The CultCast

This week:

  • We’ve found even MORE of the weirdest and wackiest Apple products that time forgot
  • The best new features in iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4.
  • Rumors mills say Apple may resurrect the PowerBook!
  • iPhone 8 rumors point to a backside TouchID
  • The sources of Steve Jobs best one-liners
  • A wobbly British guy tries to ski
 
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.
 
VideoBlocks, the affordable, subscription-based stock media site that gives you unlimited access to premium stock footage. Check it out for free for 7 days at videoblocks.com/cultcast
 
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.
 
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 / @bst3r / @lkahney

 

Intro: A young Jony Ive on the 20th Anniversary Mac
 
‘iPhone Edition’ could have rear-facing Touch ID sensor
  • A (somewhat sketchy) new report claims that the tenth anniversary iPhone, commonly referred to as the iPhone 8, will instead by called the iPhone Edition.
  • In addition, it suggests that the major form factor redesign that’s been reported on may turn out to be less drastic than some are imagining — although changes will include features like a rear-mounted Touch ID sensor.
  • According to the report, which is accompanied by renders showing the design, the iPhone Edition won’t feature a Touch ID sensor embedded beneath the display, but rather a fingerprint scanner on the rear of the device.
  • It also won’t come with the glass back plate, but will instead stick to having a metal back plate as the result of glass’ tendency to shatter when dropped
 
Does Apple trademark filing mean PowerBook is coming back?
  • A couple of news outlets are flipping their lid over the news that Apple has filed a new worldwide trademark for the word “PowerBook,” the name of Apple’s pre-MacBook laptop series, which ran from 1991 until 2006.
  • In fact, a lot of Apple’s trademarks are about stopping its assets falling into other company’s hands — as happened when rival watchmaker Swatch decided to trademark Steve Jobs’ iconic “One more thing” catchphrase, shortly after Apple began competing with it in the watch business.
 
Swiss watchmaker hits back at Apple by trademarking ‘One more thing’
  • This isn’t the first time Apple has had people try to pilfer its well-known “One more thing” phrase. At the launch of Apple ripoff artist Xiaomi’ Mi 4 smartphone, CEO Lei Jun “borrowed” Apple’s tagline while also wearing a black top and blue jeans.
  • The trademark was registered in Germany in May, but was granted in 2015.
  • It was originally a quotation by Jobs of Peter Falk’s Columbo character
  • “Stay hungry, stay foolish” - Whole Earth Catalog, a magazine Steve Jobs loved.
 
20th Anniversary Mac
  • one of the first Macs to be designed by Jony Ive, and it paved the way for the vertical design of computer that forms today's iMacIt looked like a movie prop.  The beautiful machine every 90s CEO would covet.
  • April 1, 1996 marked 20 years since the day that Steve JobsSteve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne came together to form Apple Computer, and they decided to release the 20th Anniversary Mac to celebrate this momentous occasion.
  • It featured a a TV/FM tuner, an S-Video input card, and a custom-made Bose sound system including two "Jewel” speakers, and a subwoofer built into the externally located power supply "base unit”.
  • Upon unveiling, the TAM was predicted to cost US$9,000, which would include a direct-to-door concierge delivery service. At release the price was reduced to $7,499.  Problem was, it similar performance as the PowerMac 6500, a machine costing just $2,999.
  • In the middle of its sales' lifespan Apple dropped the price further to around US$3,500, and finally upon discontinuation in March 1998 the price was set to US$1,995. Customers who paid full price for the TAM, and then complained to Apple when the price was so drastically cut, were offered a free high-end Powerbook as compensation.
 
 
TimeBand
It's hard to imagine, but there was actually a time when the Apple freely shared its concepts with the world. In 1991, under the leadership of John Scully, Apple shared a bunch of design concepts with a Japanese magazine called Axis.
 
One of the strange products included in the spread was a wearable wrist computer called TimeBand.
Like an iPad mini living on your wrist!
 
 
The beautiful, the portable, Apple PowerCD
 
Direct download: CultCast_277_-_MORE_weird__wacky_Apple_products_that_time_forgot_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:40pm PDT

This week: our reactions to all Apple’s new products 💪🏼 

  • Apple’s new iPad is cheaper, fatter, heavier, and underpowered
  • Why the iPad Mini Pro is kind of a ripoff
  • Two reasons you should not buy a Product Red iPhone 7
  • What is Apple’s new Clips app do?  We’ll give you the rundown
  • Why Leander’s got mixed feelings about his new Pioneer SPH-DA120 Car Play stereo
  • Erfon’s reviews the Think Tank Helipack V2, a gigantic backpack built for your DJI Phantom

 

This episode supported by

Blue Apron makes it easy to cook delicious meals at home.  See their upcoming menu and get your first three meals free at BlueApron.com/CultCast.
 
