The CultCast
This week:
  • Even more juicy details leak on iPhone 8, plus a report says the keynote reveal is right around the corner.
  • Leander shares the strange twist in Appleā€™s autonomous car project
  • Why the 13ā€ MacBook Pro might soon become your favorite Mac
  • Story time with L Kahney - heā€™s going to share the highlights from his whirlwind tour of Japan and other defenseless Asian lands.
  • Plus Erfon recalls what itā€™s like in the darkness of a total solar eclipse.
 
This episode supported by
 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can use code CULTCAST to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.
 
The Cult of Mac watch store has the best straps in the biz.  
 
Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show.
 
On the show this week
 
This weekā€™s intro (thanks Nick Bracken!)
 
The shadows take on the sun's new shape
 
We might know the iPhone 8 keynote date
  • Hot on the heels of Samsungā€™s grand unveiling of the Galaxy Note 8 today, carrier sources have supposedly informed Mac4Ever that Apple plans to unleash its device in just a few weeks.
  • Appleā€™s keynote is allegedly slated for September 12 where the company will reveal three new iPhones. While we havenā€™t been able to verify the accuracy of the report ourselves, Apple usually hosts its iPhone keynote in the middle of September so the date could make sense.
  • The French Apple blog claims that carriers have been informed by Apple to expect the device announcement on the second Tuesday of next month. Carriers usually receive a heads up so they can start planning marketing and to organize pre-orders to ensure inventory.
  • And get this, the minimum storage capacity for Apple's OLED iPhone is said to be 64GB, with a 256GB option offered as the mid-tier capacity and a 512GB option at the highest tier, while 3GB of RAM is claimed to be included across the board.
 
iPhone 8ā€™s amazing facial recognition is super quick, works in the dark
  • The iPhone 8ā€™s facial recognition feature will work in a millionth of a second, and be more secure than the existing Touch ID sensor, and even work in the dark, a pair of new reports claim.
  • In addition to the regular iPhone sensors youā€™d expect to find, the upcoming handset will reportedly boast a new ā€œstructured lightā€ sensor, which uses bounced infrared light to work out the depth of different points on the face.
  • That information is then used to build a 3D mesh of objects, which is compared to the one recorded when setting up the new iPhone. Calculating the timing between when infrared light is sent out and recorded coming back will let the iPhone work out accurate depth measurements. This, in turn, means you wonā€™t be able to trick the handset using a 2D photo.
  • The facial recognition is reportedly powered by tech Apple acquired when it bought Kinect motion sensor maker PrimeSense several years ago.
  • The speed that the iPhone 8 facial recognition sensor will reportedly work is particularly impressive. The new handset will allegedly be able to do all of this within ā€œa few hundred milliseconds,ā€ which would make it a faster means of unlocking your iPhone than the current-generation Touch ID, Apple has been using Touch ID since 2013ā€™s iPhone 5s.
 
Appleā€™s 3D sensing tech is two years ahead of the competition
  • According to a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple competitor Qualcomm is working on its own 3D sensing tech, but itā€™s at least two years behind. And handset-makers arenā€™t in a rush to embrace it quite yet.
  • "While Qualcomm is the most engaged company in the R&D of 3D sensing for the Android camp, a number of issues plague Qualcomm that prevent its tech from being ready for mass-market products. Immature algorithms, and thermal problems"
 
Apple autonomous car morphs into self-driving shuttle bus for employees
  • According to the New York Times, Appleā€™s secretive ā€œProject Titanā€ self-driving car project has switched gears, transforming into an effort to build a self-driving shuttle bus. Called Palo Alto Infinite Loop, or PAIL, the shuttle would carry Apple employees between buildings.
  • The project may serve as a test bed for Appleā€™s autonomous car research. But a customer-focused vehicle built by Apple is for now reportedly out of the question. Instead, Appleā€™s self-driving technology will likely be used by other carmakers eventually.
  • The newspaper claims a leadership clash hampered project. Steve Zadesky, an Apple executive initially in charge of Titan, wanted to build semiautonomous technology. Meanwhile, Apple design chief Jony Ive ā€œbelieved that a fully driverless car would allow the company to reimagine the automobile experience.ā€
  • Apple reportedly investigated several innovative ideas for the project. Those included motorized doors that opened and closed silently, augmented reality displays for the interior of the car, new ways of incorporating the light sensor essential to driverless cars, and a total lack of steering wheel and gas pedals. Apple also researched the possibility of using globelike wheels for the vehicle, ā€œbecause spherical wheels could allow the car better lateral movement.ā€
 
