Fri, 29 September 2017
This week: why iPhone X's Face ID is an astounding accomplishment! Plus: the new and notable features in macOS High Sierra; Bill Gates finally ditches his Windows Phone; Leander’s writing a new Tim Cook book; Erfon talks about the best 4K television money can buy; and we’ll tell you what we like and don’t about the gadgets we’re reviewing in an all-new under review! This episode supported by 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 at audible.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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week Catch our CultCast live show on Monday, Oct 2nd at 12PM! Bill Gates ditches Windows Mobile, but not for iPhone 8 - Bill Gates just got himself a brand new smartphone, and it isn’t an iPhone 8.
- The Microsoft co-founder has ditched Windows Mobile for Android. Despite getting closer to Steve Jobs before he died in 2011, Gates still has no interest in using iOS.
- further pressed about the possibility of using iOS instead, Gates responded, “Nope. No iPhone.”
Apple TV is finally back on Amazon buster - Getting your hands on the new Apple TV 4K though Amazon won’t be easy though. The page for Apple’s newest set-top box shows that there are no units in stock. It appears that Amazon is only offering the 64GB model priced at $199.
- Putting Apple TV back on its digital shelves is a bit unexpected but is likely related to Apple TV finally gaining an Amazon Prime Video app. The service still hasn’t launched on Apple TV yet but is expected to debut at some point this fall.
Apple's Face ID is a Triumph of Machine Learning Technology - Data scientist Abdul Dremali is leading research & development in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Big Data at the AndPlus Innovation Lab, and he’s very impressed with Face ID.
macOS High Sierra is now available to the public buster - Apple unleashed its huge update for the Mac this morning bringing a host of new features and UI changes to desktops after months of beta testing. Most of the update contains under-the-hood changes the makes machines faster and more stable, but there are plenty of new additions to love.
- macOS High Sierra brings support for the new Apple File System to the Mac. Apple added it to iOS devices last year. AFS’ 64-bit architecture is more secure, with built-in encryption, crash protection and simplified data backups.
- Safari is one of the biggest benefactors from the macOS High Sierra update. Apple claims its now the world’s fastest browser, with an 80% speed advantage over Google Chrome
- Mail received some improved search functions tied to the update to Spotlight. You can also use a new Split View mode too that lets you write emails while keeping tabs on your inbox.
- The Photos app also got some big updates. There’s now better facial recognition and some new editing tools that make it a more capable photo editor. Notes got a new pin feature to keep your most important notes to the top of the list where you’ll be able to find them easier. The app also has support for tables now.
- Last Thursday, six ad industry groups penned an open letter criticizing Apple's upcoming Safari feature, saying the decision to incorporate such technology into a web browser is heavy-handed and "bad for consumer choice and bad for the ad-supported online content and services."
- Today, Apple responded to the missive in a statement to The Loop.
- "Apple believes that people have a right to privacy - Safari was the first browser to block third party cookies by default and Intelligent Tracking Prevention is a more advanced method for protecting user privacy," Apple said. "Ad tracking technology has become so pervasive that it is possible for ad tracking companies to recreate the majority of a person's web browsing history. This information is collected without permission and is used for ad re-targeting, which is how ads follow people around the Internet. The new Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature detects and eliminates cookies and other data used for this cross-site tracking, which means it helps keep a person's browsing private. The feature does not block ads or interfere with legitimate tracking on the sites that people actually click on and visit. Cookies for sites that you interact with function as designed, and ads placed by web publishers will appear normally.”
Apple’s Face ID white paper is not nearly as boring as it sounds Under Review
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Fri, 22 September 2017
This week: iPhone 8 reviews are in! We’ll tell you what everyone loves Apple’s newest phone, and why you should get one (but probably won’t). Plus: we round up the reviews for Apple Watch series 3, and argue over which model is best. And stick around for what we don’t like about iPhone X; Apple’s A11 chip hits a surprising benchmark; tests show iPhone 8 wireless charging is abysmally slow; Apple quietly hikes their iDevice prices; and we’ll tell you all the best AR apps you need to try. 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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week Historical first? New iPhones fail to sell out - leander - For the first time since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, the company’s latest models failed to immediately sell out.
- More than 12 hours after pre-orders opened this morning, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus remain generally available for pickup at Apple stores next Friday,
- Shipping time is currently 3 business days
iPhone X’s Face ID will only recognize one person - buster - When the new biometric security features makes its debut this November, it will support just one user, Apple has confirmed. If anyone else uses your device, they’ll have to enter the passcode.
Apple silently raises iPad Pro prices - Changes made to the online Apple store show that the 10.5-inch iPad Pro models with WiFi only are now $50 more expensive each. Before yesterday’s keynote, the 256GB and 512GB units cost $749 and $949. Now they’re priced at $799 and $999.
- iPhone prices have also been hiked up.
- The cellular models for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro also got a price increase
- Nothing has changed about the products.
- iPhone prices have also been hiked
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- iPhone 7 32GB - $649
- iPhone 7 Plus 32GB - $769
- iPhone 8 64GB - $699
- iPhone 8 Plus 64GB - $799
Adding wireless charging to your AirPods will cost $69 - Apple’s new Wireless Charging Case for AirPods will go on sale this December, according to a report out of Europe, which sites Apple Switzerland. The device is expected to cost $69, which is the same amount you’ll pay to replace a standard case if you lose it.
- Apple reportedly has no plans to sell AirPods with the Wireless Charging Case, so it will be available as an optional accessory.
The best ARKit apps to try on iPhone and iPad
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Tue, 12 September 2017
This week: we react to everything announced at Apple's iPhone X press event! Plus, we’ll tell you everything we now know about iPhone X, iPhone 8, the new Apple TV 4K, Apple Watch Series 3, the AirPods update, and the new AirPower charging mat. It’s a packed show. Better hit play, fam! This episode supported by Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of sink and bounce, and people everywhere love them. Learn why at Casper.com/cultcast,and get $50 towards any mattress 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 use code CULTCAST to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week Erfon’s Twitch stream on Faceshift, the technology powering Star Wars animations and now iPhone X Animoji iPhone 8 brings awesome new features at a cheaper price iPhone cameras just got a whole lot smarter Watch all of Apple’s new iPhone videos right here 7 ways Apple surprised us at the iPhone X event Apple releases iOS 11 GM (the right way) iPhone X vs. iPhone 8: Should you wait longer and pay more? Everything Apple unveiled at its iPhone X keynote
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Fri, 8 September 2017
This week: a look inside the new Steve Jobs Theater, a beautiful spectacle of technology and architecture, a physical manifestationof the Apple ethos, and a true and fitting monumen.. And like any Apple product, it packs some features that will delight you. Plus: why it will probably be damn near impossible to purchase an iPhone 8, and we’ll pitch you our favorite gadgets then vote on which is best in an all new Faves ’N Raves! 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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week Pre-Orders for iPhone 8 Likely to Start on September 15, Shipments on September 22 Drone flyover shows off a bustling Steve Jobs Theater Steve Jobs Theater is as special as any other Apple product - On Tuesday, September 12th, according to Bloomberg, will unveil not only its latest batch of products, but also give us all a first glimpse of its brand new campus
- The Steve Jobs Theater is as obsessively perfect as you’d expect a building named after Apple’s co-founder and former CEO should be.
- The entrance to the venue sits underneath a silver disc, which which sits 20 feet in the air, supported by gigantic glass panels.
- The auditorium itself occupies four underground stories, and to get there, journalists will descend a staircase spiraling down alongside the walls.
- In order to gain access to the subterranean theater, attendees can either descend via a spiral staircase or using two custom elevators. These elevators rotate as they descend, so that passengers enter and exit through the same door, even though they do so from different directions.
- The theater also sports a retracting wall, which opens to reveal a hidden product testing area.
- Given the theater's 1,000-person capacity, one engineer said back in March that the building's budget meant each leather seat had cost Apple the equivalent of $14,000 apiece.
- It’s a touching eponym, isn’t it? Steve Jobs theater? It will be a beautiful spectacle of technology and architecture, a true and fitting monument. A metaphor for Steve Jobs, and a physical representation of the Apple ethos.
- Steve Jobs was man that literally started with nothing, not even his biological parents, and went on to build one of the world’s most coveted companies.
- It’s a uniquely American success story.
Analyst: Blame Samsung for iPhone 8’s high price tag Apple’s upcoming premium iPhone is likely to be its most expensive model ever — and Samsung is partly to blame, according to a reliable Apple analyst. - In his latest research note, KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo explains to investors that Samsung currently holds a practical monopoly on the supply of OLED displays. They’re the only ones capable of reliably mass producing the screens Apple needs, and thus seems to be inflating the price.
- Apple previously paid between $45 and $55 for the screens on Plus-size iPhones. But Ming Chi Kuo claims Samsung is probably charging about $75 more for OLED displays. The final price for the displays likely costs Apple $120 to $130 per unit. That could explain why rumors predict the iPhone 8 (or iPhone Edition)
Our Faves N Raves Picks
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Fri, 1 September 2017
This week: IT’S OFFICIAL—Apple’s next iPhone event is September 12th! Tune in to catch our hardware predictions, plus, we take a look at the leaked iPhone 8 UI, and how the new phone will work without a home button. Next, we'll regale you with the story behind the evolution of the Apple logo, and the story you’ve never heard about its iconic bite. And stick around for an all-new What We’re Into, where Leander tells us why Game of Thrones has turned into his most despised show! This episode supported by 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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week Apple’s cryptic invitation confirms September 12 event - After months of anticipation and a flurry of rumors, Apple finally sent out media invites to its big iPhone 8 event today, welcoming the press to come to Apple Park for the big date.
- Apple’s keynote is set for September 12, which is in line with previous rumors that circled the second Tuesday of September as time when the keynote would take place. The event will take place in the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park.
- Apple is expected to present three new iPhones on stage: the iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus and the premium iPhone 8 models. Other products that could make an appearance include a new Apple TV with 4K video support as well as the Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE.
Apple Inc. plans to transform the way people use its next high-end iPhone Without a Home button, here’s how the new iPhone 8 UI will work - Across the bottom of the screen there’s a thin, software bar in lieu of the home button. A user can drag it up to the middle of the screen to open the phone. When inside an app, a similar gesture starts multitasking. From here, users can continue to flick upwards to close the app and go back to the home screen.
- The new model’s overall size will be similar to that of the iPhone 7, but it will include an OLED screen that is slightly larger than the one on the iPhone 7 Plus (5.5-inches)
- The new screen is rounded on the corners, while current iPhone screens have square corners. The power button on the right side of phone is longer so it is easier to press while holding the device in one hand, according to the images and the people.
- The phone will still have six vertical rows of apps, showing 24 icons on each page, excluding the dock, a grey bar at the bottom that houses commonly used apps. The dock is redesigned with a new interface similar to the one on the iPad version of iOS 11
- Apple also plans to include a stainless steel band around the phone which the glass curves into
iPhone 8 inductive charging may be a wee bit slow BH - According to the latest rumor out of Asia, Apple will use an older standard for its inductive charging feature which means recharging could take longer than expected.
- All three new iPhone models are expected to pick up the inductive charging feature this fall. Instead of using the full 15 watts of power supported by the Qi Ver. 1.2 standard, Macotakara claims Apple’s tech will only draw 7.5 watts.
- Every time I’ve used inductive charging, it’s been slooooooow
Today in Apple history: Rainbow Apple logo gets a modern overhaul LK - August 27, 1999: Apple replaces the striped, multicolored logo it used since 1977 with a new single-color version.
- Apple’s first corporate logo was actually not the memorable “bitten apple” logo at all. A riff on a Victorian woodcut, it portrayed Sir Isaac Newton sitting beneath a tree with a solitary apple dangling over his head. A quotation from William Wordsworth’s The Prelude ran around the image’s border: “A mind forever wandering through strange seas of thought, alone.” It was created by long lost Apple co-founder Ronald Wayne.
- After less than a year, Apple replaced that logo with the bitten Apple version we have today. Designed by 29-year-old Rob Janoff, it coincided with the debut of the Apple II at the West Coast Computer Faire, which marked Apple’s graduation from a small startup to a serious business
- Jobs gave Janoff — who does not receive any royalties for his design — two directions for the Apple logo. 1) Don’t make it cute. And 2) Find some way to visually incorporate the Apple II’s revolutionary 16-color display, which was the first PC to include a color display.
- The “Glass” themed logo was the next evolution for the logo and was featured on the first ever iMac. The bondi blue iMac looked ridiculous with a rainbow logo, and needed something fresh
- Today, the company uses a more modernized flat monochromatic logo. The logo comes mainly in 3 colors; silver, white and black.
- The bite
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- According to Rob Janoff, the bite on the Apple logo was to really let people know that it was an apple and not a cherry. The bite also played along with the computer buffs at that time because it had a similar sound off to the word ‘byte’, a unit of digital information in computing and telecommunication.
What We’re Into Blade Runner 2049 Short Film Reveals What Happened in 2036 Awaken, my love! By Childish Gambino Game of Thrones has jumped the shark
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Thu, 24 August 2017
This week: - Even more juicy details leak on iPhone 8, plus a report says the keynote reveal is right around the corner.
- Leander shares the strange twist in Apple’s autonomous car project
- Why the 13” MacBook Pro might soon become your favorite Mac
- Story time with L Kahney - he’s going to share the highlights from his whirlwind tour of Japan and other defenseless Asian lands.
- Plus Erfon recalls what it’s like in the darkness of a total solar eclipse.
This episode supported by 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. The Cult of Mac watch store has the best straps in the biz. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week This week’s intro (thanks Nick Bracken!) The shadows take on the sun's new shape We might know the iPhone 8 keynote date - Hot on the heels of Samsung’s grand unveiling of the Galaxy Note 8 today, carrier sources have supposedly informed Mac4Ever that Apple plans to unleash its device in just a few weeks.
- Apple’s keynote is allegedly slated for September 12 where the company will reveal three new iPhones. While we haven’t been able to verify the accuracy of the report ourselves, Apple usually hosts its iPhone keynote in the middle of September so the date could make sense.
- The French Apple blog claims that carriers have been informed by Apple to expect the device announcement on the second Tuesday of next month. Carriers usually receive a heads up so they can start planning marketing and to organize pre-orders to ensure inventory.
- And get this, the minimum storage capacity for Apple's OLED iPhone is said to be 64GB, with a 256GB option offered as the mid-tier capacity and a 512GB option at the highest tier, while 3GB of RAM is claimed to be included across the board.
iPhone 8’s amazing facial recognition is super quick, works in the dark - The iPhone 8’s facial recognition feature will work in a millionth of a second, and be more secure than the existing Touch ID sensor, and even work in the dark, a pair of new reports claim.
- In addition to the regular iPhone sensors you’d expect to find, the upcoming handset will reportedly boast a new “structured light” sensor, which uses bounced infrared light to work out the depth of different points on the face.
- That information is then used to build a 3D mesh of objects, which is compared to the one recorded when setting up the new iPhone. Calculating the timing between when infrared light is sent out and recorded coming back will let the iPhone work out accurate depth measurements. This, in turn, means you won’t be able to trick the handset using a 2D photo.
- The facial recognition is reportedly powered by tech Apple acquired when it bought Kinect motion sensor maker PrimeSense several years ago.
- The speed that the iPhone 8 facial recognition sensor will reportedly work is particularly impressive. The new handset will allegedly be able to do all of this within “a few hundred milliseconds,” which would make it a faster means of unlocking your iPhone than the current-generation Touch ID, Apple has been using Touch ID since 2013’s iPhone 5s.
Apple’s 3D sensing tech is two years ahead of the competition - According to a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple competitor Qualcomm is working on its own 3D sensing tech, but it’s at least two years behind. And handset-makers aren’t in a rush to embrace it quite yet.
- "While Qualcomm is the most engaged company in the R&D of 3D sensing for the Android camp, a number of issues plague Qualcomm that prevent its tech from being ready for mass-market products. Immature algorithms, and thermal problems"
Apple autonomous car morphs into self-driving shuttle bus for employees - According to the New York Times, Apple’s secretive “Project Titan” self-driving car project has switched gears, transforming into an effort to build a self-driving shuttle bus. Called Palo Alto Infinite Loop, or PAIL, the shuttle would carry Apple employees between buildings.
- The project may serve as a test bed for Apple’s autonomous car research. But a customer-focused vehicle built by Apple is for now reportedly out of the question. Instead, Apple’s self-driving technology will likely be used by other carmakers eventually.
- The newspaper claims a leadership clash hampered project. Steve Zadesky, an Apple executive initially in charge of Titan, wanted to build semiautonomous technology. Meanwhile, Apple design chief Jony Ive “believed that a fully driverless car would allow the company to reimagine the automobile experience.”
- Apple reportedly investigated several innovative ideas for the project. Those included motorized doors that opened and closed silently, augmented reality displays for the interior of the car, new ways of incorporating the light sensor essential to driverless cars, and a total lack of steering wheel and gas pedals. Apple also researched the possibility of using globelike wheels for the vehicle, “because spherical wheels could allow the car better lateral movement.”
Intel Launches First Eighth-Generation Core Processors, Paving Way For Quad-Core 13-Inch MacBook Pro - The first four eighth-generation processors launching today are U-series chips suitable for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini. They're all 15W chips with four cores and eight threads, paving the way for a quad-core 13-inch MacBook Pro should Apple choose to release one.
- The eighth-generation Core i5 and Core i7 chips are up to 40 percent faster than the equivalent seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors
- First MacBook Pro with Touch Bar uses a 6th gen Skylake processor.
- Intel also boasted that its eighth-generation Core processors are up to twice as fast as its equivalent five-year-old Ivy Bridge chips. It said users can output a 106-second 4K video in as little as three minutes with a new PC, for example, versus up to 45 minutes on an equivalent five-year-old PC.
Direct download: CultCast_298_-_iPhone_8..._keynote_date_.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:41pm PST
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Fri, 18 August 2017
This week: Apple makes a major play to become the next HBO, meanwhile, intriguing new images surface showing what looks to be what we all thought had died—the long lost Apple Television. Plus: a trusted source says Apple’s next Watch will be more boring that we hoped; and finally… eating bugs… Thai Tinder… yes, Buster Heine is back to share strange stories from his travels deep into the heart of Thailand. 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 CULTCAST20 to score a free CleanCloth AND get 20% off your order at CultCloth.co. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week Blurry photos purport to show mythical Apple TV set - Blurry images that popped up online supposedly show the testing of an Apple OLED television set of around 60 inches in size. The photos were shared on Chinese social media before being circulated by mobile leaker Benjamin Geskin on Twitter.
- images depict what looks like an Apple-branded standalone display in some kind of lab testing environment. They show a metal frame design, while accompanying notes on Weibo suggest that the set also includes a camera.
- And, just like that, longstanding rumors of an Apple TV set reignite!
- The rumors gained momentum with the publishing of Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography in 2011. “I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,” Jobs was quoted as saying. “It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine.”
Apple will throw $1 billion at original programming over next year - According to the WSJ, Apple is reportedly preparing a $1 billion “war chest” which it will spend on acquiring or producing original content over the next year.
- That sum is around half of what HBO spent on production last year.
- Apple SVP Eddy Cue is reportedly aiming for Apple to offer up to ten new shows, which could rival Game of Thrones in scope.
- Apple has been ramping up its hirings to try and establish itself as a force to be reckoned with. The company’s recent hirings include a pair of former Sony execs, who previously helped bring to the screen shows including AMC’s Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and Netflix’s The Crown
- WSJ: "Mr. Van Amburg and Mr. Erlicht have begun meeting with Hollywood agents and holding discussions about shows Apple could acquire, the people familiar said. Mr. Matt Cherniss has movie experience, having worked as a production executive at Warner Bros."
Apple Watch Series 3 will bring LTE but no design changes - According to trusted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. There will be no “obvious change” to the design of the device, which will leave LTE connectivity as its main selling point.
- Apple will offer non-LTE versions at more affordable prices, however. It’s unclear whether those models will be Series 3 devices, or whether Apple will continue to offer Series 2 alongside its successor for those who do not require LTE.
- Watch will also likely be waterproof, like series 2, and faster.
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Thu, 10 August 2017
This week: what does Apple have in store for the next version of Watch? We’ll roundup the current rumors and reveal our Gen 3 wish list. Then: could Face ID actually replace Touch ID on iPhone 8? We have concerns. Plus: proof that a 4K Apple TV is right around the corner; more incredible demos of AR Kit; and we share our favorite new shows, movies, and board games in an all-new What We’re Into! This episode supported by The single-router wifi model just doesn’t work for our increasingly high-bandwidth world. The EERO distributed system will blanket your home in hyper-fast, reliable WiFi, and you can score free overnight shipping 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 use code CULTCAST20 to score a free CleanCloth AND get 20% off your order at CultCloth.co. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week Apple Plans to Release a Cellular-Capable Watch to Break iPhone Ties " Apple Inc. is planning to release a version of its smartwatch later this year that can connect directly to cellular networks, a move designed to reduce the device’s reliance on the iPhone, people familiar with the matter said.” - What would we like to see in the next Apple Watch
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- Round version or a new shape/style
- Way better battery life
- always on screen
- Thinner
- No LTE fees!
Blurry photo might confirm iPhone 8 Touch ID fears - An apparent iPhone 8 photo straight out of Foxconn has confirmed one of our biggest fears for Touch ID: It will be relocated to the back of the device.
- Apple has been working to embed its fingerprint scanner into the iPhone’s display, but according to numerous reports, the technology won’t be ready in time for this year’s big refresh.
- Mark Gurman at Bloomberg: Apple’s pitch come September will be that Face ID is quicker, more secure, and more accurate than Touch ID. People inside Apple say it is.
- Security implications
iPhone 8 facial recognition will unlock your phone even when it’s lying down - The new iPhone 8 will be capable of unlocking with its face recognition even when it’s lying flat on your desk, a new report from The Information suggests.
- This information appears to back up a report published in Bloomberg earlier this year. That report noted that:
-
- [The facial recognition sensor’s] speed and accuracy are focal points of the feature. It can scan a user’s face and unlock the iPhone within a few hundred milliseconds, the person said. It is designed to work even if the device is laying flat on a table, rather than just close up to the face.”
