The CultCast
This week, it's our epic final episode of 2016!  We’ll wrap up the year with our hands-on review of the hottness themselves, Apple’s AirPods.  Then… is Apple’s “Golden Era” drawing to a close?  We discuss.  And finally, ya’ll know we review a lot of products during the year—we’ll reveal our absolute favorite gadgets of 2016!
 
This episode supported by
CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co.
 
On the show this week
 
Tim Cook calls AirPods a ‘runaway success’
  • During a short interview, Cook told CNBC the new AirPods are a “runaway success” and that the company is making them as fast as it can. Cook didn’t divulge details on how well the company is doing, but he did hint that the holiday was really good to Apple.
 
Every Apple store worldwide is sold out of AirPods
  • According to airpods.isinstock.com, and istocknow.com, Airpods are sold out at every Apple Store in the world
  • Apple stores have been getting in very limited quantities and they “sell out in minutes”
 
All the ways Apple disappointed us in 2016
  • Some are saying 2016 is the year that appl's 'golden age' drew to a close
Our favorite gadgets of 2016!
 
Leander
 
Erfon
Buster
Direct download: CultCast_264_-_Best_gadgets_of_2016.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:06am PDT

This week: everything we like (and dont) about AirPods; the insider way to lock down your own AirPods without waiting 6 weeks; Apple’s Mac division has a falling out with Jony Ive; and we remember the best of Apple, 2016.

This episode supported by

 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / “at” David Pierini

 

Mac division has ‘lost clout’ with Jony Ive and Apple design team
  • Apple’s Mac team has reportedly “lost clout” with the company’s industrial design group and software team, claims a new report
  • The picture painted by Mark Gurman as Bloomberg is a Mac division with a lack of clear direction from senior management, departures of key employees, and technical challenges — all conspiring to make the Mac one of Apple’s forgotten divisions.
  • The article notes that ever since last year’s reshuffle of Apple’s design team, meetings between the Mac team and the industrial design team have become less frequent.
  • It also notes more than a dozen engineers and managers working on the Mac have left over the past 18 months, with at least a sizable percentage put off by their lack of clarity about the “future of Mac hardware.”
  • One possible problem is the lack of a singular vision driving the division. Instead of having one concept to work on, increasingly engineers are — in the words of one source — “asked to develop multiple options in hopes that one of them will be shippable.” The result is that resources become more thinly spread than ever, while products ship later.
  • Mac generates about 10 percent of Apple sales
 
 
Don’t worry, Tim Cook says new iMacs are coming
  • The iMac didn’t get much love in 2016, but according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, killer new desktop Macs are coming.
  • In a note to Apple employees, Cook assured staff that desktop computers are still “really important” and that they shouldn’t worry about future machines.
  • “Some folks in the media have raised the question about whether we’re committed to desktops,” Cook wrote according to TechCrunch. “If there’s any doubt about that with our teams, let me be very clear: we have great desktops in our roadmap. Nobody should worry about that.”
 
The 10 best Apple ads of 2016
Direct download: CultCast_263_-_AirPods__The_good_the_bad_the_amazing..mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:12am PDT

This week: an honest look at Mario Run; better-sounding AirPod alternatives; the cool new stuff in the iOS and tvOS updates; and we reveal the hands-down best tv shows of 2016!

 

This episode supported by
 
Jamf Now's cloud-based Mobile Device Management is the affordable way to manage the iPads, iPhones, and Macs in your workplace, and you can manage 3 devices free at jamf.com/CultCast.
 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

 

Mario Run to the Apple store to snag Nintendo’s first major iOS game.
AirPods finally available with shipping in time for Christmas
  • Apple’s long-awaited wireless AirPods are finally available to buy through Apple’s online store — priced at $159.
  • While it’s not known when they’ll be available for sale in brick-and-mortar Apple retail stores, you can breathe a sigh of relief, since orders placed through Apple’s online store are currently showing a pre-Christmas delivery date of December 21
  • Apple said AirPods will be available for purchase at Apple stores by next week, as well as authorized resellers, and select carriers. Apple also said stores will receive "regular AirPods shipments”
 
iOS 10.2 is out with new emoji, TV app and wallpapers
  • iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users get a couple of new wallpapers in the new update. There are also more than 100 new emoji, including new characters for shrug, avocado, gorilla, shark and bacon.
 
tvOS 10.1 update brings Apple’s TV app to the living room
  • TV fans can binge on all their shows in one place with Apple’s new TV app, which simplifies the experience. With the new single sign-on feature, you can quickly access your subscribed content on all your devices. (Here’s how to set up single sign-on for Apple TV and iOS devices.)
 
Lewis reviews these IQBuds AirPod alternatives
 
The best shows of 2016!
  • Peeky Blinders!
  • Sherlock!
  • The Walking Dead!
  • Westworld!
  • Stranger Things!
  • Boogie2988 (Youtube)!
  • People Vs. OJ Simpson!
  • The Crown!
Direct download: CultCast_262_-_AirPod_alternatives__the_BEST_shows_of_2016.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:05am PDT

This week: why Apple is done chasing big hit products.  Plus: the demise of Pebble Watch is a bad omen for wearables; Foxconn secretly prepares to make more Apple products in the US; and we remember our favorite movies of 2016!

