In iOS 10, you can now Print to PDF, just as we’ve been doing with OS X/macOS. But there’s also another nice trick in the Sharing option. “Save PDF to iBooks.” It’s simple and fast. John likes this feature a lot.
John Martellaro
John Martellaro was born at an early age and began writing about computers soon after that. With degrees in astrophysics (B.S.) and physics (M.S.), he has worked for NASA, White Sands Missile Range, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Apple. At Apple he worked as a Senior Marketing Manager, a Federal Account Executive and a High Performance Computing manager. His interests include chess, science fiction and astronomy. John is the host of the TMO podcast Background Mode.
Articles by John Martellaro
watchOS 3: Mickey and Minnie Mouse Can Now Speak the Time
One of the coolest Apple Watch faces has been Mickey Mouse, tapping his foot in time with the seconds. Now, watchOS 3 adds Minnie to the fun. Plus they can each speak the time out loud with a tap. John shows you how.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with Founder & President of Bombich Software, Mike Bombich
Mike Bombich is the founder and president of Bombich Software, the developer of Carbon Copy Cloner. It’s a backup app for the Mac that has saved the day for many users. He started his career at Bowling Green State University studying aquatic ecology. But he also took computer science classes thinking that one day he would do scientific simulations of ecological systems. Soon, Mike discovered that he had a strong interest the software development process itself. Later, Mike worked for a tech support organization and discovered the real need for software that could back up the new Mac OS X launched in 2001. He created CCC. That got the attention of Apple and landed him a job working on technical solutions for professionals. Mike tells the story about how this app changed his life.
Apple's iPhone 7 Invitation Refused by Bloggers
Apple engages in relentless technical progress. But when the iPhone 7 design was leaked, many bloggers blinked, then seized the opportunity for rabble-rousing. It’s turning into a rinse-repeat cycle by the pundit sheep. Particle Debris page 2 takes a look at analysis by Jean-Louis Gassée who properly sizes up Apple’s invitation: “We’re going wireless, please join us.“
This May be The 4K UHD Apple TV We've Been Waiting For
An Apple filing with the FCC looks very much like it might be a new 4K UHD, 5th generation Apple TV just in time for the December holiday period. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think that the old 4th generation Apple TV from October 2015 had been delayed. And now we may be getting what we really wanted all along just one year later.
iPhone 7 Review: My First Five Days
John Martellaro has had his drop-dead gorgeous black, 128 GB iPhone 7 for five days now. He takes a look at Apple’s official list of features, then delves into his initial reactions and technical observations about this remarkable iPhone. It’s hardly a yawner of an update.
iOS 10 Music Player: Where Are the Shuffle and Repeat Buttons?
iOS 10 makes some nice changes to the music player app. Unfortunately, the Repeat and Shuffle buttons no longer appear at the bottom of the Now Playing screen. Where’d they go? It’s easy, and John explains.
The Complete Guide to a Clean Install of macOS Sierra
Apple’s macOS Sierra launches on September 20th. Last year. John wrote a detailed article on how to do a clean install of OS X El Capitan. That is, if one were highly motivated to do an awful lot of work. The article applies equally to a clean install of macOS Sierra this year. If John couldn’t talk you out of it and a clean install is what you really want to do with Sierra, here’s a link to his 2015 tutorial so you can make a decision.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with MyMac Founder and Publisher Tim Robertson
Tim Robertson is the founder and publisher of MyMac. He’s one of the pioneers in our business. Tim tells the story about how, in 1995, he was more or less a jock, but realized that his daughter was going to need to know about computers. After some research, he bought an Apple Performa 410. Learning how to use this computer, and wanting to be a writer, launched Tim into a lifelong love affair with Apple and publishing. Like many, he started writing about what he learned. But at that time, one had to create digital publications with Doc Maker, downloadable from a BBS. Soon thereafter, he was on the internet with the now legendary Mymac.com and a team of contributors. Come listen as we chat about the remarkable evolution of Tim’s publishing career.
Mobility is Driving Computational Evolution of Apple Products
The computational demands placed on a mobile device, like an iPhone, are staggering. The iPhone 7 camera system performs 100 billion operations on each photo in 25 milliseconds. Plus, strong, fast encryption, facial recognition and fingerprint recognition, to name a few, are technologies that haven’t been paramount on the desktop or notebook. Could it be that Apple’s extreme focus on mobile computation is causing traditional products to take more of a back seat? John ponders onMobility is Driving Computational Evolution of Apple Products.
Things I Liked Most About watchOS 3. And a Nice Trick
It took two hours, but John Martellaro finally got his original Apple Watch upgraded to watchOS 3. Here are some of the things he liked most about this version. Plus, he discovered a nice trick when it comes to changing watch faces with a swipe.
Apple Releases iTunes 12.5.1 with New Look & macOS Sierra Support
On September 13th, Apple released iTunes 12.5.1. It works in El Capitan but has some new features that make it macOS Sierra ready and provide support for iOS 10. Most notable is a fresher, cleaner look which addresses some of the early criticism regarding the complexity and busy look of iTunes 12.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with Kanopi Studios WordPress Developer Julie Kuehl
Julie Kuehl is an expert WordPress developer for Kanopi Studios. But there’s much more. She built her first website in 1994. She’s studied economics, statistics and web design. She’s written for publications like MyMac, Tech Lounge and The Mac Observer. She’s a popular speaker at conferences. She hosts the SciFi Tech Talk podcast. She’s into cars (Mustang), motorcycles (Harley-Davidson) and holds several black belts in Karate, primarily Soto Kan. She’s taught Martial Arts to police officers in Japan and learned Japanese in the process. Join me and Julie as we geek out and trade stories on our Martial Arts experiences, our first exposure to Unix and web servers in the 1990s, our car loves (more stories: Corvettes, Route 66), SciFi, and her own SciFi podcast. I was wowed. You will be too.
