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

On this week's all-star episode, we present the irrepressible John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer and a columnist for The Street, who discusses why Apple may be letting a few things fall through the cracks, such as the recent late and decidedly mediocre update to the Mac mini. You'll also hear about his personal experiences with Apple Pay, his views about 4K or Ultra HD TV, and why analyst estimates of potential Apple Watch sales are just plain wrong. We are also joined by commentator Rob Pegoraro, who writes for USA Today, Yahoo Tech and other outlets, who discusses what we might expect from a future Apple TV, the possibilities of 4K TV, and the ins and outs of net neutrality. You'll also hear Rob's views about Windows 10, due in 2015, and an update on the iPod antitrust trial, still in progress when this episode is broadcast.

On this week's all-star episode, we present prominent tech blogger Dann Berg, who discusses the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, such as those voiced by entrepreneur Elon Musk. You'll also hear Dann's views about Bitcoin, the iPhone 6, and whether sales of the new, larger iPhones are cannibalizing sales of the iPad. You'll also hear from commentator Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer, who offers his outspoken views about the complaints voiced about iTunes 12, and the controversy over iMessages, where people who switch from iPhones to other mobile platforms suddenly find their messages aren't working. He'll also discuss Apple's recent failed attempt to fund a sapphire plant in Mesa, Arizona, and the issues that have apparently slowed sales if iPads.

On this week's all-star episode, prolific author and commentator Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus is in full rant mode as he presents his outspoken views about net neutrality and how Intuit has failed Mac users over the years with its Quicken financial app. He also reviews Apple's 27-inch iMac 5K, and the iPad Air 2. You'll also hear from columnist Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy," who discusses the myths and the reality of so-called high resolution music. He'll also cover the ongoing problems with iTunes 12 and detail some of the features users may not fully understand. And what about claims that Apple's quality control has slipped, especially for iCloud, OS X and iOS 8?

On this week's all-star episode, we welcome Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV" and other titles, who discusses the contentious issue of net neutrality, the curious episode where the TidBITS email newsletter was bounced by some major ISPs, Apple's mistakes in dealing with the iMessage "lock" issue that impacted people who switched from iPhones to other platforms, and the good, bad and ugly issues of iTunes 12. You'll also hear from former Macworld Editorial Director Jason Snell, who discusses the reasons the print version of the magazine folded. He'll also give you his up-to-date comments on the state of Apple and the state of Microsoft.

On this week's all-star episode, we welcome Kyle Wiens and Miro Djuric, from iFixit, who will present the results of teardowns of the latest iPhones, iPads, and Macs. You'll also hear some of the results of tearing apart gear running Android, and whether it's possible to fix a broken printer or a broken TV set. Backup strategies are on the agenda as we present Mike Bombich, creator of Carbon Copy Cloner, a Mac app that makes a clone or duplicate of your hard drive. You'll hear about the differences and the app's advantages over Apple's Time Machine. You will also hear from Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer, whose bill of fare includes his perfectly awful experiences with Comcast support and why Apple makes it so difficult to upgrade most Macs. You'll also hear about WireLurker, malware that can impact both Macs and iOS, and Bryan's reactions to iTunes 12.

On this week's all-star episode, we welcome Susie Ochs, Executive Editor of Macworld. She'll be on hand to talk about the changes at the magazine, which include discontinuing the print version, and the Macworld|iWorld Expo, now on more or less permanent "hiatus." Susie will also bring you up to date on the latest developments at Apple Inc. You'll also hear from John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer and a columnist for The Street, whose bill of fare includes Tim Cook's decision to come out as gay and why it's a huge deal for civil rights, his reactions to Apple Pay, why he wonders how he lived with the small display of an iPhone 5s now that he has an iPhone 6, positive sales prospects for the iPad Air 2, and his "quintessential" review of OS X Yosemite.

On this week’s all-star episode, we welcome columnist Dan Frakes, a former Macworld editor, who discusses the decision to discontinue the print edition of the oldest Mac magazine, and to put the Macworld / iWorld conference on "hiatus." He'll also discuss current Apple issues, such as iOS 8 and Yosemite. You'll also hear from security expert Alain Ghiai, CEO of DigitalSafe, who focuses on smartphone safety and whether Americans should be concerned over the government's claimed right to "break down the doors" to our digital privacy. He'll also discuss the company's encrypted cloud storage system, which is based in Switzerland. Our final segment features commentator Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer. His bill of fare includes the possible reasons that iPad sales are flagging, the disconnected coverage of the goings on at Apple, the prospects for the Apple Watch and how it sucked the air out of the smartwatch market for this holiday season. He'll also comment briefly on Microsoft Windows 10, which is currently available as a Technical Preview.

On this week's all-star episode, we welcome columnist Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy," who will explain why he's cut back on his Facebook activities. He'll also profile iTunes 12, the OS X Yosemite-savvy version, and consider whether he should replace his relatively new Mac Pro with a 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina display. You'll also hear from cutting-edge commentator Daniel Eran Dilger, of Roughly Drafted Magazine and AppleInsider, who will bring you up to date on the platform wars. He'll cover the differing concepts of tablets from Apple and Android, Google's Android Lollipop and Microsoft's Windows 10 operating systems, and why he believes both companies are out of ideas. He'll also discuss why he believes Samsung, the largest maker of Google smartphones, wants to ditch Android.

On this week's all-star episode, we present Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV" and other titles, who will discuss the trials and tribulations of updating to iOS 8, some of the keyboard options offered for the new mobile OS, and what might come from Apple's scheduled October 16 media event. You'll also hear from tech commentator Rob Pegoraro, who writes for USA Today, Yahoo Tech and other outlets, who will focus his discussion on Apple's ongoing failures to communicate with customers with press announcements, and the endless complications in choosing a new wireless carrier.

On this week's all-star episode, commentator Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy," explains why he decided to return his new iPhone 6 and revert to his iPhone 5s. He also wonders whether Apple's recent highly-publicized missteps are caused by taking on too much too quickly. You'll also hear about some real world tests of the ability to bend an iPhone 6 Plus from Jessica Hoffman, from SquareTrade, a company that provides extended warranties for a wide array of tech gear. In the third segment, we'll be joined by Avram Piltch, the Online Editorial Director for Laptop magazine, who delivers a preview of the next major upgrade to Windows, known as Windows 10. Why did Microsoft skip a version, and what are the most compelling new features, in addition, of course, to restoring a standard Start menu?