Latest Posts in Macworld Podcast

Olympics and Intel Developer Forum

A couple of largish events with ancillary Apple connections occurred during the past two weeks—Beijing’s summer Olympic games and the Intel Developer Forum.

Apple and the Olympics? No, Steve Jobs wasn’t cavorting in a bikini during the beach volleyball matches. Rather Apple and Kodak helped put together the Olympics’ media center—along the way encouraging professional photographers to learn more about Aperture. Frequent Macworld contributor and photo pro Derrick Story was there to lend a hand. In our first interview, he talks about his experiences in China.

I’m then joined by former MacAddict editor in chief, Rik Myslewski, who attended the recent Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. Rik and I talk about how Intel’s efforts will effect future Apple products, wireless broadband, and, perhaps, appliances in your home and automobile.

iTunes, iPhones, and iMacs

The Old Farmer’s Almanac tells us that the Dog Days of Summer ended on August 11, and the last couple of weeks demonstrate that these old farmers know a thing or two. While some of Apple’s actions on July 11 did indeed make it appear as if the company was going to the dogs, Apple has quietly—sultrily, one might even say—gone about its business, apologizing for this, fixing that, and boasting about the other.

With the news from Apple being a bit on the thin side, we devote this episode of the Macworld Podcast to broader topics. Specifically, what a redesigned iTunes might look like, how things are going for the iPhone 3G and App Store after a month in the wild, and the significance of the iMac’s 10th anniversary.

A redesigned iTunes is the topic of my opening musing. Is iTunes just perfect as it is, or has it taken on so many tasks that it’s become unwieldy? I’m starting to believe the latter, but welcome your input.

MobileMe & iPhone apps

The events of July 11—the release of the iPhone and iPod touch 2.0 software, the sale of the iPhone 3G, the opening of the App Store, the release of iTunes 7.7, and the launch of MobileMe—have had a profound impact on Apple and the effects are still being felt. In this episode of the Macworld Podcast, we look at some of these events nearly three weeks on.

We start with my interview with Seattle Times columnist, TidBits managing editor, and frequent Macworld contributor Jeff Carlson. Jeff recently reviewed Apple’s MobileMe, a Web service that has had a bumpy beginning. Jeff’s -review of MobileMe received a similarly bumpy reception from some of our readers. We talk about that review as well as the ups and downs of MobileMe.

Macworld editorial director Jason Snell is then joined by Macworld senior editors Roman Loyola and Kelly Turner to talk about iPhone applications—the ones they like, the ones they thought they’d like but rarely use, and the ones they simply find curious. During this lively roundtable discussion, Jason and Roman share a romantic moment.

iPhone 3G debriefing

We've been burning the candle at both ends since the iPhone App Store opened very early Thursday morning, and after a weekend spent working hard on all things iPhone, we're here with a special early edition of the Macworld Podcast.

In this edition, Executive Editor Philip Michaels moderates a panel discussion from Macworld headquarters in San Francisco about iPhone matters with Editorial Director Jason Snell, Senior Editor Jonathan Seff, and Associate Editor Dan Moren. Jason wrote our full review of the iPhone 3G, Dan wrote our forthcoming review of the iPhone 2.0 software, and Jon stood in line for many hours to buy an iPhone 3G before leading the editorial coordination of our coverage.

Download Macworld Podcast #126

• AAC version (25.3 MB, 52 minutes)
• MP3 version (23.9 MB, 52 minutes)

Show Notes

You can browse all our iPhone 3G coverage, including Jason Snell's full review of the iPhone 3G and his detailed iPhone 3G reviewer's notebook. Get more iPhon-y goodness on our iPhone resource page.

iPhone 3G, enterprise, and syncing

Our latest podcast is a triple-threat, examining recently released details on iPhone 3G activation and pricing, Macs in the enterprise market, and the ins and outs of syncing data and files between Macs. On the way to these interviews, I take a look at the new Rhapsody MP3 Store and compare it, ever so lightly, to Amazon MP3 and the iTunes Store.