Is Apple’s iPhone Naming Scheme a Mistake or Genius?
It’s true that there are logical dilemmas with Apple’s iPhone naming scheme. Apple has never formally explained the reasoning for its nomenclature. And so, journalists have taken their best shot at explaining the logic of the “S” years and the presumed “tick-tock” cycle. But while some think it’s crazy, there may be genius behind the craziness.
HDR & What You'll Need to Know About the Next Generation Apple TV
There’s been a lot of exciting discussion about 4K UHD TVs with High Dynamic Range (HDR). This is something the next Apple TV will have to deal with, and so it’s time to read up. HDR & What Youll Need to Know About the Next Generation Apple TV points to a great HDR tutorial and explains why, when Apple finally announces a 5th generation Apple TV, you’ll want to look closely to make sure it supports HDR.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with Thriller Novelist & Entrepreneur Joanna Penn
Joanna Penn is a best-selling thriller novelist. She’s published over 20 books and sold over 450,000 copies in 74 countries and five languages. She’s most famous for her ARKANE series described by readers as ‘Dan Brown meets Lara Croft.’ Joanna is also an entrepreneur who teaches writers how to hone their craft. I interviewed Joanna about her past which includes a Master’s degree in Theology from Oxford. Joanna spent years working on computer code before she realized that she wanted to write fiction. And she’s a self-admitted techie, using a Mac and Scrivener. Today, Joanna leverages her background in theology and psychology plus extensive travel to write her thrillers. We talked about the craft of writing fiction and finished up with whether AI agents will ever put us both out of work.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with Omni Group Software Engineer Liz Marley
Liz Marley is a software engineer for the Omni Group. Early in life, there never was a time when Liz didn’t have computers. At age four, she started with her dad’s Apple IIGS, and she was encouraged to use it freely. Later, she majored in Computer Science at Harvey Mudd college and soon thereafter landed a job as a software tester. Over the years, her career has taken a series of interesting twists. From software coding to testing to being a product manager and then back to coding. In fact, her work with App Camp For Girls led her to a remarkable career decision and turn of events at the Omni Group. This is must listening for everyone interested in computer programming as a career.
Siri and Apple's Machine Learning Are About to Get a Lot Better
Siri, as we’ve know her (or him), has been both a blessing and a frustration. The technology, when it works is brilliant, but when its limitations are exposed, it can be very frustrating. Our appetite for a stellar chatbot companion has merely been whetted, and we’re about to get it. From Apple. On its terms. With privacy.
Parallels Desktop 12 Supports Windows 10 and macOS Sierra
On August 18th, Parallels updated its Parallels Desktop for Mac to version 12. This has been an annual tradition with Parallels, and each new version brings a host of new features and performance improvements. This year is no exception. And while the new features seem to be fairly modest on the surface, they always seem to strike the right balance and give customers what they’ve been asking for.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with Electronic Frontier Foundation Executive Director Cindy Cohn
Cindy Cohn is the Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Founded in 1990, the EFF is a nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. The EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism and technology development. It has won some important court cases that preserve our rights online, including the use of encryption. (Which wasn’t always a given.) Cindy and I talked at length about her career, notable cases she fought and the work of the EFF, especially in the Apple vs. FBI conflict last spring. Cindy starts with notion that “privacy is fundamental to human dignity and… we can’t have a free society unless people have a private space.” Even if that means law enforcement has to work a little harder. Cindy explains it all.
At CEDIA, Amazon Will Talk About Star Trek Inspiration for Voice Recognition
Amazon’s Charlie Kindel, Director of Alexa Smart Home, will be speaking at the CEDIA conference in Dallas on September 16. He’ll talk about the inspiration for voice recognition that came from Star Trek, the original series. This interview by CEDIA provides a foretaste of the presentation and includes an inspiring video of Captain Kirk voice querying the Enterprise computer. What’s also cool and interesting is Mr. Kindel’s description of how customer privacy is maintained with the blue and red indicator ring. He also points to the website a customer built to celebrate Alexa. This is nifty corporate messaging.
Here's the Not So Secret Roadmap for 4K UHD TV
The old, unconsidered notion about 4K UHD TV is that it’s a gimmick by the TV industry. The assumption has been that 4K resolution can’t be utilized unless one sits really close, and the familiar HDTV is good enough. In fact, the industry is about the business of implementing a gradual, exciting technology roadmap. While this means that 4K UHD TV will be gradually including more advanced technology elements than simple resolution improvement, it also means buyers will have to be careful when and how they migrate away from older equipment. It’s all on Friday’sHere’s the Not So Secret Roadmap for 4K UHD TV
Conversing with Extraterrestrials in Paramount's Movie: Arrival
One of my favorite actresses, Amy Adams, plays a linguist, charged with understanding the alien visitor’s language. It seems the arrival of very smart science fiction films like Ex Machina, Interstellar and The Martian are inspiring a new breed. This looks to be one of them. Coming November 11th.
A Clever Microsoft Ad Gets to the Heart of Apple's Fuzzy iPad Message
The early iPads were a sensation. It seemed that Steve Jobs had brought forth the successor to the Mac. However, things have not gone as planned with the iPad, and Apple is scrambling to construct a clearer branding and imperative for the iPad. Even Microsoft senses the difficulty and has poked fun at Apple’s newfound toaster-fridge mentality.