The CultCast
This week: Apple plans new, improved AirPods, HomePod and over-ear headphones; Apple finally acknowledges its new MacBook keyboards suck, and they’re going to make it right; a top Apple analyst drops a bunch of details on Apple’s 2018 product pipeline; and Apple is tries to solve a fascinating issue with autonomous vehicles.
 
This episode supported by
 
Easily create a website by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
 
Print postage from your office and take advantage of special shipping discounts at pb.com/cultcast, and beat the postage rate increase with exclusive discounts on letters.  Plans start at just $5 a month!
 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.
 
Thanks to Kevin McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.
 
On the show this week
 
Apple finally acknowledges its new MacBook keyboards suck
  • The butterfly keyboards on the new MacBook and MacBook Pro are officially defective.
  • After months of outcry from angry customers, Apple has finally acknowledged that the new keyboards have some serious problems. The company says the issues are limited to a small percentage of MacBooks, but its offering free repairs.
 
Apple plans new, improved AirPods, HomePod and over-ear headphones
  • Bloomberg has a new report out that says we could have some exciting new Apple audio products in 2019.
 
Top Apple analyst drops a ton of details on Apple’s 2018 product pipeline
  • First: Ming still expects three new iPhones in 2018: a second-generation iPhone X, a massive 6.5-inch version dubbed the iPhone X Plus, and a 6.1-inch version that will essentially be a budget iPhone X.
 
Apple is trying to solve a very interest problem with autonomous vehicles, and they’ve hired a fascinating guy to help solve it.
Engineer and YouTuber Mark Rober Working on Anti-Motion Sickness VR Technology for Use in Autonomous Vehicles
  • Engineer and popular YouTuber Mark Rober is, accordingly Variety, working for Apple as an engineer in their special projects group.
  • More specifically, Rober has been working on Apple's virtual reality projects, including "using VR as on-board entertainment for self-driving cars.”
  • His most recent patent addresses an interesting problem:
    • "Many passengers in vehicles may experience motion sickness. Typically, this is not the case for the driver. However, with the arrival of autonomous vehicles, the driver becomes a passenger, and thus may want to occupy themselves while, for example, riding to work. Passengers in conventional or autonomous vehicles may, for example, want to read a book, or work on their notebook computer.
 
Meet Mark Rober, the creative dynamo working on Apple’s autonomous car project
 
Jon Olsson is a young rich guy with a great YouTube channel
 
Dr. DisRespect is the most dominating streamer in the online gaming community
Direct download: CultCast_342_-_New_AirPods__New_iPhones__New_HomePod.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:28pm PDT

This week:
  • It’s been over a year since Apple has updated virtually any of their Macs.  Just what in the heck in going on?  
  • Why all your online purchases will soon be taxed
  • Instagram takes on YouTube with new IGTV app
  • MoviePass is about to change for the worse.  AGAIN.
  • America’s largest theater chain just put the final nails in the MoviePass coffin
  • And things get weird in an all-new what we’re into!
 
This episode supported by
 
A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters… go to LinkedIn.com/cultcast and get a $50 credit toward your first job post.
 
Whether you’re looking to learn something new or just sharpen your skills, Udemy has over 65,000 courses starting at just 11.99.
Visit Ude.my/CULTCASTor download the Udemy app to learn anytime, anywhere.
 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.
 
Print postage from your office and take advantage of special shipping discounts at pb.com/cultcast, and beat the postage rate increase with exclusive discounts on letters.  Plans start at just $5 a month!
 
Thanks to Kevin McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.
 
On the show this week
 
Supreme Court Kills Quill, Gives States More Authority To Collect Sales Tax
  • It’s a sad day for US.  It’s the end of an era.  The end of tax-free shopping online.  
  • In 1992 the supreme court that a state couldn’t force an online retailer to collect sales tax for them if the retailer didn’t have a physical presence in that state.  
  • Today, they reversed that decision
  • What does that mean?
  • Well, it means that you state will undoubtedly begin forcing online retailers to charge you sales tax on all your online orders.  
  • If you have a big purchase to make, I’d do it this summer.  
 
