MacVoices #24105: MVAD - More Right-To-Repair, Legal Debates (1) This special  MacVoices After Dark show is not only a taste of what our Patreon supporters but also supplements some of the topics covered in recent MacVoices episodes. Chuck Joiner, Dave Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, Jeff Gamet, and Guy Serle cover topics from birdwatching to repair laws impacting tech giants. They tackle challenges faced by tech companies, the implications of right-to-repair laws, and the need for laws to adapt. The panel delves into political and societal debates on law complexity, lobbyist influence, and the importance of considering law beneficiaries. They suggest implementing sunset provisions for law reassessment and emphasize the necessity of updating laws to address evolving circumstances. The episode wraps up with diverse views from the panelists on legislative governance challenges and the value of ongoing dialogue to address societal issues. (Part 1)

MacVoices #24098: MVL - Agreeing To Disagree About App Store Fees Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Ben Roethig, Jim Rea, Marty Jencius, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Web Bixby, Mark Fuccio, and Jeff Gamet conclude a MacVoices Live! conversation about how Apple’s App Store fee critics are charging pretty much the same thing for similar services. That led to a debate over how free apps on the App Store fit into the equation, the costs of hosting, and more…and there were disagreements aplenty. 

MacVoices #24096: MVL - The DOJ Legal Action Against Apple (2) The MacVoices Live! discussion of the DOJ’s action against Apple continues as Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Ben Roethig, Jim Rea, Marty Jencius, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Web Bixby, Mark Fuccio, and Jeff Gamet examine some of the more unusual aspects of the pleadings, what Apple’s response will be, and how the media is addressing the developments. (Part 2) 

MacVoices #24095: MVL - The DOJ Legal Action Against Apple (1) MacVoices Live! digs into the DOJ action against Apple to try to understand what is behind it. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Ben Roethig, Jim Rea, Marty Jencius, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Web Bixby, Mark Fuccio, and Jeff Gamet consider the made-up categories of the iPhone market, the questionable quality of the complaint as a competent legal document, and more. The panel considers a unique theory, the pleadings that are obviously wrong, and more. (Part 1) 

MacVoices #24093: A Year of TV+ Talk Charlotte Henry and Chuck Joiner celebrate a year of the TV+ Talk collaboration by looking at how Apple TV+ has evolved since its beginnings, their original content moving to other services, a recent article citing the quality of the service, and more. 

MacVoices #24091: MVL - Roku’s Onerous Terms; Apple, Google, and AI; AirTags Under Fire…Again The privacy theme rolls on as Chuck Joiner, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Eric Bolden, Marty Jencius, Jim Rea, Jeff Gamet, and David Ginsburg look at the almost unbelievable Terms of Service in the most recent Roku update and how it applies to which Roku device/channel/app. Then, the MacVoices panel delivers some initial thoughts on what appears to be a relationship between Apple and Google over AI capabilities, and yet another lawsuit targeting AirTags. No other Bluetooth or GPS tracker, just AirTags. 

MacVoices #24090: MVL - Would You Rent An Printer That HP Monitors? Our privacy theme continues as the MacVoices Live! panel looks at HP’s new option to rent a printer. Is that a good idea given the seemingly onerous contract terms, let alone the possible privacy concerns over an always-connected-to-the-Internet printer? Chuck Joiner, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Eric Bolden, Marty Jencius, Jim Rea, Jeff Gamet, and David Ginsburg look at everything from cancellation requirements to minimum page requirements to where the printer companies are making their money…at your expense. 

MacVoices #24089: MVL - A Personal Hacking Story Chuck Joiner, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Eric Bolden, Marty Jencius, and Jim Rea discuss the hacking of a panel member’s Instagram account, along with what appeared to be an attack on his Facebook account. They discuss scams, other personal experiences with compromises, and a couple information pieces that caught their attention.  

MacVoices #24087: MVL - Car Companies Are Collecting and Selling Your Driving Data Car companies are capturing your driving data and selling it to insurance companies…and who knows who else. David Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Mark Fuccio, Chuck Joiner, Marty Jencius, Ben Roethig, Jim Rea, Jeff Gamet, Eric Bolden, Web Bixby, and Brittany Smith discuss yet another invisible way that data about you is being monetized and sold, potentially at your expense. 

MacVoices #24086: MVL - Can AI Chatbots Be Effective In Political Campaigns? While MacVoices Live! doesn’t engage in political discussions, how tech is being used as a political communications tool has become a controversial topic. The MacVoices Live! panel of David Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Mark Fuccio, Chuck Joiner, Marty Jencius, Ben Roethig, Jim Rea, Jeff Gamet, Eric Bolden, and Web Bixby take a look at a real-world test case of AI chatbot use in an American primary contest. While small in scale, this is an interesting example that you can expect to see more of, and the panel disagrees on its importance.

MacVoices #24077: MVL - Apple Gets In The Sports (App) Game Chuck Joiner, Dave Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, Ben Roethig, Web Bixby, Jeff Gamet, Guy Serle, and Jim Rea discuss and debate Apple’s new Sports app. Is it just the beginning, or too little too late? Will Apple TV+ and other streaming services, along with betting, make it a go-to for sports information and programming identification?

MacVoices #24076: CES - Insta360 Introduces An 8K Action Cam From CES in Las Vegas, Michael Shabun, Vice President of Marketing for North America for Insta360, walked us through some of the impressive features of the Insta360 Ace Pro, their 8K action camera. Notable on that list are a flip-up touch screen that makes control from front or back easy, hand gesture controls for no-hands operation, industry-leading low-light performance, and of course, that amazing resolution. 

MacVoices #24075: MVL - Apple Car Cancelled (But It Was Ever Announced?) The MacVoices Live! panel discussion with the monster panel of Chuck Joiner, Dave Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, Ben Roethig, Web Bixby, Jeff Gamet, Guy Serle, Jim Rea, and Mark Fuccio starts out with the cancellation of Project Titan, aka “Apple Car” in spite of the fact that it was never officially announced. The conversation takes a surprising turn into the state of electric vehicles, and whether that had anything to do with it.