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.
 
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 / @bst3r / @lkahney


Macintosh TV Commercial with Tim Barton!
 

Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad is more affordable than ever

http://www.cultofmac.com/472635/apples-9-7-inch-ipad-is-now-more-affordable/

  • Apple today introduced a new, fatter 9.7-inch iPad that’s more affordable than ever before.
  • Macrumors calls the new iPad "a little bit iPhone 6s, a little bit iPad Air, and a little bit iPad Air 2.”
  • The device looks almost identical to the iPad Air 2 that it is replacing in Apple’s tablet lineup
  • Starts at just $329 with 32GB of storage, $429 for 128GB
  • Apple has swapped out the older model’s A8X chip for a faster, 64-bit A9 processor that debuted with the iPhone 6s.
  • It uses an unlaminated screen, and is 7% heavier and 20% fatter than the iPad Air 2, but the screen is brighter.
  • Goes on sale Friday March 24
 
iPad Mini
  • The iPad mini 4 is still the same price, but you get more storage for free. The 128GB model with Wi-Fi now starts at $399, which was previously the price for the 32GB model.

iPad mini 4 gets 128GB of storage, still a total ripoff
  • It seems like a good deal. Until you consider that the new 9.7-inch iPad, which offers a bigger and sharper display and a faster A9 chip, makes it a total ripoff.
 
iPhone SE
  • The iPhone SE is still the same phone, but it’s now available in 32GB and 128GB flavors, doubling the storage capacity of the previous versions. Prices are still $399 and $499 (unlocked).
 
This is the (RED) iPhone 7 Apple should have made
  • The company today unveiled a special edition (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which will be available to order at 8:01 a.m. Pacific on Friday, March 24.\
  • They also cost the same as the regular iPhone 7s, but, there is no 32GB option. So, prices start at $749 for a 128GB iPhone 7, and $869 for a 128GB iPhone 7 Plus
  • Not everyone loves the color…
 
Apple’s new Clips app muscles in on fun social video sharing
  • Apple has announced the upcoming launch of a new app designed to make it fun and easy for people to create and share “expressive videos” on their iPhone and iPads.
  • Called Clips, the social app will work by combining video clips, photos and music into videos that can be shared with friends through the Messages app, or using Instagram, Facebook and other popular social networks.
  • Live titles are text captions created by what you say in the video timed to when you say the words
  • You can splice in soundtracks
  • Video is cropped to square
  • App recognize faces of people if they’re tagged in your Photos app
  • Also names spoken in your video if they’re in your contacts, and will suggest you share videos with those friends.
Direct download: CultCast_276_-_Our_Apple_hardware_reactions_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:28pm PDT

This week: Apple’s about to overhaul the iPad, and it’s long overdue!  Plus: why Steve Jobs was cool with your kids using an iPad, but not his own; how the technology we love might be making us all stupid;  and we wrap up with an all new CultCast Choices, the game of great gifts with strange side effects...

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.
 
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.
 
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 / @bst3r / @lkahney

Westworld-style folding phone might get real this year
  • Smartphones that fold out into a tablet are one of the many awesome inventions the creators of Westworld promised we have to look forward to in the future. But according to a new rumor, Samsung might make them a reality in 2017.
New iPads to arrive next month during first Apple Park event
  • Apple will announce its next-generation iPad lineup next month during its very first event at Apple Park, according to a new report.
  • Sources say that production of the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro has been brought forward for the launch. The device is expected to be accompanied by an updated 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a more affordable 9.7-inch iPad.
  • Apple “is expected to unveil the new iPad at a product event to be held in early April to mark the inauguration of Apple’s new headquarters in California,”
  • The new 10.5″ iPad would have the exact same resolution as the 12.9″ iPad Pro (2732 x 2048), but the same pixel density of the iPad mini (326 ppi instead of 264 ppi). Crunch the numbers, do a little Pythagorean Theorem, and you end up with a screen 10.5″ diagonal
 
Server logs reveal Apple is testing four new iPad models
  • Device logs obtained by mobile marketing firm Fiksu appear to show that four different iPad models are currently being tested in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • Just because four model numbers have been discovered doesn’t mean Apple will release four different iPads this month.
  • Last year, Fiksu saw new device model names pop up in its logs about a month before the new iPads were announced.
 
