So did you hear about the March Apple event? No? Probably because nothing has been announced yet. That didn’t stop the GMen from talking about it though with talk about Apple Watches, Mini iPad Pros, and a 4-inch iPhone that will most definitely be called…something.
So Apple is in a bit of a pickle these days. Seems everyone from the UK to New York to California wants them to create a way to break into iOS devices without the owner’s password. They want it SO bad they’re actually willing to quote an obscure 200+ year old law to do so. Because you know, the founding fathers were TOTALLY into smart phones.
Are there more stupid people these days? It seems the choices are: 1. Yes 2. The internet is better at finding them 3. Some people are so driven to be famous that they’ll do stupid things to be noticed. And yes, the irony is not lost on the GMen. What isn’t stupid is signing for the Macstock Conference and Expo. So do that.
We know Apple wants to bundle a selection of television channels, but what if they not only served the content, but owned it too? Guy and Gaz talk about this, as well as recent Apple financials, megasnowpocolypse, a Skype call, multiple languages, a some kind of malady affecting Guy.
FINALLY got the show to under an hour but Skype problems and Virgin Media UK makes life hell for thee GMen. Hey why should it only be the listeners that have to suffer? The GMen also talk about the UK, New York, and now California initiatives to force mobile device makers to add a back door into our devices so they can see what stuff we’re doing. Sure, because how could THAT go horribly wrong?
Well we lost some good people last week namely David Bowie and Alan Rickman but we don’t give in to being Under Pressure and turn to page 394. Sorry do podcast 589 anyway. Guy talks a bit about the Remix Mini he got last week and Gaz talks about trying to return his broken one. A few short topics in the middle section and we call it a show.
Gaz and Guy speculate about the future of iOS by talking about a unique version of Android from a company called Jide. What the fork?
Don’t you just get tired of those “Best of” shows? Well the GMen decide to turn that around and instead talk about the worst from Apple in 2015. Boy, talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
So the holidays are upon us and how better to celebrate than an extra long podcast with crackly bits courtesy probably from Skype! Even though we said we wouldn’t. Fortunately we can blame Karl Madden from the Mac and Forth podcast who joined the GMen this week. They talk about Star Wars (of course) that Karl and Gaz has seen and Guy hasn’t. Also some stuff about malware and programs that might seem legit but probably aren’t. Ho-ho-ho!
Well we finally get the whole 300th episode since Guy and Gaz took over blah, blah, blah so no more about that. Just in time to start hyping the 600th episode of the podcast so, yeah. Guy gets a new mixer, but don’t get too used to it, Gaz gets a new iMac, you can get used to that, Guy finally gets his iPad Pro…unless it’s just some clever mirage, but it’s Guy so he wouldn’t admit it anyway. The GMen eventually get around to 300, in a fashion, and lots of the stuff you listen to this show for. W...
Gaz has some family stuff going on and couldn’t make it this week, so Melissa Davis TheMacMommy agrees to subject herself to the terrors of doing a podcast with Guy. Still no iPad Pro for Guy since apparently AT&T wants to punish him because he’s, well Guy and because they can. Melissa is mad at Paula Poundstone because Paula thinks she knows something about tech (no), education (GOD no), and raising children (PLEASE GOD NO!). She also deploys a BILLON iPads (Melissa no Paula) which is proba...
So WOULD Apple buy the rights to NFL games on Thursday nights and make them exclusive to the AppleTV? Guy and Gaz talk about this and other examples of how exclusive content has been used to entice people to buy hardware or services. That and all the usual nonsense that you’re used to hearing and for that they’re sorry.
The GMen have decided to start making a concentred effort to reduce the length of the shows. Naturally this means that THIS one turned out extra long. Guy buys an iPad Pro and a fun interview with Zack Turner, artist and co-creator of the Unlife webcomic rounds out this weeks shenanigans.
Gaz is more than happy to let Guy be the guinea pig for the new AppleTV but as it turns out Guy really likes it. Not as much as SOME people (ahem Karl ahem), but it does a lot of what was expected and then some. Is it perfect? Nope, lot’s of room for improvement, but after some updates this could be the device that most people would want. Guy also gets a new cat and is still waiting impatiently for the iPad Pro. Gaz will check that off his list in Notes.
It’s ALL about the AppleTV and where content viewership is heading. The GMen don’t really agree and it probably stems from having two very different viewpoints on just what TV really means being Gaz is from the UK and Guy is from the US. This makes for a lively conversation with bits and pieces or other opinions thrown in just for good measure. Plus singing pumpkins. Yes that’s right.
Guy hosed his iTunes Library trying to move over to his new (old) iPhone 6 Plus and he’s still paying for that blunder with lengthy downloads from Apple. Gaz was busy too with lots of family stuff but they managed to squeeze in the time for a podcast. The iPod turns 14, but good luck finding where to buy it on Apple’s Store site. They finally get down to business and talk about the US Department of Justice wanting Apple to decrypt data on their iPhones and Apple says NO!
So Apple has this new stuff just released and the GMen have a rock solid, no holds bared, pedal to the metal, kind of nearly great (but not so much) opinion on all of it. They also talk about Bing Russell and Mary Poppins songs so there’s THAT to consider. Guy is a little off the rails for this one and Gaz tries his best to steady the ship, but the iceberg of Lunacy is never too far away. If you think the title makes no sense, wait till you hear the rest of the show.
Guy’s setup is back to hardware and everything seems great! Which naturally means that Gaz’s setup is about to go all to hell…which it did. They kept going though and had a quick snap at Elon Musk, why they love and hate El Cap, would Apple ever combine OS X and iOS ala Windows 8, and just the general hijinks and tomfoolery for which they are known for.
Everything that could go wrong with audio and computers today…went wrong with audio and computers today. But Gaz and Guy still managed to get out a podcast no matter how hard updating an OS made it. They also talk about what privacy currently means to Apple and how they seem to be really good at monetizing it.
So many wonderful things we COULD have talked about…but didn’t. Instead we get a potpourri of odd things that struck the GMen as worth talking about, so there’s that. Gaz gets paid for a photo, Guy finishes up his latest tech projects, and for some reason they talk about a Windows Phone. What the heck?
iOS 9 is here! Woo! Let the whining and complaining begin! Yes, it caused some problems for some people as pretty much any release of any major operating system will, but over all it seemed to go much smoother than iOS 8 did. We have feedback that tells us we laugh too much so of course we laughed a lot.
So that big thing happened that everyone is talking about except the GMen…except when they’re talking about it. Guy’s birthday happens and as a gift to himself he’s going to get an iPad Pro which would REALLY put the lead in his pencil but he’s not getting one, a pencil that is. Overflowing toilets and a love for the Queen of England tops out the episode. Which means it’s going to be odd.
MyMac Podcast 573
