On this, our last episode ever of the year, we throw out the naughty 2012 with new iPad 5 and mini rumors, our iOS 7 hopes & dreams, and our favorite must-see movies from the year gone by.

All while discovering the true nature of one Mr. L. Kahney…  he's not who you think he is!

Thanks to DigiDNA, crafters of DiskAid 6, for making this episode possible.  

DiskAid 6 is the best way to transfer videos, documents, and other information on and off your iDevices with ease.  Download your voicemails, call logs, photos, videos, or anything else right to your computer—all via WiFi, all without long iTunes syncing—with the new DiskAid 6.

Download it today and use its basic features for free at http://www.digidna.net/products/diskaid

On this week's CultCast, we're ending the year with our favorite gear! Don't miss our "End of Days, Faves 'N Raves," where pitch our favorite apps, accessories, games, even shows, of 2012.

But before that, we'll break down the whole Instagram debacle for you, and tell you why you should be paying attention to the big I's plans for your personal pics.

All that and Tim Cook, person of the year?

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Our twitters! @erfon, @lkahney, @bst3r, @alexeheath
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And thanks to our sponsor, CrashPlan for making this episode possible.

CrashPlan is automatic, offsite, data backup for your PC or Mac. With CrashPlan, your important files are protected, but accessible to you – anytime, anywhere.

CrashPlan is also what Erfon uses to keep his Macs securely backed up.

Try it out for free at http://www.crashplan.com.

Google's new Maps App is out for iOS!  We'll tell you what we love and don't.

Plus, a very special announcement we couldn't have made without you, our much-loved CultCast listeners.

Then, Flickr's new app; Twitter wants to be your Instagram; and don't miss our end chat on The Hobbit and, best movie of 2013, FRIGGIN' ALIENS.

On this week's CultCast, Erfon rants: why Apple Maps has lost its luster; Ashton Kutcher does his best Steve jOBS impression; then, Tim Cook charms and makes some interesting comments in his interview with Brian Williams - we analyze!

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Thanks To Our Sponsor

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DigiDNA, makers of DiskAid 5, the iPhone, iPad, and iPod transfer tool for Mac *and* PC.

Try DiskAid 5 for free at http://DigiDNA.net, and save 30% on a license at checkout with code THECULTCAST at checkout.

Apple has finally given us iTunes 11, and oh boy, is it a worthy upgrade.  We'll tell you what we like, what we don't, but more importantly, what Apple needs to make iTunes relevant again.

And then our thoughts on Will.i.am's baffling new iPhone accessory and social network.  Will anyone wanna buy this thing?

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If you bought all these apps separately it would be $780!  Check out the deal now before the it expires at https://deals.cultofmac.com/sales/the-istack-mac-bundle-2-0 

Apple's Black Friday sales; Oprah's love for the iPad; and Tim Cook's favorite Thanksgiving accoutrements all on this very gravy-covered over-stuffed CultCast!

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Thanks to Audible for sponsoring the show!

Audible is the best place on the internet to get your audio books and entertainment, with over 100,000 titles to choose from in every imaginable genre.  Audible's spoken entertainment titles also work on any MP3 player, no iPod required.

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Apple and HTC put their lawsuits behind them; Microsoft's paid cavalcade of celebrity Windows Phone endorsements make us sad; and Apple's big new plans to to fan the flames of employee innovation.

As you'll soon hear, no topic is safe from discussion on this week's CultCast!

All that and a big Faves 'N Raves controversy meltdown!

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Thanks To Our Sponsor

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DigiDNA, makers of DiskAid 5, the iPhone, iPad, and iPod transfer tool for Mac and PC.

Try DiskAid 5 for free at http://DigiDNA.net, and save 30% on a license at checkout with code THECULTCAST at checkout.

On this week's CultCast, with no new Apple hardware to wax on and on about, we were forced to come up with real, actual content!

So begrudgingly, this week we cover some of our favorite and most useful productivity apps; tell you if you can ever expect to see Google's answer to Apple Maps released to the App Store; and did you know Samsung's about to change their logo to a pear with a bite taken out of it?  Kidding!  But rumor is they're about to rebrand in a major more "Apple-like" way…

All that and more on this week's CultCast!

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Thanks To Our Sponsor

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Thanks to Audible for sponsoring the show!

Audible is the best place on the internet to get your audio books and entertainment, with over 100,000 titles to choose from in every imaginable genre.  Audible's spoken entertainment titles also work on any MP3 player, no iPod required.

Get your free audio book now at http://audiblepodcast.com/cultcast.

Ok, so we've fondling Apple's new iPad mini for hours and hours now, and we're ready to report our first impressions and answer the question: without a retina display, is the iPad mini a worthy replacement for its larger, retina-pixeled brother?

It's an Apple executive shakedown, and all sorts of fruit is falling off the tree!

Find out what the departure of long time exectutive Scott Forstall and the just-hired John Browett means for iOS, OS X, Apple stores, and all the great Apple products you love.  Plus, Jony Ive's about to get even more design control over all the Macs you love to own, but is that a good thing?

Then, get out your lighsbaers, cause we're diving deep into the Disney acquisition of LucasFilm and what that means for everyone's favorite space movies.

If this doesn't end in another Spaceballs movie, we're gonna be upset.

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Thanks To Our Sponsor

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DigiDNA, makers of DiskAid 5, the iPhone, iPad, and iPod transfer tool for Mac and PC.

Try DiskAid 5 for free at http://DigiDNA.net, and save 30% on a license at checkout with code THECULTCAST at checkout.