4K Apple TV seemingly confirmed by HomePod leak - Over the last few weeks the HomePod’s software has revealed a number of upcoming features on unannounced products. Sleuthing developers unearthed info on the iPhone 8’s facial scanning and SmartCamera features. Now there appears to be some details of the new Apple TV inside too.
- iOS developer Guilherme Rambo discovered references to both Dolby Vision and HDR10 color formats for 4K video in the HomePod’s software.
This ARKit app teleports you into an ’80s music video - Ever wonder what it would be like to live inside an ’80s music video? Thanks to Apple’s new ARKit software, you can live that dream with a new app that draws inspiration from the popular music video for A-ha’s “Take On Me.”
Measure the square footage of your room with ARKit Virtual directions and tags of AR POS Mint Works game Dominion game Halt and Catch Fire Alien Covenant
Direct download: CultCast_296_-_Whats_next_for__Watch_.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:49pm PST
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Fri, 4 August 2017
This week: Apple just accidentally leaked major details about the iPhone 8 and HomePod. Whoopsie! We’ll tell you everything we’ve learned. Plus: leaked audio files show off the HomePods cool UI sounds; we reveal exclusive new audio of the HomePod's boot-up noise; Buster’s shares a very special announcement; and we wrap with our reviews of the best internet-connected security cameras and the hawt new flagship Olympus OM-D EM-1 mirrorless camera in an all-new Under Review 🔥🔥🔥 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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week More juicy details about iPhone 8 discovered in Apple code - Apple clearly didn’t realize that the firmware it made available on Friday was a goldmine of secret information. Not only did it reveal the final design of the iPhone 8 and its new facial recognition technology, but it tells us stuff we didn’t know about HomePod, too.
- First of all, buried in the firmware are GLYPHS of the actual phone itself. WHOOPSIE!
- We now know the device will have a split status bar designed to fit its edge-to-edge display
- Things like cellular signal and time might be displayed on one side of the bar, while indicators for Bluetooth, location, and battery level could appear on the other. “The new status bar seems a lot more complex and powerful in design, maybe even interactive,” Troughton-Smith says.
- The software has also revealed that iPhone 8 will boast tap to wake functionality. This is a feature found on many Android and Windows Phone devices, which lets you wake the device simply by tapping its screen. It’s handy when there is no physical Home button.
- It appears, however, that iPhone 8 will have a “Home Indicator.” It’s believed to be similar to the virtual Home button that appears at the bottom of the display on Android devices, and it looks like Apple will allow developers to hide it in certain contexts.
- Interestingly, Troughton-Smith tweeted “I’ve seen nothing to suggest an ultrasound under-the-display Touch ID here,” meaning either no touchID or one on the back
- Rumors have said that facial recognition is even more accurate than touch id and will even work with Apple Pay.
Apple code confirms that facial unlocking tech is on the way - "I can confirm reports that HomePod’s firmware reveals the existence of upcoming iPhone’s infra-red face unlock in BiometricKit and elsewhere” Steve Stoughton Smith
- Unlocking will be call FaceID
- Will use an inferred camera to should work in dark situations
- Will reportedly not support Apple pay to start, indicating we’re getting a touchID sensor somewhere on the phone
iPhone 8’s radical redesign could bring awesome UI change - we can look forward to a display with a 2436×1125 resolution
- This resolution is 812x 375 points rendered @ 3x – exactly the same logical width as the iPhone 7, but 22% taller,” explains Allen Pike, a developer who previously worked at Apple
HomePod software leaks new ‘SmartCamera’ feature for iPhone - Apple’s HomePod might have revealed another huge new iPhone feature
- HomePod software appears to reference an unannounced “SmartCamera” feature built into iOS 11 or the yet-to-be-released 2017 iPhone
- iOS developer Guilherme Rambo unearthed references to the new feature. He posted a screenshot of a section of the code to Twitter
- It looks like the SmartCamera feature will be able to tune your camera settings based on the scene it detects. DSLRs possess similar features
- The HomePod code contains references to Fireworks, Foliage, Pet, BrightStage, Sport, Sky, Snow and Sunset/Sunrise scenarios.
HomePod software reveals new details of Apple’s smart speaker - Notorious iOS sleuth Steve Troughton Smith has done some serious research into HomePod and discovered that it’s basically like another iOS device only it doesn’t have a big screen. That could open HomePod up to some exciting capabilities in the future.
- will come with a number of accessibility features.
- Third-party apps aren’t likely to arrive on HomePod anytime soon. Smith says there aren’t any provisions in the HomePod OS shell there doesn’t seem to be any kind of provision in the HomePod OS shell for installing apps or extensions.
- The top LED area of the HomePod could have more advanced functionality than previously thought. Rather than just using big LEDs, it appears that the top surface is an LED Matrix. Temperature and weather icons could be displayed on the 32×32 pixel matrix.
Leaked audio files reveal HomePod’s cool UI sounds - Apple’s early software for the HomePod continues to reveal new features of the smart speaker, as developers dive deeper into files. After details on the speaker’s screen got discovered, another developer unearthed the UI sounds that will be used on HomePod.
Under Review
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Fri, 28 July 2017
This week: - Parts shortages force Apple to start handing out free MacBook Pros, and everyone on the internet wants a piece of the action.
- You knew Jony Ive designed some of Apple’s most iconic products, but did you know he also helped craft one of Star Wars most nefarious light sabers?
- Apple discontinues two of their most iconic products.
- And stay tuned for all our favorite new stuff in another episode of What We’re Into!
This episode supported by Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of sink and bounce, 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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week Shortages force Apple to swap old MacBook Pros for new models - Apple has been forced to swap old MacBook Pros in need of repair with new models due to severe component shortages. It means some lucky customers are getting a free upgrade to the latest machines when in need of service under warranty.
- A common fault with any laptop after regular use is that its battery loses its ability to charge. The cells can only withstand so many cycles before they no longer perform as intended. Fortunately, Apple will replace them for free under warranty.
- MacRumors reports that the company is currently facing “a severe constraint of top case assemblies with integrated batteries” for 15-inch MacBook Pros released in mid 2012 and early 2013 — and this is expected to last until September.
- As a result, Apple is said to have instructed its Genius Bar employees and Authorized Service Providers that they can temporarily swap affected notebooks for a newer, “functionally equivalent” model.
- If your MacBook Pro is still covered by the one-year manufacturer warranty, or an extended AppleCare plan, the cost of a battery replacement (or upgrade were eligible) is completely free. If your warranty has expired, the fee is $199.
- However, Apple has been waiving this fee for customers who are willing to wait for new batteries to arrive, rather than taking an upgrade for $199.
Apple No Longer Replacing Some MacBook Pros Needing Battery Service With Newer Models - Apple's memo says, effective July 26, service inventory of top case assemblies with batteries is now available for new repairs.
- For all new repair requests, Apple advises Genius Bar employees and Apple Authorized Service Providers to order the necessary inventory. Apple advises its service providers to inform customers that the inventory should arrive within 15 business days of the part order, corresponding with early August.
- Apple employee on reddit: "From what I can tell, Apple are FURIOUS about the MacRumors article yesterday setting customer expectations. I've never seen them react to a situation internally like this"
Jony Ive talks earbuds inspired by stormtroopers, Apple Park - Jony Ive has revealed that the company’s iconic white earbuds were inspired by Star Wars stormtroopers.
- Ive told The Wall Street Journal that he the “look of the original Stormtroopers in mind” when he created their look. Years later, the stormtroopers would be inspired by Apple.
- In a 2015 interview with Vanity Fair, Star Wars: The Force Awakens costume designer Mark Kaplan revealed that he was inspired by Ive’s designs when creating the new stormtroopers of the First Order.
- “With the Stormtroopers it was more of a simplification, almost like, ‘What would Apple do?’” he said.
- Jony Ive also suggested the light saber hilt that ended up becoming a reality on Kylo Ren’s sword
- Jony Ive once sat next to J. J. Abrams at a boozy dinner party in New York, and made what Abrams recalled as "very specific" suggestions about the design of lightsabres. Abrams told me that "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" would reflect those thoughts, but he wouldn’t say how.
- Ive argued that the lightsaber should look uneven. "I thought it would be interesting if it were less precise, and just a little bit more spitty," said Ive, adding that the new weapon could be "more analog and more primitive, and I think, in that way, somehow more ominous.”
Apple discontinues iPod nano and iPod shuffle - In a statement to The Verge, Apple confirmed both devices have been discontinued:
- “Today, we are simplifying our iPod lineup with two models of iPod touch now with double the capacity starting at just $199 and we are discontinuing the iPod shuffle and iPod nano. The iPod touch is now available in 32GB and 128GB storage options, with the latter priced at $299.”
- Aside from the capacity increases, both devices are identical to those that were on sale yesterday.
Steve Jobs introduces the iPod nano Cocaine Cowboys documentary Two of the world’s best dart’s players go head-to-head Splatoon 2 Erfon showing tweens who’s boss on Twitch
Direct download: CultCast_294_-_Snag_your_free_MacBook_Pro.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 1:10am PST
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Fri, 21 July 2017
This week: - Why Apple’s making an iPhone Pro, a tech-packed cutting-edge phone that will showcase what Cupertino is capable of.
- Genius Bar jackpot! Aka, why the Genius Bar sometimes replaces your old broken tech for a brand new model.
- Stick around for a super-powerful electric long board, a HomeKit-enabled ceiling fan, and pro-level keyboard case for your iPad Pro in an all-new Under Review 🤖
This episode supported by You might know of Shutterstock as home to royalty-free photos. But, they offer much more. Kickstart your next interactive project with video clips or music tracks from their collection, and save 20% for a limited time at shutterstock.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. 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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week Apple’s risky balancing act with the next iPhone Why Apple sometimes gives brand new products for your old broken one (connected podcast) - Have you or a friend ever taken an old product into the Genius Bar, and had them replace that product with a brand new version? Isn’t it great when that happens??
- Well it turns out it’s likely not cause Apple’s so nice.
- When Apple develops a new product, they can’t test for everything.
- When a problem surfaces, Apple may initiate what they call a "Field capture period”
- During this time, if Apple is investigating a problem with a product, and you bring in a product that exhibits the symptoms of that problem, they’ll give you a new piece of hardware, then send your device back to Cupertino to dissasemble and investigate.
- Certain kinds of sunscreens dissolving glue in Apple watch backs, causing the back to come off.
Under Review Leander on a skateboard
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Thu, 13 July 2017
This week: - the magic of HomePod! We’ll tell you about the built-in audio tech that's getting even the most ardent audiophiles hyped about Apple’s new smart speaker.
- Plus: why iPhone 8’s biggest features may be disabled at launch
- Why you can grab free Beats in Apple's new back to school promo without being in college
- The fascinating story behind Steve Jobs' iconic turtleneck
- More of iOS 11’s best unknown features
- And we wrap with the heart warming story of why Steve Jobs insisted on always buying Scott Forstall's lunch.
This episode supported by You might know of Shutterstock as home to royalty-free photos. But, they offer much more. Kickstart your next interactive project with video clips or music tracks from their collection, and save 20% for a limited time at shutterstock.com/cultcast 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. Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of sink and bounce, 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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week iPhone 8’s biggest features could be disabled at launch - Some of the iPhone 8’s biggest new features could be disabled when the handset makes its debut this September.
- According to Fast Company, there is “a sense of panic in the air” at Apple as engineers scramble to iron out software bugs that are affecting wireless charging and 3D facial recognition.
- For both features, the hardware is ready — but the software that controls the features is “not ready for prime time.”
- If Apple cannot fix the issues, wireless charging could be disabled when the iPhone 8 goes on sale this September. Users would then have to wait for a future iOS update for it to be enabled — just like Portrait Mode on iPhone 7 Plus, which wasn’t ready for launch last fall.
- Same goes for facial recognition, but this report says Apple will indeed include a touch ID sensor under the screen, so at least you’ll have that.
Apple offers free Beats in latest Back to School promo - Those who purchase a new iPad Pro — either the 10.5- or 12.9-inch models — will receive a free set of BeatsX wireless earphones worth $149.95. If you don’t want those, you can upgrade to the Powerbeats3 earphones for $50, or to the Solo3 headphones for $150.
- Those ballers purchasing a qualifying Mac will receive a free pair of Solo3 wireless headphones worth $299.95. Eligible machines include the MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Pro — but not the more affordable Mac mini, which hasn’t been updated in 1001 days.
Designer preps new version of Steve Jobs’ iconic mock turtleneck The story behind Steve Jobs mock turtleneck - As was revealed in Walter Isaacson’s 2011 biography of Jobs, the Apple CEO was first inspired to wear his mock turtleneck uniform following an early 1980s trip to Japan. While there, he asked Sony chairman Akio Morita why everyone in the company’s factories wore uniforms. Jobs learned that this was a way of creating camaraderie between co-workers.
- Miyake created Sony’s uniforms, which Jobs loved. However, the Jobs could not persuade his colleagues that an Apple uniform was a good idea.
- As Jobs recalled, “I came back with some samples and told everyone it would be great if we would all wear these vests. Oh man, did I get booed off the stage. Everybody hated the idea.”
- However, the process led to Jobs becoming good friends with Miyake. When the Apple chief asked the designer to create a one-off uniform he could wear, Miyake created 100 black mock turtlenecks for him. Jobs adopted the unofficial uniform when he returned to Apple in the late 1990s, and was rarely spotted without it from that point on.
- Fashion designer Issey Miyake, creator of Steve Jobs’ iconic mock turtleneck, is launching a very similar shirt that will go on sale next month for $270.
- Although not exactly the same, the new creation — referred to as the Semi-Dull T — looks close enough to the now-discontinued original design
The magic behind HomePod gets revealed in a new patent - According to Apple, its upcoming HomePod smart speaker will “reinvent the way we enjoy music” thanks to its seven-tweeter array, 4-inch woofer, and smart “spatial awareness” technology that lets it “read” its environment.
- HomePod sets out to solve the problem of sound variability caused by a speaker’s physical location in a room. For instance, placing a speaker in the corner can cause a significant increase in radiated acoustic power at low frequencies. That results in muddy, bass-heavy sound.
- It utilizes a variety of microphones both inside and outside a sealed speaker enclosure. Onboard processing establishes the correct equalization filter, based on internal pressure levels, speaker displacement, external pressure and other data gathered by the microphone array.
- Comparing readings from its internal and external microphones allows the speaker Apple describes to dynamically alter its own calibration according to match the environment.
- Apple says its smart speaker will boast an impressive A8 processor and six external microphones
iOS 11 makes it far easier to organize Home screen app icons - Rather than painstakingly dragging individual app icons across the pages of your Home screen, iOS 11 lets you move multiple icons simultaneously
- You can also touch an app icon, then use your other hand to swipe to a different page to move the app
Built-in Screen recording - If you wanted to capture iOS gameplay, or make a funny or informative GIF of on-screen action, you needed to download a third-party app or connect your device to a computer.
- With iOS 11, Apple baked in sweet functionality that lets you record your iPhone screen effortlessly.
Developer Access to iPhone's NFC Chip Coming in iOS 11 - Developers coding for iOS 11 will be able to create apps that can read NFC tags!
- The NFC chip in the iPhone is currently only used to handle contactless Apple Pay transactions and Passbook check-ins, but a new framework called Core NFC allows developers to build apps that can read and write NFC tags (in iPhone 7 and 7 Plus).
Why Steve Jobs buys lunch
Direct download: CultCast_292_-_Why_were_hyped_for_HomePod.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:56pm PST
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Thu, 6 July 2017
This week: it’s easy to ignore how intuitive it is to use an iPhone, but behind those vast array of simple swipes and taps was an entire team of designers who painstakingly crafted the sophisticated interactions that give the iPhone its magic. This week we'll tell you the stories behind inertial scrolling, swipe to unlock, and Bas Ording, the man who brought iOS to life using the physics of our natural world. This episode supported by You might know of Shutterstock as home to royalty-free photos. But, they offer much more. Kickstart your next interactive project with video clips or music tracks from their collection, and save 20% for a limited time at shutterstock.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. 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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week iPhone 8 will include fewer casing colors, no Touch ID - Will Apple manage to successfully embed Touch ID into the OLED display of the iPhone 8, or will it have to follow in the footsteps of Android device makers and opt for a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor?
- None of the above, claims well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a list of predictions he’s made for the next iPhone, Kuo claims Apple will skip Touch ID altogether for its next-gen handset.
- “We predict the OLED model [iPhone 8] won’t support fingerprint recognition,” Kuo writes. The reasons? The full-screen design doesn’t work with existing capacitive fingerprint recognition, and under-the-display fingerprint recognition tech still isn’t ready.
iPhone 8 might drop Touch ID for 3-D face scanner - The iPhone 8 might ditch Touch ID for 3-D facial scanning that could prove faster, easier and more secure than the fingerprint reader currently used for logins and payments.
- Apple is currently testing the 3-D face-scanning technology in iPhone prototypes that utilize a new 3-D sensor, according to Bloomberg. The new security system could be augmented by eye-scanning technology with the intent of replacing Touch ID, the report adds, citing anonymous “people familiar with the product.”
- One major production problem Apple faces with the OLED screen iPhone 8 is getting an under-screen fingerprint sensor to work. The technology just isn’t viable yet, according to various rumors, including a recent note from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities.
- The reported 3-D facial scanning tech in the iPhone 8 would analyze more data points than the current fingerprint sensor that powers Touch ID, according to Bloomberg, which offered more details on the tech being tested by Apple:
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- The sensor’s speed and accuracy are focal points of the feature. It can scan a user’s face and unlock the iPhone within a few hundred milliseconds, the person said. It is designed to work even if the device is laying flat on a table, rather than just close up to the face. The feature is still being tested and may not appear with the new device. However, the intent is for it to replace the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, according to the person. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
Apple praises ‘unbelievable’ response to ARKit - In a new interview, Apple vice-president of product marketing Greg “Joz” Joswiak says the response to its augmented reality ARKit toolset from the developer community has been “unbelievable.”
- While he wouldn’t share details about a rumored standalone AR headset Apple has hundreds of engineers working on, Joswiak stressed how the widespread usage of Apple mobile devices has the opportunity to make augmented reality into a mainstream technology overnight
- Example of cool ARKit
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The inside story of the iPhone’s ‘Slide to Unlock’ gesture - Who is Bas Ording?
- One of the key design decisions that Apple’s Human Interface Team made early on while developing the iPhone was to go all in on big, simple gestures. They wanted to make a single, simple swipe accomplish as much as possible.
- It’s a bit ironic. After investing so much in multitouch technology, which relies on multiple touch inputs, one of Apple’s key edicts was to make as many gestures as possible work with a single finger.
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- “We worked super-hard on multitouch, but then we tried to make everything just work with one finger,” he said laughing.
Other stuff we talked about Under Review!
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Thu, 29 June 2017
This week: you’d never know it from Steve Job’s effortless keynote introduction, but the original iPhone was plagued with huge design and production issues that almost made Apple call it quits, right up until the day it was released! To commemorate the iPhone’s 10th anniversary, we’ll recount some of the incredible stories behind iPhone’s beleaguered early days, and celebrate how Apple pulled off one of the greatest device launches in history. And stay tuned for an all-new What We're Into! This episode supported by You might know of Shutterstock as home to royalty-free photos. But, they offer much more. Kickstart your next interactive project with video clips or music tracks from their collection, and save 20% for a limited time at shutterstock.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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week Sign up to get a free copy of Unsung Apple Hero, an e-book detailing Bas Ording’s career at Apple. We’ll email you a copy when the e-book is released in July! Trying to build a better iPod - iPod was ruling the world, it was 50% of Apple’s revenue.
- Apple had the wherewithal to realize it was only a matter of time before phones would do it all, and they realized they needed to build one.
- Well the iPod used a click wheel, so why not build a phone function into that? It worked great, until they realized it wouldn’t work for dialing numbers.
- Steve Jobs realized their multitouch technology, which existed as rough demo, could be the key to controlling the iPhone. But they’d had to shrink it. The technology at the time consisted of a ping-pong table-sized display with a projector shooting down onto it. They had found their solution.
The pressure - Around 2005, Steve Jobs conveyed to Forstall and team that he hated the replacement iPhone proposals he was seeing, and that’s when he threatened to take the project away from them. He gave the team two weeks to come up with a good design.
- The team went into overdrive. Working tirelessly. Non stop. They had to come up with an entire multitouch design language, touch interactions, like pinch to zoom and the rubber banding scroll.
- When the two weeks was up, they convened with Steve to show him their new work.
- He watched silently, stoic.
- And when the demo was over, Steve said, "let me see it again.”
- So once more they dived into their vision of the iPhone.
- And after they were through, Steve simply said: Good job guys. He was blown away.
The keyboard - One of the biggest challenges was the software keyboard. They knew it’d be compared to what Blackberry had, so it had to be good.
- Unfortunately, in it’s current version, it was total crap. Worse, the launch date was looming.
- Scott Forstall knew they were in the danger zone. He pulled out all the stops. He froze development on other apps and brought in all their UI developers, and told everyone: make a keyboard.
- Well three weeks later they all convened, and one by one they showed off their work. Some of the examples were decent, some really complicated or strange.
- But one guy came up, and presented what looked like normal keyboard, but as he typed, they realized it was extremely accurate. They were shocked.
- How could this be. How was this working.
- The UI developer had built AI techniques into the keyboard to learn how you type, and as you did so, it could predict which letter you’d type next.
- And even though the key sizes on the keyboard didn’t change, but the hit region of your next likely key choice would grow, so even if you didn’t hit it on the head, the right key would still be input.
Software designers didn’t know what the phone looked like. The hardware designers didn’t know what the software looked like. They all saw it for the first time at the Macworld keynote in January, 2007 What we’re in to
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Thu, 22 June 2017
This week: - More of the powerful new iOS 11 features you’ve never heard of.
- The talented app which will harnesses the power of Apple’s new augmented reality features
- Scott Forstall is back, and he’s sharing the bizarre story of how the original iPhone really came to be.
- Everything you need to know about HEIF, the JPEG-killing format Apple is adopting
- Cliff jumping in our loin cloths
This episode supported by 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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week Former iOS Chief Scott Forstall Discusses Creating the First iPhone - Former iOS chief Scott Forstall is back from the dead. In a rare appearance, he appeared an event Tuesday night at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, where he discussed the birth of the iPhone and his relationship with Steve Jobs.