This episode supported by
 
Harry’s super-sharp, German-made razors ship free right to your door and for way less than the drugstore razors. Get a free trial set at Harrys.com and score free post shave balm 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 get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co.
 
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

 

Apple stops swinging for the fences
http://www.cultofmac.com/456698/apple-stops-swinging-fences/#more-456698
  • Apple analyst Horrace Dediu says Apple’s cultural identity is undergoing a dramatic shift
  • Instead of being in the “new hit product business”, Dediu told said that Apple is trying to become a “services and recurring-revenue business.”
  • Dediu argues that constantly trying for home runs has been demoralizing for employees, so Apple CEO Tim Cook move away from that attitude.
  • Will Apple ever have another “iPhone”?

Apple Says 35% of U.S. Merchants Accept Apple Pay
  • Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey has announced that 35% of U.S. merchants now accept Apple Pay.
  • Bailey says the new EMV chip cards are annoying customers and have helped drive adoption.
  • New chip cards are the worst!!

 

Fitbit Buyout Will See Pebble's Time 2 and Core Wearables Canceled, Refunds Issued
Bloomberg has report that Fitbit is buying out Pebble
  • The buyout will cost "less than $40 million" and is only for Pebble's software assets, which Fitbit wants "in a bid to better compete with Apple”
  • Pebble watch hardware is dead, with support ending sometime in the future.
  • All pending orders will be canceled and refunded.
  • I’m still not convinced smart watches will be around in 5 years.
  • Tim Cook has just announced that Apple Watch sales are “off the charts,” but Sales of Apple Watch are down more than 70 percent, according to IDC Research.

iPhone Assembler Foxconn in Early Talks to Expand U.S. Operations
  • According to Reuters, Apple manufacturer Foxconn is in the beginning stages of building a collection of assembly plants within the United States
  • CNBC has alleged that Foxconn will be investing $7 billion into its U.S. expansion and aiming for the creation of 50,000 jobs
  • After being outed by CNBC, Foxconn simply has states that more details will come after its finished talks with "the relevant U.S. officials”
  • In a call made to Trump by Apple CEO Tim Cook, Trump mentioned told Tim that one of his goals would is be to "get Apple to build a big plant in the United States” 
  • Foxconn does have manufacturing facilities on a very small scale in the U.S., in Virginia and Indiana, along with logistic locations in California and Texas
  • Will Apple every had major manufacturing back in the US?
Direct download: CultCast_261_-_Apple_s_next_big_thing_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:49pm PDT

This week: why building a Hackintosh can get you the monster Mac youve always wanted.  Plus: Apple analyst Ming-Chi Quo reveals iPhone 8’s marquee feature; AirPods ship date is finally revealed; and stick around for our top Apple Airport router replacement picks!

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.

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  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.
 
On the show this week
 
Apple’s long-awaited AirPods will ship in ‘next few weeks’
  • Apple revealed the earbuds alongside the iPhone 7, promising an October delivery date, but anxious customers have not been able to buy a set.
  • In  email obtained by MacRumors, a customer asks Tim Cook where his AirPods are.
    • Customer’s comment: “Give us a release date. I really bought in to the wireless vision you painted….Let us know if it’s a month or 6 months, because then I’ll just buy some other wireless headphones.”
    • Tim Cook’s response: “Thanks for your note. Sorry for the delay—we are finalizing them and I anticipate we will begin to ship over the next few weeks.”
 
Innovative iPhone 8 could shatter sales records
  • Apple has big plans for the iPhone 8, claims KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
  • According to Kuo, Apple will be scaling up iPhone production 120-150 million units in the second half of 2017. If true, this would would be well above the 110-120 million units Apple ordered of its bestselling iPhone 6 generation handsets.
  • Kuo claims this “unprecedented” demand will be centered around the myriad big improvements Apple has planned for its next-gen iPhone series.
 
iPhone 8’s glass design will finally bring wireless charging
  • The rumored decision to adopt a glass chassis for the next-generation iPhone is reportedly fueled by a desire to improve wireless charging, another key feature supposedly coming to Apple’s 2017 phone.
  • The report comes from notable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who claims that all 2017-era iPhones will boast the long-awaited wireless charging tech.
  • Earlier this year, a report from Bloomberg said Apple was working with partners to overcome current technical barriers with wireless technology, including loss of power over distance. If successful, innovation could make Apple’s version of wireless charging considerably more advanced than Samsung’s.
 
How to watch Netflix offline
  • An update to the official Netflix app lets you download TV shows and movies so you can view them without munching through your data allowance.
  • Not all titles are available for download,” according to Netflix. “If you have a particular title in mind, you can search for that title and look for the download icon.
 
People love Apple’s doomed AirPort more than any other router
  • According to the more than 3,000 customers polled in J.D. Power’s 2016 Wireless Router Satisfaction Report released today, please love Apple’s routers more than any other.
  • The top gripes were how often users had to reset their routers, general data speeds, and the difficulty of getting them set up.
  • Apple was the only company to receive a 5-star Power Circle consumer rating, which places it "among the best" according to J.D. Power.
 
Direct download: CultCast_260_-_Hackintosh_Monster_Mac.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:12pm PDT

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