The CultCast

This week:

  • Former Lamborghini exec will help steer Apple car design team
  • Apple's patent history reveals a major push into autos
  • Why Apple never shipped M1 Mac Pro when it was ready
  • BIG - EU adopts final approval of new rules for app stores
  • This is what Saudi Arabia's 100-mile long emission-free smart city could look like.

This episode supported by

Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Cult of Mac's watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple's. See the full curated collection at Store.Cultofmac.com

CultCloth will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 13, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

This week's stories

Former Lamborghini exec will help steer Apple car design team

  • A former Lamborghini executive recently joined Apple to lead design of the company's long-rumored self-driving car, according to a new report Wednesday.

Apple's patent history reveals a major push into autos

  • Nikkei and Intellectual Property Landscape found that as of June 1, Apple applied for and published 248 automobile-related patents after 2000.

Why Apple never shipped M1 Mac Pro when it was ready

  • Apple reportedly had an M1-powered Mac Pro ready to ship months ago but decided against launching it. Instead, the company decided to unveil an M2 Extreme-powered version later this year.

Anker pushes GaN envelope with 6 new fast chargers

DMA: Council gives final approval to new rules for fair competition online

  • With the final adoption of the Digital Markets Act, we will finally make large online platforms responsible for their actions. Hereby, the EU will change the online space worldwide.

Enter to win a 3-in-1 MagSafe charging station and 200W GaN charger bundle [Cult of Mac giveaway]

  • This week we are teaming up with Ugreen to give two lucky winners a shot at winning a sleek 3-in-1 MagSafe Wireless Charging Station, retailing at $159.99, plus a six-port Nexode 200W USB-C Desktop Charger priced at $199.99.

This is what Saudi Arabia's 100-mile long emission-free smart city could look like

  • In 2021, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman revealed the country's plans to build The Line, a smart linear city that will be constructed vertically, have no roads or cars and run purely on renewable energy. Now, the Saudi government has released image renders of what The Line
Direct download: cultcast_555.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:14pm PDT

This week: the new M2 MacBook Pros are INCOMING!

PLUS

  • iOS 16 Introduces New Capabilities for Accessories With U1 Chip Integration
  • Amazon's Prime Air drones will soon be making deliveries
  • The legendary DeLorean is about to be REBORN!

This episode supported by

Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Cult of Mac's watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple's. See the full curated collection at Store.Cultofmac.com

CultCloth will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 13, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

This week's stories

MacBook Pros with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips could launch this fall

  • Apple reportedly has a very aggressive timeline for adding to its M2 chip lineup.

iOS 16 Introduces New Capabilities for Accessories With U1 Chip Integration

  • As part of WWDC last month, Apple announced that iOS 16 will allow third-party accessories with U1 chip integration to interact with iPhone apps even when the app is running in the background, enabling new "hands-free user experiences."

Amazon's Prime Air drones will soon make deliveries in Texas

  • Amazon, after 9 years of development and research, and more than two done prototypes, will start offering Prime Air service deliveries with drones.

Amazon’s self-driving robotaxi is ‘really close’ to human transport as vehicle passes key safety tests

  • AMAZON’s robotaxi startup, Zoox, is the first self-driving tech company to achieve a five-star federal crash rating from the NHTSA [National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.]

The DeLorean lives!

  • Alpha 5 - all electric 4 seat sports coupe with limited production
  • Should debut in August at Pebble Beach
  • Production slated for 2024.
  • Only 88 initial units are planned.
  • Designed by the original designer of the original DeLorean
  • Cars will be built in Italy.
  • Several other models are also planned, including an 8-cylinder sports car.
Direct download: cultcast_554.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:41pm PDT

This week: we discuss M2 MacBook Pro performance, first impressions, and reviews. Plus: the end of an era, Jony Ive leaves Apple for good.

This episode supported by

Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Cult of Mac's watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple's. See the full curated collection at Store.Cultofmac.com

CultCloth will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 13, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

This week's stories

M2 MacBook Air review roundup: The fast and the beauteous

  • The M2 MacBook Air is easily the most important notebook Apple will release in 2022, and it’s a winner.

Jony Ive slips Apple’s golden handcuffs

  • Jony Ive’s 30-year partnership with Apple is over.

Proposed new emoji list shows we already have all the emoji we need

  • The collection of emoji will grow in the coming months, with the 31 proposed new entries including a shaking face, hearts in range of colors, a donkey and a jellyfish. There’s also left- and right-facing hands that will likely be used for high fives.

Win an iPad mini 6 magnetic stand from Lululook [Cult of Mac Giveaway]

  • If you own an iPad mini 6, Lululook’s magnetic stand can turn your tiny tablet into a miniature iMac. And this week, we’re teaming up with Lululook to give away five of these great stands, which retail for $80, to five lucky winners.