- It’s the first time he's spoken publicly since he was ousted from Apple in October 2012
- Forstall also spoke about the concept of skeuomorphic design, claiming he had "never heard of skeuomorphism" when he was working on iOS and that it sounded "unnatural”.
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- "When I look at design - when I look at good design - it's approachable, friendly, you can use it without a manual. It's fun. We talked a lot about photo-illustrative design. It was infused into the design sense of Apple by Steve Jobs since the original Mac. We used these design philosophies. It doesn't mean we loved it, or loved every single part of it. We know it worked. How do we know it worked? You just have to watch people use it.”
- Where things got really interesting is when Scott spoke about the origins of the iPhone. The TRUE origins.
- Forstall claimed that before the iPhone was conceived, Jobs had initially wanted a tablet with capacitative touch and multitouch in order to get one over on someone he "hated" who worked at Microsoft.
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- "It began because Steve hated this guy at Microsoft. That is the actual origin," Forstall said, before adding that it wasn't Bill Gates. After hearing the person boast about Microsoft's tablet and stylus development, said Forstall, "Steve came in on a Monday, there was a set of expletives and then he said, 'Let's show them how it's really done'."
New Siri icon in iOS 11 may hint at iPhone 8’s virtual Home button - Apple may have left a big clue in iOS 11 that points to huge design changes coming later this year to the iPhone 8.
- While doing some testing with the new Do Not Disturb When Driving feature, eagle-eyed Apple observers have spotted a new icon for Siri in iOS 11 that appears to be a perfect replacement for the Home button Apple is supposedly planning to ditch.
- The pseudo-Home button, first noticed by AppleInsider, can be found at the bottom of iPhones and iPads. It’s about the same size as the physical Home button, but doesn’t have a Touch ID ring around it.
Apple and Ikea’s AR collab lets you test furniture before buying - Ikea has revealed a few new details about its augmented reality collaboration with Apple that lets customers test out virtual pieces of furniture in their homes before they buy them.
- The app is scheduled to launch this fall alongside the official release of iOS 11. At launch, the app will boast 500-600 products that customers will be able to try out in their homes. This ultra-precise technology will allow them to be positioned on real backdrops in 3D with millimeter-accurate positioning.
- In a recent interview, Michael Valdsgaard, digital transformation manager at Ikea
- Ikea will aim to debut new products in the app before they arrive in store. He also said that Apple’s augmented reality platform was of interest to Ikea because of its guaranteed reach. “It will be the largest AR platform in the world overnight,” he said. “That’s super interesting to us.”
Everything you need to know about the JPEG-killing HEIF format Apple is adopting - JPEG was born in 1992
- As of iOS 11, most iPhones will be switching from JPEG to HEIF.
- HEIF is the new photo format that Apple is using to replace JPEG. And it probably will replace JPEGs, because the iPhone is the most popular, most-used camera in the world
- HEIF — or High Efficiency Image File Format — is the still-image version of the HVEC — or H.265 — video format. Its main advantage for you and me is that photos saved in HEIF are roughly half the size of JPEGs, and of better quality
- HEIF offers other advantages over JPEG. While a JPEG is a single image, HEIF can be a single image or a sequence of images.
Automatic setup - When setting up a new iOS device, there's now an option to hold it near an existing device to automatically copy over settings, preferences, and iCloud Keychain.
How to use iOS 11’s new Automatic Setup - To use Automatic Setup in iOS 11, you need two devices running iOS 11To start the process, you aim the camera at the moving sphere on your old device’s screen. Just like Apple Watch.
iOS 11 Makes it Easy to Share Your Wi-Fi Password With Nearby Friends - After choosing your WiFI network, the iPhone user is greeted with the traditional password screen, but on iOS 11 when the iPhone is brought near your iOS 11 device, a card your device notifies you that the iPhone wants to join you network.
- You can then tap and send your password to your guest, which recognizes the password, fills out the information, and connect to the Wi-Fi.
iPhone's Volume Slider No Longer Covers Videos in iOS 11 - After selecting a WiFi network to join, iOS 10 users must enter a password for secured networks, but on iOS 11 and High Sierra, you can bring your close to a device which has access to that WiFi network and that device can transfer all required credentials directly to your connecting device!
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Fri, 16 June 2017
This week: - Reviews for the new iPad Pro and HomePod are bonkers
- Someone in the Apple supply chain just accidentally leaked some of iPhone 8’s marquee features
- Speed tests show a big improvement in the new MacBook Pro
- Apple finally offers us iCloud Storage sharing
- Our favorite unannounced iOS 11 features
- And we’ll tell you what we like (and don’t) about the apps and gadgets we’re currently testing in an all-new Under Review!
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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week Apple suppliers confirm two of iPhone 8’s biggest features - Apple supplier Largan has confirmed it will be shipping its new 3D sensors in time for iPhone 8, while another has confirmed waterproofing and wireless charging technology.
- Largan’s sensors are capable of carrying out facial and iris recognition and provide an alternative to fingerprint scanning. They could be the solution Apple turns to if it is unable to embed a Touch ID scanner beneath the iPhone 8’s display.
- iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models are already splash- and water-resistant with an IP67 rating, but Apple's fine print warns that "splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear." iPhone water damage is not covered by Apple's warranties.
- But in Wednesday's shareholders meeting, [Robert] Hwang, [Wistron CEO] told reporters that the Assembly process for the previous generations of [iPhones] have not changed much, though new features like waterproof and wireless charging now require some different testing, and waterproof function will alter the assembly process a bit,”
- A report earlier this year said Apple's next iPhone models will feature improved IP68-rated water resistance (30 minutes in up to 3 feet of water)
2017 MacBook Pro is Up to 20% Faster Than Last Year's Model in Benchmarks - Apple this week refreshed its MacBook Pro lineup with Intel's seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors, and early benchmarks for the notebooks suggest the 2017 models are up to 20 percent faster than the equivalent 2016 models equipped with Intel's sixth-generation Skylake processors.
- Only about a 30% improvement over 2012/2013 MacBook Pros...
10.5-inch iPad Pro review roundup: Apple’s most impressive tablet yet - One of the big improvements of the new iPad Pro is its new variable refresh rate display, which Apple calls ProMotion, and means that it can run at 120Hz, or twice as fast as previous displays. It can also cycle down to 24Hz on still images.
- ARS has praised the new ProMotion by saying that it makes it easier to read text and scroll simultaneously, with the “ghosting” effect you get at 60Hz greatly reduced
- What everyone agrees on is that the new A10x processor is blazingly fast
- Smart keyboard is getting mixed reviews. Some saying it feels flimsy and unsatisfying to type on.
- Uses the newest Touch ID.
- Dramatically better antireflection coating.
- About 30% faster than 9.7inch iPad Pro, even more on multicore Geekbench tests I saw. Export times in Garage Band almost halved in some cases.
- Way better front (7MPX) and back cameras (12MPX), especially from the previous 12inch which had a 1.2 MPX camera.
- Fuller, better sounding external speakers
- iPad finally feels "pro"
HomePod First Listen Impressions: 'Incredible' Audio With Bass-Heavy Sound That Easily Beats Echo - A few websites have now gotten the chance to hear how HomePod sounds in a quiet environment, and they're sharing their opinions online.
- Mashable: The audio wasn't just loud — filling a room with sound, good or bad, is easy — it was rich.
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- Mashable noted that Apple had in-room comparisons with its competitors, including Sonos Play:3 and Amazon Echo, and that the HomePod easily beat the two other speakers in pure music playback quality.
- CNET: HomePod came off as bolder and more vivid than Sonos Play:3 in the [listening] experience, and a lot better than Amazon Echo. I'd also say the music sounded consistently vivid and crisp in a quiet space
- What HiFi: We also heard a pair of HomePods playing a live recording of Hotel California by The Eagles. The attention to detail was striking, with different instruments sounding discretely realised.
- Engadget called HomePod's audio "incredible,”
- if listening to the HomePod was like listening to a CD, then audio through the Echo sounded like AM radio.
Apple Drops 2TB iCloud Storage Price to $9.99, Eliminates 1TB Option - Following the WWDC keynote, Apple updated and simplified its iCloud storage tiers
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- 50GB: $0.99
- 200GB: $2.99
- 2TB: $9.99 (updated from 1TB)
- Apple is offering an option to share a 200GB or 2TB iCloud storage plan with family members, which is perhaps the reason behind the price drop.
- Google Photos offers free backup for photos and videos. Or you can back up via Plex premium.
Offload unused apps - Automatically offload unused apps if you’re low on storage.
iOS 11 Preview: Control Center Gets Customizable With 3D Touch Control center is now customizable, and you can use 3D touch to expand some control center icons (like the music control) iOS 11 Lets AirPods Users Change Tracks With a Double Tap - AirPods will soon be able to skip forwards and backwards between tracks with a double tap of either earpiece, thanks to a new additional setting in iOS 11.
- It’ll be possible to customize the AirPods so that a double tap on one earpiece skips, while double tapping on on the other earpiece goes to the previous track.
Under Review
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Tue, 6 June 2017
This week: in one of the most exciting and action-packed keynotes in years, Apple updates just about everything they’ve got. Hot off the event, catch our reactions plus our picks for best in show! 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. Check out the Cult of Mac Watch store for a curated selection of our favorite straps, all available for prices far less than you’d expect. 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. Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week WWDC keynote is proof of Apple’s awesome power and poise First look: From cute to badass, Apple’s new hardware impresses Hardware, software and surprises: Key takeaways from Apple’s WWDC 2017 keynote HomePod leads to string of Twitter jabs 11 awesome iOS 11 features Apple didn’t bother to mention HomePod smart speaker will totally rock (and control) your house New 10.5-inch iPad Pro is Apple’s best tablet yet Apple teases ‘seriously badass’ iMac Pro and other new Macs at WWDC
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Thu, 1 June 2017
This week: new evidence points to one of the most hardware-packed WWDCs in years! Add in four new OS reveals and, by golly, you have one heckuva exciting show. We’ll tell you all we know, and share all the products we predict will hit the stage. 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 Steve Jobs closes down Apple! Everything we expect to see at WWDC2017 MacBook Pro Macbook Pro with Touch Bar was announced 7 months ago! But a new one looks to be on the way. Expect: - More powerful Kaby Lake processors
- 32GB of desktop-class RAM for 15-inch MacBook Pro
- Price slash for 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar which hasn’t been selling well per Ming Chi Kuo
MacBook Pro shipping estimates hint at WWDC refresh - Shipping times for the 15-inch model have slipped on the Apple online store
- It seems strange that shipping times would suddenly slip for a product that’s been on sale since October.
- “A spot check shows 15-inch MacBook Pro delivery estimates are similarly as long in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, and several other countries,” reports MacRumors.
12-inch MacBook - It’s been over a year since Apple has updated its the portable 12-inch MacBook. Now would be a good time.
MacBook Air - Bloomberg reported earlier in May that Apple is “considering” updating the MacBook Pro with a newer processor because sales of the machine have continued to be “surprisingly strong.” Who knows what processor it’ll get or what (if any ) other upgrades (like as USB-C or a new display) might be included.
iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac mini - Apple announced earlier this year that they are hard at work on new pro-level desktop machines, but don’t expect to see anything at WWDC. The company made it clear that the new Mac Pro is in the works, but they also gave a spec bump to the current line.
- It is possible we may see an announcement about the pro-level iMacs they talked about, especially considering it hasn’t been updated since Oct. 2015! Maybe we’ll get some Kaby lake chips.
10.5-inch iPad Pro - KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks there’s a good chance Apple will debut its 10.5-inch iPad Pro at this year’s event.
- But if it will be using a new design language similar to the iPhone 8, it probably won’t be revealed until after the new iPhones.
Apple is already manufacturing its Siri-powered speaker - Apple’s grand unveiling of its Siri-powered home speaker could come as soon as next week, according to a new report that claims production on the new device is already underway.
- “The device will differ from Amazon.com Inc.’s Echo and Alphabet Inc.’s Google Home speakers by offering virtual surround sound technology and deep integration with Apple’s product lineup,” reports Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.
- If Apple does announce the speaker at WWDC don’t expect it to be available immediately. The report claims that units won’t ship until later this year, giving devs plenty of time to integrate their applications with it.
Apple registers new Macs, iPads, Magic Keyboard ahead of WWDC - Apple has registered a bunch of new products with the Eurasian Economic Commission ahead of WWDC next week.
- Its filings hint at the imminent arrival of new Macs, iPads, and a refreshed Magic Keyboard.
- The company has registered five new Macs with the EEC
- Another four model numbers are associated with iOS 10, which likely ties them to new iPad Pros. Possibly also the 10.5-inch model
- Finally, there’s a model number that points to a wireless keyboard. It’s been well over 19 months since Apple introduced the original Magic Keyboard, so we could well see a refreshed model with some minor improvements under the hood.
Get drawing tips as we cover WWDC with sketchnotes
Direct download: CultCast_286_-_WWDC_Product_Predictions.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:40pm PST
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Thu, 25 May 2017
This week: - Rumors point to a big iPhone 8 price hike. What’s the max you would pay?
- Intel makes a huge move to push Thunderbolt into the mainstream
- Ikea about to drop tons of great HomeKit gadgets on us
- DJI’s Spark selfie drone is a compact powerhouse
- And we’ll tell you about the weird and whacky gadgets we’re reviewing in an all-new Under Review!
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 More evidence hints at massive iPhone 8 price hike - Rumors that the iPhone 8 may come with a $1,000 price tag are seemingly backed-up by a new report claiming that components for the next-gen handset will be considerably higher than those for its predecessor.
- According to China’s Economic Daily News, the 3D Touch module alone for the iPhone 8 will cost 150 percent more than the comparable module for the current LCD iPhone.
- As per a recent report from Goldman Sachs analyst Simona Jankowski, the 128GB iPhone 8 will sell for $999, while the 256GB version will set users back a whopping $1,099. This means that the iPhone 8 could represent a significant 25 percent price jump from the iPhone 7.
- Include AirPods?
Intel will eliminate Thunderbolt royalties to boost adoption - Every manufacturer that uses it has to pay royalties to Intel, which means you typically find it exclusively in expensive, high-end machines.
- Intel has confirmed plans to drop Thunderbolt royalties in an effort to boost adoption. The chip-maker also plans to integrate Thunderbolt 3 into its own processors starting next year, eliminating the need for a dedicated controller.
- Thunderbolt has become the ultimate standard for connecting peripherals to your computer, thanks to its incredibly high bandwidth and versatility. Thunderbolt 3’s 40Gbps speeds let you transfer a full 4K movie in just 30 seconds.
- USB 3 is only 10GBPS!
Control IKEA Home Smart products with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple’s Home app - During the summer and early fall, IKEA will be adding functionality to its smart lighting range by enabling people to voice control their lighting with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and to set up and adjust lighting using Apple’s Home app and Siri voice commands. This takes IKEA one step closer to making smart home technology accessible for the many.
DJI goes tiny with new easy-to-fly Spark drone - DJI unveiled the new Spark drone at an event in NYC this morning where the tiny flying camera impressed watchers with some innovative new features like the ability to be controlled without using a remote.
- The Spark packs a 1/2.3” CMOS sensor that captures 12 megapixel photos and shoots stabilized HD 1080p videos so you can get super smooth shots. It also comes with new shooting modes you won’t find yet on the Mavic or Phantom 4: Pano and ShallowFocus.
- Flight time on the Spark is around 16 minutes per battery with a range of 1.2 miles. Pricing for the basic kit starts at $499, or you can get the Fly More bundle with two batteries, extra propellers and prop guards and a carrying case for $699.
- QuickShot Intelligent Flight Modes for taking cool selfie vids
- QuickShot automatically captures a 10-second clip intended for social media sharing
Under Review!
Direct download: CultCast_285_-_1200_for_iPhone_8_.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:28pm PST
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Thu, 18 May 2017
This week: new MacBook Pros at WWDC? Insiders say yes! We’ll tell you all we know. Plus: why future Macs are about to get much faster CPUs; Apple makes a big move to bring manufacturing back to the US; and we’ll wrap up with 5 weird and whacky facts about the new Apple Park campus. 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 Apple may reveal three new MacBooks at WWDC - Apple hasn’t released new hardware at a WWDC keynote since 2013, but the company is allegedly planning to unveil a new lineup of MacBooks, according to a report that claims the new machines will pack Intel’s new Kaby Lake processor to bring more speed than ever.
- Three new laptops will debut at WWDC 2017, claims Bloomberg, citing “people familiar with the matter.” Both the MacBook Pro and 12-inch MacBook will be updated with new Intel chips.
- Apple is also supposedly considering updating the 13-inch MacBook Air with a new processor, too, which would be quite a surprise as most observers assumed the machine was on its last legs now that the MacBook and MacBook Pro are thinner. Sales of the old MacBook Air remain “surprisingly strong” due to its cheap price tag, claims one of the report’s sources.
- What features needed to make the machine exciting again
- Shows Apple may be getting about making Mac great again.
Intel: Cannonlake CPUs will be more than 15 percent faster than Kaby Lake - Meager performance gains aren’t all Apple’s fault
- Chipmakers in past years focused on increasing performance by raising the clock frequency. But that made chips power hungry, and their focus shifted to adding cores, which boosted performance but also added battery life to laptops. Then the focus turned to integrating technologies like graphics and I/O buses inside processors. Gaming and virtual reality have brought a focus back to raw CPU performance.
- The performance improvements from Skylake to Kaby Lake topped out at 15 percent. The CPU performance boost for Cannonlake should be at least that, Intel said.
- The gaming market is exploding, especially eSports, and demand for high-performance Core i7 chips skyrocketed last year
- Intel may be trying to catch up with AMD, which is boasting a 40 percent performance improvement for its upcoming Ryzen chips.
Apple’s standalone Siri could look a lot like Echo Show - Apple’s Amazon Echo rival standalone Siri speaker will come with a touch-sensitive display, claims KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
- In a note to clients over the weekend, Kuo suggested that the Siri home speaker will have a “touch panel,” although it’s not known whether this will be a full-on screen or a simpler touch-based interface of some sort.
Apple gives $200 million to iPhone glassmaker to promote U.S. manufacturing - You may have heard that Tim Cook recently announced a $1 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund in an interview with Mad Money’s Jim Cramer at Apple Campus, he said the goal was to push “people to do advanced manufacturing in the United States.”
- Rather than pulling from its enormous pile of overseas cash, Apple is borrowing the money for its $1 billion fund since that is cheaper than paying to repatriate its foreign money pile.
- Apple has awarded Corning the first grant of its $1 billion investment aimed at boosting high-tech manufacturing jobs in the United States. The glassmaker will receive $200 million.
- Apple’s contribution is part of its “Advanced Manufacturing Fund” will support Corning’s R&D, capital equipment needs, and state-of-the-art glass processing.
Apple Park originally looked like a penis and 5 other wild facts How Apple Park campus almost looked like a giant dong
Direct download: CultCast_284_-_New_MacBook_Pros_at_WWDC.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:31pm PST
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Thu, 11 May 2017
This week: - It’s official, the WWDC keynote takes place June 5th, so here are our hardware expectations 🕺
- Apple quietly acquires one of the world’s best sleep tracking technologies
- Why Amazon’s Prime video app may FINALLY be coming to your Apple TV
- Our first impressions of the Amazon Echo Show, and the features we hope Apple steals from it
- And stick around for a completely weird, totally tribal What We’re Into, the segment where we reveal the all the non-tech stuff we’re currently enjoying.
This episode supported by Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of sink and bounce, 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 Apple Sends Out Press Invites for WWDC Keynote on June 5 - The invites are out! The WWDC keynote you’ve been waiting for us coming in three weeks, on June 5 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
Apple acquires sleep-tracking startup Beddit - Apple recently purchased Beddit, a sleep monitoring system that pairs a pliable under-sheet sleep sensor with an app, all of which is designed to help users analyze and improve their sleeping habits.
- Apple's Beddit purchase came to light because Beddit updated its privacy policy to both highlight the acquisition and implement Apple's privacy rules. "Your personal data will be collected, used and disclosed in accordance with the Apple Privacy Policy," reads the site.
Amazon Prime Video may come to Apple TV this summer - Apple and Amazon, the tech giants, are close to an agreement to bring an Amazon video app to Apple’s Apple TV set-top box, according to people familiar with the two companies.
- Amazon employees expect the app to show up on Apple’s hardware in the third quarter of the year.
- That move would allow Amazon Prime Video subscribers to easily watch TV shows and movies from the service using Apple TV.
- It’s unclear what got the two companies to reach an agreement, though some industry observers suggest that any pact would have been worked out, at a high level, by CEOs Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos.
Amazon Echo Show brings video to smart-speaker party - Amazon’’s new Echo Show is just like Echo, but with Video. You’re gonna just love video. It’s like a audio but for your eyes!
- With Echo Show Watch video flash briefings and YouTube, see music lyrics, security cameras, photos, weather forecasts, to-do and shopping lists, and more. All hands-free—just ask.
- Introducing a new way to be together. Make hands-free video calls to friends and family who have an Echo Show or the Alexa App, and make voice calls to anyone who has an Echo or Echo Dot.
- See lyrics on-screen with Amazon Music. Just ask to play a song, artist or genre, and stream over Wi-Fi. Also, stream music on Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and more.
- Powerful, room-filling speakers with Dolby processing for crisp vocals and extended bass response
- Ask Alexa to show you the front door or monitor the baby's room with compatible cameras from Ring and Arlo. Turn on lights, control thermostats and more with WeMo, Philips Hue, ecobee, and other compatible smart home devices.
Direct download: CultCast_283_-_WWDC_hardware_expectations.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:24pm PST
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Thu, 4 May 2017
This week: - Apple’s secret Siri speaker may be announced at WWDC—we’ll tell you everything (we think) we know about it.
- Why AirPods are the best product Apple’s made in years
- Why Microsoft’s MacBook clone is actually great for Apple fans
- We deconstruct and decode Tim Cook’s mysterious and quickly deleted accidental tweet, and you’ll be shocked at the truth!
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 This week’s Intro Apple’s new Siri speaker could be revealed at WWDC - Earlier this week, we heard the company is currently in the process of finalizing the design of its first standalone Siri device, which is expected to take on the Amazon Echo. Now we have an idea what it might look like and when it could be revealed.
