This week’s guests include outspoken columnist Jeff Butts, of The Mac Observer. During his first visit to the show, he’ll explain how he first switched to the macOS when his PC failed, by converting it to a “Hackintosh,” a computer hacked to run Apple’s OS. He’ll also explain how he modified a PC to run macOS High Sierra. Jeff will also discuss the iPhone X, which remained seriously backordered during its first weekend on sale; will he buy one? Gene and Jeff will also examine the misleading statistics from Gartner and IDC that indicated disappointing Mac sales during the September 2017 quarter. In fact, Apple revealed that sales grew by 10%, way ahead of the industry, with revenue increasing by 25%, making for a record quarter. There will also be a brief pop culture discussion, in which Gene mentions that movie and TV composer Danny Elfman has become the composer for “Justice League,” and that he’ll include portions of his original 1989 Batman theme in the score.

In a special encore appearance, you’ll also hear from writer/editor Adam Engst, of TidBITS, who covers the new Apple Watch Series 3, which includes an LTE radio that can make phone calls. He reflects on how the product has become more of a health and fitness accessory as Apple has continued to develop the product. Gene and Adam also talk about the iPhone X, the notch and its impact, plus Apple’s last minute change to the High Sierra OS that no longer supports Macs with Fusion drives. You’ll also hear an extended discussion about the Apple TV, its new features, and about the growing fragmentation of TV streaming services. This is creating a situation where you may have to join a number of these services to watch their exclusive shows. How does this impact cable cord cutting? Does it end up costing more than cable and satellite what with all the separate services?