Intel Launches First Eighth-Generation Core Processors, Paving Way For Quad-Core 13-Inch MacBook Pro
  • The first four eighth-generation processors launching today are U-series chips suitable for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini. They're all 15W chips with four cores and eight threads, paving the way for a quad-core 13-inch MacBook Pro should Apple choose to release one.
  • The eighth-generation Core i5 and Core i7 chips are up to 40 percent faster than the equivalent seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors
  • First MacBook Pro with Touch Bar uses a 6th gen Skylake processor.
  • Intel also boasted that its eighth-generation Core processors are up to twice as fast as its equivalent five-year-old Ivy Bridge chips. It said users can output a 106-second 4K video in as little as three minutes with a new PC, for example, versus up to 45 minutes on an equivalent five-year-old PC.
 
Direct download: CultCast_298_-_iPhone_8..._keynote_date_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:41pm PDT

This week:  Apple makes a major play to become the next HBO, meanwhile, intriguing new images surface showing what looks to be what we all thought had diedā€”the long lost Apple Television.  Plus: a trusted source says Appleā€™s next Watch will be more boring that we hoped; and finallyā€¦ eating bugsā€¦ Thai Tinderā€¦ yes, Buster Heine is back to share strange stories from his travels deep into the heart of Thailand.
 
This episode supported by
 
Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespaceā€”Build it Beautiful.
 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can use code CULTCAST20 to score a free CleanCloth AND get 20% off your order at CultCloth.co.
 
Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show.
 
On the show this week
 
Blurry photos purport to show mythical Apple TV set
  • Blurry images that popped up online supposedly show the testing of an Apple OLED television set of around 60 inches in size. The photos were shared on Chinese social media before being circulated by mobile leaker Benjamin Geskin on Twitter.
  • images depict what looks like an Apple-branded standalone display in some kind of lab testing environment. They show a metal frame design, while accompanying notes on Weibo suggest that the set also includes a camera.
  • And, just like that, longstanding rumors of an Apple TV set reignite!
  • The rumors gained momentum with the publishing of Walter Isaacsonā€™s Steve Jobs biography in 2011. ā€œIā€™d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,ā€ Jobs was quoted as saying. ā€œIt will have the simplest user interface you could imagine.ā€
 
Apple will throw $1 billion at original programming over next year
  • According to the WSJ, Apple is reportedly preparing a $1 billion ā€œwar chestā€ which it will spend on acquiring or producing original content over the next year.
  • That sum is around half of what HBO spent on production last year.
  • Apple SVP Eddy Cue is reportedly aiming for Apple to offer up to ten new shows, which could rival Game of Thrones in scope.
  • Apple has been ramping up its hirings to try and establish itself as a force to be reckoned with. The companyā€™s recent hirings include a pair of former Sony execs, who previously helped bring to the screen shows including AMCā€™s Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and Netflixā€™s The Crown
  • WSJ: "Mr. Van Amburg and Mr. Erlicht have begun meeting with Hollywood agents and holding discussions about shows Apple could acquire, the people familiar said. Mr. Matt Cherniss has movie experience, having worked as a production executive at Warner Bros."
 
Apple Watch Series 3 will bring LTE but no design changes
  • According to trusted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. There will be no ā€œobvious changeā€ to the design of the device, which will leave LTE connectivity as its main selling point.
  • Apple will offer non-LTE versions at more affordable prices, however. Itā€™s unclear whether those models will be Series 3 devices, or whether Apple will continue to offer Series 2 alongside its successor for those who do not require LTE.
  • Watch will also likely be waterproof, like series 2, and faster.
Direct download: CultCast_297_-_Why_Apple_may_make_your_next_TV_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:24am PDT

This week:  what does Apple have in store for the next version of ļ£æ Watch?  Weā€™ll roundup the current rumors and reveal our Gen 3 wish list.  Then: could Face ID actually replace Touch ID on iPhone 8?  We have concerns.  Plus: proof that a 4K Apple TV is right around the corner; more incredible demos of AR Kit; and we share our favorite new shows, movies, and board games in an all-new What Weā€™re Into!
 