- Apple's Siri-based smart speaker and home hub has an "over 50 percent chance" of being announced at WWDC, according to our homeboy Ming Chi Kuo.
- Kuo said Apple's smart home product will likely launch in the second half of 2017 and cost more than the Amazon Echo, $179. The device will supposedly support AirPlay with "excellent acoustics performance" from one woofer and seven tweeters. Kuo said its performance will be similar to the iPhone 6/6s.
- Last week, leaker Sonny Dickson likewise said Apple's smart speaker could be announced as early as WWDC. He said the device will run a variation of iOS with unspecified Beats technology, in addition to a Mac Pro-like concave top with built-in controls and speaker meshing covering the majority of its surface.
- A report from The Information said Apple's smart home speaker would be able to control appliances, locks, lights, and curtains through Siri voice commands. It added that some of the prototypes in testing have facial recognition sensors
Apple places orders for its Amazon Echo rival - Digitimes is reporting that Inventec, the Taiwan company that makes Apple’s popular AirPods, received Apple’s order for the the Siri Smart speaker,
Siri could soon recognize your voice for added security - Apple is busy working on innovative tech like the ability for Siri to recognize individual users’ voices, according to a recently-published patent application from Apple.
AirPods get highest-ever satisfaction score for a first-year Apple product - AirPods are the most beloved product Apple has launched in years, based on a new survey that found an astonishing percentage of AirPod owners are extremely satisfied.
- In a newly published study conducted by Creative Strategies and Experian, a total of 98 percent of AirPod owners said they are either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with Apple’s new wireless buds. Over 80 percent of customers said they are very satisfied.
Microsoft’s answer to the MacBook suffers one big flaw - Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop, with its sleek design and a super-sharp display, might look like a worthy competitor to the MacBook
- Starting at $999, the Surface Laptop ships with an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a battery that lasts up to 14.5 hours in between charges.
- Windows 10 S only runs apps downloaded from the Windows Store! But uou can upgrade to Windows Pro for $50.
Twitter flips out over mysterious Tim Cook tweet - Apple CEO Tim Cook set Twitter ablaze with speculation today — and all it took was a simple smiley face emoji.
- Cook sent out a tweet with just a smiley face emoji this morning. No other context was provided, and the tweet got deleted shortly later, leading Apple fans on Twitter to wonder what the most powerful man in tech was really trying to say.
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Thu, 27 April 2017
This week: - Apple stores are about to get a massive 2.0 overhaul, and we’ve got all the details
- Why the iPhone 8 may launch super late with no OLED
- Final Cut Pro X hits a massive milestone
- Google co-founder makes a flying car, and you’re gonna want one!
- We reveal our favorite new gadgets in an all new Under Review 🕺
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 SVP of retail Angela Ahrendts reveals redesigned Apple stores 2017’s ‘iPhone Edition’ to arrive late, OLED display uncertain - Apple analyst KGI Ming-Chi Kuo is reporting that mass production of the OLED iPhone will likely be pushed back to October/November, instead of the normal August/September timeframe because suppliers are having difficulties producing several of the phone’s cutting edge custom-ordered parts.
- The moderately reliable Makotakara is reporting that device is also claiming the phone will be delayed, and that the OLED upgrade we’ve been looking forward to isn’t a sure thing yet.
Final Cut Pro X hits massive 2 million users milestone - At this week’s annual National Association of Broadcasters conference, Apple revealed that it now has 2 million users of its Final Cut Pro X video-editing software, five years after launching the tenth version of the program.
- At $299 for a license, that’s a cool 600 million dollars.
- Apple’s rep added that it is taken considerably less time for Apple to jump for 1 million to 2 million users than it did for the company to reach its first million adopters.
Here’s how Apple plans to make its stores more magical - Angela Ahrendts was hired as Apple’s VP of retail just about 3.5 years ago, and she’s now unveiling her vision for the future of the Apple store.
- Apple wants to make their stores to be a place where you can engage with your devices and your communities. A place to meet your friends, like at Starbucks! says VP of Retail Angela Ahrendts.
- Apple is bringing new “hands on” sessions to its stores, enlisting artists, Mac experts and celebrities in a bid to make its retail outlets more engaging.
- The new Today at Apple initiative will launch next month in Apple stores everywhere. The initiative includes free hands-on sessions that will span more than 60 sessions in creative skills, including photography, coding and music creation. Classes will range from basic “how to” lessons to professional-level programs.
- "Amazon’s investing in stores, Google’s investing in stores. Starbucks has figured it out. You know, be a gathering place. Meet me at Starbucks. And I’ve told the teams, I’ll know we’ve done a really really great job if the next generation, if gen Z says, meet me at Apple. Did you see what’s going on at Apple today?”
Google co-founder’s flying car gets internet debut - Forget self-driving cars. A startup backed by Google co-founder Larry Page is aiming to reshape transportation by giving us flying cars, and the company finally gave the internet a teaser today.
- Kitty Hawk posted the first video of its all-electric aircraft today. The vehicle is only designed to fly over water, but the company says you won’t even need a pilot’s license to fly it.
- The Kitty Hawk Flyer will supposedly go on sale by the end of 2017. Pricing details won’t be revealed until later in the year, but you can get in line to purchase one by signing up for a three-year Kitty Hawk membership for $100.
- Members also get a $2,000 discount on the Flyer as well as some exclusive access to a flight simulator. We’re assuming that’s so you don’t wreck it on your first flight.
Direct download: CultCast_281_-_Introducing_Apple_Store_2.0.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:33pm PST
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Thu, 20 April 2017
This week: we deconstruct the new iPhone 8 leaks! We’ll tell what we’ve learned. Plus: Apple starts testing the driverless car they’re totally not working on; and the best iOS apps for all you marijuana connoisseurs. 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 This week’s Intro Sources confirm some of iPhone 8’s biggest upgrades - In its report on the new iPhone 8, Bloomberg corroborates many previous rumors about the next-gen iPhone, but suggests that more “ambitious” features may be scaled back or ditched due to manufacturing problems.
- According to the report, and as we’ve discussed on the show, Apple is preparing three iPhones for launch. Two will simply be updated versions of the current iPhone, while the high-end model will sport a totally revamped look.
- Apple is testing a premium version with a screen that covers almost the entire front of the device. That results in a display slightly larger than that of an iPhone y Pus but with an overall phone size closer to the iPhone 7.
- The updated lower-end model iPhones will stick with LCD displays and get fewer hardware updates.
- "One of the latest prototype designs includes symmetrical, slightly curved glass on the front and the back. The curves are similar in shape to those on the front of the iPhone 7. The new OLED screen itself is flat, while the cover glass curves into a steel frame. The design is similar conceptually to the iPhone 4 from 2010”
- "Apple also tested a more ambitious prototype with the same slightly curved front and steel frame, but a glass back with more dramatic curves on the top and bottom like the original iPhone design from 2007, one of the people said. “
- "Apple suppliers have so far struggled to reliably produce heavily curved glass in mass quantities, so the company is more likely to ship the version with more subdued curves”
- "Significant camera changes are also in testing for Apple’s overhauled iPhone. For the back of the phone, Apple is testing versions of the phone with the dual-camera system positioned vertically, instead of horizontally like on the iPhone 7 Plus, which could result in improved photos,”
- “Apple has … experimented with integrating the iPhone’s fingerprint scanner into the screen of the OLED version, which would be technically challenging, the people said”. TouchID on the back?
‘Leaked’ iPhone 8 drawings reveal surprising design - A new photo from leaker Sonny Dickson of what is believed to be iPhone 8 schematics reveals a surprising new design direction.
- Apple appears to have done away with the smooth curves we’ve come to expect from its smartphones in recent years, opting instead for sharper edges and flat sides. This image suggests the next iPhone will be much like the iPhone 5, only bigger.
- The shell seen in the photo above carries the same flat sides as the iPhone 5, with what appear to be chamfered edges. Cutouts for two rear-facing cameras get stacked one on top of the other, near the trademark Apple logo and a rear-facing Touch ID button.
- It looks like the frame shown in the leaked iPhone 8 schematics was designed to hold flat glass, not a curved display like those used by Samsung.
Apple gets green light to test autonomous cars in California - The California DMV updated its website today adding Apple to the list of 30 companies testing self-driving cars in California, including Tesla, Google, VW, Ford, Mercedes Benz and BMW.
- Don’t get your hopes up on seeing a car made by Apple anytime soon though. A DMV spokesperson informed the Financial Times that Apple is licensed to test three 2015 Lexus RX450h cars with six drivers.
6 iPhone apps every stoner needs on 4/20
Direct download: CultCast_280_-_The_iPhone_8_leaks_begin__.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:58pm PST
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Thu, 13 April 2017
This week: - Official new Nvidia drivers make your Mac compatible with the best GPUs on the market!
- A mole gives us our best look yet at what it’s really like to work in an iPhone factory
- Apple has a secret team working on ‘breakthrough’ diabetes treatment with the Apple Watch
- The saga of Ron Wayne, the forgotten Apple co-founder who traded his 22 billion dollars of Apple stock for just $800.
This episode supported by VideoBlocks, the affordable, subscription-based stock media site that givesyou unlimited access to premium stock footage. Check it out for free for 7 days at videoblocks.com/cultcast Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of sink and bounce, 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 - NVIDIA today released new drivers that make its Pascal graphics cards compatible with a Mac.
- The drivers support all 10 Series GPUs, including the GTX 1050 through GTX 1080 Ti, and the newly-announced GTX Titan Xp.
- Until now, however, you had to settle for older 9 Series cards.
- Now the newest cards, from the GTX 950 to the GTX Titan Xp, are supported
- In Apple lore, Ron Wayne is the man who threw away winning lottery ticket.
- It’s April 12, 1976: Apple’s third co-founder, a former Atari colleague of Steve Wozniak’s named Ron Wayne, is cashing in his 10% of Apple shares for $800.
- Hell of a nice guy.
- Drew Apple’s original logo.
- Wayne also wrote up the first contract in Apple’s history, solidifying what all three co-founders would do. Wozniak was to be in charge of electrical engineering, Jobs was responsible for marketing, and Wayne would oversee mechanical engineering and documentation.
- “I was 40 and these kids were in their 20s,” Wayne told Cult of Mac, referring to Wozniak and Steve Jobs. “They were whirlwinds — it was like having a tiger by the tail. If I had stayed with Apple I probably would have wound up the richest man in the cemetery.”
- “He was a very focused fellow,” Wayne told me. “You never wanted to be between him and where he wanted to go, or you’d find footprints on your forehead. To put it simply, if you had your choice between Steve Jobs and an ice cube, you’d nuzzle up to the ice cube for warmth. But that’s what it took for him to turn Apple into what it became.”
- When asked about passing on Apple, he said: Just pick yourself up and move on. I didn’t want to waste my tomorrows bemoaning my yesterdays.
- Today, Ronald Wayne resides in a $150,000 house in Pahrump, Nevada, a unincorporated town about 16 miles west of Las Vegas. Aged 80, he lives on his Social Security checks and money made selling rare coins and stamps over the Internet.
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Thu, 6 April 2017
This week: - Apple just revealed their future Mac plans… on purpose! It’s unprecedented, and we’ll unpack it all for you.
- Apple promises an all-new “rethought” Mac Pro and Apple display.
- Why the Mac Pro failed.
- Apple’s plans to make the Mac “Pro” again.
- New Pro-level iMacs coming this year.
- Leander reviews the top-secret new Sonos speaker Erfon’s couldn’t talk about.
- Erfon reviews a clever Watch stand that Buster hates but true Mac fans will love!
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 Steve Jobs Introduces the very first Mac Pro Apple building all-new, modular Mac Pro and external display Apple brings faster Intel Xeon chips, better GPUs to the Mac Pro 2017 iMacs will bring spec bumps to woo power users Apple pushes the reset button on the Mac Pro Sonos’ new Playbase speaker You’ll love this vintage Mac Watch stand! Meet Eddie, The Eagle
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Thu, 30 March 2017
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 Jobs, Steve 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
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Thu, 23 March 2017
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.
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Fri, 17 March 2017
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
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Thu, 9 March 2017
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:
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Fri, 3 March 2017
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 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 We talk about these products:
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Thu, 23 February 2017
This week: - We celebrate 5 years!
- We regale you with some of our favorite stories from past shows
- Our hardware expectations from Apple’s rumored March event
- Why iPhone 8’s wireless charging will probably be lame
- Apple has five teams working on their next-generation charging tech
- Why iPhone 8’s camera could pump out industrial-grade slow motion
- Steve Jobs gets a beautiful new home on Apple’s spaceship campus.
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. 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
iPhone 8’s wireless charging won’t be as good as we hoped - If you were hoping Apple had developed a spectacular new wireless charging system for iPhone 8, you’re going to be disappointed come September.
- A new rumor claims that Apple won’t be using range charging technology developed by Energous as previously expected, but instead one of the existing solutions already found in rival smartphones like those made by Samsung.
- Adding fuel to that fire, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has only recently approved a version of Energous technology that delivers very low power over just a few inches.
- The iPhone would require higher levels of power and a wider range. A solution that meets these requirements is yet to be approved by the FCC.
Apple has five different teams working on wireless charging - According to a new report, the company currently has not one or two, but five different groups inside Apple currently working to develop wireless charging technology for future iPhones.
Sony’s new sensor could bring super slo-mo video to iPhone - Apple has used Sony’s camera sensors in a number of iPhones, including the new dual-lens cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus.
- Sony unveiled the new senor during a lecture at the 2017 International Solid-State Circuits Conference capable of shooting 19.3MP still images at a frame rate of 120 fps. It can shoot 960fps video in 1080p. The iPhone 7 only shoots 120fps video in 720p.
Apple Said to Debut New iPad Pro Lineup, 128GB iPhone SE, and Red iPhone 7 and 7 Plus at March Event - Apple will host a March event to introduce a new iPad Pro lineup and other products, according to Japanese website Mac Otakara.
- In terms of the iPad Pro lineup, the report claims Apple will announce new 7.9-inch, 9.7-inch, 10.5-inch, and 12.9-inch models. The 10.5-inch model may not ship until May, while the other sizes are said to ship in March.
- If the report is accurate, it could mean has Apple plans to refresh the iPad mini 4 with a new 7.9-inch iPad Pro version, update its existing 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, and introduce an all-new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, which is has been rumored to feature an edge-to-edge display without a Home button.
Apple’s ‘spaceship’ campus will be named Apple Park - Apple’s enormous new spaceship campus finally has an official name: Apple Park.
- First conceived in 2011 by Steve Jobs, Apple Park has been under construction since 2013 and is rumored to have cost Apple upwards of $5 billion.
- The 175-acre plot will open for business in April, although work won’t officially be completed until late summer.
- campus’ 1,000-seat auditorium will be named the Steve Jobs Theater as a tribute to the company’s co-founder.
- “Opening later this year, the entrance to the 1,000-seat auditorium is a 20-foot-tall glass cylinder, 165 feet in diameter, supporting a metallic carbon-fiber roof,” Apple said in a press release.
- “The Steve Jobs Theater is situated atop a hill — one of the highest points within Apple Park — overlooking meadows and the main building”
- The campus will house around 12,000 Apple employees,
- And includes a new $75 million gym.
Direct download: CultCast_272_-_Five_Years.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:11pm PST
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Thu, 16 February 2017
This week: - iPhone 8 is getting a huge makeover with edge-to-edge screen, wireless charging, huge battery, and more. We’ll fill you in.
- End of the Home Button and Touch ID.
- The riches you’d have if you bought Apple IPO stock
- A 4K Apple TV is on the way
- The best 4K televisions
- TV of yore you need to watch
- The search for the perfect corn dog
- Join us for a live CultCast on Friday, February 24 at 12PM Pacific Time! Tune in at Live.TheCultCast.Com
This episode supported by 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. The Cult of Mac store! Cult of Mac has curated and culled the best Apple Watch straps around and is making them available at great prices. Check them out at store.cultofmac.com. 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 Vowed to Revolutionize Television. An Inside Look at Why It Hasn’t - The new Apple TV will be capable of streaming 4K content and more vivid colors.
AAPL shares close at new all-time high - Thanks to an improved rating from Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs, Apple shares have been on the rise this week. Today shares were trading above the previous intra-day record high of $134.54 set on April 28, 2015.
- IPO December 12, 1980 at $22 a share.
- 100 shares would have cost you $2200
- Since the IPO, the stock has split four times, including three 2-for-1 splits and one 7-for-1 split
- Your 100 shares would have multiples to 5600 shares.
- You initial $2200 investment would now be worth 759,136.
- By comparison, a $2,200 investment in the S&P 500 in the same time would have netted you about $79,000
- If you had invested 10k, you’d now how have $3,446,477.44
Smaller iPhone set to get big battery upgrade in 2017 - Apple reportedly plans to pack a much bigger battery inside the new 4.7-inch iPhone set to be revealed later this year.
iPhone 8 to Feature 5.8-Inch OLED Display With 5.15-Inch Main Screen and Virtual Buttons Below - The 2017 iPhone will feature a 5.8-inch display OLED display panel with 5.15 inches of usable screen space according to new predictions shared by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo believes the iPhone 8 will use a, but that some space will be reserved for virtual buttons.
- The display will reportedly take up the entire front of the iPhone, eliminating the bezels.
- Kuo says the OLED iPhone will have measurements similar to the 4.7-inch iPhone.
- Apple expected to introduce a stacked logic board design to support bigger batteries, and will feature a battery capacity similar to the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.
- Kuo expects the OLED iPhone to cost in excess of $1,000
- The OLED iPhone will be "the only bright spot" in the 2017 iPhone lineup, which may mean that the other phones will receive only minor improvements.
- Mac Otakara recently reported that the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models will retain an aluminum design like the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, with only internal changes
Apple joins Wireless Power Consortium ahead of iPhone 8 - Apple has been added to the Wireless Power Consortium, a group dedicated to developing and promoting mass-market adoption of the wireless charging interface standard Qi.
- This would also seem to suggest that Apple will adopt the standard Qi wireless technology, as opposed to inventing its own charging pad-free alternative, as has been heavily rumored.
Get to know ur cultist - the segment where we learn more about each other than we’d like to
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Fri, 10 February 2017
This week: - How to get significant discounts on Apple gadgets
- The INSANELY SPECIAL doorknobs at Apple’s Spaceship HQ
- The fat paychecks earned by Jony Ive’s industrial designers
- iPhone 8 to come in a plus plus size
- Wireless charging is all but confirmed for all three iPhone 8 sizes
- Next iPhone could cost more than $1,000!
- How to get a massive discount on Final Cut and Logic Pro X
- We reveal our favorite new shows and movies in an all new, What We’re Into Yaaa’aaall 💪🏼
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 Students get a massive discount on Apple’s Pro Apps Bundle - Apple is offering students a massive discount on a bundle of pro apps that includes Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X and more.
- The total cost of the apps included in the set would be just under $630, but Apple is offering them all to those in education for just $199.
- “Education pricing is available to college students, students accepted to college, parents buying for college students, faculty, homeschool teachers, and staff at all grade levels,” Apple said.
- According to a reliable Apple analyst, the company will release three new iPhones this year — including a redesigned iPhone 8 (or iPhone X) and two iterative iPhone 7 updates.
- All three models will reportedly boast new Apple wireless charging tech, rather than the feature being limited to a high-end OLED handset.
- The price of the top-of-the-line iPhone is set to increase to more than $1,000, according to a new report that claims the device will pack an OLED display that stretches across the entire front of the phone
- Switching to an OLED display will likely cost Apple twice as much as the current LCD display used on the iPhone 7, reports Fast Company.
- The report also echoes previous rumors that the 2017 iPhone will come in three screen sizes: 5.8 inches, 5.5 inches and 4.7 inches. It’s still unclear what Apple will call the next iPhone. Some fans expect it to be called the iPhone 10 or iPhone X because this year marks the device’s 10th anniversary.
What we’re into
Direct download: CultCast_270_-_The_BEST_Apple_discounts.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 1:21am PST
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Fri, 3 February 2017
This week: astounding facts and figures from Apple’s newest earnings report; Nintendo promises a bunch of new iOS games; how to get the best deal in cloud storage; affordable options for your first drone; the perfect minimalist strap for your mirrorless camera; and we pitch you our favorite gadgets in an all-new Fave N Raves! 💪🏼 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. 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 Got suggestions or feedback for us? Air your thoughts at TheCultCast.reddit.com. - Ever heard of Huawei? They’re in China.
- Justin Long, the face of Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign for three years, is now starring in ads for Huawei phones.
- Huawei is now the third-biggest smartphone maker in the world behind only Apple and Samsung. It shipped 44.9 million handsets last quarter to grab a 10.2 percent of the global market
- The company is now trying to break into Western markets, with a big focus on the U.S.
- What better way to do that than with the face of Apple’s famous “Get a Mac” campaign
Nintendo promises at least 2 new mobile games every year - Its new Switch console right around the corner, but Nintendo won’t be losing its focus on Android and iOS. The Japanese firm today confirmed that it plans to release two to three mobile games every year.
- Super Mario Run attracted a staggering 40 million downloads in just four days when it landed on iOS, and according to a recent report from The Wall Street Journal, it has already made Nintendo over $50 million.
- Nintendo’s announcement comes a day after it disappointed investors by slashing a third off its forecast operating profit for 2017 — despite the upcoming release of the Switch, which already has support from over 70 game makers developing over 100 titles.
Apple shatters records with blockbuster Q1 2017 earnings - Surprise! Apple sold more iPhone units than ever before last quarter
- With total revenues of $78.4 billion bringing in a profit of $17.9 billion, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he is “thrilled” with the results.
- Apple only expected to sell between 76 million and 78 million iPhones in the quarter, but it managed to move 78.3 million.
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- Cook told investors today that he still views the smartphone market as being in the “early innings.”
- MacBook Pro with Touch Bar that was the most pre-ordered MacBook ever.
- The iPad lineup sold 13.1 million units, down 19 percent from the year-ago quarter.
- Apple raked in $7.2 billion in revenue from services last quarter, including $3 billion in App Store purchases in December alone — the biggest month ever. Apple Pay users tripled in the past year, with transaction value increasing 500 percent.
