In the early days of UHD/4K and High Dynamic Range (HDR), it appeared that HDR10 would be more ubiquitous and that Dolby Vison would, while superior, remain rare. That has all changed.
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
Net Neutrality is Not Dead Yet - The Fight Continues
There are many signs that suggest Net Neutrality is not dead yet. The fight will continue because there’s so much at stake.
TMO Background Mode Interview with Technical Journalist Dr. Gina Smith
Dr. Gina Smith is a technical journalist and author. She’s well-known for her biography of Steve Wozniak: iWOZ: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Doing It which was a New York Times bestseller. And she’s written several other science books. She is also a former correspondent for several ABC News shows including Good Morning America. Gina also hosted a nationally syndicated talk radio show with co-host Leo Laporte for more than a decade. Recently, she earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. We talked about her career which started in chemistry, how she was mentored and evolved as a tech journalist, the writing of the iWoz book, and what she disliked most about TV news. She also told me the famous “Gil Amelio” story which you don’t want to miss.
T-Mobile Offers Free Netflix. But What's Really Going on?
T-Mobile recently announced that, with some restrictions, it will pay for your basic HD Netflix account. Why?
Review: A Special OtterBox Clear Case for That Special iPhone X
The iPhone X is a very special smartphone and deserves a very special case.
TMO Background Mode Encore #2 Interview with Science Communicator Dr. Kiki Sanford
Dr. Kiki Sanford is a neurophysiologist with a Ph.D from U.C. Davis. She’s a popular science communicator and creator of This Week in Science (TWIS) podcast and radio show. This is her third appearance on Background Mode. In this episode, Kiki and I once again get geeky with science: an in-depth discussion of 1) Whether it’s a bad idea for our AI agents to have human names, 2) How attitudes about some science affects all science budgeting, 3) The wholistic system effects of climate change, 4) A fascinating discussion about the human microbiome and how the digestion of key nutrients affects whole body health and 5) How astronomers use Pulsars to detect gravitational waves. Kiki has a special way of inspiring one to learn about … everything, so don’t miss this very special guest.
The Reality of Apple's macOS Security Snafu. It's About Trust
John has been taking his time to further ponder Apple’s High Sierra root access debacle and now shares his thoughts.
TMO Background Mode Interview with Ecovacs Head of Marketing Christopher Caen
Christopher Caen is the Head of Marketing at Ecovacs Robotics, a company well know for its robotic vacuum cleaners and window cleaners. Christopher has a balanced academic background, being both accomplished in English as well as computer science. His first job was as an summer intern at Atari where he worked in marketing, something that immediately appealed to him. Later, at Paramount, he co-founded the Paramount Technology Group which developed interactive programming and games. Christopher’s career-long expertise in marketing took him to Sun Microsystems, Cisco, Informix and NEC. We talked a lot about internet of things (IoT), modern security practices, and how modern IoT products create a business model that requires a new understanding of and relationship to the customer. If you’re interested in robotics and IoT, this is a must listen.
How to Get 4K/UHD and HDR Content on Netflix with Apple TV 4K
Several technical pieces must be in place before you can enjoy 4K/UHD as well as HDR content with your Apple TV 4K and Netflix. John shows how to do it.
MacVoices Guests Discuss Apple as a Media Company
TMO’s John Martellaro joined MacVoices host Chuck Joiner and guests Mark Fuccio and Ken Ray to discuss the prospects of Apple becoming a major entertainment media company.
Most Everything to Know About Apple TV 4K
The holidays are upon us, and so John put together (most) everything a buyer might need to know about the Apple TV 4K.
TMO Background Mode Interview with Former TUAW Editor Michael T. Rose
Michael T. Rose is currently a Principle Solution Engineer at Salesforce.com. But you may know him best as a writer, editor and podcaster at The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) from 2006 until its untimely demise in 2014. He also hosts the Aftershow podcast with Kelly Guimont. Michael studied English at Carnegie Mellon University, but his first job after graduation (at P.ink America) took him down a technical path that endures today. Later, he worked for Entertainment Weekly as well as Life Magazines in New York where he also became interested in improvisational theater. He also does stand-up comedy in his spare time. At the Unofficial Apple Weblog, Michael worked with a notable group of writers who, along with him, are legendary. Listen in as Michael tells his unique story about his technical work, acting and writing.
TMO Background Mode Special Interview with Former Apple Executive and Tech Analyst Michael Gartenberg
Michael Gartenberg is a former Apple Senior Director of Product Marketing and reported directly to Phil Schiller. Currently, he’s a technology analyst and has also been a frequent guest on Background Mode. In this special edition, I asked Michael about his thoughts on his new iPhone X. We covered all the bases: pricing, build quality, Face ID setup and use, the camera, the super-retina AMOLED display, inductive charging, the feel in the hand and balance, the new uses for the side button and battery life. If you’ve been on the fence about this new iPhone X from Apple, you’ll want to hear Michael’s thoughts about Apple’s thinking and his own experiences with the “most impressive product Apple has ever done.”