On The Sad State of Macintosh Hardware
  • Rogue Amoeba developer Quentin Carnicelli posted this week on the company’s blog about his frustration with Apple’s continued neglect of the Mac.
  • "At the time of the writing, with the exception of the $5,000 iMac Pro, no Macintosh has been updated at all in the past year.”
 
Instagram takes on YouTube with new IGTV app
  • The photo-sharing social network revealed its new standalone app today called IGTV that’s dedicated to long-form video.
  • IGTV was revealed at an event today this morning where the company also shared that it now has 1 billion monthly active users.
 
MoviePass is going to introduce surge pricing on popular movies by July
  • By the end of the summer, you'll see some major changes to your MoviePass subscription — and you're not going to like them all.
  • MoviePass told Business Insider that by August members of the service would be able to add a friend when buying tickets through the app and would have the option, at an added price, to order tickets to Imax and Real 3D movies.
  • The first change to the service will happen in the coming weeks, when MoviePass will start charging members what CEO Mitch Lowe calls "high demand" pricing.
  • CEO Mitch Lowe: "At certain times for certain films — on opening weekend — there could be an additional charge for films"
  • The added charge will start at $2 for titles the app deems very popular with MoviePass subscribers
 
AMC is launching a MoviePass-like subscription service
  • The largest theater chain in America has announced that it will now offer a subscription service that allows patrons to watch up to three movies a week for $19.95 a month.
  • Called AMC Stubs A-List the online and smartphone-based subscription will allow members to watch multiple movies a day and let you see movies more than once.
  • There will be no online ticketing fees, and it will offer a discount on food and drinks at the concession stand. Plus Stubs A-List will be redeemable toward formats like IMAX and 3D and will also include special AMC locations such as Dine-Ins.
  • The service will allow you to make up to three movie reservations at once in advance without having to physically be at the theater
Direct download: CultCast_341_-_The_SAD_state_of_the_Mac.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:21pm PDT

This week:  the hidden iOS 12 features you need to know about!  Plus, in an all-new Under Review, we’ll tell you about one hecka good portable mouse, a pair of earphones that give you supersonic hearing, the king of all power banks, and a beautiful new wireless charger you’ll be proud to set your phone upon.  
 
This episode supported by
 
Easily create a website by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
 
The single-router wifi model just doesn’t work for our increasingly high-bandwidth world. The EEROdistributed 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 X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.
 
Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.
 
On the show this week
 
iOS 12 UI tweaks let you interact with apps as they’re opening - buster
  • Your phone is always available to answer to your input.  No more waiting for animations to finish.  
  • You can launch an app and start scrolling within the app even before it fills the screen.
  • You can launch an app and then dismiss it even before the app has fully opened.
  • You can close and app and instantly open another app from the home screen before the closing animation has finished,
 
The best iOS 12 features Apple didn’t mention
  • Police across the country are purchasing a tool called GrayKey. When hooked to an iPhone’s Lightning port, this swiftly enters thousands of passcodes until the correct one is reached.
  • But just-released beta of iOS 12 can be set to partially deactivate the Lightning port after an iPhone hasn’t been used for an hour.
 
iOS 12 makes iPhones immune to ‘brute force’ unlocking
 
Under Review
 
Logitech MX Anywhere 2S wireless mouse
 
Spigen Essential F306W
 
Anker Powerhouse
 
Nuheara IQ Buds Boost
Direct download: CultCast_340_-_iOS_12_s_best_hidden_features.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:09am PDT

This week: It’s our WWDC 2018 reactions! Plus—our picks for the best new features announced at the keynote.
 
This episode supported by
 
Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of memory foam and latex, and people everywhere love them.  Learn why and get $50 towards any mattress at Casper.com/cultcast.
 