- Selling apps, music, movies, iCloud storage and AppleCare has now become Apple’s second-largest moneymaker. In fact, Apple expects revenue from services to swell to the size of a Fortune 100 company by the end of the year.
iPhone 7 snaps Apple’s losing streak - Apple launched the latest generation of its flagship product in September. Some critics saw the iPhone 7 series as not enough of an upgrade from the 6s line. Some, especially music lovers, initially hated the absence of a headphone jack.
Fave N Rave Picks
Direct download: CultCast_269_-_Our_favorite_gadgets.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 1:09am PST
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Fri, 27 January 2017
This week: Apple’s weirdest, whackiest, and worst products! Plus: how Michael Scott almost single-handedly destroyed Apple; the cool new features in the iOS and macOS betas; facial recognition is coming to iPhone; and a look at the beautiful prototypes that led to some of Apple’s most iconic products.’ 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. 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 This week’s intro Apple hires Dropcam co-founder for special project - Apple has added another high-profile hire to its roster of top tech talent by bringing on the co-founder and former CEO of Dropcam, Greg Duffy.
- Dropcam grew in popularity thanks to its cheap home cameras that connected to Wi-Fi
- Citing “people who know Mr. Duffy,” the news site suggests he is leading a special project that’s operating like a startup within Apple.
Apple seeds first iOS 10.3 beta with Find My AirPods feature - Finding your tiny AirPods charging case is about to get a lot easier, thanks to a new iOS 10 beta that adds a Find My AirPods feature to iPhones and iPads.
- Works via the find my iPhone app
- Works with Bluetooth so the range is limited.
- You can make them chirp, but not while they’re in the case…
- Map will show you where they were last located.
iOS 11 expected to bring FaceTime group calls - iOS 11 will finally give users the ability to hold FaceTime group calls with multiple friends, according to a new report.
- Sources familiar with Apple’s plans claim the feature will support up to five participants, and that users will be able to initiate video calling from within iMessage group chats.
- It should also be noted, though, that this rumor comes from Israeli site The Verifier, which has no track record when it comes to Apple rumors. It claims to have garnered this information from “several people familiar with iOS development.”
Hartmut Esslinger In the mid 1970s, he first worked with Sony on its trinitron and Wega ranges. In the early 1980s, he began working with Apple.
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Thu, 19 January 2017
This week: 2017 brings the super-charged MacBook Pro you’ve been waiting for—yes, another update! Then, a former employee says Tim Cook's making Apple boring... Is it true? Plus: we get more evidence Apple will be making TV shows and movies; and iPhone 8 may be packing friggin’ lasers and facial recognition. 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. Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth! 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 This week’s Intro 2017 MacBook Pro to bring Intel Kaby Lake, 32GB of RAM - Apple will launch a new 15-inch MacBook Pro later this year powered by Intel’s next-generation Kaby Lake processors and 32GB of desktop-class RAM, according to a reliable analyst.
- According to reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has a MacBook Pro refresh planned for later this year that will bring new Kaby Lake CPUs and up to 32GB of desktop-class RAM. It will be “the most significantly redesigned product this year,” Kuo says.
- Kuo doesn’t mention specific release dates for any of these machines, but he expects the MacBook with 32GB of RAM to arrive sometime during the second half of 2017 — at which point Apple could reduce the price of the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar.
- Kaby Lake will also grace the rest of the MacBook Pro lineup — and the 12-inch MacBook, too, Kuo claims
Former employee explains how Tim Cook made Apple boring - Tim Cook’s kinder, gentler management style is the biggest reason why 2016 was one of the most boring years for Apple in recent memory, according to a former employee of the company.
- Steve Jobs was notorious for inciting conflict and competition between top employees
- After Cook took over, he worked to eliminate conflict within Cupertino’s walls and made employees less passionate, claims ex-Apple employee Bob Burrough.
- "Tim Cook fired Scott Forstall and aligned the executive staff so as to have peace. ...which is to say there is no conflict”
Apple Plans to Launch Original TV Shows Comparable to 'Westworld' and 'Stranger Things' By End of 2017 - According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Apple is building a "significant" business centered around creating original, including scripted television shows and possibly even movies.
- The content would reportedly be made available on Apple Music, like the already-announced projects Carpool Karaoke and Vital Signs.
- Apple executives have told Hollywood that the new original content will launch by the end of 2017, according to the new report.
- The move is looked at as a way for Apple to gain an edge against Spotify, and not a move to compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
iPhone 8 may pack frickin’ lasers for facial recognition - Apple’s next iPhone may come with new facial recognition technology and actual friggin’ laser beams, according to an analyst.
- By adding lasers near the front-facing camera, Apple will be able to depth-map objects, according to analysts at Cowen and Company. The camera could also be used for image recognition, enhancing security and fueling augmented reality.
iPhone 8 may have even higher waterproof rating - Apple may be planning to make its next iPhone even more waterproof, according to the newest rumor
- “Apple’s iPhone 8 will feature the IP68 rating protection as part of drastic upgrades marking the 10th anniversary of the iPhone this year,” reports South Korean news site, The Investor, citing an industry source.
Mavic Pro: The coolest gadget since the original iPhone [Reviews]
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Fri, 13 January 2017
This week: we reveal our current favorite gadgets! Plus: is MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar a gimmick? Then: Apple set to unveil three new iPads; rumors point to an Apple augmented reality headset later this year; and don’t miss our exhaustive AirPods review—we tell you what we love and we what we don’t! 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. 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 This week’s intro Apple to deliver 3 new iPads this spring, but no new mini - iPads are getting stale… The only model introduced in 2016 was the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and the iPad mini haven’t seen a refresh since 2015. The iPad Air 2 has been the same since October 2014.
- According to one Ming Chi Quo, Apple is focusing its efforts on updating the 9.7-inch iPad and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and on introducing a new model with a 10- to 10.5-inch display.
- It’s unclear whether the cheaper device will support Apple Pencil or the Smart Connector, but Kuo says it won’t have the new A10X chip, which will be exclusive to the larger models. Instead, it will be powered by the same A9 chip found in the iPhone 6s series
- Ming-Chi Kuo, widely regarded as one of the world’s best Apple analysts, doesn’t expect Cupertino to launch an AR product until at least 2018
Why the rumor that Apple will launch AR glasses in 2017 is ridiculous - Apple is teaming up with Zeiss to create augmented-reality glasses that will be unveiled later this year, according to long-time tech blogger Robert Scoble.
- “A Zeiss employee confirmed the rumors that Apple and Carl Zeiss AG are working on a light pair of augmented reality/mixed reality glasses that may be announced this year,” Scoble wrote in a Facebook post. “I thought it was next year but now that I saw this I believe it will happe this year.”
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Thu, 5 January 2017
This week: the worst gadgets of CES 2017! Yup, we run through the gizmos no one on the earth actually needs. Then we spice things up with our most hotly anticipated tech of 2017. And finally, we’re gonna be real with you guys… Apple had a rough 2016. But that’s all behind us now. It’s a new year. It’s a fresh start. We discuss what Apple needs to get right in 2017. On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r
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.
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. This week’s intro Flow is a wearable that helps you avoid nasty air pollution - It can measure dust, exhaust fumes and other harmful gases, as well as the household chemicals you might encounter indoors.
Smart hairbrush tells your iPhone if you’re not brushing properly - Every year at CES, there’s one gadget that epitomizes the crazier side of Silicon Valley’s “connected tech” smart devices mania.
- To do this, the smart hairbrush relies on motion sensors for monitoring your brushing patterns, conductivity sensors for spotting whether your hair is wet or dry, and a microphone for identifying “manageability, frizziness, dryness, split ends and breakage.” The brush also vibrates if you use it too vigorously.
- All this data gets sent to your iPhone, where an app gives you a hair quality score, tells you which parts of your brushing need work, and offers hairstyling products to buy.
OWC’s gigantic dock adds more ports to the new MacBook Pro - OWC teased a new accessory called the DEC dock for MacBook Pro at CES
- it's a slab that sticks to the bottom of the laptop to add up to 4TB of additional flash or SSD storage, an SD card slot, full-sized USB 3.0 ports and an Ethernet jack for wired internet.
- The downside is that it makes your new laptop as chunky as the 2012 model. From a depth of around 0.6 inches, you'll now have a machine that's almost an inch thick. OWC chief Larry O'Connor said they've been developing the concept for over three years and feel like the time is right to release it.
- The company doesn't have a release date and pricing info for the DEC yet
Griffin connects your toast to your phone
Direct download: CultCast_265_-_Worst_gadgets_of_CES_2017.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:24pm PST
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Fri, 30 December 2016
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 PST
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Fri, 23 December 2016
This week: everything we like (and don’t) 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
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Fri, 16 December 2016
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!
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Thu, 8 December 2016
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 PST
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Thu, 1 December 2016
This week: why building a Hackintosh can get you the monster Mac you’ve 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.
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- 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 PST
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Thu, 24 November 2016
This week: is a secret Apple project stalling Mac updates? It wouldn’t be the first time… Plus: Apple teases Black Friday deals; Airport routers are dead, and the Mac Pro might be next; the future of Time Machine; why iPad should be iOS/OS X hybrid; and Jony Ive’s new role designing Apple itself. This episode supported by Might Tees’ artful Steve Jobs, Woz, Apple and Star Trek tees are worn Will Wheaton, LeVar Burton, co-founders at Bad Robot, Chris Hardwick, Veronica Belmont, and even Steve Wozniak himself. And without Might Tees, there’d be Leander have Erfon would have never met. Grab a piece of CultCast history! While supplies last, get 60% off any order at MightTees.com and use 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. And check out Cult of Mac’s new, free fitness eBook! This ebook is your practical how-to guide, covering step by step everything you need to know about getting fit with Apple’s devices.
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 is teasing a one-day shopping event for Black Friday that could bring tasty discounts on its latest products.
- Apple chose not to participate in Black Friday sales last year, so fans were forced to look elsewhere for price cuts on Apple products.
- In 2014, Apple took a different approach to Black Friday, offering free gift cards with certain purchases instead of cutting prices. Customers got up to $150 for buying a Mac, up to $75 with an iPad, and up to $50 with an iPod.
- It’s also worth remembering that over the holiday period, the company offers free two-day shipping on almost all online purchases, while its retail stores are open longer.
- According to Bloomberg, Apple has disbanded the division dedicated to developing its Airport wireless routers.
- The product line — which spawned the AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time capsule, which Apple continues to sell — hasn’t been updated since 2013.
- He’s killing ports and headphone jacks left and right. The latest MacBooks value form over function. He’s designing gold watches for the 1 percent.
- And now his glossy new photo book, Designed by Apple in California, looks like a $300, linen-bound ego trip.
- "I see why some people think Designed by Apple in California could be Ive’s goodbye to Apple. But it feels to me like Ive’s heartfelt goodbye to his best friend and colleague, five years gone. I don’t think Jony Ive is going anywhere."
- Having previously been announced as the co-designer (with BFF Marc Newson) of the Christmas tree at London’s famous Claridge’s hotel, Ive’s creation was unveiled over the weekend, and — surprise — it’s a plain tree with no decorations, set on a white background.
- “There are few things more pure and beautiful than nature, so that was our starting point, layering various iterations of organic forms with technology,” Ive and Newson said. “Our aim was to create an all-enveloping magical experience that celebrates our enormous respect for tradition while recognising our excitement about the future and things to come.”
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Thu, 17 November 2016
This week: the reviews are in! We’ll tell you what praises and complaints reviewers have about new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Plus: the one Touch Bar feature you’ll absolutely covet; why the new “Designed by Apple in California” book is an artifact Apple fans will love; Apple quietly rebuilds a library of their gadgets long past; how to get the best Black Friday deals; and Buster reviews the hawt new Mavic Pro drone by DJI, then crashes it into a cliff. 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.
Might Tees’ artful Steve Jobs, Woz, Apple, Star Trek, and Star Wars tees are worn Will Wheaton, LeVar Burton, co-founders at Bad Robot, Chris Hardwick, Veronica Belmont, and even Steve Wozniak himself. And without Might Tees, there’d be no CultCast, as Leander and Erfon would never have met. Grab a piece of CultCast history! While supplies last, get 60% off any order at MightTees.com and use 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 MacBook Pro reviews roundup: Promising, not groundbreaking So what do the early reviews make of Apple’s new pro laptop? In a nutshell, that it’s futuristic, but maybe not an entirely successful device for present-day users. - Wired: The new MacBook Pro is a terrific laptop and, like the super-skinny MacBook, a clear indication of where most of the computing world is going. But comes with growing pains
- Techcrunch: The less celebrated spec bumps are what make the new Pro a worthy upgrade. Better processors, more storage, a brighter display and better speakers are all wrapped up in a sleeker and lighter package than before… The Touch Bar feels like a nice bonus for the time being.
- ArsTechnica‘s Andrew Cunningham writes, “The more I use the Touch Bar, the more I become convinced of its potential utility” — although a lot of its ability to replace the old function buttons remains hypothetical for now.”
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- Industry-leading storage performance.
- Touchbar get 1.3Gbps WiFI (like 2015 model) instead of 867Mbps.
- Walt Mossberg describes the Touch Bar as having “potential, but it’s not magic.”
- ARS: CPU performance increases by an amount that’s roughly proportionate to the 200MHz maximum clock speed increase, and GPU performance increases by around 10 percent. It’s not nothing...
- WSJ: “it’s a dongle nightmare.” The SD card slot is particularly missed.
- WSJ: A Touch Bar, Touch ID and new design are tempting, but you’ll get the same performance and battery with the older model… So how do you decide? Do you invest in the present—the “old” MacBook Pro with performance, good-enough portability, a keyboard to cherish and lots of ports? Or do you invest in the future—a beautiful, highly portable machine with new tricks? Or maybe you do what I’m doing: Stare down at your three-year-old laptop and wonder if you can tough it out another year or two while this sorts itself out.
MacBook Pro Touch Bar lets users skip through YouTube ads - First spotted by users on Reddit, at present the fancy new Touch Bar lets users scrub through otherwise unskippable ads so you can start watching videos straight away.
- “In Safari, the touchbar [sic] will pop up a scrubbing control whenever a video begins to play,” Redditor RomansFiveEight writes. “Amazingly, you can use that to scrub THROUGH an ad, even a non-skippable 30 second pre-roll ad; and begin your video right away!”
Apple chronicles 20 years of iconic design in pricey new book - Apple has announced that it will be debuting a new hardbound book, entitled “Designed by Apple in California,” chronicling 20 years of its groundbreaking designs — boasting 450 photographs of past and present Apple products.
- The book, which is dedicated to the memory of Steve Jobs, will also include exclusive details on the design processes used by Apple’s design team under the leadership of Jony Ive.
- The photos contained are all shot by photographer Andrew Zuckerman, a filmmaker and photographer who has previously shot portraits of Judi Dench, Clint Eastwood, Ted Kennedy, and others.
- “Designed by Apple in California”
- it is available in two sizes — including a small 10.20” x 12.75” edition for $199 and a large version sized at 13” x 16.25” — costing $299.
- Specially milled German paper
- Gilded matte silver edges
- Low-ghost inks
Jony Ive goes inside Apple’s design lab in new video - Going inside Apple’s design lab is a rare privilege some Apple execs don’t even get, but Jony Ive is giving the world a glimpse inside his lab to celebrate the company’s new book.
Apple had to buy back old products featured in its new design book - According to a new interview with Jony Ive, Apple had to actually go out and buy copies of its old products in order to photograph them for its new $300 coffee table book
- “[W]e’ve been so consumed by our current and future work we came to realise we didn’t have a catalogue of the physical products,” Ive told design journal Wallpaper*. ” … Many of the products that you see, we actually had to go out and purchase. It’s a rather shameful admission, but it’s just not an area that we really invested much time or energy in.”
- Shortly after he returned to the company in the late 1990s, Steve Jobs gave Apple’s historical archive — comprising records that management at Apple had kept since the mid-1980s — to Stanford University Libraries because he didn’t want Apple to be fixated on the past.
- A few years after that, in 1996, an ex-Apple employee named David Pakman who had worked there from 1991 through 1997 emailed Steve to suggest staging a celebratory event for Apple’s thirtieth birthday. He received a simple answer: Apple is focused on the future, not the past. —Steve
- Fortunately, things are changing, Ive said. Around eight years ago, the company felt an “obligation” to go out and start building up an archive of every product it had released.
Liveblog: The best Black Friday deals for 2016 Mavic Pro—10 years ago you’d need a helicopter to get footage like this
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Thu, 10 November 2016
This week: early reviews show new MacBook Pro is a video editing powerhouse; Apple’s massive interest in augmented reality; rumors of a Jet White iPhone; AirPods to finally start shipping; new dongle discounts; and finally—is Apple still developing an electric car? This episode supported by
Might Tees’ artful Steve Jobs, Woz, Apple and Star Trek tees are worn Will Wheaton, LeVar Burton, co-founders at Bad Robot, Chris Hardwick, Veronica Belmont, and even Steve Wozniak himself. And without Might Tees, there’d be Leander have Erfon would have never met. Grab a piece of CultCast history! While supplies last, get 60% off any order at MightTees.com and use 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. Learn how to get in shape using your Watch and iPhone! Sign up for Cult of Mac's new FREE Fitness ebook. 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 AirPods supposedly land in Apple stores next week - According to one Apple fan, who spoke to an employee at Conrad, an Apple authorized reseller in Germany, AirPods will be delivered to stores next Friday, November 17.
- “I have just talked with an employee of the Conrad Online Store, since I am there on 14.10 the AirPods ordered and I wanted to cancel today,” he explained to Apfelpage.de. “According to information from the employee, they have stockpiles from 17.11, I will then have them between November 18-19.
MacBook Pro with Touch Bar moves one step closer to shipping - “Multiple reports collated by AppleInsider and other sources show that Apple is gearing up for the first wave of shipments of the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, in every configuration,”
- The first wave of shipments is expected to reach customers as early as November 11. Those who ordered before the shipping estimate slipped should expect to receive them by November 17, though some could be waiting until November 25.
New MacBook Pro has already outsold every other notebook in 2016 - latest model generated over seven times the revenue that the MacBook 12-inch did during its April 2015 launch. The new model’s sales already equal 78 percent of all the revenue generated by the MacBook 12-inch since it became available, and has accumulated more revenue than any other laptop this year.
- Slice Intelligence found 40 percent of Apple laptop owners who purchased a MacBook in 2014 bought their next laptop with another brand. Dell and Asus computers were the most popular laptops for people who previously purchased a MacBook.
The truth about the 2016 MacBook Pro 13” (@JonnyLewisFilms) - Jonathan Morris pits a specs’d out HP Specter to a 13” MacBook Pro
- Premier takes 9+ minutes to export, Final Cut 1:20
Dongle Discount! Apple Drops Prices on USB-C Adapters In response to Mac outrage, Apple has temporarily dropped the prices on their adapters. - Apple has also introduced some significant price cuts to the 4K and 5K LG UltraFine displays that were announced at its October 27 Mac event.
Direct download: CultCast_257_-_Apple_augments_reality.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:59pm PST
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Thu, 3 November 2016
This week: we’ve canceled our MacBook Pro order! It’s true, and we’ll you why... Plus: we compare new MacBook Pro’s performance to older models and similarly priced machines; Apple call it quits on external displays; and, the end of an era—one of Mac’s most iconic features gets retired. 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 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. Professional Mac Users' Complaints List Grows After 'Disappointing' Apple Event It seems like everyone’s pissed! This week’s notes and links - Hiked prices really make you think about what you’re getting, especially compared to how much better it is to what you already have (or what’s available on the market).
- Raw Power differences/Speed increases in new MBP (compared to 2012 model)
- We specs aren’t everything as Apple optimizes everything.
- Felix Schwarz on twitter
- CPU
- Only ~30% increase in Geekbench Single and MultiCore increases if buying the same speed processor you have no.
-
- Skylake processors are already a year old, but Kaby lake isn't due out until January and Cannonlake due in 2017 as well.
- GPU
- You get 100-180% increase in GPU performance over 2012 dedicated GPUs
-
- AMD Pro 400 series is used for low power consumption. 4 year old architecture.
-
- it’s a mobile version of a budget graphics card
- AMD claims "the thinnest graphics processor possible”
- ideal for artists, designers, photographers, filmmakers, visualizers
- Not on par with Nvidia GPUs
-
- Nvidia’s budget card, GTX 1060, performs at 4.2 teraflops a second vs AMD Pro 460’s 1.8 Teraflops. 455’s 1.2 Tflops 450’s 1 Tflop.
- Nickel and dimed
- New cables or dongles for all your USB devices, your iPhone, your peripherals and Thunderbolt 2 devices, maybe your existing monitor.
-
- No power brick extension cable.
- Funny enough, Phil Schiller noted the new MacBook Pro still has a 3.5mm headphone jack because it is a "pro machine," but lacks an SD card reader because it's a "cumbersome" slot best left to adapters or wireless transfers.
- Take into account the $400-$500 price increases, it’s hard to get on board.
- Next year’s upgrade will address a number of my concerns
-
- More availability of USB C and Thunderbolt 3 tech.
- Lower prices.
- Touch Bar bugs worked out (if any).
- Cheaper SSD upgrades.
- Again, specs aren’t everything. Apple says the new MacBook Pro has:
- 130% better 3D graphics performance.
-
- 60% better gaming performance
- 57% better video editing performance
Performance comparison of the 2012 and 2016 15” Retina MacBook Pro MacBook Pro’s two biggest problems may get fixed in 2017 - The KGI Securities analyst told investors in a recent note that he expects Apple will bring big price-cuts to the MacBook Pro along with some internal upgrades. Kuo also claims the 2017 update will finally give the MacBook Pro up to 32GB of RAM.
- KabyLake CPUs will be used if Intel’s Cannonlake chips aren’t ready. That will keep max RAM support at 16GB for another year.
- Price cuts on the next MacBook Pro won’t arrive until the second half of 2017 though.
Apple is officially done making displays Buster - The days of Apple making its own stand-alone displays for the Mac Mini and Mac Pro are dead.
- Apple revealed a new 5K 27-inch Thunderbolt 3 display during its “Hello Again” keynote yesterday, only instead of being made by Apple, the company partnered with LG to create the monito
- The Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel tweeted that, after asking about it at the Hello Again event, was informed by Apple that “it’s out of the stand-alone display biz.”
