about cheap wireless printing solutions, and the recent iTunes 12.1.2 update that restored the original information window.

On this week’s all-star episode, we present outspoken commentator Peter Cohen, Mac Managing Editor for iMore, who talks about a number of subjects, including Apple CEO Tim Cook’s efforts to wade into the political arena with his comments about a controversial religious freedom law in Indiana. Peter also discuss net neutrality, the lack of good Internet service in many parts of the U.S. and, of course, Apple Watch. You’ll also hear from Larry O’Connor, CEO of Other World Computing. He’ll give you advice on choosing the proper RAM upgrade for Macs, the lifecycle of hard drives, and about the benefits of upgrading to an SSD. He’ll also give you a preview of the new 3D NAND flash technology that will greatly expand solid state drive capacity over the next few years at much lower prices.

We present Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer, with a busy agenda. Gene and Jeff will share their 14 years of experience with OS X, and talk about the prospects for USB-C, the new standard that Apple is including as the sole peripheral port, aside from a headphone jack, on the forthcoming 12-inch MacBook. You’ll also hear a discussion about the dueling biographies of Steve Jobs, and whether Apple is engaging in a sort of spin control in order to sanitize the reputation of the company’s mercurial co-founder. You’ll also hear from columnist Rob Pegoraro, who writes for USA Today, Yahoo Tech and other outlets, who will discuss the confusion and fear mongering surrounding net neutrality. He’ll also talk about Google and the value of the European Union’s “Right to be Forgotten” ruling and its impact on individual privacy. The possibility that Apple will introduce a subscription TV service along with a new Apple TV set-top box, and the implications is also on the agenda.

We cover the latest rumors about an Apple subscription TV service. How will Apple turn its service into a game-changer? We also cover the potential downsides of yet another cord-cutting scheme, such as your ISP’s bandwidth cap. Our topics also include the two-pound MacBook and Apple Watch. Our guests include Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer, who also focuses on the subtleties of the luxury watch market and the prospects for an Apple Car. You’ll also hear from Kirk McElhearn, known as Macworld’s “iTunes Guy,” who wonders why Apple’s HealthKit is not yet capable of tracking a female’s menstrual cycles.

Author and publisher Adam Engst, of TidBITS and Take Control Books, gives you his insights about Apple’s recent media event, which featured the rollout of the Apple Watch, new Mac notebooks, and a slight price reduction for the aging Apple TV streaming set-top box. What about the new and slimmer MacBook keyboard, the use of a single USB-C port to handle your connections and charging? Did Apple maybe push the envelope a little too far, or are they showing us the wave of the future for notebook computers? You’ll also hear from columnist John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer and a columnist for The Street, who explains how the new MacBook has “iPad envy,” why he’s disappointed with the present status of Apple TV, and he then covers Apple Watch. He’ll tell you why some industry observers are doubtful of its success, and why he can predict that it will succeed. And what about database apps, such as Apple’s FileMaker Pro? Are they now obsolete except for some business users?

We have a busy plate. Once again, the prospects for an Apple Car are debated, and there’s a lot more skepticism this time. We’ll also clear up some of the myths about the FCC’s recent net neutrality ruling, and we’ll also try to make sense of Apple Watch models just ahead of Apple’s official announcement. You’ll also hear about iTunes 12, iTunes Match and the possibilities for an iPad Pro. We’ll also give you some early reactions to Microsoft’s Office 2016 for Mac Preview. Is it worth the five-year wait? Our guests include commentator Kirk McElhearn, known as Macworld’s “iTunes Guy,” and cutting-edge columnist Peter Cohen, Mac Managing Editor for iMore.

On this week’s all-star episode, we can’t escape speculation about an Apple Car. Is this something Apple is really planning, or just a bunch of assumptions based on the decision to hire car industry executives? You’ll also hear speculation about Apple’s March 9th media event, where the final details of Apple Watch will be disclosed, along with some other possible product intros. What about the potential for a larger iPad, known as iPad Pro, and can it help jumpstart moribund sales. Topics also include the FCC’s approval of a set of rules to enforce net neutrality. Our guests include author Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus, a skeptic of the possibility of an Apple Car, who also talks about his new TV show, and Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer, who asserts that his publication is on solid ground that Apple is really designing a motor vehicle that will be introduced several years from now.

The possibilities for an Apple car are front and center. You'll hear two distinct views on whether such a thing might happen, and the Night Owl has been skeptical. First up is Jonny Evans, Computerworld's "Apple Holic," who clearly doesn't believe any of it. He'll also talk about Apple Watch, the possibilities for an iPad Pro, a version with a display of 12 inches or more, and the state of the music industry and digital music. You'll also hear from Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer, who has a decidedly more positive view to present on an Apple motor vehicle. As someone who helped spark the current stories on whether or not Apple is working on such a product, he'll present some fascinating insights. Bryan will also talk about the promise of Apple Watch, about future proofing such a gadget, and he'll also cover Apple's approach to security. A key point, that Tim Cook says that companies such as Google regard you as the product, whereas Apple's products are the hardware and services they sell.