There’s a good chance the next time you buy a Wi-Fi router for you Mac, iPhone and iPad network it won’t come from Apple. The company reassigned the engineers from its wireless networking team to other projects and doesn’t have plans to continue developing its AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and Time Capsule products.
Jeff Gamet
Jeff Gamet is the Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and co-host of the Apple Context Machine podcast. He is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X” from Peachpit Press, and writes for several design-related publications. Jeff has presented at events such as Macworld Expo, the RSA Conference, and the Mac Computer Expo. In all his spare time, he also hosts TMO’s Daily Observations podcast, co-hosts The iOS Show podcast, and makes guest appearances on several other shows, too. Jeff dreams in HD.
Articles by Jeff Gamet
TMO Daily Observations 2016-11-17: Goodbye AppleScript, Apple Axes Sal Soghoian
Apple’s Product Manager of Automation Technologies Sal Soghoian is out of a job, and that doesn’t bode well for the future of AppleScript and Automator. Bryan Chaffin joins Jeff Gamet to talk about what’s likely in store for automation on the Mac, the impact that’s going to have on pro users, and Sal’s efforts to keep automation tools alive.
Apple Cuts Mac Automation Manager Sal Soghoian
Sal Soghoian is the godfather of AppleScript and automation on the Mac, but not for much longer. He announced at MacTech Conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday that Apple is eliminating the Product Manager of Automation Technologies he’s held since 1997.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-11-14: Samsung Buying Harman, HomeKit Security, AT&T Stream Saver
Samsung is buying audio company Harman and it may be in part to compete with Apple’s CarPlay. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to look at Samsung’s motives, plus Dave explains HomeKit’s security versus other Internet of Things devices, and they take a look at AT&T’s Stream Saver.
AT&T to Intro Opt-out 'Stream Saver' Video Quality Throttling in 2017
AT&T is launching a new feature in early 2017 called Stream Saver that throttles streaming video quality in the name of saving customers from hitting their wireless data caps. The cell service provider seems to have learned from T-Mobile’s headaches, however, because Stream Saver doesn’t include any streaming partners, and users can easily turn it on or off whenever they like.
Samsung Buying Harman to Take on Apple's CarPlay
Everyone wants a piece of your car’s dashboard, and Samsung is buying Harman to get its slice of driving experience. The US$8 billion deal will give Samsung a platform for linking our smartphones to our cars, along with a way for the company to compete with Apple’s CarPlay platform.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-11-11: Interview with TMO's Bryan Chaffin
This week we’re diving in deep with authors and writers in the Apple community. Today TMO’s own Bryan Chaffin joins Jeff Gamet to talk about his experiences writing fiction, the evolution of his novel, and finding a publishing agent.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-11-10: Interview with Amy Gahran
This week we’re diving in deep with authors and writers in the Apple community. Today author and journalist Amy Gahran joins Jeff Gamet to talk about how her books took her deep into research, self publishing, and more.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-11-09: Interview with John L Forrest
This week we’re diving in deep with authors and writers in the Apple community. Today science fiction author John L Forrest joins Jeff Gamet to talk about writing novels and short stories, his process for bringing his ideas to life, self publishing, and more.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-11-08: Interview with David Sparks from MacSparky
This week we’re diving in deep with authors and writers in the Apple community. Today David Sparks joins Jeff Gamet to talk about his earlier Apple-focused books and his transition into self publishing with the MacSparky Field Guides.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-11-07: Interview with Ted Landau
This week we’re diving in deep with authors and writers in the Apple community. Today long time author, journalist, and blogger Ted Landau joins Jeff Gamet to talk about his history in the Apple community, writing one of the top selling Mac titles, running his own Apple-related website, and more.
Apple Starts Activating Single Sign-On for Apple TV Beta Users
Apple TV’s promised single sing-on feature is finally starting to roll out tvOS 10.1 and 10.2 developer beta users. Single sign-on isn’t available to the public yet, but the fact that developers have it means the official release isn’t too far off.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-11-04: Finding the Touch Bar's Market, New Mac Buyer Poll
The new MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar looks great, but it can’t be the primary way for accessing an app’s features. Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to look at how the Touch Bar may fit in to third-party app developer’s plans, and why it may not get adopted as quickly as users may like despite its coolness factor. They also look at the results from TMO’s Twitter poll for new Mac buyers.