![When Robots are Expensive and Humans are Not [Video]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/robot-1200w.jpg)
When Robots are Expensive and Humans are Not [Video]
Friday’s Particle Debris pointed to a video by Boston Dynamics of its Atlas robot doing backflips. Sure, that might look impressive, but as robots get better at physical tasks, they’ll also become more expensive. Maybe they won’t replace human labor any time soon, simply augment it in tough situations. A mixed workforce. The linked video provides food for thought.
TMO Background Mode Interview With Mac Observer's Editor-in-Chief Bryan Chaffin
Bryan Chaffin is the Editor-in-Chief of The Mac Observer. He was born and raised in Texas, and it was in Austin where he met Dave Hamilton. In 1997, Bryan was writing for a website named Webintosh. Later, Bryan bought a half-intest in the publication. Soon he realized he needed someone to run the business side of the website, so he sold his half to Dave Hamilton and they rebranded it as The Mac Observer, launching on December 28, 1998. We reminisced about how an invitation from Bryan led to my first article at the Mac Observer in October, 1999. In the second segment, we chatted about two of Bryan’s notable, recent articles, iPhone encryption and Apple’s tax situation. We finished with a discussion of Bryan’s books, both technical and science fiction. Great stuff.
Roundup: Some of the Best Articles on iPhone X
On page 2 of Friday’s Particle Debris, John provides a roundup of some of the best articles written about the Apple iPhone X to date,
TMO Background Mode Interview with Tidbits Managing Editor Josh Centers
Josh Centers is the Managing Editor of Tidbits.com. He was born and raised in Tennessee except for college years in Kentucky. He always thought he’d leave Tennessee someday and move to California, but it turned out that the people he ended up working with had come from California, so he stayed. Josh grew up loving Macworld, MacWeek and Macaddict, but his favorite was TheNet. Early on, he developed a sense that he’d someday write about tech for a living. In the second segment, we talked about some of the popular Apple topics, ordering an iPhone X at 0200 in the morning, the Mac mini, ARM processors for Macs, the coming Mac Pro, MacBook Pro keyboards, the Apple TV struggles, the Amazon Firestick and Kodi. We had a heck of a good time.
iPhone X: Rokform Rugged and Crystal Cases Are Ready
For those who are fans of the Rokform iPhone cases, the Rugged and Crystal cases for iPhone X are on pre-order and ship on November 3.
With the Mac Resurgent, the MacBook's Design Could Improve a Lot
It could well be that as part of the re-thinking of the Mac lineup, one that is more practical and functional, with less focus on design that interferes with instead of enhances functionality, Apple will make some welcome changes to the future MacBook and MacBook Pro models.
TMO Background Mode Interview with GraphicConverter Creator Thorsten Lemke
Thorsten Lemke is the founder of Lemke Software and the creator of the Mac app called GraphicConverter. This app is now used by over 1.5 million customers worldwide. I asked Thorsten about his early years when he was learning Pascal and BASIC on his Commodore C64 and later Atari ST. Thorsten wasn’t sure what he wanted to pursue in high school, but he knew it would be technical. Then, around 1992, with his new Mac, he had a need to convert photos and clipart between file formats. After a lot of file format research, the simple GraphicConverter app on Mac OS 7 was born as shareware. Little did Thorsten know at the time how this Mac app would grow into a major application today. Thorsten tells the amazing story of his career as an Apple developer.
TMO Background Mode Interview with Mystery Writer Elizabeth Craig
Elizabeth Craig is an accomplished mystery writer and novelist. Her works include the Southern Quilting Mysteries, Memphis Barbeque Mysteries, and Myrtle Clover Cozy Mysteries. Elizabeth grew up fascinated by the Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and Trixie Belden mysteries as well as the works of Agatha Christie, especially Hercule Poirot. Later, she majored in English in college and just knew she would become a writer, but lamented that there weren’t any courses that actually taught one how to write fiction. She learned on her own. We chatted about how she came to write, the art and craft of writing, and some of our favorite TV mystery shows. Elizabeth’s career is inspiring, and today she teaches other fiction writers the basics at her blog. Even if you’ve never aspired to mystery writing, you’ll want to hear her story.
![Review: Logitech CRAFT Keyboard is Great but Also Marred [UPDATE]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/CRAFT-in-service-teaser.webp)
Review: Logitech CRAFT Keyboard is Great but Also Marred [UPDATE]
The recently released Logitech CRAFT keyboard for PCs and Macs has more than the usual features for a keyboard, and most are good.
TMO Background Mode Encore Interview with TMO Contributor Kelly Guimont
Kelly Guimont does TextExpander technical support for Smile Software. She’s also a podcaster and a TMO Contributor. And she joins the TMO Daily Observations (TDO) Podcast with me on most Wednesdays. On a recent TDO episode, Kelly revealed that she holds her iPhone in a very special way with one hand. Just how she operates the iPhone in that mode and how she manages her apps created a very interesting follow-up discussion in this podcast. Kelly also shared her thoughts on the latest iTunes, version 12.7., that eliminated app support. (Apple has since mildly reversed course.) Kelly and I really let loose here, so don’t miss the fun!
Everything About Autonomous Cars From the Automotive Experts
There’s been a lot of discussion lately about autonomous cars and vehicles from the techies, but now the automotive gurus, the team at Car and Driver weigh in with expert, thorough analysis.