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

Prolific author Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus talks about Microsoft's woes, and gives you a preview of the best (and worst) features of OS 10.8 Mountain Lion. Author and commentator Ted Landau discusses some of the problems with Apple's Mac App Store, including the limitations of sandboxing, the inability to get demo software or discounted app upgrades. From Jim Galbraith, the Lab Director of Macworld, you'll get the latest and greatest benchmarks of Apple's recent MacBook upgrades, including the MacBook Pro with Retina display. Is it time to retire your old Mac notebook?

author and commentator Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy," evaluates suggestions to change iTunes, such as the value of splitting the features into separate apps. We also cover Google's I/O conference in San Francisco, where they launched the 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet, a potential competitor to the Amazon Kindle Fire, the Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" OS, and the Nexus Q set top box. Along to talk about the event, and Microsoft's recent mobile-related announcements, is industry analyst Ross Rubin of The NPD Group, and Avram Piltch, Online Editorial Director of Laptop magazine.

We focus on some key announcements from Microsoft that have dominated tech news, such as the demonstration of a 10.6-inch tablet in two versions known as Surface, and the first announcement about the new features in Windows Phone 8. We'll also cover the potential and some of the key problems that have appeared in the forthcoming Windows 8 upgrade. Our guests include outspoken columnist and former industry analyst Joe Wilcox, from BetaNews, commentator Jim Dalrymple, Editor in Chief of The Loop, and Mike Prospero, Reviews Editor of Laptop magazine. We'll also cover Apple's amazing new MacBook Pro with Retina display, and its impact to the notebook market.

We will focus heavily on Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference, and all the news about OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6, along with the amazing MacBook Pro with Retina display. Our guests include author and commentator Kirk McElhearn, aka "The iTunes Guy," who will also discuss the expected death of Apple's iTunes Ping social networking feature. Avram Piltch, Online Editorial Director of Laptop magazine, will be on board to discuss the magazine's tests of the new MacBook Pro with Retina display, and his concerns about the prospects for Windows Phone and Windows 8. John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer, will discuss the WWDC, and voice his concerns for Apple's ongoing support of the pro market, even though Tim Cook has already announced a major Mac Pro upgrade for 2013.

Cutting-edge commentator Daniel Eran Dilger, of Roughly Drafted Magazine and AppleInsider, offers insights on Tim Cook's interview at the All Things Digital D10 conference, his observations of the ongoing mobile platform wars, and expectations for Apple's announcements at next week's WWDC. Author and commentator Ted Landau, who writes for Macworld and The Mac Observer, discusses the possibility of a larger screen iPhone, potential problems for developers because of the new sandboxing requirement for Apple's Mac App Store, Apple's "Six Best Decisions of the 21st Century," and the possible product intros at the WWDC.

Author and commentator Kirk McElhearn, aka "The iTunes Guy," talks about the potential minefields for Apple's sandboxing security scheme for OS X apps. What obstacles will it present to Mac developers? He'll also talk about the failed iTunes Ping social networking service. Columnist Jim Dalrymple, Editor in Chief of The Loop, will be asked about what we can expect from Apple at the WWDC in light of his recent remark that the Mac Pro won't be discontinued. He'll also talk about the tragic state of Research In Motion and the BlackBerry. A new visitor, Kirk Hiner, Editor in Chief of AppleTell, will describe how he got involved in covering the Apple universe. He'll also offer his feelings about the recent Tim Cook Interview at the All Things Digital D10 conference, his expectations for upcoming Mac hardware, and the next revision of the iOS.

Steve Kruschen, aka "Mr. Gadget," returns to talk about his new book, "The Mr. Gadget Consumer Tech Guide - Volume One: Electronics, Gadgetry & Technology: The One and Only Mr. Gadget Reveals What to Buy and Why to Buy It! (Volume 1)." Mr. Gadget will also discuss some of the latest and greatest tear gear that he's tested. Avram Piltch, Online Editorial Director of Laptop magazine, returns for his third appearance three in a row. This week he'll tell you about "10 Gadgets You’d Be a Fool to Buy Right Now," and he'll also talk about the questions surrounding the Facebook IPO, and the sad state of HP, which has announced a new round of layoffs amid tepid sales.

John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer, offers some pointed tips on what other companies need to do to compete with Apple -- and changing the CEO is on the list. Avram Piltch, Online Editorial Director of Laptop magazine, returns for an encore appearance. This week he'll tell you about "15 Ways to Accelerate Your PC’s Slowest Component: You!," and we'll be offering both Mac and Windows tips. You'll also hear from best-selling author Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus," who will discuss the state of Mac security, the sad state of security fear-mongering, and the security potential of Mac OS 10.8 Mountain Lion.

Jim Dalrymple, Editor in Chief of The Loop, discusses Apple's recent security updates, and the key issues involving both desktop and mobile computing platforms from Apple and the competition. Adam Engst, from TidBITS and Take Control Books, offers a detailed discussion of Apple's approach to Mac security, and how recent updates have the effect of disabling older or unused versions of Flash and Java. For a fascinating change of pace, Avram Piltch, Online Editorial Director of Laptop magazine, talks about the "Top 10 Tech Stupidity Taxes You Should Never Pay," which include rent-to-own stores, extended warranties, and other services that he regards as questionable.

Macworld's "iTunes Guy," Kirk McElhearn, talks about how cell phone plans differ in the U.S. and France, and the impact of the ongoing migration of portions of the iOS to OS X. Outspoken commentator Peter Cohen, from the "Angry Mac Bastards" radio show and Executive Editor for The Loop, talks about cell phone woes, and offers a reality check about the malware situation on the Mac platform. ClouldFlare CEO Matthew Prince explains how the company, selected by the Wall Street Journal in 2011 as the Most Innovative Internet Technology company, can help protect your site and make it run faster.