A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters… go to LinkedIn.com/cultcast and get a $50 credit toward your first job post.
 
Thanks to Kevin McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.
 
On the show this week
 
All the important new stuff Apple revealed at WWDC 2018
 
Speed through the WWDC 2018 keynote with sketchnotes
  • It is always exciting to capture the WWDC keynote in sketchnotes, and this year we filled up four pages with drawings showcasing the biggest new features coming in iOS 12, macOS Mojave and watchOS 5.
 
iOS 12 definitely speeds up your iPhone
  • Side-by-side comparisons between iOS 12 beta 1 and version 11.4 show clear speed improvements.
 
Apple’s Craig Federighi explains how iOS apps will work on macOS
 
How iOS 12’s smartest features put users firmly back in control
  • If any other company had introduced Screen Time, the new system-wide toolset for limiting phone distractions, then it would (rightly) be dismissed as a gimmick, a sop to the increasing worries about phone addiction. But as is typical of Apple, Screen Time looks like it took a lot of work to get just right.
 
iOS 12 makes iPhones immune to ‘brute force’ unlocking
  • The just-released beta of iOS 12 can be set to partially deactivate the Lightning port after an iPhone hasn’t been used for an hour. This is a clear attempt to make useless the unlocking tools employed by law enforcement (or thieves).
 
Face ID in iOS 12 recognizes two different faces
  • The first iOS 12 developer beta debuted after today’s WWDC keynote. Intrepid souls who’ve already installed this early version on their iPhone X noticed that Face ID can be trained to recognize more than one person.
Direct download: CultCast_339_-_WWDC_18_Reactions_And_our_best-of-show_picks.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

This week:  It’s been a tight ship over there at Apple, so for the first time in a long time, we know almost nothing about what will be announced at an Apple Keynote.  
 
But we think there’s a good case for new hardware come Monday, and we’ll tell you why.  Plus, we’ll tell you everything we think we know about iOS 12.  And stick around for our ears-on, gaping-jaw review of two HomePods in stereo mode.
 
This episode supported by
 
Whether you’re looking to learn something new or just sharpen your skills, Udemy has over 65,000 courses starting at just 11.99.
Visit Ude.my/CULTCASTor download the Udemy app to learn anytime, anywhere.
 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.
 
Thanks to Kevin McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.
 
On the show this week
 
Apple delays big new iOS features to focus on stability in 2018
  • “Apple has shaken up its iOS software plans for 2018, delaying some features to next year in an effort to put more focus on addressing performance and quality issues,” reporter Ina Fried writes for Axios.
 
Cheaper HomePod, smarter Siri predicted for WWDC
  • Apple will introduce a Beat-branded $250 HomePod smart speaker at WWDC, predicts Apple analyst Gene Munster.
  • “The knock on HomePod is its $349 price is about 2-3x the price of a typical smart speaker,” Munster writes. “We believe Apple can advance its digital assistant ambitions with a $250 Beats-branded option that does not compromise HomePod’s $349 price point.”
 
iOS 11.4 Launches Today With AirPlay 2 and Messages in iCloud, HomePod Gets Multi-Room Audio, Stereo Pairing
 
iOS 11.4 finally brings HomePod stereo pairs and AirPlay 2
  • iOS 11.4 is finally here, bringing AirPlay 2’s multi-room audio capabilities as well as the long-awaited ability to use two HomePods in stereo.
  • Apple also said the HomePod will arrive in Canada, France and Germany by June 18. The speaker is currently available in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
  • Using HomePod as TV speakers
 
