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

USDA-Certified Geek™ Bryan Chaffin, a frequent guest on the original version of The Tech Night Owl LIVE over the years, is the author of SciFi thriller "Accidental Intelligence." On the menu for this episode is a review of the goings on at Apple Inc. over the past five years, and how the products have changed. And what about Bryan's Apple Vision Pro? What does he use it for? Does he use it? Does Bryan think that Apple has deserted the professional market in favor of consumers and prosumers? What about Apple's approach to AI? In a past life, he was the cofounder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer (TMO), and he's the host of The Context Machine podcast. Bryan wrote about Apple and technology for more than 22 years, and continues to take an active interest. He has contributed to many "For Dummies" books, and co-authored "iPad for Dummies - 11th Edition" with Bob "Dr. Mac" LeVitus. When Gene and Bryan get together on the show, there's always plenty to catch up on and lots of thought-provoking comments to consider.

In the first episode of the second generation of The Tech Night Owl LIVE, Gene brings you up to date about the tech industry with author, commentator and podcaster Kirk McElhearn. How have things changed over five years? What about the arrival of advanced AI, faster Internet, the streaming TV conundrum, the success of Apple Silicon on Mac computers? Kirk is a lapsed New Yorker living in Shakespeare’s home town, Stratford-upon-Avon, in the United Kingdom. He writes about things, records podcasts, makes photos, practices zen, and cohabits with cats. He’s an amateur photographer, and shoots with Leica cameras and iPhones. His writings include regular contributions to The Mac Security Blog, The Literature & Latte Blog, and TidBITS, and he has written for Popular Photography, MusicWeb International, as well as several other web sites and magazines. Kirk has also written more than two dozen books, including Take Control books about macOS Media Apps (post iTunes), Scrivener, LaunchBar, and Audio Hijack. He has written documentation for dozens of popular Mac apps, as well as press releases, web content, reports, white papers, and more. Kirk also speaks fluent French, and has translated a dozen books from French to English.

After 17 years as a pioneer in online radio and podcasting, this episode was, at the time, the final original episode of The Tech Night Owl LIVE. For this show, we gathered some of our favorite guests to reminisce and talk about the present and the near-future of or favorite fruit company, Apple Inc. It all began with the early days of the Internet, its complexities, and Apple's path from Macintosh to iPod, to its most lucrative product, the iPhone, followed by the iPad, Apple Watch and beyond. There is also an extensive discussion about the prospects for the success of Apple's fledgling services, which include News+, a premium version of the app offering access to hundreds of magazines and newspapers, and Apple TV+, in which the company is spending billions of dollars to hire top-flight talent to create original TV shows. Where did Apple+ fit in market currently owned by Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and other streaming services? And this question essentially predicts our complicated streaming situation in the present day: Are there already too many for a newcomer to succeed? Guests for this very special episode included tech commentator and publisher Adam Engst, Editor and Publisher of TidBITS, outspoken veteran tech commentator Peter Cohen, cutting-edge commentator and podcaster Kirk McElhearn.

This week we present a special encore episode featuring Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of “Take Control of Apple TV” and other titles. This week Gene and Josh talk about the recent surprising U.S. Supreme Court ruling, in which an antitrust trial against the App Store was allowed to proceed. How would an unfavorable verdict impact Apple and the way it manages its online stores? Will there be lower prices, perhaps support for third-party app repositories? Josh also talks about the nasty experiences he faced when he attempted to convert his Spotify account to a family plan. There is also talk about the problems Netflix may be facing after losing content from Disney and perhaps other services as they plan to introduce their own streaming networks. We also feature utspoken tech commentator Peter Cohen. In this segment, Peter has lots to say about what might happen as the result of the antitrust lawsuit against the App Store. There's also a lengthy discussion about what appears to be Intel's failure to update its CPUs in a timely fashion with reduced die sizes to allow for greater power efficiencies. Has the time arrived for Apple to finally ditch Intel and install its own A-series processors on Macs? Is there any possibility that the next Mac Pro, expected later this year, might be the very first model to go that route? Peter also discusses the recent Apple media event where Apple TV+, News+ and the Apple Arcade gaming service were introduced.

This week we present a very special encore episode featuring outspoken tech commentator Peter Cohen. This week, Peter talks about a pet peeve of his, that, with so many models in each Apple product line, the differences may be blurred. This harkens back to the way it was in the 1990s, where there were many Mac models under the Performa moniker that were hardly different. Peter also talks about the alleged "Apple Tax," where the company supposedly charges higher prices for its products and services. There is also a discussion about reports that the next version of iOS will give the iPad mouse support, some speculation about the form of the next Mac Pro, due out this year, and whether there will someday be a switch from Intel to Apple's own ARM-based CPUs. And what about reports that Facebook may be hit with a multibillion dollar fine from the F.T.C. for various privacy lapses? Will it make a difference in how the world's largest social network operates, or just be a drop in the bucket in its impact on the company's finances?

You'll also hear from tech editor and commentator Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer. Bryan will also talk about what may come at Apple's media event, and the possible future of Apple TV. CorelDRAW's return is also discussed, as will the Spotify/Apple dispute. Bryan will also reveal his expectations of the forthcoming and long-delayed Mac Pro refresh, new versions of the iMac and iMac Pro, and repeat his qualms about the wisdom of buying gear with aging technology that Apple hasn't updated. Indeed, will such gear feature Apple's ARM-based processors instead of CPUs from Intel? There will also be talk about Facebook's plans to encrypt more of is services. And what about a new project involving an open source voting system from DARPA, the research agency that developed the world-wide web and other notable projects. Is this software platform something that the makers of voting machines may adopt, and will it mean greater security and more accurate election results?

This week we present a very special encore episode featuring commentator Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of “Take Control of Apple TV” and other titles. During this episode, Josh focuses on such topics as attempts by law enforcement to unlock a suspect's iPhone. While iCloud data is readily obtained, the iPhone is encrypted and Apple has refused to create a back door for security reasons. Josh also talks about the departure of Apple's retail chief Angela Ahrendts, and whether Tim Cook lacks something in hiring new executives. You'll also hear speculation about Apple's forthcoming lineup of TV content, and how it might be presented in comparison to such streaming services as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Netflix. And what about the rumored AppleCar? You'll also hear from tech industry expert Stephen Baker, Vice President for Industry Analysis at the NPD Group. Stephen will discuss the fast-growing smartwatch market, where Apple leads by a huge margin. What did the industry do to gain traction? You'll also about Apple's plans to expand its market beyond Apple TV by licensing AirPlay 2 and an iTunes app to major TV makers, such as Samsung. There will also be discussions about flattening smartphone sales and declining PC sales, where Apple has boosted prices on its gear to increase revenue. Stephen will also talk about the success of 4K TV, and whether those super expensive 8K sets, coming to market at very high prices, will some day become popular. And what about the smart speaker market?