This episode supported by
 
The single-router wifi model just doesnā€™t work for our increasingly high-bandwidth world. The EERO distributed system will blanket your home in hyper-fast, reliable WiFi, and you can score free overnight shipping with code CULTCAST at checkout.
 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can use code CULTCAST20 to score a free CleanCloth AND get 20% off your order at CultCloth.co.
 
Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show.
 
On the show this week
 
Apple Plans to Release a Cellular-Capable Watch to Break iPhone Ties
"Apple Inc. is planning to release a version of its smartwatch later this year that can connect directly to cellular networks, a move designed to reduce the deviceā€™s reliance on the iPhone, people familiar with the matter said.ā€
  • What would we like to see in the next Apple Watch
    • Round version or a new shape/style
    • Way better battery life
    • always on screen
    • Thinner
    • No LTE fees!
 
Blurry photo might confirm iPhone 8 Touch ID fears
  • An apparent iPhone 8 photo straight out of Foxconn has confirmed one of our biggest fears for Touch ID: It will be relocated to the back of the device.
  • Apple has been working to embed its fingerprint scanner into the iPhoneā€™s display, but according to numerous reports, the technology wonā€™t be ready in time for this yearā€™s big refresh.
  • Mark Gurman at Bloomberg: Appleā€™s pitch come September will be that Face ID is quicker, more secure, and more accurate than Touch ID. People inside Apple say it is.
  • Security implications
 
iPhone 8 facial recognition will unlock your phone even when itā€™s lying down
  • The new iPhone 8 will be capable of unlocking with its face recognition even when itā€™s lying flat on your desk, a new report from The Information suggests.
  • This information appears to back up a report published in Bloomberg earlier this year. That report noted that:
    • [The facial recognition sensorā€™s] speed and accuracy are focal points of the feature. It can scan a userā€™s face and unlock the iPhone within a few hundred milliseconds, the person said. It is designed to work even if the device is laying flat on a table, rather than just close up to the face.ā€
 
 
4K Apple TV seemingly confirmed by HomePod leak
  • Over the last few weeks the HomePodā€™s software has revealed a number of upcoming features on unannounced products. Sleuthing developers unearthed info on the iPhone 8ā€™s facial scanning and SmartCamera features. Now there appears to be some details of the new Apple TV inside too.
  • iOS developer Guilherme Rambo discovered references to both Dolby Vision and HDR10 color formats for 4K video in the HomePodā€™s software.
 
This ARKit app teleports you into an ā€™80s music video
  • Ever wonder what it would be like to live inside an ā€™80s music video? Thanks to Appleā€™s new ARKit software, you can live that dream with a new app that draws inspiration from the popular music video for A-haā€™s ā€œTake On Me.ā€
 
Measure the square footage of your room with ARKit
 
Virtual directions and tags of AR POS
 
Mint Works game
 
Dominion game
 
Halt and Catch Fire
 
Alien Covenant
Direct download: CultCast_296_-_Whats_next_for__Watch_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:49pm PDT

This week: Apple just accidentally leaked major details about the iPhone 8 and HomePod.  Whoopsie!  Weā€™ll tell you everything weā€™ve learned. 
 
Plus: leaked audio files show off the HomePods cool UI sounds; we reveal exclusive new audio of the HomePod's boot-up noise;  Busterā€™s shares a very special announcement; and we wrap with our reviews of the best internet-connected security cameras and the hawt new flagship Olympus OM-D EM-1 mirrorless camera in an all-new Under Review šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„
 
This episode supported by
 
Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespaceā€”Build it Beautiful.
 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can use code CULTCAST to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.
 
Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show.
 
