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

On this week's all-star episode, we talk about the landmark marketing and services deal between Apple and IBM. Is this just another failed initiative between the two companies, or a venture that will not just confirm Apple's cred in the enterprise, but sell lots of iPhones and iPods? You'll also hear our fearless views about Microsoft's announced bloodletting, where 18,000 employees will be fired in the coming months, and the potential impact to the company. After the pink slips are issued, what will Microsoft do to fix what's wrong with the company? Joining us to talk about these and other topics are: Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer, and Jonny Evans, Computerworld's "Apple Holic," You'll also hear discussions about the newest member of Apple's board of directors, insights into Tim Cook's Apple, the rumored iWatch, and what we might expect when Apple releases their financials for the June 2014 quarter.

we feature Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV." Josh will talk about his favorite free email service, or at least the one he uses, along with the state of Apple TV and streaming set-top boxes, and what might be needed to bring such products to a new generation of excellence, including advanced game controllers. We'll also present Rob Shavell, CEO of Abine (an online privacy firm), who will discuss Facebook's new tracking policy and why they continue to keep tabs on you even if you have all the privacy settings switched on. You'll also hear from author/columnist Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus, who will talk about the state of the Mac and about his reactions to the prerelease versions of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. And, yes, he's working on "Dummies" books about both.

Our guest list includes blogger and commentator Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy," who will explain why two times are a charm with his new Mac Pro. He'll also discuss Apple's curious way of managing some iCloud email spam, and the hoops you have to jump through to fix false positives. The bill of fare also includes cloud storage solutions, and alternatives to Dropbox. You'll also hear from tech columnist Rob Pegoraro, who writes for USA Today and Yahoo. He'll talk about the failure of Aereo, a TV delivery service that claimed not to be cable, before the U.S. Supreme Court, Android L, the forthcoming version of Google's mobile platform, and why T-Mobile was accused by the FTC of hundreds of millions of dollars in overcharges for extra SMS services and other features that customers may not have known they had.

We present prolific tech author Joe Kissell, author of "Take Control of Automating Your Mac," who will give you some useful suggestions on how to perform complex tasks with just one or two keystrokes. He'll also give you advice on how to choose the right broadband provider, and whether one of those multiple service bundles make any sense. You'll also hear from Avram Piltch, the Online Editorial Director for Laptop magazine, who will give you his early opinions about Amazon's forthcoming Fire Phone smartphone, and details some of the key features of Android L, the forthcoming version of Google's mobile OS. So is Amazon's first mobile handset a winner? What about the first major Android update in recent years?

On this week's all-star episode: We present commentator John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer and a columnist for The Street, who holds forth on such topics as the disconnect between what happened at the Apple WWDC and how some journalists interpreted the event. He'll also cover the hit piece about Tim Cook, which masqueraded as a balanced story, in The New York Times, why the iPhone is Apple's new hardware platform, and what happens if you buy the wrong PC. You'll also hear from Computerworld's "Apple Holic," Jonny Evans, who will cover some of the features in Apple's OS X Yosemite that you didn't know about. He'll also explain why a number of Mac users, with computers otherwise compatible with Yosemite, may not be able to use the tentpole Handoff feature. This is part of Continuity, which enables you to, for example, start a document or email on a Mac, and pick up where you left off on an iPhone or iPad. He'll also discuss Gene's suggestions about a possible Google conspiracy theory, and Apple's recent purchase of Beats Electronics.

On this week's all-star episode: Outspoken commentator Peter Cohen, Managing Editor for iMore, focuses on the media misconceptions about Apple's WWDC, which focused solely on software rather than fancy new gadgets. You'll also hear about his reactions to Apple's HealthKit feature for iOS 8, and about Microsoft's misguided advertising campaign for the Surface 3 tablet. You'll also hear from Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer, who will also cover HealthKit, and how the features introduced for iOS 8 at the WWDC might pave the way for the rumored iWatch. Bryan will also explain Apple is actually obeying tax laws despite holding billions of dollars overseas that aren't subject to U.S. corporate income tax. Will Congress approve a "tax holiday" to repatriate such cash hoards? What about the European Commission's investigation of possible tax sheltering by some companies who use Ireland as an international corporate location?

On this week's all-star episode: Apple's Wordwide Developers Conference (WWDC) didn't deliver news of any new gadgets, but there was a wealth of information about the forthcoming versions of OS X, dubbed Yosemite, and iOS 8. In addition to the new look of OS X, there are literally hundreds of new features to discuss, but this week's episode will focus primarily on the highlights, such as iCloud Drive, the new Continuity feature, updated instant messaging capability, and Apple's move to reduce reliance on Google and such third party services as Dropbox. We'll also briefly cover some of the enhancements that are making developers drool. Joining us this week is an expert panel that includes author, blogger and commentator Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy, and Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV."

Commentator Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer, discusses the Apple/Beats deal, offers predictions for product intros at the WWDC going beyond iOS 8 and OS 10.10, and his reactions to Microsoft's Surface 3 tablet/laptop or whatever it is. CNET's Cheapskate blogger, Rick Broida, tells you how you can save money with a low-cost wireless carrier, and some of the pitfalls to watch in picking the best service for your needs. You'll also hear from author/columnist Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus, who, as a musician, gives you his unique viewpoint about Apple's purchase of Beats Electronics. He'll also focus on the rumors about the introduction of app technologies for the connected home at the WWDC.

You'll hear about the impact of the proposed AT&T/DirecTV merger from Dorothy Pomerantz of Forbes. Is this proposed deal good for consumers, or just a way for large companies to increase dominance? Cutting-edge commentator Daniel Eran Dilger, of Roughly Drafted Magazine and AppleInsider, joins us to talk about the ongoing mobile platform wars, the essence of the deal between Apple and Google to call off their patent lawsuits against each other, and the prospects for the success of Microsoft's new notebook replacement, the Surface 3. Tech writer Rob Pegoraro, a columnist for USA Today and Yahoo!, offers his reactions to the mergers of Comcast and Time Warner, AT&T and DirecTV, and whether the latest net neutrality proposal from the FCC makes any sense. He'll also talk about Apple's "never mind" patent litigation settlement with Google, and about the "right to be forgotten," involving Google and the European Union, and whether you can get a search engine to delete unfavorable links about you.

We feature outspoken commentator Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy," who will discuss the rumors and possible reality of Apple's acquisition of Beats Audio, a company that sells high-end headphones and speakers and has a widely-acclaimed streaming music service. He'll also talk about so-called HD audio and whether the difference makes a difference in what you can hear. We'll also be joined by Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer, who will present his views about the possible Apple/Beats deal. How does it benefit Apple — or does it? Bryan will also talk about those "crazy" iPhone 6 rumors, the prospects for an iWatch, and Samsung's notorious history of copying original technology from other companies.