The CultCast
This week: Apple let’s us all in to their super secret design lab, and what we find is amazing; the best of the holiday iOS App Store deals; and we pick our favorite movies of 2015!
 
This episode supported by
 
Freshbooks, the easy-to-use invoicing software designed to help small business owners get organized, save time invoicing and get paid faster.  And I can vouch for this from experience, it also makes tax time a cinch.  Get started with a free trial at Freshbooks.com/cultcast, and please enter “CultCast” in the “How did you hear about us?” section!
 
Thanks to Audible for supporting this episode. Audible, the home of over 150,000 audio books from practically every genre in existence.  Grab Leander's book, Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products, for FREE with a 30-day Audible trial.  The book is yours to keep even if you decide not to keep your Audible subscription.  Get started now at audiblepodcast.com/cultcast
 
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a huge thanks for all the great music you hear in today's show.
 
On the show this week
 
A very rare look into the Apple Design Lab
 
The Beatles Are Coming to Apple Music on Christmas Eve
 
God help us, Kim Kardashian now has her own emoji
 
App Store Holiday Sales: Final Fantasy VII, Lara Croft GO, Notability and More
DuckTales: Remastered ($9.99 → 99¢) 
Bastion ($4.99 → 99¢) 
Deliveries ($4.99 → $2.99) 
Leo's Fortune ($4.99 → 99¢) 
 
Direct download: CultCast_211_-_Kanye_Cobra.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:24pm PDT

This week: the force is looking very strong with the new Star Wars movie; live football may be coming to the Apple TV; the tvOS app store hits a major milestone; why you shouldn't expect 3D touch in the next iPad Air; and with 2016 on the horizon, we’ll review our favorite games, gadgets, and books of 2015.  Hit play, you must!
 
This episode supported by
 
Freshbooks — the easy-to-use invoicing software designed to help small business owners get organized, save time invoicing and get paid faster.  It also makes tax time a cinch. Get started with a free trial at Freshbooks.com/cultcast, and enter “CultCast” in the “How did you hear about us?” section.
 
Start protecting your home with Canary today for just $199. Go to meetcanary.com to see it in action and use the promo code “cultcast" to get free overnight shipping.
 
Harry’s super-sharp, German-made razors ship free right to your door and for way less than the drugstore razors. Learn more at Harrys.com and save $5 off your first order with code CultCast.
 
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a huge thanks for all the great music you hear in today's show.
 
On the show this week
 
Intro - You too can wookie!
 
Star Wars is back: The Force Awakens is as awesome as you hoped it would be
 
tvOS App Store After One Month: 2,624 Apps in Total, Entertainment Apps Most Popular With Consumers
 
Apple expected to bid on Thursday Night Football streaming deal - buster
 
Apple Working on Scalable 3D Touch Technology for Future iPads and iPhones
 
Our favorite stuff from 2015
 
Buster - Lilith’s Brood
 
Erfon - Super Mario Maker
 
Leander - Amazon Echo
 
Direct download: CultCast_210_-_The_hot_dog_you_will_like.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:47pm PDT

This week: we take a look at Apple’s zany new Smart Battery Case; we cover the new and notable in the newest WatchOS, tvOS, and iOS updates; discuss our favorite strategies for managing overloaded inboxes; and stick around till the end for our favorite iOS apps and games of 2015!
 
This episode supported by
 
Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.
 
Start protecting your home with Canary today for just $199. Go to meetcanary.com to see it in action and use the promo code “cultcast" to get free overnight shipping.
 
Casper — 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.
 
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a huge thanks for all the great music you hear in today's show.
 
On the show this week
 
Internet questions Jony Ive’s sanity with new iPhone battery case - buster
 
 
Eddy Cue promises new iOS remote app for Apple TV - buster
Direct download: CultCast_209_-_The_Negotiator.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:43pm PDT

This week: though Apple spends far less on research and development than the competition, they out innovate them all.  How?  Hit play to catch the discussion.  Plus: iPhone 7 may ditch the beloved headphone jack; Amazon Video is coming to Apple TV; the holiday accessory that could be eroding your WiFi signal;  and with the year drawing to a close, we choose we our favorite Apple device of 2015!
 