- Apple did add some tech to LG’s display so that it integrates better with Macs. You can adjust the brightness settings on the LG 5K UltraFine display from your Mac, rather than pushing buttons on the display itself.
- $1300, or $700 for a 4K model
2016 MacBook Pro loses the iconic startup chime - The new MacBook Pro jettisons the iconic F-sharp sound Apple uses to show a Mac is booting up.
- The use of an arpeggiated chord when you started your Mac dates back to the Macintosh II, when software engineer Mark Lentczner incorporated it into the system.
- The sound was later revised by Jim Reekes, Apple’s senior software engineer in charge of the audio and system sounds, during the 1990s. Over the years, its tone has changed further and the instrumentation has also varied,
- The reason for getting rid of the sound instead has to do with the fact that the new laptops now turn on from a fully switched-off mode if they’re opened — meaning you can save all that energy you would otherwise have expended pressing the power button.
- There’s hope! You can reactivate the sound via a terminal command.
Nvidia GTX 1060 Laptop vs Desktop Benchmarks – Is Pascal Really a Game Changer? How to restore Mac startup chimes on 2016 MacBook Pro How Faster are the Intel processor and Radeon Pro 450 / 455 / 460 GPU on the New MacBook Pro 15 2016? Apple Has Received More Online Orders for New MacBook Pro Than Any Previous Generation
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Thu, 27 October 2016
This week: Happy? Disappointed? Downright pissed off? Don’t miss our Hello Again Mac event reactions! Plus: everything we know about Apple’s new MacBook Pro, and the two big omissions in Apple TV’s new TV app. 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. Pros - The new MacBook Pro won’t ship for another 2-3 weeks, but members of the media who got their fingers on the new Touch Bar came away from Apple’s event with rave reviews.
- Techcrunch: The Touch Bar is, in a word, neat…The strip itself is glossy. Not quite slick, but frictionless enough so as to run a finger across with little effort. It’s quick and responsive, reacting to multi-touch and the amount of pressure the user applies. It also adapts quite quickly as you toggle between different apps.”
- Versatile - You know get Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1, Display Port, and charging abilities on every port.
- Brighter screen with better color
- Engadget was particularly impressed by the screen on the new MacBook Pro models, calling it "stunning" when in person and "a noticeable upgrade" from the previous generation of MacBook Pros.
- Upgraded GPU and processor.
- 60hz refresh rates on 4K and 5K displays
- Second-generation “fine tuned” butterfly mechanism keyboard.
- Now available in Space Gray and Silver
- Previous MacBook Pros started at $1299 (13”) and $1999 (15”). New MBPs start at a whopping $1799 (13”) and $2399 (15”).
- USB C only ports mean dongles for everything, including regular USB peripherals.
- No SD card slot.
- No HDMI out.
- Your current iPhone cable won’t work.
- Your Thunderbolt cables and peripherals won’t work without Apple’s new $50 adapter.
- No Magsafe 😥
- Dongles for literally EVERYTHING:
- iPhone
- AirPods
- SD Card readers
- Ethernet
- Thunderbolt 2 peripherals
- Displayport monitors
- No other Macs announced or updated
- AirPods delayed
- 13" Macbook Air not updated but will continue to be sold for time being. 11” retired.
- So long non-retina MacBook Pro.
- Previous gen MacBook Pro with Intel graphics still for sale but at the same price.
Apple’s TV app doesn’t work with the two best streaming services - Apple revealed its plan to own your TV screen today with a new app called TV. The new service aims to unify your TV experience on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV by taking you straight to content, but the two best streaming services won’t be available.
- Both Amazon Prime Video and Netflix won’t participate in Apple’s new feature.
- Netflix confirmed "we are not participating and evaluating the opportunity”
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Thu, 20 October 2016
This week: is Apple is about to make massive updates across the entire Mac line? Don’t miss our Oct. 27 Mac event predictions! Plus: everything we know about Nintendo Switch, and why we already love it. 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. 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 It’s been 528 days since its last update (average is 268), and 4 years since its last major overhaul. We expect an: - OLED display bar.
- Touch ID power button and 4 USB-C ports (with Thunderbolt 3 compatibility)
- The MagSafe port reportedly will be scrapped.
- Upgrade to 4K 4096 x 2160 resolution from current 2880x1800 res.
Macbook Air, Apple’s cheapest computer It’s been 591 days since its last update (average is 350). Overall design of the MacBook Air will likely remain the same. The machines are expected to be updated with USB-C support, according to a new Bloomberg report. Updated internals for sure. Retina display is possible but may not happen since this is now Apple’s budget machine. According to Macotakara, no more 11 inch. Macbook Nuthin - The MacBook was updated with Intel Skylake processors and a new Rose Gold color option in April of 2016. 374 days since its last update, with an average of 317. We haven’t heard a peep about updates. Likely just updated internals, but possibility of larger screen with curved display. 1037 days since since the Mac Pro released. No updates since. Average update is 449 days. Major internal updates expected with possibly design overhaul. Mac Mini 735 days since last update, average is 438. We’re expecting internal updates, but that’s probably it. New Cinema Display In June of 2016 the Cinema display was officially discontinued. There have been rumors of a new ‘Thunderbolt Display’ that will feature a 5K display and an external GPU in the display itself so under-powered Macs can still run it. A Magic Trackpad 2 with multi-touch and Force Touch was announced on October 13, 2015 along with the Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Keyboard, so probably no updates. It’s possible we get an updated Magic Keyboard with OLED display bar. First Look at the Nintendo Switch
Direct download: CultCast_254_-_Hello_indeed.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:29pm PST
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Fri, 14 October 2016
This week: tips, tricks, and techniques to take beautiful iPhone photos and build a following on Instagram. Plus: the crazy exploding Samsung Galaxy Note saga ends in a strange twist; rumors point to Macs with radically new e-ink keyboards; and an honest look at Siri vs. the AI competition. 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. And check out Cult of Mac’s new, free fitness eBook! This ebook is your practical how-to guide, covering step by step everything you need to know about getting fit with Apple’s devices. We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Intro - Freedom of choice! Apple may be working on keyboard with e-ink display keys - A Redditor namede Foxconninsider recently posted about a new Smart Keyboard claimed to be a working e-ink keyboard prototype potentially coming to both iMac and MacBook devices sometime in 2018.
- The Guardian is now corroborating the keyboard with a claim that Apple CEO, Tim Cook has met with Sonder founder Serra-Martins in while in China.
Samsung mercifully puts Galaxy Note 7 out of its misery - Samsung has permanently stopped production of its once-acclaimed new smartphone flagship. Owners will be able to return their phones for a refund or to swap it out for another Samsung device.
- The handset was allegedly rushed to market due to Samsung’s confidence that the iPhone 7 would turn out to be a box office dud.
LOL: Galaxy Note 7 return kit includes fire-proof box and gloves - If you bought your Note online from Samsung,returning it could be tricky. In the United Kingdom, the Post Office won’t even accept packages that contain the device.
- Fortunately, Samsung has a solution. Its special Note 7 return kit was designed with explosions in mind, and it includes thermally-insulated packaging with a ceramic fiber paper lining, and gloves that ensure you won’t suffer burns while handling the device.
Mossberg: Why does Siri seem so dumb? - When was the last time Siri delighted you with a satisfying and surprising answer or action?
- Siri started as an iOS app in 2009, then was purchased by Apple and introduced again in the iPhone 4S
- It seems to me that Apple has wasted its lead with Siri. And now Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and others are on the march
- If you try and treat Siri like a truly intelligent assistant, aware of the wider world, it often fails
- (Weather on Crete, Presidential Nominees) Google Now, on the same Apple devices, using the same voice input, answered every one of these questions clearly and correctly
- Siri is too limited and unreliable to be an effective weapon for Apple in the coming AI wars. It seems stagnant
Direct download: CultCast_253_-_Eatercising.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 12:32am PST
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Fri, 7 October 2016
This week: revamped iPads coming this spring; Apple lays the groundwork for the next era of personal technology; how smart homes get hacked; Google’s Pixel phone vs. iPhone 7; and we reveal our favorite new iOS and Mac apps! 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. Easiest Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of memory foam and latex, and people everywhere love them. Learn why at Casper.com/cultcast and get $50 towards any mattress with code "CultCast". We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Intro - Do you even scan, bro? We’re glad to see they’re putting them to good use Replacement Galaxy Note 7 catches fire on a plane - Southwest Airlines was forced to evacuate a flight from Louisville to Baltimore this morning before it hit the runway, thanks to a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone that caught fire.
- The owner of the Galaxy Note 7 said he got the new phone on September 21st at an AT&T store. Before the flight left the gate, the owner says he powered it down and put it in his pocket when it started smoking.
- Thick grey-green smoke poured out of the device after the owner dropped it on the floor. In a matter of moments it had burned through the plane’s carpet.
- “All passengers and crew exited the plane via the main cabin door and no injuries were reported,”
With new hardware trio, Google makes major play for your home - During an event in San Francisco today, Google unveiled a new Wi-Fi router, an improved Chromecast with 4K support, and a new Google Home device that’s a lot like Amazon’s Echo smart speaker, only it’s powered by Google Assistant.
- Google Home allows owners to use voice commands to do stuff like play music on YouTube, Google Play Music or Spotify. You can also ask Google Home to play podcasts or news feeds.
AirPods point to Apple’s domination of ‘ambient paradigm’ Three new iPads Pro are coming early next year - Apple is set to debut a trifecta of new iPad Pro models in Q1 2017, according to a new report
- Mac Okatara suggests that the 12.9-inch and 7.9-inch iPad Pros will get the same 12MP iSight camera and True Tone technology that the 9.7-inch iPad Pro currently has. All three models will also supposedly receive quad microphones and, in something of a pleasant surprise, 3.5mm headphone jacks.
- If Apple’s yearly product cycle wasn’t enough of a hint that a new iPad was on the way, Apple’s iPad Pro tablets both received discounts of up to $100 after Apple’s iPhone 7 media event last month. This announcement coincided with a storage upgrade for other iPad models.
Let’s talk about apps, man Leander Buster Erfon
Direct download: CultCast_252_-_Galaxy_Grenades.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 1:28am PST
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Thu, 29 September 2016
This week: reports point to a big Mac event coming in October! We’ll tell you why we expect more than just overhauled MacBook Pros... Plus: we remember Steve Jobs, and what made him so damned good; why the jet black iPhone 7 is impossible to find; and stay tuned for drone chat, where we discuss the super cool new drones hitting the market. This episode supported by Dollar Shave Club delivers amazing razors right to your door for a third of the price of what the greedy razor corporations charge. Try it yourself with your first month free at DollarShaveClub.com/CultCast. Withings Body Cardio scale helps you assess overall cardiovascular health with Heart Rate and Pulse Wave Velocity, a medically-accepted measurement that tracks the speed at which heartbeat-generated waves move along the arteries. Learn more at Withings.com. We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Intro - The Extraordinary Powerbook Long-awaited MacBook Pro update might land in October - MacRumors has reported that Apple is moving rapidly toward a launch of the new MacBook Pro models, with current development work on macOS 10.12.1 focused largely on preparing the operating system to support the updated hardware's new features
- Apple hasn’t made a significant update to the MacBook Pro lineup since May 2015
- According to MacRumors‘ report, Apple is just waiting for development of macOS 10.12.1 to finish so it can support the updated hardware’s new features. Apple is supposedly planning to seed one more beta version of macOS 10.12.1 early next week. That version will then be polished and loaded onto hardware currently being produced.
- rumored by several sources to include Touch ID support and an OLED "touch bar" replacing the current row of function keys across the top of keyboard. Apple is also said to be shifting to "Polaris" graphics chips from AMD on the higher-end 15-inch models.
- iMac 352/317 (days since update/average)
- MBP 500/268
- MBA 570/350
- Mac Mini 714/438
- Mac Pro 1015/449
Here’s why jet black iPhone 7 is impossible to find - Apple’s new jet black iPhone 7 is nearly impossible to find at stores, and the shortage isn’t going to get better anytime soon, according to one of the most accurate Apple analysts in the game.
- KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors in a research note today that Apple is having trouble with production of the jet black cases.
- A substantial number of cases don’t meet quality standards for the jet black finish, which is already susceptible to scratches.
- Apple had to create an entirely new process to produce the high-gloss black finish, which is why it’s so hard for manufacturers to get their yield rates up.
DJI’s tiny Mavic Pro drone will land at Apple Stores - The battle for droning supremacy is heating up today after DJI revealed its tiny new Mavic Pro drone that will take on GoPro’s new Karma drone system.
- DJI’s new Mavic Pro drone features a folding design that can compress the device down to the size of a water bottle.
- DJI strapped a 4K video camera on a 3-axis gimbal. It can also take 12MP RAW stills in either portrait or landscape mode thanks to the gimbal that can be controlled via an iPhone.
- $750 - drone only
- $999 drone with remote
- $1300 with extra batteries, quick charger, propellers, bag, etc
- Ships Oct. 15, in Apple Stores in November
Casey Neistat loves the DJi Mavic Pro drone
Direct download: CultCast_251_-_Big_October_Mac_event_.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:24pm PST
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Thu, 22 September 2016
This week: seven days with iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2—we’ll tell you what we love (and don’t) about Apple’s newest iPhone and Watch. Plus: Hissgate, explained; auto-unlocking your Mac with an Apple Watch; and if you’re wondering how to use picture-in-picture mode on Youtube videos in macOS Sierra, we’ll reveal just how to get it working. This episode supported by Dollar Shave Club delivers amazing razors right to your door for a third of the price of what the greedy razor corporations charge. Try it yourself with your first month free at DollarShaveClub.com/CultCast. TunnelBear, the simple privacy app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet. Visit GetTunnelBear.com to get your free TunnelBear today. We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Let the lovely lady Lisa enchant you iPhone 7 display is the best LCD ever tested - Apple’s new LCD display was rated as “visually indistinguishable from perfect” when it comes to image contrast and intensity. The tiniest amount of color variation, seen when viewing the screen from an angle, also yielded top marks.
- The DisplayMate report calls the touchscreen display the “crown jewel of the smartphone”
- One thing that gives the iPhone 7 display a competitive advantage is its adoption of two standard color gamuts: The new DCI-P3 wide color gamut used in 4K UHD TVs, and the smaller sRGB/Rec.709 gamut traditionally used in digital cameras, TVs, computers and most other consumer devices.
- The test also found that the iPhone 7’s peak brightness can only be achieved when Automatic Brightness is turned on. This prevents users from draining their battery in a flash by accidentally keeping the slider all the way up.
Hissgate: iPhone 7 Plus emits strange noise when under heavy load - Some iPhone 7 Plus owners are reporting that Apple’s new devices emit a strange hissing noise when performing processor-intensive tasks. And no one is sure what’s causing it.
- It appears that Hissgate only effects a small number of devices. Cult of Mac has not been able to replicate the hissing problem on any of our new iPhones.
- Engadget theorized that it could be a “coil whine” and is likely a small manufacturing defect instead of an overall design flaw.
- Apple looks to be replacing phones which present the issue
Apple Watch Series 2 review: A tick closer to perfection Buster - For the past 16 months, Apple’s wearable and I have had an on-again, off-again relationship.
- Apple Watch Series 2 is supposed to be wicked fast at this, but there’s just one problem. The device’s screen never shows “GPS” or another indicator to prove it’s connected. You just have to take it on faith that there’s a connection behind the scenes.
- It still can’t track your elevation. There’s a huge difference in difficulty between running 5 miles on flat roads verses 5 miles with a 2,000-foot elevation gain.
- The only way to get your elevation data is to pack your iPhone along for the ride.
- This watch is screaming fast.
- I didn’t notice any major gains in battery life, so it’s likely that all the extra juice is being used to power the new GPS chip and display.
Direct download: CultCast_250_-_Seven_days_with_iPhone_7.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 10:44pm PST
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Thu, 15 September 2016
This week: should you buy Airpods? The reviews are in, and we’re excited. Plus: the iPhone 7 carrier deals you need to know about; iPhone 7 smashes pre-order expectations; Series 1 vs. Series 2 Apple Watch; and, Apple, the new NASA? This episode supported by Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com. Enter offer codeCultCastat checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful. 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 at audible.com/cultcast. We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Intro - Whole Earth Access has the Macintosh you’ve been looking for! T-Mobile CEO: iPhone 7 is shaping up to be a smash hit - According to charismatic T-Mobile CEO John Legere, reports about a supposed lack of interest in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are way overblown.
- “So I don’t know what everyone is doing, but it’s like four times bigger than the iPhone 6 for us at this order stage,” he said, calling orders thus far a “phenomenon.”
Apple won’t have any iPhone 7 Plus models for sale in stores on Friday - It’s completely sold out, as is the smaller iPhone in Jet Black
Our pre-order experiences (discussion) AT&T/T-Mobile/Verizon iPhone 7 deals are bonkers (discussion) Thoughts on watchOS 3 and the Apple Watch Series 1 vs. Series 2 (discussion) AirPods review roundup: A nice idea with room for improvement - We’ll have to wait until October to get our hands on Apple’s new wireless AirPods, but select reviewers have been granted early access to help us decide whether they’re worth their $159 price tag.
Impressions - “There’s nothing to break or tangle, nothing to plug in, nothing to get caught on a stranger’s backpack on the train every freaking day. Just sweet aural freedom.” “sit in my ears, actually better than EarPods, and remained in place even while running” David Pierce at Wired
- Chris Velazco of Engadget writes that he’s “stunned Apple squeezed as much tech into the AirPods as they did.”
Sound - Most reviewers concluded that AirPods sound almost exactly like EarPods.
- Engadget review. “In general, the AirPods gave mids a little more meat than EarPods did, and drum fills felt crisper and more precise. My test tracks… came across warmer than I would have expected.”
- Another review wrote “I’m no audiophile, but to me, the AirPods sound nearly identical to Apple’s wired EarPods.”
Siri - “Having Siri two taps away isn’t just the best thing about the AirPods. It’s the reason they exist,” writes David Pierce. “It’s easy to imagine Apple making the AirPods the centerpiece of how you interact with all your devices, particularly as Siri becomes more important.”
- “Consider this the first step towards a future where we no longer have to stare at a screen to get things done,” adds Business Insider. “Siri… can always be there, responding to your queries by buzzing in your ear, almost like in the movie “Her.”
Why Apple is the new NASA
Direct download: CultCast_249_-_JazzHands.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:20pm PST
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Wed, 7 September 2016
This episode: our iPhone 7 event reactions! iPhone 7, AirPods, the new Apple Watch—we’ll cover everything Apple announced this week, and tell you what we like, what we don’t, and what we’ll be spending our own hard-earned monies on. Plus: Nintendo's big move into iOS, and how to lock down the exact iPhone you want when the pre-orders go live.. This episode supported by TunnelBear, the simple privacy app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet. Visit GetTunnelBear.com to get your free TunnelBear today. And our thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a for the great music you hear on today's show. Shot on iPhone - Tim Cook’s exquisite football photo
Direct download: CultCast_248_-_iPhone_7_event_reactions.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:28pm PST
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Thu, 1 September 2016
This week: what new hardware will Apple bestow upon us at the iPhone 7 event next week? Don’t miss our predictions! Plus: new video shows iPhone 7 Plus in the wild; and we explain Apple’s Irish tax woes, then argue about it. 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. Easiest 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. What do you think we’ll see at Apple’s iPhone 7 event? Join us on Reddit! Intro, who needs a desk? Decoding Apple’s blurry iPhone 7 invite Apple sends out invites for iPhone 7 event on September 7 - Apple just sent out press invitation to a special event to be held September 7 at 10 a.m. Pacific. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are expected to be unveiled at the event.
- A dual-lens camera on the iPhone 7 Plus could be the most groundbreaking new feature added this year. Other additions are likely to include a new pressure-sensitive Touch ID button, a faster A10 processor, an improved camera on the iPhone 7 Plus, and a new casing with fewer antenna lines. The iPhone 7 will also boast faster LTE, a bigger battery and more.
Apple will package Lightning EarPods and adapter with iPhone 7 - A new image circulating online, purporting to be insert documentation for the upcoming iPhone 7, appears to confirm that Apple will be bundling Lightning EarPods as part of its next-gen handsets.
New video shows working iPhone 7 Plus in the wild - Notorious Apple leaker Sonny Dickson posted a short video of the three plus-size iPhones this morning, confirming many of the rumors that have claimed this year’s update won’t contain any huge design changes.
- The back of the iPhone 7 Plus in Dickson’s video reveals that the device will indeed come with a highly anticipated dual-lens camera, though it won’t pick up a Smart Connector
Tim Cook: Apple’s tax bill will have a ‘harmful’ effect on investment in EU - Tim Cook has written an open letter addressing Apple’s enormous tax bill
- The European Union recently ruled that Apple owes €13 billion ($14.52 billion) in back taxes
- Cook also states that suggestions Apple has an illegal sweetheart deal in Ireland, “has no basis in fact or in law,” confirms Apple will appeal the European Commission’s ruling
- The Irish government has said it is happy with its tax arrangement with Apple and doesn’t want the money.
- Ireland’s finance ministry has sided with Apple, and said it “disagrees profoundly” with the decision.
- The European Commission's issue is really not with Apple but with Ireland.
- The commission is not a tax authority; instead, its job is to maintain fairness between the EU member states.
- Countries are able to set their own tax rates, but country can’t offer something special that's seen as benefiting an individual company.
- In 1991, Ireland (who’s economy was struggling) signed off on a plan in which Apple would move money to a stateless "head office”.
- "Apple entered into a deal with Ireland to not pay tax on all those profits,” and Apple paid "an arbitrarily small amount to Ireland in return for a promise to keep jobs in Ireland.” (The kept 6000 there.)
- Low corporate tax was one way Ireland improved its economy and attracted big companies, and Apple was one of the early companies to benefit.