Steve Jobs Was a Low-Tech Parent

When Steve Jobs was running Apple, he was known to call journalists to either pat them on the back for a recent article or, more often than not, explain how they got it wrong. I was on the receiving end of a few of those calls. But nothing shocked me more than something Mr. Jobs said to me in late 2010 after he had finished chewing me out for something I had written about an iPad shortcoming.

  • New York Times reporter Nick Bilton said he once assumingly asked Jobs, “So your kids must love the iPad?”
  • “They haven’t used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”
  • “Every evening Steve made a point of having dinner at the big long table in their kitchen, discussing books and history and a variety of things,”
  • Since then, I’ve met a number of technology chief executives and venture capitalists who say similar things: they strictly limit their children’s screen time, often banning all gadgets on school nights, and allocating ascetic time limits on weekends.
  • Evan Williams, a founder of Blogger, Twitter and Medium, and his wife, Sara Williams, said that in lieu of iPads, their two young boys have hundreds of books (yes, physical ones) that they can pick up and read anytime.
  • Ali Partovi, a founder of iLike and adviser to Facebook, Dropbox and Zappos, said " I wouldn’t dream of limiting how much time a kid can spend with her paintbrushes, or playing her piano, or writing, I think it’s absurd to limit her time spent creating computer art, editing video, or computer programming,”
 
This Minecraft Hololens demo is incredible
 
Fartman, Leander’s alter ego

 

Direct download: CultCast_275_-_How_Apple_will_make_iPad_SEXY_again_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:18am PDT

This week:  the CIA loses control of its iPhone hacking arsenal, and computer crooks turn your gadgets against you.  Plus: why iPhone 8 may arrive later than you hoped; our favorite Apple Airport replacement routers; and we discuss the non-Apple gear we’re currently obsessing over in an all-new and aptly named What We’re Into
 
This week:
  • The CIA loses control of its iPhone hacking arsenal!
  • Computer crooks turn your gadgets against you.
  • Why iPhone 8 may arrive later than you hoped.
  • Our favorite routers to replace your Apple Airport.
  • The non-Apple gear we’re currently obsessing over! It’s all-new, overdue, What We’re Into 💪🏼
 

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.
 
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.
 
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 / @bst3r / @lkahney

 

WikiLeaks: CIA lost control of its iPhone hacking arsenal

  • The Central Intelligence Agency has been using malware to spy on iPhone and Android users, according to the largest-ever publication of confidential documents from WikiLeaks — and the spy tools are now in the hands of others.
  • “This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA.”
  • As part of a covert hacking program, the CIA created a “malware arsenal” and dozens of “zero day exploits” to infiltrate smartphones, tablets and even smart TVs to extract data and turn them into covert microphones.
  • But the agency recently lost controls of these tools. Those who have obtained them now have “the entire hacking capacity of the CIA” at their disposal, according to WikiLeaks.
  • At the end of 2016, the CIA’s hacking division was made up of more than 5,000 “registered users” who had produced over a thousand tools to infiltrate target devices throughout Latin America, Europe and the United States.
  • iOS devices were also a major target. The CIA created and obtained tools from GCHQ, NSA, FBI and contractors like Baitshop that allowed them to bypass the encryption used by apps like WhatsApp and Telegram and collect audio and text message data.
 
Global elites’ love of iPhone made iOS a prime target of CIA
  • Although Google’s Android dominates the worldwide smartphone market, the CIA concentrated on Apple’s iOS because of its popularity among global elites, WikiLeaks reports.
  • Despite iPhone’s minority share (14.5%) of the global smart phone market in 2016, a specialized unit in the CIA’s Mobile Development Branch produces malware to infest, control and exfiltrate data from iPhones and other Apple products running iOS, such as iPads.
  • The disproportionate focus on iOS may be explained by the popularity of the iPhone among social, political, diplomatic and business elites.
 
Famous jailbreaker says WikiLeaks CIA dump is overhyped
  • Cyber security expert Will Strafach, who gained notoriety under the name Chronic for finding zero-day exploits used for jailbreaking, says iOS users don’t need to be worried.
  • “I do not believe any iOS user running iOS 10+ has any cause for concern by this,” Strafach told Cult of Mac in an email after we asked for his expert opinion on Tuesday’s big CIA leak.
  • Apple is saying that ‘many’ of the exploits exposed in the leak have been patched…. "Many"
 

Curved OLED displays will be exclusive to premium iPhone 8

http://www.cultofmac.com/470593/youll-pay-5-8-inch-oled-iphone-8/

  • Sources claim the new 5.8-inch curved display will only be available with the high-end iPhone, while the more affordable 4.7- and 5.5-inch models will carry LCD panels similar to those Apple has been using since the iPhone’s introduction in 2007.
  • If the other two models are sticking with 4.7- and 5.5-inch displays, this suggests they’ll retain their physical Home buttons, too.
  • “By adding more large-screen options to the lineup to meet growing demand for BIG, Apple intends to raise the average iPhone price, which has already gone up by about 10% in the past three years to nearly $700,”
  • How much is too much for a phone?
 