Luminar Brings Pro Image Editing to the Mac with an Adaptive Interface
Macphun thinks photo editing and enhancement tools should fit your needs instead of forcing you to bend to their will. That’s the idea behind Luminar—Macphun’s new Mac-based image editing app. Luminar is loaded with pro-level photo adjusting tools designed to make your images look great, but instead of locking you into an interface that’s too simple or too complex for your needs, it’s designed to show you what you want based on your skill level and editing style. Luminar is available for pre-order today through November 17th for US$59, or $49 if you already own another Macphun product. It’ll settle into its regular $69 price when it ships on the 17th.
Elgato's Eve Motion Adds Motion Sensor Control to Your HomeKit Network
Elgato just expanded its HomeKit smarthome offerings with its new Eve Motion. The Eve Motion is a motion sensor you can use to trigger HomeKit scenes, like turning on lights when someone enters a room. It has a 29.5-foot range, is splash-proof so you can use it outdoors in areas that are protected from direct rain, and runs for about a year on two AA batteries. Eve Motion is a Bluetooth-only device, so you’ll need a third or fourth generation Apple TV for remote access and control. Amazon is taking orders now at US$49.95 each, and it’ll ship on November 9th.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-11-03: Finding the Touch Bar MacBook Pro's Target Market
Apple’s new Touch Bar MacBook Pro carries the “pro” moniker, but it isn’t clear exactly who the new laptops are targeting. Dave Hamilton and the Maccast’s Adam Christianson join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on who will want the new MacBook Pro, what could be coming in future models, and what pro users are saying about Apple’s latest laptop offerings.
iOS 10.2: How to Disable Always On Live Photo
If the iOS 10.2 beta is any indication, Apple thinks every iPhone pic we take should be a Live Photo. Live Photo is on by default and reactivates itself every time you launch the Camera app, but there is a way to force it to stay off. Read on to learn how.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-11-02: App Store Blocks Vigilante App, Goodbye Mac Startup Chime
Vigilantes may be cool in the movies, but no so much in the App Store. Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to offer up their take on Apple pulling an app that alerted iPhone users to crimes in progress, plus they have some thoughts on the death of the startup chime in the new MacBook Pro models.
CMRA Adds a Camera to Your Apple Watch Band, But in a Cool Way
Remember Samsung’s watchband camera tumor on the Galaxy Gear smartwatch? The idea was interesting but the execution fell flat—a mistake Glide doesn’t plan on making with its CMRA watchband camera for the Apple Watch. The CRMA goes a step further, too, by including a second FaceTime-style camera.
Apple's AirPods Won't Ship Until 2017
If you were planning on picking up Apple’s AirPods wireless earpods this holiday season, ger ready to be disappointed because it looks like they won’t be shipping until January 2017 at the earliest. Apple originally promised AirPods would ship in late October, but has since changed their status to “Currently unavailable” with no projected ship date.
Function Key MacBook Pro Teardown Shows Smaller Battery, Removable SSD
It doesn’t take long after a new Apple product launch for iFixit to strip it down to its frame, and that’s exactly what happened with the late 2016 Retina MacBook Pro with function keys. Inside they found a smaller battery, removable custom SSD, and more.
How to Re-enable the Startup Chime on Late 2016 MacBook Pro Models
The new 15-inch and 13-inch Touch Bar Retina MacBook Pro, along with their 13-inch function key sibling, do away with the Mac startup chime. Turns out the chime isn’t gone, but is only disabled—and it’s easy to re-enable with a quick trip to the Terminal. Read on to learn how.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-11-01: Apple's HomeKit and Internet of Things Security
After the Dyn DDOS attack, The Mac Observer started looking into claims that HomeKit smarthome devices were protected from participating. Today Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to look at what they found. Hint: Internet security is a complicated thing in spite of HomeKit’s strengths.
Apple Music Reportedly Getting a Big Price Cut
A new report claims Apple Music is getting a big price cut in time for the holiday season with the regular US$9.99 a month deal dropping to $7.99. The family package pricing will drop, too, assuming the tenuous report is right.