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

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.

On this week's all-star episode, we present tech editor Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV" and other titles. He'll give you his unique slant on the net neutrality debate. Hint: It's about those nasty bandwidth caps. You'll also hear his views about the potential for an Apple stylus known as Apple Pen, and how deeply Apple might want to get involved with autos. But probably not the iCar or Apple Car. From outspoken commentator Avram Piltch, the Online Editorial Director for Laptop magazine, you'll hear his take on Adobe Flash security problems, the recent data breach at a health insurance company, Anthem, and how to protect yourself if your identity is stolen. Avram will also discuss the Microsoft Windows 10 Technical Preview, the long tablet replacement cycles, and Apple Watch.

On this week's all-star episode, we feature tech commentator Kirk McElhearn, known as Macworld's "iTunes Guy," who will discuss the singer Neal Young's Pono music player, and the claims of greatly enhanced sound that most anyone can allegedly hear. You'll also hear Kirk's experiences when he moved his site to a new host, the successful results, and the changes in iTunes 12.1. From tech columnist Rob Pegoraro, who writes for USA Today, Yahoo Tech and other outlets, you'll hear a discussion about the failure of Radio Shack, which recently declared bankruptcy, the ins and outs of the FCC's new net neutrality proposal, and how a new service for cable cord cutters, Dish Network's Sling TV, fares in his ongoing tests.

Outspoken commentator Jim Dalrymple, Editor in Chief of The Loop, explains how he got accustomed to using an iPhone 6 Plus after working with an iPhone 5s. He'll also cover Apple's amazing financials and some issues involving Microsoft, Windows 10, and other products. From industry analyst Stephen Baker, Vice President for Industry Analysis at the NPD Group, you'll hear his sage comments about Apple's results. He'll also discuss the impact of 4K or Ultra HD TV, OLED and other technologies, and why, to the consumer, most of these buzzwords may not really matter when they're buying a new set. We'll also present news about the latest and greatest version of Rogue Amoeba's Audio Hijack app, which allows you to capture audio from almost any source on your Mac, with company CEO Paul Kafasis. All our radio shows are recorded using this app.

On this week's all-star episode, cutting-edge commentator and investigative journalist Daniel Eran Dilger, of Roughly Drafted Magazine and AppleInsider, offers a solid reality check for those who believe Apple plans to move Macs from Intel to ARM in the near future. He'll also discuss the ongoing problems facing Google and Microsoft in delivering relevant products that actually make a profit. The discussion begins with Daniel's tale of how he first began to cover Apple, and the problems he found with press coverage about the company. You'll also hear from commentator John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer and a columnist for The Street, whose bill of fare this week includes a discussion of why some Mac experts feel OS X Yosemite quality is declining, John's ongoing search for the right high-resolution display for his Mac Pro, and why the next-generation TV project from Apple remains on hold.

Tech writer/editor Adam Engst, of TidBITS and Take Control Books, discusses a variety of subjects with Gene. First up is Gene's recent SSD upgrade on his aging iMac, which involved a long, annoying installation process that started with plucking the display glass from the chassis with suction cups. This leads to a wider discussion about the difficulty or impossibility of installing upgrades on most Macs, along with the recent complaints about the supposed decline in Apple software quality. You'll also hear from Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer, who will offer a pithy response to rumors that Apple is going to soon release a 12-inch MacBook Air with a single peripheral port. He'll also cover the complaints about serious bugs with OS X Yosemite and iOS 8, and, as our resident watch expert, deliver more of his feelings about the forthcoming Apple Watch.

On this week's all-star episode, outspoken commentator Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy," focuses his comments on the curious claims from some so-called audio experts that audio streamed from different types of hard drives is somehow audibly different. He'll also explain how he was used as a source of material used in the recent Storagegate class-action lawsuit, which accuses Apple of being deceptive about iPhone storage capacities, and engaging in a scheme to get you to buy iCloud storage. We'll also present a report about the CES 2015, in Las Vegas, which featured all the latest and greatest consumer electronics goodies, from Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer. Jeff will cover his favorites along with his reactions to the latest 4K or Ultra HD TV sets, curved TVs, and the forthcoming 8K TVs. As usual, Apple, who never attends CES, remained the elephant in the room at many of the exhibits.

On this week's all-star episode, we present commentator Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV" and other titles. His bill of fare this week includes those annoying inconsistencies in the way apps are approved for Apple's App Store. He'll cover the future of the iPad, the ongoing success of the iPhone, and what we might expect from the next Apple TV. You'll also hear from cutting-edge columnist Peter Cohen, Managing Editor for iMore, who focuses his discussions on the recent curious lawsuit claiming Apple is cheating customers out of usable space on iOS gear and the schemes used by some media pundits to attack Apple, such as citing false or misleading statistics about product demand and customer satisfaction. He'll also address the ongoing questions about the future success of the iPad, and what Apple might do to make it a more compelling device for productivity. And what about the future of Apple TV?

We present our 2014 year-ender featuring prolific author and commentator Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus. During this session, he'll comment on the recent fear-mongering story about Apple allegedly forcing unwanted security updates on Mac users. He'll also deliver some clever low-cost suggestions for your post-holiday tech gear shopping list. You'll also hear from Susie Ochs, Executive Editor of Macworld, who will also talk about that story about automatic updates. She'll also discuss the quality of Apple's press coverage, whether there is really such a thing as an "Apple Tax," where you supposedly pay more for a product with the Apple label, and whether the company's quality control has suffered with the proliferation of products and services.

On this week's all-star episode, we present commentator Kirk McElhearn, Macworld's "iTunes Guy," who will discuss Amazon's pilot program, underway in New York City, to deliver your stuff in two hours, coping with ISPs and bandwidth caps, the possibilities for Apple TV, and the recently-ended iPod antitrust trial where a jury found in Apple's favor in just three hours. You'll also hear from cutting-edge columnist Daniel Eran Dilger, of Roughly Drafted Magazine and AppleInsider, as he exposes false and misleading tech reporting, often about Apple. So in this segment, he'll explain that, no, Apple didn't exactly lose the top spot in education to the Google Chromebook. His revealing remarks will also include the iPod trial and the possibilities for the Apple Watch.

On this week's all-star episode, we present Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer, who explains what Steampunk is all about. No hints! He'll also hold forth on the comments Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made in response to Tim Cook's statements that, when it comes to Facebook and Google, you are the product, and you won't want to miss Bryan comments about the forthcoming Apple Watch. You'll also hear from tech commentator and Macworld contributor Rob Griffiths, of Many Tricks, who will discuss his recent article, "The paranoid person's guide to a complete Mac backup." He'll outline multiple "levels" of backup strategies to meet your needs, and some of this advice, using Windows backup software, may also apply to PC users.

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.