On the show this week
 
More juicy details about iPhone 8 discovered in Apple code
  • Apple clearly didnā€™t realize that the firmware it made available on Friday was a goldmine of secret information. Not only did it reveal the final design of the iPhone 8 and its new facial recognition technology, but it tells us stuff we didnā€™t know about HomePod, too.
  • First of all, buried in the firmware are GLYPHS of the actual phone itself. WHOOPSIE!
  • We now know the device will have a split status bar designed to fit its edge-to-edge display
  • Things like cellular signal and time might be displayed on one side of the bar, while indicators for Bluetooth, location, and battery level could appear on the other. ā€œThe new status bar seems a lot more complex and powerful in design, maybe even interactive,ā€ Troughton-Smith says.
  • The software has also revealed that iPhone 8 will boast tap to wake functionality. This is a feature found on many Android and Windows Phone devices, which lets you wake the device simply by tapping its screen. Itā€™s handy when there is no physical Home button.
  • It appears, however, that iPhone 8 will have a ā€œHome Indicator.ā€ Itā€™s believed to be similar to the virtual Home button that appears at the bottom of the display on Android devices, and it looks like Apple will allow developers to hide it in certain contexts.
  • Interestingly, Troughton-Smith tweeted ā€œIā€™ve seen nothing to suggest an ultrasound under-the-display Touch ID here,ā€ meaning either no touchID or one on the back
  • Rumors have said that facial recognition is even more accurate than touch id and will even work with Apple Pay.
 
Apple code confirms that facial unlocking tech is on the way
  • "I can confirm reports that HomePodā€™s firmware reveals the existence of upcoming iPhoneā€™s infra-red face unlock in BiometricKit and elsewhereā€ Steve Stoughton Smith
  • Unlocking will be call FaceID
  • Will use an inferred camera to should work in dark situations
  • Will reportedly not support Apple pay to start, indicating weā€™re getting a touchID sensor somewhere on the phone
 
iPhone 8ā€™s radical redesign could bring awesome UI change
  • we can look forward to a display with a 2436Ɨ1125 resolution
  • This resolution is 812x 375 points rendered @ 3x ā€“ exactly the same logical width as the iPhone 7, but 22% taller,ā€ explains Allen Pike, a developer who previously worked at Apple
 
HomePod software leaks new ā€˜SmartCameraā€™ feature for iPhone
  • Appleā€™s HomePod might have revealed another huge new iPhone feature
  • HomePod software appears to reference an unannounced ā€œSmartCameraā€ feature built into iOS 11 or the yet-to-be-released 2017 iPhone
  • iOS developer Guilherme Rambo unearthed references to the new feature. He posted a screenshot of a section of the code to Twitter
  • It looks like the SmartCamera feature will be able to tune your camera settings based on the scene it detects. DSLRs possess similar features
  • The HomePod code contains references to Fireworks, Foliage, Pet, BrightStage, Sport, Sky, Snow and Sunset/Sunrise scenarios.
 
HomePod software reveals new details of Appleā€™s smart speaker
  • Notorious iOS sleuth Steve Troughton Smith has done some serious research into HomePod and discovered that itā€™s basically like another iOS device only it doesnā€™t have a big screen. That could open HomePod up to some exciting capabilities in the future.
  • will come with a number of accessibility features.
  • Third-party apps arenā€™t likely to arrive on HomePod anytime soon. Smith says there arenā€™t any provisions in the HomePod OS shell there doesnā€™t seem to be any kind of provision in the HomePod OS shell for installing apps or extensions.
  • The top LED area of the HomePod could have more advanced functionality than previously thought. Rather than just using big LEDs, it appears that the top surface is an LED Matrix. Temperature and weather icons could be displayed on the 32Ɨ32 pixel matrix.
 
Leaked audio files reveal HomePodā€™s cool UI sounds
  • Appleā€™s early software for the HomePod continues to reveal new features of the smart speaker, as developers dive deeper into files. After details on the speakerā€™s screen got discovered, another developer unearthed the UI sounds that will be used on HomePod.
 
Under Review
 
Direct download: CultCast_295_-_Big_HomePod_and_iPhone_8_leaks_directly_from_Apple.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:54am PDT

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