Ears-on review: Stereo HomePods will blow you away
 
How to use iOS 11.4’s Messages in iCloud
  • The iOS 11.4 update finally brings iCloud support for Messages, which means messages will sync across all devices, and can even be deleted from an iPhone or iPad that’s short on space. But they will remain accessible from the cloud
  • Why use Messages in iCloud sync?
    • Any messages you send or receive on your iPhone will be almost instantly synced to your Mac and iPad. But it has limits. One is that, if you set up a new device, then you will not see any of your old messages or conversations.
    • Also, each one of your devices currently backs up its entire Message library, which is a waste of space on your iCloud drive.
    • You can also remove old messages from a device, but still have access to them in future, saving a ton of space on your iPhone. Or you could choose to automatically delete old messages from your iPhone, but keep the full history on your Mac.
    • Link to how to turn it on in the show notes. You can also manage and delete the messages you have stored in the cloud.
Direct download: CultCast_338_-_Hardware__Software__It_s_our_WWDC_2018_predictions.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:05pm PDT

This week:  
  • The press passes are out, the WWDC keynote is around the corner.  We gotta talk about it and we’ll tell a new way you can watch it live.
  • New details out this week show the Apple car has taken yet another sad and disappointing turn.  We’ll you where it’s at now.
  • It’s the 12 year anniversary of one of Apple’s best creations—we remember Apple’s incredible Get a Mac ads.
  • And thoroughly embarrass our ourselves in an all-new Get To Know Ur Cultist.
 
This episode supported by
 
Easily create a website by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
 
The single-router wifi model just doesn’t work for our increasingly high-bandwidth world. The EEROdistributed 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 X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.
 
Thanks to Kevin McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.
 
On the show this week
 
Apple confirms WWDC 2018 keynote livestream
  • Press invites for the June 4 keynote were sent out today. And guess what?
  • Cult of Mac is on this year’s guest list, so we’ll be live blogging all of the action from ground zero at the San Jose convention center.
  • For the rest of you shlubs, Apple will give you a front row seat to the keynote on June 4th.
  • WWDC 2018 is expected to include the unveiling of iOS 12, macOS 10.14, tvOS 12 and watchOS 5. Other rumors have suggested that Apple may unveil new hardware such as new MacBook Pros, or possibly an iPhone SE 2.
 
WWDC livestream will support Chrome and Firefox this year
  • As always, you’ll be able to watch it using Apple’s Safari browser, the WWDC app or Apple TV. However, for the first time Apple is also supporting Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
  • But does this mean you’ll be able to watch the stream on PC?  Unsure.
 
Apple teams with VW for self-driving bus project
  • Apple originally began its car project — known internally as Titan and T172 — in 2014. At the time, Apple planned to build a single vehicle that would upend society and industry, in what would be the automotive version of the iPhone. The company set to work on an electric driverless car with a lush interior reminiscent of a lounge or living room, where passengers face each other instead of the road, according to two early employees of the project.
  • But Apple soon learned that making a car is really hard, so they tried to partner with BMW and Mercedes.  But as Apple always does, they made things difficult by insisting on controlling the car experience and customer relationship, so the
  • Now?  Well, they’re making an Apple Park shuttle bus.  with VW.
  • Apple has inked a deal with Volkswagen that will allow the iPhone-maker to turn some of its T6 vans into self-driving shuttles for employees.
  • Apple’s self-driving shuttle bus is behind schedule, thought, according to The New York Times. Nearly all of Cupertino’s car team is working just on the VW vans project, but the 2018 deadline will be missed.
  • And what happens after the shuttle bus? No one knows.
 
Today in Apple history: Apple’s ‘Get a Mac’ campaign comes to an end
  • May 21, 2010: Apple quietly ends its long-running, award-winning “Get a Mac” marketing campaign.
  • Debuting in 2006, the ads starred actor Justin Long as the cool, youthful Mac. Comedian John Hodgman portrayed the stuffy, awkward PC. Alongside the “Think Different” and the iPod “Silhouette” campaigns, “Get a Mac” will become one of the most fondly remembered extended ad campaigns in Apple history.
  • The U.S. ads ran for the next few years, with 66 television spots in total. The campaign also spread to other markets, with alternate actors playing the Mac and PC roles.
  • Apple aired the last “Get a Mac” TV ad in October 2009, marking the beginning of the end for the campaign.
  • But the clever marketing continued on Apple’s website. On May 21, 2010, Apple finally replaced its “Get a Mac” page with a “Why You’ll Love a Mac” page.
Direct download: CultCast_337_-_It_s_trueApple_s_building_a_BUS.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:29pm PDT

Don’t buy any new MacBook Pro until you hear this episode—seriously.  
 