This episode supported by
 
Lynda is like the Apple Music of online education, with over 3000 expert-taught video courses you can stream straight to computer or mobile device. Learn how to use Logic’s new super powerful Alchemy synth, ordevelop Mac apps for OS X—learn all you want for free for 10 days at lynda.com/cultcast.
 
Start protecting your home with Canary today for just $199. Go to meetcanary.com to see it in action and use the promo code “cultcast" to get free overnight shipping.
 
Harry’s super-sharp, German-made razors ship free right to your door and for way less than the drugstore razors. Learn more at Harrys.com and save $5 off your first order with code CultCast.
 
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a huge thanks for the great music you hear in today's show.
 
On the show this week
 
Intro - HyperCard Mania!
 
Amazon is bringing Instant Video app to Apple TV
 
Apple would be stupid to drop the iPhone headphone jack - evan
 
 
Target sold one iPad per second on Thanksgiving 
 
Apple’s R&D spending proves innovation isn’t all about money
 
Apple offers kids free ‘Hour of Code’ programming classes
 
 
Direct download: CultCast_208_-_The_Tickler.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:57pm PDT

This week: why Apple might just need to bring OS X to the iPad; the Apple Pencil makes anyone a digital artist; one Apple TV pro tip you absolutely need to know; fun facts about Apple’s new Spaceship campus; and finally… Gobble Gobble yaaaa’aaall!  We’re invited to a magical Thanksgiving feast at Tim Cook’s house in another episode of Get To Know Your Cultist.
 
This episode supported by
 
Start protecting your home with Canary today for just $199. Go to meetcanary.com to see it in action and use the promo code “cultcast" to get free overnight shipping.
 
Harry’s super-sharp, German-made razors ship free right to your door and for way less than the drugstore razors. Learn more at Harrys.com and save $5 off your first order with code CultCast.
 
Freshbooks — the easy-to-use invoicing software designed to help small business owners get organized, save time invoicing and get paid faster.  And I can vouch for this from experience, it also makes tax time a cinch.  Get started with a free trial at Freshbooks.com/cultcast, and please enter “CultCast” in the “How did you hear about us?” section!
 
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a huge thanks for all the great music you hear in today's show.
 
On the show this week
 
Apple’s spaceship campus is big enough to hold Disneyland
 
Direct download: CultCast_207_-_Kiss_The_Cook.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:21pm PDT

This week: get your mace and taser ready for Black Friday! We share some of the best deals on MacBooks, iPhones, Playstation 4s, Xbox One’s, Wii U’s and more.    Plus: why your Mac store apps could be corrupted (and what to do about it); RDIO bites the dust; and the iPad Mini 4 proves far better than we originally thought.
 
This episode supported by
 
Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.
 
Start protecting your home with Canary today for just $199. Go to meetcanary.com to see it in action and use the promo code “cultcast" to get free overnight shipping.
 
Casper — 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.
 
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a huge thanks for all the great music you hear in today's show.
 
On the show this week
This week’s intro
 
JNCO’s making a comeback!
 
 
Rdio is filing for bankruptcy, Pandora will buy ‘key assets’ for $75M
 
Find the hottest Black Friday deals right here
 
Some of our favorite deals:
 
Playstation 4 (act quick!) for $299 shipped
 
Apple Watch with $100 Target Gift Card for $349 at Target
 
Xbox One 500GB Gears of War Bundle, Fallout 4Extra Controller for $300 at Dell Home (available 3pm PST 11/16)
 
iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S Plus with a $250 Target Gift Card for $0 down at Target
 
 
B&H's holiday sale slashes 2015 MacBook Pros by $200-$300 , 12" MacBooks by $170-$200, 13" MacBook Airs by $100-$450, iPad mini 4 by $30
Direct download: CultCast_206_-_Black_November.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:19pm PDT

This week:  can the new iPad Pro really replace your Mac?  Apple seems to think so, but we’ve got a Pro in-hand and we’re not so sure.  Plus: Apple may soon offer us all a simple way to pay each other; and stick around for another classic El Kahney rant—zombie edition—it's an all new Stuff We’re Into!
 
Thanks to our sponsors keep us fed!
 
Start protecting your home with Canary today for just $199. Go to meetcanary.com to see it in action and use the promo code “cultcast" to get free overnight shipping.
 