Hasbro will 3D-print your face onto its iconic action figures

  • Have you ever wanted to see your own face on the body of a Power Ranger or a Ghostbuster? Thanks to an ingenious partnership between Hasbro and 3D-printing specialists Formlabs, now you can.

BMW starts selling heated seat subscriptions for $18 a month

  • BMW is now selling subscriptions for heated seats in a number of countries — the latest example of the company’s adoption of microtransactions for high-end car features.
Direct download: cultcast_553.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:10pm PDT

This week: Extra-rugged Apple Watch for athletes will pack biggest screen yet! Plus: the Mac Studio is now available with heavy discounts, Apple adding a new "hyper secure" lockdown mode to iOS 16, and US awards Steve Jobs the country's highest honor.

This episode supported by

Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Cult of Mac's watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple's. See the full curated collection at Store.Cultofmac.com

CultCloth will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 13, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

This week's stories

Extra-rugged Apple Watch for athletes will pack biggest screen yet

  • The rugged Apple Watch designed for hardcore athletes will come with the smartwatch’s biggest screen yet, according to a new report.

These iOS 16 features won’t be available at launch

  • Not all new iOS 16 features will arrive on day one when the operating system launches this fall. A handful of them will come later, after Apple has had a chance to polish them and get them ready for prime time.

Win a 4-in-1 MagSafe charging stand with built-in nightlight [Cult of Mac giveaways]

  • This week’s giveaway is a sturdy, MagSafe-compatible, multi-device wireless charger that includes a convenient nightlight.

Buy refurbished Mac Studio from Apple with hefty discounts [Updated]

  • Apple has started selling refurbished Mac Studio in the United States, Canada, and select other European countries. You can save up to 15% by picking up a refurbished Mac Studio instead of purchasing a brand new unit.

New Lockdown Mode makes iPhone secure from sophisticated digital attacks

  • A new hyper-secure Lockdown Mode should help protect the iPhones, iPads and Macs of journalists, politicians and activists who face “highly targeted cyberattacks from private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware,” Apple said Wednesday.

President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

  • The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.
Direct download: cultcast_552.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:59am PDT

This week: Apple's prepping to drop an "ambitious deluge" of new hardware, including the return of one of the greatest Apple products of all time...

This episode supported by

Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Cult of Mac's watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple's. See the full curated collection at Store.Cultofmac.com

CultCloth will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 13, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

This week's stories

Apple Readies iPhone 14 and HomePod Upgrade in Flood of New Products

  • Gurman: From what I’ve been told, the company is about to embark on one of the most ambitious periods of new products in its history—with the deluge coming between the fall of 2022 and first half of 2023.

Don’t expect a speed boost in Apple Watch Series 8

  • The Apple Watch Series 8 expected this fall won’t have better performance than its recent predecessors, according to a reliable tipster.

Win a 4-in-1 MagSafe charging stand with built-in nightlight [Cult of Mac giveaways]

  • This week’s giveaway is a sturdy, MagSafe-compatible, multi-device wireless charger that includes a convenient nightlight.

Apple’s next HomePod could be less mini and more powerful

  • Apple is working on a new HomePod that could launch next year with a new S8 chip. The smart speaker reportedly will be similar in size to the original HomePod rather than the HomePod mini.

Entry-level M2 MacBook Pro’s SSD is slower than M1 MacBook Pro

  • Apple’s new M2 MacBook Pro ships with a notably slower SSD than its predecessor. Tests show the speed difference is as big as 50% in some scenarios.

M1 MacBook Pro beats the newer M2 model in real-life stress tests

  • The slower SSD on the entry-level M2 MacBook Pro has a noticeable impact on its performance in daily use. Tests show the M1 MacBook Pro beating its successor in stress tests that rely heavily on swap memory usage.

‘Severe’ thermal throttling in Apple M2 chip raises questions about MacBook Air performance

  • The just-released MacBook Pro running Apple’s new M2 processor offers generally good performance, but its single fan can’t stop it from experiencing ‘severe’ thermal throttling under certain conditions, according to tests done on the device.

AirPods Pro 2 could act as heart monitor and hearing aid

  • AirPods Pro 2 will look much like AirPods 3 from 2021, but with the soft tips necessary for ANC, according to information leaked to 52audio. That means the stems aren’t going away, and the buttons will stay, too.

Commercials are coming to Netflix (and other streamers!)

  • It’s official: Netflix is adding a cheaper ad-supported tier to its streaming service. The change is apparently intended to reverse a recent drop in subscribers.
Direct download: cultcast_551.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:12pm PDT

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