This week, the real REAL good Siri could be… 18 months away? Also, we’re talking about the radical new look for the iPhone 17 lineup and an exciting new Under Review!

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This week’s stories:

Deals:

• AirPods Pro 2 for $153.99
• Disney+ and Hulu with ads for $2.99/mo for the first year

iOS 19 could debut a more conversational LLM Siri

• Apple plans to further improve Siri with iOS 19 in 2025 by using advanced next-generation large language models (LLMs).

Apple reportedly delays key iOS 19 features until spring 2026

• Mark Gurman's sources say “a larger-than-usual number of features” of iOS 19 will be delayed from its initial launch in September 2025 to iOS 19.4’s release in spring 2026.

iPhone 17 Air’s slim design could prioritize thinness over features

• Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Air could be even thinner than initially rumored.

Apple’s 2025 iPhone 17 Pro could feature major design changes

• Apple plans to make “significant design changes” with the iPhone 17 Pro series next year, according to The Information.

Apple unlikely to launch AirPods Max 2 anytime soon

• Apple is not planning any major upgrades to AirPods Max anytime soon. The company plans to keep the headphones around in its current iteration for the “foreseeable future.”

Under Review: Get Studio Display specs without paying Apple prices

• Asus’ new ProArt 5K desktop monitor costs just half of what you’ll pay for Apple’s Studio Display but offers many of the same features.
• YouTube video

This week: New details on the super slim iPhone 17, what’s coming next for AirTags 2, a hidden MacBook Pro feature Apple didn’t mention — and our hands-on with Image Playground!

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This week’s stories:

iPhone 17 Air could be Apple’s slimmest iPhone ever

• The rumored iPhone 17 Air might measure just 6mm thick, making it the slimmest iPhone ever.

AirTag 2 reportedly launching in mid-2025 with better range

• Apple’s first AirTag upgrade is another step closer to launch, with the tracking tags reportedly progressing to “manufacturing tests.”

Surprise! M4 MacBook Pro includes quantum dot display

• The latest MacBook Pro screen reportedly includes a quantum dot film. The result is a better-looking display in the new Mac notebook.

Why Apple should start selling Mac mini SSD storage upgrades

• In a surprise move, the M4 Mac mini includes a removable, swappable SSD.

Hands-on with Image Playground, Visual Intelligence and ChatGPT in iOS 18.2

• iOS 18.2 will bring exciting new Apple Intelligence features like Image Playground, Genmoji, Visual Intelligence and ChatGPT integration.
• YouTube video

Bloomberg: Apple considering another run at an actual TV

• If Apple’s smart display on, it will help set the stage for more home devices. It may even revisit the idea of making an Apple-branded TV set, something it’s evaluating.

This week, it’s our hands-on reviews with ALL the M4 Macs and Magic peripherals — the good, the bad and the ugly. Also: Apple’s weird new smart home device coming next March, and Apple’s even weirder new coffee table book…

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Listeners like you. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone; and helps us secure the future of the podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com — OR at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com

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This week’s stories:

With the M4 iMac, you don’t have to pick between fast or fun

• The desktop computer is an endangered breed, but if you have room for one in your life, the new iMac offers a beautiful design and some impressive performance.
• PSA: Be super-careful opening your new M4 iMac

My MacBook Pro quantum leap from M1 Pro to M4 Pro

• While the M1 Pro and M4 Pro laptops could be the same exact machine judging from the outside — same as all M-series MacBook Pro models — the new one takes some big steps forward in performance.

Mac mini with M4 Pro is mightier and mini-er than ever

• The new Mac mini with M4 Pro chip offers incredible power at an unbelievable price. And on top of all that, it’s super-tiny. What’s not to love?

Reviews for the new peripherals:

• Magic Trackpad
• Magic Keyboard
• Magic Mouse

Apple’s next big thing is a wall-mounted iPad?

• Apple plans to release “a wall-mounted display that can control appliances, handle videoconferencing and use AI to navigate apps” from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
• Nintendo Alarmo

Apple Music turns its 100 Best Albums list into $450 coffee-table book

• Back when Apple Music put out its 100 Best Albums of all time list, some people expressed shock at the No. 1 pick — 1998’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
• And now they might be shocked they’re being asked to pay a whopping $450 for a fancy-schmancy, limited-edition coffee-table book version of the whole list.

This week, reviews are in — and the M4 Macbook Pro performance is absolutely mind blowing. Is it finally time to upgrade from M1? Plus: When to expect the next big MacBook redesign with OLED displays, new features in iOS 18.2, the next big step in Apple silicon… and the Under Review you’ve been waiting for!

This episode supported by:

Listeners like you. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone; and helps us secure the future of the podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com — OR at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com

CultCloth will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 15 Pro, guitars, glasses and lenses sparkling clean! For a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a two free CarryCloths with any order $20+ at CultCloth.co

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.

This week’s stories:

M4 MacBook Pro review roundup: Truly pro at every level

• Apple’s latest M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro refresh brings significant improvements to its professional laptop line, with reviewers praising the upgraded base model and impressive performance gains across the board.

M4 Pro and Max benchmarks show M2 Ultra who’s boss

• Early Geekbench 6 benchmark results show impressive performance improvements for the new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.

The next major MacBook design refresh arrives in 2026

• Mark Gurman, in his latest Power On newsletter, says the big MacBook Pro overhaul will arrive in 2026 rather than 2025, when some people expected it.

iOS 18.2 beta 2: All the new features and changes

• A couple of weeks after releasing the first iOS 18.2 beta with new Apple Intelligence features, Apple seeded the second beta to developers with several new features.

iPhone 17 could use Apple’s new Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip

• Apple might switch to in-house Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips starting with next year’s iPhone 17. The company plans to fully transition to its custom Wi-Fi chips within three years after that.

Under Review: Fujifilm X100VI

This week, they’re here — ALL the M4 Macs. The iMac, the Mac mini, the MacBook Pros, the new accessories. What did we order?

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Listeners like you. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone; and helps us secure the future of the podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com — OR at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com

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This week’s stories:

Mac mini radically redesigned with M4 and M4 Pro chip

• Apple unveiled the radically redesigned Mac mini on Tuesday, with versions powered by the M4 chip and a new M4 Pro chip.
• Hacks and jokes ‘fix’ M4 Mac mini’s odd power-button placement

New M4 iMac delivers major speed boost

• Apple launched an upgraded iMac with an M4 chip and support for Apple Intelligence on Monday, calling it “the world’s best all-in-one for AI.”

M4 MacBook Pros deliver big performance and battery life gains

• While the new laptops sport the same design as their predecessors, they deliver faster performance and a staggering 24 hours of battery life, the company says.

Shocker! Apple doubles RAM in M2 and M3 MacBook Air

• Apple on Wednesday increased the RAM in the base model M2 and M3 MacBook Air from 8GB to 16GB. And the enhancement comes without a price increase.

New Magic Keyboard, mouse and trackpad spell end for Lightning

• Apple’s new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad showed up for sale Monday. As expected, they switch from Lightning connector to USB-C.