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Thu, 25 August 2016
This week: You’ve heard of Samsung’s Galaxy Edge… but is an iPhone 8 Plus Edge on the way? Some respected analysts say yes. Plus: iPhone 7 Plus with dual lens was just spotted on the streets; iOS 9.3.5 fixes one of the most invasive iOS exploits to date; Tim Cook just made FAT STACKS of cash; and if the rumors prove true, Apple is working on a new social network… to take on Snap Chat. No, seriously. This episode supported by TunnelBear, the simple privacy app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet. Visit GetTunnelBear.com to get your free TunnelBear today. And our thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a for the great music you hear on today's show. Drink it in, my friends Galaxy Note 7 vs iPhone 6S Speed Test Taiwanese superstar posts picture of himself using iPhone 7 Plus - Taiwanese actor and singer Jimmy Lin has been photographed using what appears to be a new iPhone 7 Plus, complete with its rumored dual-lens camera and LED flash.
- Lin previously managed to get his hands on advance units of the iPhone 5 in 2012 and iPhone 6 in 2014 — both of which turned out to be the real deal.
Apple's 2017 Curved OLED iPhone to Be a New Premium Model - Apple is planning to release at least three new iPhones next year, including a high-end model with a 5.5-inch-or-larger OLED display that is curved on both sides like Samsung's Galaxy S7 edge, according to Nikkei
- Ming Chi Kuo's research note this week outlined three new iPhone models are coming, including LCD-based 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models and a high-end OLED-based 5.8-inch model, as one possibility providing supply of AMOLED displays is sufficient.
Apple rolls out iOS 9.3.5 to beef up security [Update] - iOS 9.3.5 fixes a serious vulnerability that allows our devices to be snooped on. Software created by Israeli company NSO Group took advantage of the hole to read text messages and emails, to record calls, and to steal contacts.
Tim Cook just unlocked a monstrous bonus Buster - Today marks Tim Cook’s five-year anniversary as the CEO of Apple, and as a reward for making it this long in the top spot he just unlocked a monster bonus. $100 million!
- Apple awarded Cook 980,000 Apple shares for his performance as part of the larger compensation package he signed in 2011. Based on Apple stock’s Tuesday closing price of $108.85, the shares are currently worth around 106.7 million.
- Despite the big pay day, Cook’s estimated wealth of $650 million is relatively modest by Silicon Valley standards, but he’s planning to donate most of it to charity anyway.
Apple could go head to head with Snapchat in 2017 - A new report from Bloomberg is claiming that Apple is in the process of developing its own Snapchat rival.
- The company, "seeking to capitalize on the popularity of social networks," will focus on video in the new app, letting users record a video, edit it, apply a filter, add doodles, and then send it out to friends.
- The app is being developed in the same Apple department that developed Final Cut Pro and iMovie software
Direct download: CultCast_246_-_iPhone_8_Plus_Edge_.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 9:16pm PST
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Thu, 18 August 2016
This week: leaks point to some excellent upgrades coming to the smaller iPhone 7—we’ll give you the scoop. Plus: get ready for iPhone 7, we have a launch date; Apple Watch 2 leaks points to the arrival of a sorely-needed feature; new models and “revolutionary” upgrades are coming to the iPad line; and stick around for CultCast Choices, the game that pits one bad choice against another. 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. If you’re obsessive about keeping your iPhone, iPad, Mac, DSLR, glasses, and other gadgets in sparkling clean condition, you’ll love CultCloth. Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth! We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Intro - Things to do! The Apple Store is dead - The Apple Store is no longer called the Apple Store.
- Apple has begun dropping “Store” from the name of its 479 retail locations worldwide, so they are now referred to simply as “Apple.”
- The store pages on Apple’s website now refer to its locations using names like “Apple Union Square,” “Apple Fifth Avenue,” and “Apple The Grove,” as opposed to the former “Apple Store, Union Square,” “Apple Store, Fifth Avenue,” and “Apple Store, The Grove.”
iPhone 7 may launch on September 23 - Apple’s next iPhone could be available to the public as soon as September 23rd, based on a new leak that reveals AT&T plans to do a big “Merchandising Reset” at all stores that day.
- The unveiling of the iPhone 7 is rumored to take place on September 7th with pre-orders to follow two days later
- The leaked AT&T scheduling information shows that stores will need to spend up to three hours on a merchandising reset September 9th, indicating advertisements for iPhone 7 pre-orders will go on display that morning.
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus won’t be joined by an iPhone 7 Pro this fall Killian - Japanese blog Macotakara, whose sources have been reliable in the past, confirms that this year’s iPhone’s will be labeled iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus — just as expected.
- They also promise that the devices will bring “greatly improved” cameras, Apple’s A10 chip, and a capacitive home button that’s expected to be pressure-sensitive.
iPhone 7’s second speaker grille may be just for show Killian - iPhone 7 housing schematics acquired by NowhereElse suggest the speaker grilles on one side of Apple’s upcoming handsets is purely cosmetic to make the bottom edge look more symmetrical, though it won’t be totally useless.
- It appears Apple will place the iPhone’s microphone behind this grille, so some of the holes will serve a purpose.
Leaked iPhone 7 camera hints at big improvements Buster - While most of this years iPhone camera rumors have focused on the dual-lens module coming to the iPhone 7 Plus, a leaked iPhone 7 rear camera part hints at some big improvements coming to the smaller device.
- The image below leaked by NowhereElse claims to show the iPhone 7’s iSight camera which appears to include the addition of optical image stabilization to make photos sharper than ever.
- Other leaks have revealed that the lens on the iPhone 7 iSight camera will be larger than previous models which should have a big impact on how much light it can capture and the quality of pictures.
Apple Watch 2 will get GPS but no LTE Buster - Although Apple plans to add a number of much needed features to the Apple Watch 2, a new report claims the company hit roadblocks when trying to make a major change that would have added LTE or other cellular data connection capabilities to the device.
- “The company still plans to announce new watch models this fall boasting improvements to health tracking,” reports Bloomberg. “The updated versions will also be able to integrate GPS-based location tracking.”
10.5-inch iPad Pro coming in 2017, OLED upgrade in 2018 - Apple will ship three new iPads next year, according to well-connected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo — including a low-cost 9.7-inch iPad, upgraded 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro variant as well.
- But 2018, that’s the year in which Kuo promises “revolutionary” upgrades, which will include a “radical” change in form factor as well as an AMOLED display.
- Interestingly, there’s no mention made of the 7.9-inch iPad mini, which could conceivably be phased out in order avoid direct competition with Apple’s larger plus-sized iPhone models.
Direct download: CultCast_245__-_Tuck_tails.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 10:32pm PST
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Thu, 11 August 2016
This week: new Macbook Pros, incoming! We have even more details to share on the “significant” updates coming soon to Apple’s Macbook Pro line. Plus: iPhone 7 may get a Quad HD display and pressure-sensitive home button; Apple’s plans for a “killer” new health device; and we review our favorite new hover boards and smart scales on an all new Under Review. 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. TunnelBear, the simple privacy app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet. Visit GetTunnelBear.com to get your free TunnelBear today. And our thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a for the great music you hear on today's show. Apple said to be developing ‘killer’ health device for 2017 Apple ditched plan to make three iPhone 7 models iPhone 7 to feature pressure-sensitive home button iPhone 7 Plus may be in line for Quad HD display New MacBook Pro may pack Touch ID power button New iPhone to Have Dual Camera but No Headphone Jack Segway miniPro Swagtron T3 Tithings Body Cardio scale
Direct download: CultCast_244_-_The_new_Pros_Cometh.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:16pm PST
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Thu, 4 August 2016
This week: the controversy around iOS 10’s new gun emoji; we compare Instagram’s new stories feature to Snapchat's; Gwyneth Paltrow brings her coding skills to ‘Planet of the Apps’; we attended a 5-day Apple II festival, we’ll tell you the cool parts; and stick around for the best ways to find specific Pokémon in 'Pokémon GO’. 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. If you’re obsessive about keeping your iPhone, iPad, Mac, DSLR, glasses, and other gadgets in sparkling clean condition, you’ll love CultCloth. Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth! We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Gwyneth Paltrow is bringing her coding skills to ‘Planet of the Apps’ Paltrow will be joined by will.i.am and serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk on the show where all three will serve as mentors and advisors to app developers in the series that will reportedly act as a launch pad to exceptional developers. iOS 10 adds 100+ emoji to promote gender equality - The latest beta build of iOS 10 seeded to developers this morning brings more gender options to existing characters like the surfer, runner, weightlifter, detective, construction worker and much more.
- The pistol emoji has been changed to a water gun, too
Apple is replacing the pistol emoji with a squirt gun - Emojis are not made by Apple. They are selected, designed and coded by a nonprofit organization called the Unicode Consortium.
- Platforms like Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and Facebook decide exactly how those characters will appear on the device you're using.
- Apple is reinterpreting how it will "read" the pistol emoji. Instead of depicting it as a metal revolver, it will show the green toy water pistol.
- In June, Apple asked the Unicode Consortium to exclude a scoped shooting rifle from the upcoming set of emojis. Unicode complied, and the rifle was scrapped.
- Emoji are funny, but they’re also a powerful way to communicate. This move by Apple communicates that tools of violence and death shouldn’t be part of our light-hearted, ubiquitous lexicon. (the Guardian)
Instagram’s new feature is a ripoff of Snapchat Stories - company introduced Instagram Stories, which lets you share multiple photos and videos in a single slideshow. It can be shared with select followers without showing up on your more public profile. It then disappears 24 hours later.
- It functions in the same way as the Stories feature on Snapchat
There's a new way to find specific Pokémon in 'Pokémon GO,' and it works
Direct download: CultCast_243_-_Bustin_a_squirt.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:40pm PST
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Thu, 28 July 2016
This week: iPhone 7 gets a new 3D Touch home button and a September 9th launch date! Plus: why we may be only weeks away from Apple’s Macbook Pro and Apple Watch 2 launch event; the big gun is back—Apple puts Big Bob Mansfield at the helm of their top secret Apple Car project; one of the internet’s best web series is now an Apple Music exclusive; and stick around for apps, man—we’ve got some sweet picks for you. This episode supported by TunnelBear, the simple privacy app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet. Visit GetTunnelBear.com to get your free TunnelBear today. We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. James Cordon carpools with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and it’s magical Apple just sold its billionth iPhone! - One billion iPhone devices have officially been sold now since Steve Jobs unveiled the magical smartphone back in 2007, the company revealed today.
iPhone 7 pre-orders will reportedly open on September 9 - The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will reportedly be made available for pre-order on September 9, according to well-connected tipster Evan Blass.
- Keynote on Monday the 5th or Tuesday the 6th
iPhone 7 might not go by the name you’re expecting - A new rumor coming out of China suggests that September’s next-gen iPhone won’t be called the iPhone 7 as expected, but rather the iPhone 6SE — continuing the naming scheme Apple introduced for its 4-inch iPhone SE earlier this year.
- so far it’s just a rumor citing Chinese supply chain sources.
- A separate report, meanwhile, suggests that it’s likely to debut on Friday, September 16. That’s just two months’ away…
- The slightly-earlier-than-usual launch date was “revealed” by tipster Evan Blass, who has a strong track record when it comes to this type of information.
iPhone 7 may get 3D Touch home button - Apple allegedly plans to replace its physical home button on the iPhone 7 (or iPhone 6 SE) with a new 3D Touch button that won’t move when you press it, but well instead give users a haptic feedback to replicate the feeling of pressing a button, like on the Magic Trackpad 2.
- Macotakara claims to have heard from supply chain sources that the company will indeed include the feature on this year’s model, making it a bit more interesting than anticipated.
- The new home button design will supposedly be flush with the rest of the body, making the iPhone more waterproof than ever now that there are fewer paths for water to enter the device and destroy the internal components.
Surprise! Apple Watch 2 set to arrive this fall - The long-awaited next version of the Apple Watch will supposedly be unveiled this fall
- Apple Watch 2’s big unveiling will happen in either September or October, claims DigiTimes
- Future Apple Watch updates are expected to add LTE data, GPS, longer battery life and faster performance.
Apple puts Bob Mansfield in driving seat for secret car project - Bob Mansfield has been chosen to head up Apple’s “secret” electric car project three years after stepping down from his executive role, according to a new report.
- Mansfield first joined Apple in 1999 and retired in June 2012, but just two months later, it was confirmed that he was staying on to work on “future projects.” Mansfield was then named senior vice president of technologies in October 2012.
- Mansfield was previously in charge of Mac hardware at Apple and led development of products like the MacBook Air, iMac and iPad.
- Mansfield was previously making only occasional visits to Apple; however, employees recently noticed in the company directory that all senior managers working on the car project are now reporting directly to him.
- “Apple now has Mr. Mansfield running the company’s secret autonomous, electric-vehicle initiative, code-named Project Titan,” reports The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the matter.
‘Carpool Karaoke’ TV show will be an Apple Music exclusive - James Corden’s popular ‘Carpool Karaeoke’ segment from The Late Late Show on CBS is set to become its own show later this year and you’ll only be able to watch in on Apple Music.
- The viral segment has been a breakout hit of 2016 thanks to appearances from the likes of Adele, Justin Bieber, Michelle Obama, Elton John and dozens of other stars who drive around Los Angeles singing popular songs.
Our Apps, Man picks Buster - Photo pills Erfon - Tinycards Leander - Ultimate ears speakers and their companion apps
Direct download: CultCast_242_-_Big_Bobs_Back.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 9:59pm PST
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Thu, 21 July 2016
This week: leaked codenames might mean no iPhone 7 Pro; a new trademark alludes to a new wireless version of your white-wired EarPods; forget the debit card, Apple Pay is coming to an ATM near you; and, have you outgrown Apple’s Calendar, Mail, Notes, or other native apps? We’ll tell you our favorite replacements! This episode supported by If you’re obsessive about keeping your iPhone, iPad, Mac, DSLR, glasses, and other gadgets in sparkling clean condition, you’ll love CultCloth. Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth! We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. AirPods trademark appears to confirm Apple’s wireless future Buster - it appears that Apple is definitely planning to make some wireless earbuds of its own, based on some recently discovered trademark filings.'
- MacRumors have found evidence that appears to confirm Apple will be releasing wireless EarPods, dubbed, Airpods
- An amendment filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office review process shows that Apple used a shell company called Entertainment in Flight to trademark the term “AirPods.”
- Apple used similar tactics to register the “iPad” and “CarPlay” trademarks. It did the same for “iWatch” too but discarded the name.
iPhone 7 code names leave no room for ‘Pro’ model - Apple leaker Evan Blass has taken to twitter to alert the world that there will be only two iPhone 7 models coming up, Sonora and Dos Palos.
- This would imply there will be no iPhone 7 Pro, just your regular iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
- He’s got a great track record.
Our favorite replacements to the native apps
Direct download: CultCast_241_-_Hands_off_our_pokballs.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 6:00pm PST
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Thu, 14 July 2016
Guest Blake J. Harris, author of Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation, regales us with the story of the 90s video game battle that pitted newcomer, Sega of America, against Nintendo, an unstoppable force, and maker of Mario Brothers, Duck Hunt, and the beloved Nintendo Entertainment System.
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Thu, 14 July 2016
This week: why Pokemon Go is the smash iOS hit Nintendo needed; iPhone 7 may get the extended battery life we’ve all been asking for; Cult of Mac’s bizarre connection to Apple’s new Planet of the Apps TV show; and... which is manlier summer attire, mid-rift shirts or short shorts? We answer life’s most intriguing questions on an all-new Get To Know Ur Cultist. 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. If you’re obsessive about keeping your iPhone, iPad, Mac, DSLR, glasses, and other gadgets in sparkling clean condition, you’ll love CultCloth. Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth! We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Intro - The new Apple IIc iPhone 7 might finally bring the feature everybody wants Buster - The upcoming iPhone 7 may pack a juicy 1960mAh battery inside its simplified shell, according to a new rumor from OnLeaks.
- The often-reliable Apple leaker says he’s not 100% sure it will happen, but he’s right, it would be about a 15% increase in capacity over the 1715mAh battery in the iPhone 6s.
Apple posts open casting call for Planet of the Apps TV show Buster - Apple is looking for a few talented developers to star in the inaugural season of its first ever reality TV series that will focus on the hard knock life of developers and the apps they create.
- Helmed by executive producers Will.i.am, Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens of Biggest Loser fame, the series has teamed up with Product Hunt to go on a four city tour to find the country’s best up-and-coming app developers. The producers are touting Planet of the Apps as not just a reality TV show, but also as a “launch pad and accelerator for exceptional developers.”
- Upcoming casting calls are scheduled for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and New York. Interested developers must apply by Friday, August 26 with an app for either iOS, tvOS, watchOS or macOS.
- Apple says those selected will be given the chance to receive guidance from some of the tech community’s top experts. They’ll also get premium placement on the App Store and access to funding from Silicon Valley VCs.
Pokémon Go continues its global invasion this week The game is officially available only in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand right now, but it is already a huge success. According to data from analytics firm SimilarWeb, the game already has more users than Tinder. Pokémon Go will continue its global invasion later this week as it expands its reach into Europe and Asia. The title has already become a smash hit, causing Nintendo shares to rocket 25 percent despite the game only being available in a small number of regions. - A movie we've seen at least 25 times and still love.
- Leander - Apocalypse Now, Wild bunch, Onion field
- Buster - Step brothers, Pineapple Express, Night at the Rockbury
- Erfon - Star Trek VI the Undiscovered Country, Indiana Jones The Last Crusade
- Albums we love listening to from start to finish.
- Leander - Sandinista by The Clash
- Buster - Explosions in the Sky
- Erfon - Ten by Pearl Jam, Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too by the New Radicals
Direct download: CultCast_240_-_Pokemania.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:12pm PST
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Thu, 7 July 2016
This week: the best ways to get your gadgets the AppleCare protection you want, but without the AppleCare prices you don’t. Plus: the iPhone 7 may have more storage than you expected; taking over Tidal could mean CD quality streaming is coming to Apple Music; hands on with the iOS 10 and macOS Sierra betas; “the fappening” hacker heads to the slammer; this year’s iPhone Photography Award winners prove your iPhone is all your need to create captivating images. 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. Let’s face it, CultCloth isn’t for everyone. But if you’re obsessive about keeping your iPhone, iPad, Mac, DSLR, glasses, and other gadgets in sparkling clean condition, you’ll love ‘em. Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth! We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Intro - iPhone camera changes the game iOS 10 and macOS Sierra betas are now open to the public Buster - Apple is now letting members of its public beta program install the new software, which debuted last month at WWDC.
- If you haven’t already signed up to get in on the betas, you can still do so at the Apple Beta Software Program site. Once you’re in the program, you’ll get an email with a link to download the latest builds.
Apple might buy struggling competitor Tidal Buster - A new report claims that the iPhone-maker is in exploratory talks to acquire the music streaming service.
- “The talks are ongoing and may not result in a deal,” reports the Wall Street Journal, which says Apple is considering buying the company as a way to bolster its strategy to spend tons of cash on artist exclusives.
- Tidal was launched in 2014, purchased by Jay Z in 2015, and promised artists greater revenues than those offered by Spotify and Apple Music.
- Both Apple and Tidal are remaining silent about rumors of the talks. Terms of the possible deal haven’t been revealed
iPhone 7 might kill measly 16GB storage option at last Buster - The cheapest model iPhone 7 units will come with 32GB of storage by default, reports the Wall Street Journal in a wide-ranging article that covers possible features Apple’s latest smartphone will have.
- The increase in storage has been rumored for a few months now, with other reports claiming Apple will also add a 256GB option for those who need even more storage.
- Other new features expected to be added include a simplified case design, new dual-lens camera, better waterproofing, no headphone jack and Lightning EarPods.
‘Celebgate’ hacker pleads guilty to cracking iCloud accounts - A hacker who broke into more than 30 iCloud accounts has pleaded guilty for his role in the “Celebgate” leak of 2014. Edward Majerczyk faces up to five years in prison for illegally obtaining private celebrity photos.
- Majerczyk, 28, worked alongside Ryan Collins, who pleaded guilty to his role in the hack back in March, to create a phishing scam that tricked celebrities into entering login information into fake websites.
- They then used this information to obtain access to over 300 Gmail and iCloud accounts.
Should you get Apple Care/Apple Care + Behold the year’s best iPhone photographs
Direct download: CultCast_239_-_FourChins.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 10:47pm PST
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Thu, 30 June 2016
This week: You’ll laugh, you’ll cry—wait till you hear the latest lawsuit aimed right at Apple’s biggest products. Plus: leaked photos of EarPods with a lightning connector look better than expected; why we may never get 3rd party Apple Watch faces; Netflix adding a feature they swore would never happen; and a man builds a vibrant photography career in the world of sports with nothing but his iPhone. Oh, and Val Kilmer dances with a carrot in his derriere. Just hit play already. 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! Let’s face it, CultCloth isn’t for everyone. But if you’re obsessive about keeping your iPhone, iPad, Mac, DSLR, glasses, and other gadgets in sparkling clean condition, you’ll love ‘em. Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth! We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Intro - Young Bill Gates, thoughts on the Macintosh Netflix to add offline viewing by the end of 2016 - Netflix is working to bring offline viewing to its smartphone and tablet apps by the end of 2016, according to sources familiar with its plans.
- Netflix rival Amazon Prime Instant Video added this functionality last September
- Now industry insider and Penthera COO Dan Taitz promises that “download-to-go” will be available by the end of the year.
- Penthera specializes in providing video downloading technology to customers like Comcast, Charter Communications, and more.
John Gruber: Don't Ever Expect Third Party Watch Faces on Apple Watch - [Apple] they do fancy themselves to be a real watch company. And as a real watch company everything you’re going to see is going to be San Fransisco. Now they could enforce that for third-parties possibly.
- Any analog dial is going to use those Apple-styled hands. The capsule-shaped hands. And watch companies typically have things like that. For example, the hands on a Rolex are instantly recognizable. In the dials are unmistakably Rolex-styled dials. And Apple fancies itself as a high end watch company.
Gaze upon iPhone 7’s Lightning EarPods in all their glory - New photos of what are claimed to be Apple’s next-generation EarPods all but confirm that its iPhone 7 series will ship without the beloved headphone jack.
- The new EarPods, which surfaced on Chinese micro-blogging website Weibo, swap the 3.5mm jack we’ve been using for decades for a Lightning connector.
Apple sued by man who claims he invented iPhone in 1992 - A Florida man is suing Apple for a whopping $10 billion and 1.5 percent of all future Apple earnings — because he claims to have come up with the idea for Apple’s breakthrough mobile device all way back in 1992.