There are growing reports, tons of complaints, and a new petition claiming the butterfly keyboard in the new MacBook Pro has a critical design flaw that can’t be fixed.  This episode we explore the issue with Matthew Taylor, creator of the keyboard recall petition, who tells us what’s going wrong with Apple’s butterfly keyboard, why it can’t be fixed, and why almost 30,000 people are demanding it be recalled.
 
And stick around for a innovative new iPhone gimbal, a very cool throwback iPhone case, and the perfect green screen for your Twitch or Youtube streams in an all-new Under Review.
 
This episode supported by
 
Whether you’re looking to learn something new or just sharpen your skills, Udemy has over 65,000 courses starting at just 11.99.
Visit Ude.my/CULTCASTor download the Udemy app to learn anytime, anywhere.
 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.
 
Thanks to Kevin McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.
 
On the show this week
 
MacBook butterfly keyboard problems spawn recall petition [Update]
  • The butterfly keyboard in recent MacBooks draws frequent complaints. And these have now escalated to the point where an online petition is requesting that Apple recall every MacBook Pro released since 2016.
  • The “butterfly” name comes from the shape of each key’s internal mechanism. In the 2015 MacBook, Apple replaced the old scissor design with one reminiscent of a butterfly.
  • It’s supposed to more evenly distribute the pressure from tapping on the keys. As mentioned, it’s also 40 percent thinner.
 
Jason Snell:
  • “Apple’s relative silence on this issue for existing customers is deafening. If these problems are remotely as common as they seem to be, this is an altogether defective product that should be recalled.”
 
John Gruber:
  • “This keyboard has to be one of the biggest design screwups in Apple history. Everyone who buys a MacBook depends upon the keyboard and this keyboard is undependable.”
 
Marco Arment:
  • “Butterfly keyswitches are a design failure…. they are fatally unreliable.”
 
Casey Neistat:
  • Pic on twitter with caption: what am i supposed to do when the space bar stops working. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING WITH THIS FCKING KEYBOARD
 
 
Apple’s ‘butterfly’ MacBook keyboard problems bring class action lawsuit
  • A lawsuit filed in federal court claims that the keyboard used in all the MacBook Pros and MacBooks made for several years is defective. The plaintiffs request that this be made into a class action lawsuit, and that Apple be required to replace all the affected keyboards at no cost to users.
  • The lawsuit also requests punitive damages because, as they claim, Apple continued to build and sell laptops with the “butterfly” keyboard even though the company knew it was defective.
 
Keyboard petition on Change.org
 
Spiffy new iPhone X cases look like original iMac and iPhone
 
 
Under Review!
 
FreeFly Movi iPhone gimbal
 
Classic C1: iPhone X case inspired by iMac G3
 
Elgato Green Screen
 
Tiny Tower Laptop Stand
Direct download: CultCast_336_-_Don_t_buy_a_MacBook_Pro_until_you_hear_this_episode.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:23pm PDT

This week:
  • Apple is secretly building a TV empire
  • Google’s new AI assistant has a feature you have to see to believe
  • Financial filings show MoviePass’s time is running out
  • Our favorite lesser-known iOS and Mac apps
  • And… why do men have nipples?  We answer your most burning questions in an all-new CultCast QnA 🔥
 
On the show this week
 
This episode supported by
 
Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of memory foam and latex, and people everywhere love them.  Learn why and get $50 towards any mattress at Casper.com/cultcast.
 
The single-router wifi model just doesn’t work for our increasingly high-bandwidth world. The EEROdistributed 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 X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout 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.
 