2017’s ‘iPhone Edition’ to arrive late, OLED display uncertain
  • http://www.cultofmac.com/471109/2017s-iphone-edition-launch-late-oled-display-not-sure-thing/
  • We’ve all been calling it the iPhone 8 for months, but according to a new report out of Japan, Apple’s tenth anniversary smartphone will be named “iPhone Edition.”
  • Apple is expected to deliver improved versions of its 4.7- and 5.5-inch devices, plus a more premium model with a 5.8-inch OLED display. According to Japanese blog Macotakara, which has been accurate in the past, this handset will be named iPhone Edition.
  • Although it will almost certainly be unveiled in September alongside its siblings, it is believed the iPhone Edition won’t go on sale until later in the year. Apple is said to be experimenting with various prototypes of the device, each with a different display setup.
  • The report suggests that Apple is still a long way away from deciding on a final design for the iPhone Edition, though it has nailed down a few features — including wireless charging and a dual camera setup similar to that of iPhone 7 Plus.That's all the CultCast we've got for you this week
 
Shizzle we talked about:
Direct download: CultCast_274_-_Hackers_turn_our_gadgets_against_us.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:44pm PDT

This week: 

  • Tim Cook promises to make Apple “Pro" again!  We discuss.
  • iPhone ditching Lightning for USB C
  • Spotify about to go Hi-Fi
  • Why your next iPhone screen might read your fingerprints
  • Leander pitches a new favorite pair of Bluetooth headphones
  • The best iPhone bumper case in the land!

 

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.
 
What is Backblaze? It’s unlimited, cloud backup for Macs and PCs. And it’s native for Macs!  Try it out free for 15 days at Backblaze.com/cultcast.
 
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.
 
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 / @bst3r / @lkahney

 

Tim Cook: Pro users remain incredibly important to Apple
  • During his Q&A session, Tim Cook discussed how Apple plans to fight for net neutrality. He also assured shareholders that Apple plans to come out with new products that appeal to professionals and creatives, but insisted that the Mac and iPad aren’t destined for a merger.
  • “You will see us do more in the pro area. The pro area is very important to us. The creative area is very important to us in particular,” Cook told the crowd. “You can expect to see us do more and more that people will view iPad as a laptop replacement, but not a Mac replacement. The Mac does so much more.”
 
 
Spotify eyes lossless audio to wow your ears
  • Spotify appears poised to put the final nail in Tidal’s coffin.
  • The music streaming service is planning to launch a new feature that will give listeners access to lossless audio streaming, according to a new report reveals the feature is currently in testing.
     
  • Spotify is currently calling the new feature “Spotify Hi-Fi.” The Verge reports that Spotify plans to launch the lossless CD quality audio feature. It’s unclear when it will be available to all users, but Spotify is already doing some small group testing.
  • Screenshots posted on Reddit show that Spotify plans to charge between $5 to $10 extra a month for lossless CD quality audio.
  •  It has been rumored in the past that Apple was looking to make a similar move with Apple Music, but there haven’t been any clear signs of an impending launch of Apple Music Hi-Fi.
 
Goodbye Lightning? 2017 iPhones may rely on USB-C connector
  • iPhones may boast USB-C connectors, claims a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
  • What’s not clear from the report is whether this would mean abandoning Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector in favor of USB-C or simply switching out the USB-A plug at the end of the cable for USB-C.
  • Apple adopter the Lightning connector with 2012’s iPhone 5
  • The WSJ report also adds another voice to the growing number of stories claiming that Apple will release three different iPhones in 2017: two LCD “s” cycle iPhones, and an extra-high-end iPhone 8 to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone.
 
Apple designs iPhone display that reads fingerprints
  • Fans have feared that an iPhone 8 without home button would mean the end of Touch ID, and that Apple would have to use other biometric security solutions — such as iris scanners — instead.
  • But the company was just granted a patent that allows the entire iPhone display to become a fingerprint scanner.
  • Apple says that turning an entire display into a fingerprint scanner would increase the speed of authentication, and allow it to be performed automatically during normal use. This could cut out a dedicated “authentication step” that prompts users for their fingerprint.
  • Elimates the authentication step.
 
We talk about these products:
Direct download: CultCast_273_-_Tim_s_gonna_make_Apple__Pro__again.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:10am PDT

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