The first-interview-of-three features Macworld associate editor Dan Moren. Dan’s been keeping a watchful eye on what AT&T and Apple have planned for iPhone 3G activation and pricing. He and I talk turkey about what this means for those moving from other phones and carriers as well as for current iPhone owners.

I then chat with LANrev Chief Operating Officer, Peter Frankel, about the Enterprise Desktop Alliance, a group of five companies—LANrev, Atempo, Centrify, Group Logic and Parallels—created to facilitate the acceptance of Macs in the enterprise world.

iPhone developers roundtable

The Worldwide Developers Conference is now a recent, bright memory. To celebrate its passing, we devote this episode of the Macworld Podcast to all things WWDC—a reality check on what Apple announced last week and then a roundtable interview with a group of Mac developers who have turned their attention to the iPhone.

That reality check consists of me musing on the true costs of the iPhone 3G and whether it makes sense for current iPhone owners to upgrade; the precious few details we have on the next version of Mac OS X, the no-new-features Snow Leopard; and what MobileMe brings to the table (and which bits of .Mac it leaves on the floor).

Editorial director, Jason Snell then sits down with three key Mac developers—NewsGator’s Brent Simmons, The OmniGroup’s Greg Titus, and The Icon Factory’s Craig Hockenberry—to talk about their experiences developing for the iPhone.

WWDC Keynote reaction

Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference kicked off with a Steve Jobs keynote, and we were there!

In this special edition of the Macworld Podcast, I'm joined by Macworld's Jason Snell, Dan Frakes, and Dan Moren to discuss everything we saw at the WWDC keynote.

Download Episode #123

• AAC version (21.4 MB, 44 minutes)
• MP3 version (15.3 MB, 44 minutes)

• iPhone 3G
• iPhone 2.0 software
• MobileMe, the versatile .Mac replacement

You can find previous episodes of our audio podcasts at Macworld’s podcasting page.

WWDC preview, Mac maintenance

Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference kicks off next week, so we turn our steely, audible gaze at it and the rumors of new iPhones and Apple web services that accompany events like these.

The show begins with a Macworld roundtable discussion about WWDC with editorial director Jason Snell, executive editor Philip Michaels, and senior editors Jonathan Seff and Rob Griffiths. The panel covers areas including the conference’s focus on iPhone development, iPhone and .Mac rumors, and the state-specific legalities of attaching things to your car’s windshield.

Dan Frakes then joins me to talk about his recent Essential Mac Maintenance article, which appears in the July 2008 issue of Macworld as well as on Macworld.com

Windows on Mac & DRM

This episode of the Macworld Podcast looks squarely at Apple but just a bit to the left and right of the Mac. To the left are Apple’s past and present digital rights management efforts. To the right, running Windows on the Mac. Somewhere in between, the opening of Boston’s Boylston Street Apple Store. We cover all three in episode 121.

We begin the show with a short interview between Your Mac Life’s Shawn King, MacUser.com’s Co-Editor Dan Moren, and Apple’s Senior VP of Retail, Ron Johnson, conducted during last week’s noisy store opening.

Mr. Moren then joins me live over Skype to discuss the past, present, and future of media and digital rights management. And yes, that discussion includes gratuitous pokes at Microsoft and the Zune.

Mac buying advice

Hardware takes center stage in this edition of the Macworld Podcast—whether it’s computers built by Apple or Mac OS X-compatible machines from other sources.

In the first half of the podcast, I’m joined by senior news editor Jonathan Seff, one of the co-authors of “The New Rules for Buying a Mac,” which appears in the June 2008 issue of Macworld. (You’ll find it at Macworld.com in the coming days.) We talk about different approaches to buying Macs, who should consider a MacBook Air, where to buy RAM, and other issues raised in the article.

Then, Macworld Lab director James Galbraith stops by to talk about the Open Computer from Psystar. That’s the Intel-based PC being sold by a Miami-based company that can run Mac OS X—essentially, a Mac clone, though without Apple’s seal of approval. Macworld Lab ordered an Open Computer—it’s arrived at our offices and the benchmarks will appear on the Web site Thursday. But before they do, we have a sneak preview on what it’s like to use this Psystar machine.