All the important stuff revealed at Google I/O
  • An updated version of Google Maps aims to keep you in-the-know about what’s going on around you. There’s a new tab called “For You” that’s designed to tell you about events in neighborhoods you care about.
  • You can now hold your phone up to the world in front of you and Maps will overlay walking directions that make finding your way around a new city easier.
  • A very human-sounding Google Assistant made a call on behalf of it’s owner to book a haircut, and the result was was magical as it was creepy. The most impressive thing was that the person on the receiving end of the call didn’t seem to suspect they were talking to an AI
 
Every single TV series Apple is currently making
  • After going on a spending spree in Hollywood the last eight months, Apple appears to be poised to make a huge push into original content.
  • Apple has 13 shows in development.
 
Today’s SEC filing suggests MoviePass’ time is running out
  • The future doesn’t look promising for MovePass
  • According to a recent financial filing, the company has spent an average of $21.7 million per month for the stretch between October 2017 through April 2018, but as of April 30th, MoviePass has just $15.5 million in cash
 
Apple ‘cash machine’ puts profits ahead of innovation
  • Apple to many seems to have lost its mojo for innovation. But it knows how to build a pile of cash.
  • This is the impression of Silicon Valley venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya, who told CNBC Wednesday:
    • “I think Apple is a productive cash machine,”  “Is it a font of innovation? Unclear, trending to probably"
Direct download: CultCast_335_-_Apple_s_secret_TV_empire.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:03am PDT

This week’s very HOT stories: 
  • Analysts were wrong—iPhone X is a massive hit
  • The death of 3D Touch starts with 2018 iPhone
  • The world’s most famous Apple analyst may no longer be reporting on Apple
  • Apple’s AirPort router lineup is officially dead
  • And we pitch you our favorite shows, movies, and vodka in an all-new Under Review!
 
This episode supported by
 
Easily create a website by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout 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
 
Apple’s AirPort router lineup is officially dead
  • Apple introduced the AirPort lineup back in 2003 when it was starting to ride the high from the original iPod
  • Apple decided to finally put the nail in the coffin for its lineup of AirPort routers that haven’t been updated in years.
  • Statement: “We’re discontinuing the Apple AirPort base station products. They will be available through Apple.com, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers while supplies last.”
 
Analysts were wrong: iPhone X is a massive hit
  • Apple blew analysts’ expectations out of the water this afternoon with its historic Q2 2018 earnings report that saw the company post the most revenue ever in the March quarter.
  • Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri were giddy during Tuesday's call with investors. Everyone expected the iPhone X to be a bust, but even Apple was surprised by its success as it still dominates the iPhone sales charts.
 
Death of 3D Touch starts with 2018 iPhone
  • A very reliable analyst predicts one of the iPhones coming in autumn won’t have this pressure-sensitive technology, and none of the 2019 devices will.
  • Ming-Chi Kuo says it’s all because Apple is changing the components of its displays to make them lighter and less likely to break.
  • The analyst says sources in Apple’s supply chain told him that the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, expected this fall, will use a CGS (Cover Glass Sensor) process. This means the touch sensor will no longer integrated with the actual display, but will instead be part of the cover that protects the LCD underneath.
  • The CGS displays weigh less than the current ones, and are more shock-resistant, according to Kuo. But they also cost more. To save money, Apple is going to leave out the 3D Touch sensor.
  • The KGI analyst says all 2019 models will use the CGS process, even the OLED ones, and therefore they won’t have 3D Touch.
 