Our thanks to Harry’s for supporting this episode. Harry’s super-sharp, German-made razors ship free right to your door and for way less than the drugstore razors. Learn more at Harrys.com and save $5 off your first order with code CultCast.
 
Your business, applications, and compute workloads are different from everyone else's, so Softlayer provides cloud resources that meet your unique needs.  Get $500 of cloud infrastructure by visiting softlayer.com/Podcast.
 
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a huge thanks for the great music you hear in today's show.
 
On the show this week
This week’s intro
 
First impressions with the big and beautiful iPad Pro - leander
 
Jony Ive interview: The story of the Apple Pencil
Direct download: CultCast_205_-_Beautiful_Manscapes.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:42pm PDT

This week: "home buttonless" iPhone 7s; the new Apple TV remote is unnervingly easy to break; the UK wants your Apple devices to be less secure; and we pitch our favorite new Apple TV apps!
 
This episode supported by
 
Lynda is like the Apple Music of online education, with over 3000 expert-taught video courses you can stream straight to computer or mobile device. Learn how to use Logic’s new super powerful Alchemy synth, ordevelop Mac apps for OS X—learn all you want for free for 10 days at lynda.com/cultcast.
 
Your business, applications, and compute workloads are different from everyone else's, so Softlayer provides cloud resources that meet your unique needs.  Get $500 of cloud infrastructure by visiting softlayer.com/Podcast.
 
Start protecting your home with Canary today for just $199. Go to meetcanary.com to see it in action and use the promo code “cultcast" to get free overnight shipping.
 
On the show this week
 
This week’s links
 
Can you fall in love with a computer?
 
Lumina City ($5)
 
Operator (free!)
 
Plex for Apple TV (free!)
 
Leander likes The Returned show on Netflix 
 
Don’t drop your new Apple TV remote!
 
4-inch iPhone 6s is coming soon, says top Apple analyst
 
Companies such as Apple, Google and others will no longer be able to offer encryption so advanced that even they cannot decipher it when asked to under the Investigatory Powers Bill
Direct download: CultCast_204_-_Private_Eyes_Are_Watching_You.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:02pm PDT

This week: Apple just had their best year ever—we’ll put it in perspective.  Plus: Nintendo’s first iOS game confuses us; the new Apple TV isn’t quite the revolution Apple promised; and stick around for a spooky new Get to Know Ur Cultist… if you DARE.
 
This episode supported by
 
Your business, applications, and compute workloads are different from everyone else's, so Softlayer provides cloud resources that meet your unique needs.  Get $500 of cloud infrastructure by visiting softlayer.com/Podcast.
 
Backblaze online backup is: $5 a month. Mac Native. Unlmited. Unthrottled. Uncomplicated. And setup takes a minute.  Try it free for two weeks at backblaze.com/cultcast
 
Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.
 
On the show this week
 
This week’s links
 
Our ghoulish intro
 
This Marty McFly costume rules them all
 
Heeee can show yooou the wooorrrlld
 
The 7 biggest takeaways from Apple’s Q4 earnings call
 
Apple Stores to Start Selling Apple TV 4 on Friday
Direct download: CultCast_203_-_Children_of_the_Candycorn.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:41pm PDT

This week: we’ll tell you our hands-on first impressions of the new Apple TV, and it’s not all sugar and spice.  Plus: the new and notable in OS X 10.11.1 and iOS 9.1.  And stick around till the end for an all new Get To Know Your Cultist, #FutureDay edition, because your life might. Just. DEPEND on it...
 
Thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode.  Start building your website today at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.
 
And Softlayer.  Your business, applications, and compute workloads are different from everyone else's, so you deserve cloud resources that meet your unique needs.  Get $500 of cloud infrastructure by visiting softlayer.com/Podcast.
 
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a huge thanks for the great theme music you hear in today's show.
 
This Marty McFly costume rules them all
 
Apple TV available for pre-order and shipping next week
 
YouTube’s new streaming service charges iOS users an Apple tax
 
OS X 10.11.1 update brings new emoji, Microsoft Office fixes and more
 
Direct download: CultCast_202_-_OUTATIME.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:28pm PDT