World’s most famous Apple analyst may no longer be reporting on Apple
  • it seems that Kuo is moving on to greener pastures for a job with another firm. Unfortunately for Apple fans, this may mean focusing on non-Apple companies instead.
  • According to Kuo’s LinkedIn profile, he joined KGI in January 2012.
  • While Kuo is well known, he keeps a low profile and doesn’t do interviews. Very few pictures of him can be found online
 
Update: Unlimited MoviePass is back, but now it sucks
 
What we’re INTO
 
Red Paddle Co Inflatable Paddle Board
 
Santa Clarita Diet
 
A Quiet Place
 
St. George’s Green Chili Vodka
Direct download: CultCast_334_-_The_Death_of_3D_Touch_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:01pm PDT

This week: 
  • How Steve Jobs saved Pixar, then stole all their stock
  • iPhone SE will steal one of iPhone X’s best features
  • Told ya!  MoviePass ends its unlimited movie option
  • Gal Gadot promotes Huawei on twitter… from her iPhone
  • What the heck happened to the AirPower Mat?
  • And we wrap with the best iPhone camera lenses, wireless security system, and the most powerful flashlight on EARTH in an all-new under review.
 
This episode supported by
 
Students around the world choose Udemy to discover new passions, expand their skills, and even change careers.
Visit Ude.my/CULTCASTor download the Udemy app to learn anytime, anywhere.
 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout 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
 
 
Gal Gadot: I didn't cheat on Huawei Mate 10 Pro with iPhone
  • Gal Gadot, best known for the lead role in the Wonder Woman movie, became a ‘brand ambassador’ for Huawei earlier this year. In that role, she yesterday tweeted a glowing video about her new Huawei Mate 10 – with just one small problem
  • Marques Brownlee spotted, the tweet was sent from Twitter for iPhone.
  • Gadot’s publicist told CNET there was a perfectly innocent explanation.
    • “Some people have asked about my recent post with my new Huawei smartphone, and think I am using an iPhone,” Gadot said through her publicist. “That’s simply not the case. I love my Huawei P20 and Mate10Pro. They are lifelines wherever I am in the world.”
 
New iPhone SE will steal one of iPhone X’s best features
  • iPhone SE is looking to be a real beauty.  
  • Reliable leaker Benjamin Geskin claims the new iPhone SE, codenamed Jaguar, will feature wireless charging just like iPhone X. To make that possible, Apple is expected to scrap the handset’s aluminum unibody first introduced with iPhone 5 in favor of a shiny glass back panel.
  • Hopefully it’s waterproof and gets Touch ID 2.
  • The new iPhone SE, with a faster A10 Fusion processor, will likely make its official debut next month, according to recent reports.
 
What happened to the AirPower Mat?
  • At its September 2017 event, Apple said AirPower would appear some time in 2018, but since then we've barely heard a peep about about it.
  • AirPower will charge multiple devices at the same time, and while other mats out there can do that too, Apple says AirPower can help devices communicate with each other to manage power consumption.
  • It’s been 7 months now and we haven’t heard a peep.
  • Will the WDDC keynote on June 4th be the day?
 
 
Today in Apple history: Pixar gets out of the computer game
  • April 25, 1990: Steve Jobs shuts down Pixar’s hardware division (yes, it used to have one!), ending production of the pricey Pixar Image Computers immediately.
  • Pixar was Jobs’ “rebound” company after his departure from Apple in 1985. In early 1986, he bought a majority interest in Pixar from  George Lucas for just $5 million bucks.
  • When Lucas owned the company, he led the development of the Pixar Image Computer. George found existing computers too weak to handle the graphics needed to produce Pixar’s work (or to meet the demands of Hollywood studios that hired the company).
  • However, the computers sold poorly — and to a relatively small number of buyers.
  • When Pixar’s five-person Animation Group won an Oscar for its short film Tin Toy in 1989, Jobs’ interests switched to that team, which he previously planned to kill off due to its inability to turn a profit. The hardware division got canned instead.  
  • But then the story gets a strange twist.
 
Moment iPhone X lenses
 
Imalent DX80
 
Simpli Safe
 
Buster’s Instagram
 
Direct download: CultCast_333_-_How_Steve_Jobs_saved_Pixar_then_stole_all_their_stock.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:52pm PDT