- Thomas S. Ross’ “electronic reading device” patent describes a “device so designed and aggregated as to have created a novel combination of media and communication tools,”
- He claims this idea (allegedly) to have been “hijacked and exploited by Apple’s iPhones, iPods, iPads and others.”
- The suit finally argues that the distress Ross has suffered as a result of seeing his iPhone everywhere without the proper credit being bestowed on him adds up to a “great and irreparable injury that cannot fully be compensated or measured in money.”
- In the meantime, though, he’s happy to take $10 billion — plus the barely-significant sum of 1.5 percent of all future Apple earnings. It’s only right, isn’t it?
Meet the sports shooter who leaves heavy gear behind for an iPhone Erfon mentioned these Sony XBA-H1 earphones!
Direct download: CultCast_238_-_Gruber__Gruber.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 10:31pm PST
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Thu, 23 June 2016
This week: everything we think we know about Apple’s upcoming iPhone 7! Plus: price leaks indicate we may get an iPhone 7 “Pro”; the one feature Android phones have that we envy; and we’ll tell you what we like and don’t about the gadgets we’re reviewing—it’s an all-new Under Review. This episode supported by Let’s face it, CultCloth isn’t for everyone. But if you’re obsessive about keeping your iPhone, iPad, Mac, DSLR, glasses, and other gadgets in sparkling clean condition, you’ll love ‘em. Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth! We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Non-Retina MacBook Pro disappears from Apple Stores - Apple has begun removing the 13-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro from its retail store displays
- The non-Retina MacBook Pro is the only laptop left in Apple’s lineup with an optical drive. It’s also the most affordable MacBook Pro at just $1,099, but without the slimmer form factor, Retina display, and features like Force Touch
- The machine hasn’t seen a refresh since 2012, which means it’s not too surprising to see that Apple is no longer pushing it
iPhone 7 will have more tiny design changes you won’t notice - The iPhone 7 is set to be one of the most boring updates Apple’s ever released. The new iPhone will look just like the iPhone 6/6s
- The Wall Street Journal called the changes set to be introduced in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus "subtle," while Ming Chi Kuo has said the device will not have many "attractive selling points."
- Longer Earpiece cutout
- Relocated ambient light sensor
iPhone 7 will be boring, according to WSJ - Rumors that the iPhone 7 will be a snooze-worthy update have been seemingly confirmed today by The Wall Street Journal, which claims Apple plans to break from its traditional pattern of redesigning its flagship device every year.
- This year’s iPhone will come with plenty of minor upgrades, but according to the new report, some iPhone 7 features that Apple hoped to integrate just weren’t ready for a 2016 rollout.
- During a meeting with an Apple executive last month, a China-based engineer asked why this year’s iPhone didn’t get a major design change. “The answer, one person at the meeting recalled, was that the new technology in the pipeline will take time to implement,” reports the Journal.
- The WSJ says Apple hoped to implement a curved screen into the iPhone 7 but the technology wasn’t ready. The company supposedly hopes to integrate big new features next year, though, for the 10th anniversary of the iPhone.
- A10
- Blue color
- Dual lens camera on the 7 Plus, larger camera on the 7
- Better water proofing
- Better looking antenna bands
- Lightning headphone jack/dongle
Get your dongle on: iPhone 7 to include Lightning adapter - The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will ship with regular 3.5mm EarPods, according to a new report from Macotakara that claims Apple will include a 3.5mm to Lightning Adapter so you’re not force to buy new headphones with your new iPhone.
- The report also claims that by removing the headphone jack on the iPhone 7, Apple will add a row of speaker holes on the right side.
iPhone 7 price leak promises Pro model, 256GB of storage - An alleged price list for Apple’s upcoming iPhone 7 series suggests there will be a high-end “Pro” model after all. Fans could also get 256GB storage options, while 32GB of storage could become the minimum.
- According to an iPhone 7 price list posted on Chinese micro-blogging network Weibo, there will be an iPhone 7 Pro in Apple’s lineup this fall.
Direct download: CultCast_237_-_Point_n_shoots_bro.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 8:31pm PST
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Thu, 16 June 2016
This week: it's our WWDC 2016 reactions! Plus: all the WWDC announcements worth getting excited about; the best hidden OS features not mentioned on stage; more confirmation that a Macbook Pro with OLED touch bar is imminent; and a very strange iPhone 7 rumor surfaces. 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! The critically acclaimed #1 New York Times Bestseller about the real Steve Jobs, is now available in paperback. BECOMING STEVE JOBS will be available June 7, 2016, for $18, wherever books are sold. For more information, visit becomingstevejobs.com. We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. iPhone 7 display leak hints at touch-sensitive home button - According to a display leak from Mobipicker, a new home button will become part of the iPhone’s cover glass. It should will contain a Touch ID sensor for fingerprint scanning and will still be surrounded by a ring — but it won’t be made of metal.
- Sources speaking to Mobipicker, say the new home button will continue to offer various functions, including tap and hold for Siri, and a double-tap for multitasking.
Clues in macOS Sierra point to OLED touch bar for MacBook Pro - Source code in the first beta build of macOS Sierra hints that Apple plans to add support for an OLED touchpad, seemingly confirming the accuracy of the leaked MacBook Pro photos Cult of Mac published last month.
- Some new API changes hidden inside the source code for the next version of macOS also reveal Touch ID is in the works as well for Apple desktops.
- The new APIs were spotted by Mac Generation and suggest that the rumored OLED touch bar on the next-gen MacBook Pro will dynamically adjust to show system information and soft keys related to other applications.
Photographers rejoice! iOS 10 lets you snap RAW images - For the first time ever, Apple is finally bringing RAW image files to the Camera app in iOS 10
- iOS 10’s RAW image capture is only available via the rear camera and you can’t use image stabilization when shooting RAW, but Apple did add the ability to shoot RAW + JPEG on a single snap and bracketed shooting.
Siri comes to Mac and opens up to developers - For the first time, Siri will be available on the Mac and will be opened to third-party developers on iOS.
- Siri will be opened up to third-party developers on iOS. Developers will be able to use Siri for a number of tasks, including:
-
- Messaging — send messages with apps like iMessage and Slack.
-
- Ride hailing — call for a ride on Uber or Lyft.
- Photo Search — search for images on Web or apps like Pinterest.
- Workouts — Siri can call up workouts.
- Payments — Siri can send payments to friends, say, in various payment apps.
- VOIP calling — Siri can make VOIP calls in apps like Vonage and Skype.
- Car — works with CarPlay.
-
- Siri API limited to these types of apps.
Concept imagines the magic of MacBook Pro’s OLED touch bar MacBook Pro concept shows how useful an OLED touchpad will be Everything from WWDC 2016 worth getting excited about Leander All the new Messages features you’ll love in iOS 10
Direct download: CultCast_236_-_When_the_curtains_close....mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 9:58pm PST
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Thu, 9 June 2016
This week: it’s our WWDC 2016 predictions! We’ll tell you what hardware and software to expect. Plus: Apple makes huge changes to the prices you’ll pay for apps; this year’s Back to School specials are some of Apple’s best yet; and Steve Jobs... the opera? Don’t miss more weird and wild stories from the Cult of Mac. 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! The critically acclaimed #1 New York Times Bestseller about the real Steve Jobs, is now available in paperback. BECOMING STEVE JOBS will be available June 7, 2016, for $18, wherever books are sold. For more information, visit becomingstevejobs.com. 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. Intro - Welcome to the App Store Read all about it! Teen’s news app scores him a WWDC scholarship 5K Thunderbolt Display will be a no-show at WWDC Buster - Apple will not be updating its old ass Thunderbolt display anytime soon, despite rumors that suggested the company was planning to unveil a new 5K Thunderbolt display with a built-in GPU at this year’s WWDC.
- Apple’s WWDC 2016 keynote will focus mostly on software, according to a new report from 9to5Mac.
- "WWDC this year will be a ‘software year’, indicating the show will be light on new hardware announcements in general.”
- Another report from iMore confirms that the 5K monitor will be a no-show.
Apple is making huge changes to how much you’ll pay for apps Buster - Starting next week Apple will roll out major changes to the App Store that will effect how, and how much you’ll pay, for your favorite apps.
- Apple plans to open subscriptions to all apps. In the past, the iPhone-maker only allowed apps for news, cloud services, dating and streaming to offer a subscription that’s billed automatically through iTunes.
- When developers are able to maintain a customer for more than 12 months, Apple will drop its take down to 15 percent, giving developers another small pay raise.
- The internally-dubbed “Subscriptions 2.0” model isn’t expected to roll out until this Fall when the company also plans to unleash search ads for apps in App Store search results
Apple kicks off back to school promo with big savings on Beats - Apple has kicked off its latest back to school promotion.
- Apple is giving away a set of Beats Solo2 headphones ($300 with MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Pro purchases.
- You can also get free Beats Powerbeats2 wireless headphones worth $200 when you buy an eligible iPad or iPhone.
- Apple’s offer runs through September 5, and you can take advantage of it when purchasing from retail stores throughout the U.S. or from the Apple Online Store.
Direct download: CultCast_235_-_2Legit2Quit.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:04pm PST
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Thu, 2 June 2016
This week: Macbook Pro spy photos reveal some juicy new features, but some old favorites go bye-bye… Plus: Apple may finally update its ancient Thunderbolt display; why moving iPhone to a three year update cycle would suck; and stay tuned for more weird and wacky super-fan stories from the Cult of Mac. This episode supported by Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com. Enter offer codeCultCastat checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful. TunnelBear, the simple privacy app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet. Visit GetTunnelBear.com to get your free TunnelBear today. We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Intro - Steve Jobs introduces Apple’s new gem, the G4 Cube The British Fabio! A business is born from presenting Mac love on a pillow Apple may finally update its old ass Thunderbolt Display - It’s been over five years since Apple updated its standalone monitor
- Thunderbolt Display stock is limited or unavailable at several Apple Stores in North America, Europe, Australia according to a new report
- Dwindling supplies of Apple’s current Thunderbolt Display could indicate that the company plans to launch a gorgeous new monitor in the near future.
- It appears that Thunderbolt Displays are still in ready supply in some major cities, so the changes in supply could also simply indicate that Apple is dealing with fluctuations in its inventory.
You better get used to waiting 3 years for big iPhone upgrades - According to one report, Apple is switching its big upgrades to a three-year cycle, which is why this year’s iPhone 7 will look just like its predecessors
- This year, following last year’s iPhone 6s series, we should be getting another major refresh — but we know that’s not going to be the case. Leaks have revealed the iPhone 7 is almost identical to the iPhone 6s
- a report from Japanese newspaper Nikkei warns we should get used to this three-year wait for big upgrades. Apple has reportedly decided to extent its cycle because of slowing market demand and due to “smartphone functions having little room left for major enhancements.”
Spy photos all but confirm 2016 MacBook Pro’s OLED touchpad - Leaked photos of what is claimed to be Apple’s next-generation MacBook Pro all but confirm it will ship with a new OLED touchpad above its keyboard.
- The images sent to Cult of Mac also hint at four USB-C connectors.
- Loss of SD card reader, Thunderbolt, HDMI out, and MagSafe?
- Adopts the arrow keys of the new butterfly keyboard
- No touch ID
Direct download: CultCast_234_-_Macbook_Pro_spy_photos.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 9:51pm PST
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Thu, 26 May 2016
This week: Macbook Pro about to get its biggest refresh ever! Plus: Apple’s plans to rival Amazon’s Echo; Apple gets serious about iCar charging stations; more great stories from the Cult of Mac; the state of gaming in OS X, iOS, and tvOS; and we set aside our agendas to discuss YOUR topics in an all-new As You Wish. 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! TunnelBear, the simple privacy app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet. Visit GetTunnelBear.com to get your free TunnelBear today. We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Apple plans to make Amazon Echo rival by opening Siri - Apple is reportedly planning to make a rival to the Amazon Echo, but the in order to compete with the device’s incredible array of features and services, Apple plans to open up Siri to third-party apps.
- According to The Information, Apple to open up Siri to apps made by others. And it is working on an Amazon Echo-like device with a speaker and microphone that people can use to turn on music, get news headlines or set a timer.
- Opening up its Siri voice assistant to outside app developers is the more immediate step [to competing with Echo],” reports the Information. Apple is supposedly preparing to release a Siri SDK that could arrive at WWDC 2016
MacBook Pro to get Touch ID in biggest ever refresh - Apple is set to give its MacBook Pro lineup their “most significant upgrade ever,” according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities.
- New Macs will be thinner and lighter
- Will also include Touch ID and an OLED display touch bar to replace physical function keys on the keyboard, Employ the same metal injection molded hinges and butterfly mechanism keyboard seen on the 12-inch MacBook.
Apple is already working on charging stations for iCar - Apple appears to be preparing the ground work for its charging infrastructure, according to a new report claiming the company is scooping up engineers that specialize in electric charing stations.
- “Apple is investigating how to charge electric cars, talking to charging station companies and hiring engineers with expertise in the area,” reports Reuters
- Apple has hired at least four charging specialists to help it create a competitive charger, including former BMW
If you’ve broken your iPhone, Parry Gripp’s music will comfort you Leander’s been testing out the Eero router and talked about the Luma too
Direct download: CultCast_233_-_Mr._Meme.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 10:50pm PST
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Thu, 19 May 2016
This week: Apple makes a curious investment in China’s version of Uber; iPhones that charge wirelessly in your pocket; Siri is coming to a Mac near you; more weird and wacky stories from the Cult of Mac; and we tell you what we like (and what we don’t) about the gadgets we’re currently testing in an all-new Under Review. 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! TunnelBear, the simple privacy app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet. Visit GetTunnelBear.com to get your free TunnelBear today. We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Intro: Your future computer, The Knowledge Navigator Apple invests $1 billion in Chinese Uber rival - Apple has invested $1 billion in Chinese Uber rival Didi Chuxing
- Tim Cook says the deal “reflects our excitement about their growing business … and also our continued confidence in the long term in China’s economy.”
- Cook told Reuters: “We are making the investment for a number of strategic reasons, including a chance to learn more about certain segments of the China market,”
- Jack Kent of tech analytical firm IHS Technology said partnering with Chinese companies is a common way for international companies to get into the massive Asian market.
Apple’s new hires point to iPhone wireless charging - In the last four months Apple has hired two former uBeam engineers with expertise in wireless charging and ultrasonic technology
- The Verge did some investigating, and discovered that in fact the in the last two years Apple has hired more than a dozen staffers with expertise in wireless charging.
- Earlier this year Bloomberg reported that Apple was hoping to add wireless charging to the new iPhone it releases in 2017.
- According to Bloomberg's sources, Apple wants to implement a much more advanced technology that would allow you to walk around a room and have your phone charging the entire time.
- Is the smart dock a stop gap?
Siri for Mac icons leak ahead of WWDC - Apple’s digital assistant Siri is expected to finally arrive on Macs later this year with the next OS X update
- Cool icon in dock, plus accessible via the menu bar and Hey Siri option
Buster’s reviewing the Garmin Phoenix 3 Leander’s been listening to the Moshi Avanti on-ear headphones Erfon’s lighting his house with the illumi smart bulbs The three Apples that changed the world, featuring Jimmy Page and Fiona Apple
Direct download: CultCast_232_-_Techno-Utopian_Baloney.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:02pm PST
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Thu, 12 May 2016
This week: Apple aims to end music downloads; you can now live stream your aerial drone flights to iDevices worldwide; staggering facts about who’s making money in the app store; creators of Siri demo an even smarter AI; the ridiculous resale value of old Apple tech; and we reveal our Lust List of the gadgets we currently coveting. 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! TunnelBear, the simple privacy app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet. Visit GetTunnelBear.com to get your free TunnelBear today. We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. Intro - Introducing, iPod All the maidens shall be mine! Periscope takes to the skies with live drone streaming - 1903: Wright Brothers. 1907: Model T
- Now you can stream live from your drone when you take to the skies with Periscope, Twitter’s service that lets you broadcast live video, provided you have the app on iOS and a DJI drone.
- You’ll be able to narrate the broadcast from your iPhone, and even Sketch right on the broadcast itself to annotate your flight.
Apple Aiming to End iTunes Music Downloads in Two Years [Update: Apple Says 'Not True'] - Citing sources with "close and active business relationships" with Apple, Digital Music News says Apple allegedly has an aggressive plan to "terminate" music downloads from iTunes within two years
- their sources say, "keeping [iTunes music downloads] running forever isn't really on the table anymore."
- Apple rep Tom Neumayr contacted Recode and said the report that Apple would stop iTunes music downloads in two years is "not true."
- Apple's iTunes business continues to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars each year, but it is on the decline due to the rise of streaming music services
94% of App Store revenue goes to just 1% of publishers - 94 percent of App Store revenue generated in the U.S. went to just the top 1 percent of app publishers, according to SensorTower
- SensorTower found that around $1.34 billion of the estimated $1.43 billion in net revenue generated went to just 623 publishers.
- That means the other 61,677 publishers had to share the remaining 6 percent of the revenue, which was approximately approximately $85.8 million. If it was divided equally, they’d have made less than $1,400 each.
Siri’s sequel beats the heck out of Apple’s AI assistant The value of old iPods could be music to your ears
Direct download: CultCast_231_-_Age_of_wonder.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 9:16pm PST
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Fri, 6 May 2016
This week: why the iPhone 7s could have features “you’ve never dreamed of"; Apple’s woes in China cause their stock to plummet; the community of fans keeping Apple’s history alive; our favorite Apple Watch faces; embarrassing stories of dates gone wrong; and Kool and the Gang steals our girlfriend! 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. Submit your CultCast intro, win some CultCloth! Intro - What is Newton? The Light Camera is a slim cam with 16 sensors (16!) Kool and the Gang will steal your girlfriend Tim Cook promises iPhone features you’ve never dreamed of - Apple CEO appeared Monday on Mad Money in an effort to abate the company’s bleeding stock price
- Future iPhones are going to be so amazing, you probably haven’t even thought of the features Apple is going to add, Tim Cook claimed in a recent interview.
- Next year is the iPhone’s 10th anniversary
Apple stock suffers longest loss streak in 18 years Buster - Apple’s meager Q2 2016 earnings report is continuing to wreak havoc on the company’s stock price, leading to the longest streak of losses since 1998.
Apple could get shut out of China - China has already become the second largest market for Apple in terms of sales, but the iPhone-maker could find itself banned from the country just like Facebook due to its privacy strategy that has already come under fire from government regulators.
- iTunes and Apple Music launched in China 6 months ago, but the government decided to force Apple to shutdown the iBook Store and iTunes Movies last week after the government changed its mind.
Apple Forced to Share 'iPhone' Trademark in China With Leather Accessory Maker - Apple no longer has the exclusive rights to the "iPhone" trademark in China after the Beijing Municipal High People’s Court ruled in favor of leather goods manufacturer Xintong Tiandi Technology, who sells an “iPhone Case"
- Apple filed for a trademark of the iPhone name in China back in 2002, specifically centering around computer software and hardware, but Xintong Tiandi didn't do the same for leather goods until 2007
- Apple took them to Chinese court, but lost.
Mega-investor Carl Icahn gives up on AAPL - Apple’s biggest cheerleader on Wall Street, Carl Icahn, is getting rid of all of his AAPL shares after the iPhone-maker reported its first year-over-year decline in revenues for the first time in 13 years.
- Investors’ fears of troubles in China aren’t unfounded. Growth in greater China dropped 26% last quarter. The country also recenty banned iTunes Movies and the iBookstore
Direct download: CultCast_230_-_The_MacGyver_Factor.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 12:13am PST
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Thu, 28 April 2016
This
week: Apple’s 13-year record revenue streak is
broken; our best picture yet of iPhone 7
features; rumors point to a
faster, untethered Apple Watch 2; Apple has a huge
increase in R&D spending, but where’s the money going?
And stick around for more stories from the Cult of Mac.
This week: a 15-year-old mows lawns, then uses the money to
build one of the world’s best Apple collections.
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!
TunnelBear, the simple privacy app that makes it easy to
browse privately and enjoy a more open internet. Visit
GetTunnelBear.com to get
your free TunnelBear today.
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the
great music you hear on today's show.
Submit your CultCast intro, win some CultCloth!
Intro - Hamilton Morris loves his iPod
8 optimistic takeaways from Apple’s slumptastic earnings
call
- R&D spending at Apple increased by $1.1 billion dollars
compared to the same six month period last year, according to a new
SEC filing
- The tech giant is fighting itself here, being forced to
compare this
year’s numbers to the killer iPhone 6 sales that drove
2015’s overwhelming revenue
- Apple’s tablets are doing fine, really, selling 10.3 million
units this quarter. But in general, tablets are stinking up the
place.
- Apple surprised by SE demand and
can’t keep up
Apple Watch made $1.5 billion more than Rolex last year
- The Apple Watch, which celebrated
its first birthday this week, is just such a product. How
much of an impact did the Apple Watch make in its debut year?
Enough to bring in $1.5 billion more than Rolex did in 2015.
- While Apple has yet to make its Watch sales public knowledge,
according to a recent Wall
Street Journal article, the debut Apple wearable likely
brought in around $6 billion in its first year. That’s considerably
more than Rolex’s $4.5 billion in total revenue for the
equivalent time frame.
- Apple Watch also outsold the iPhone in both products’
respective first years by a margin of 2-to-1.
Apple Watch 2 Rumored to Include Cellular Connectivity Amid
Push for iPhone Independency
-
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is working on
including cellular network connectivity and a faster processor in
the so-called Apple Watch
2.
- LTE would undoubtedly require an additional data plan, on top
of one they might already have for both the iPhone and iPad,
benefits like using GPS, making phone calls, and
streaming Apple
Music without an iPhone nearby could outweigh the cons for
some users.
iPhone 7 may make bigger splash than expected
- Apple will supposedly make its next iPhone both waterproof and
dustproof
- Digitimes claims the device will also have a new
touch-sensitive home button that sits flush with the rest of the
screen
- Other features Apple is rumored to be adding include a new
Smart Connecter, dual lens camera, bigger battery, wireless
charging, no headphone jack, and a cleaner rear shell design with
minimal antenna lines.
- Design will be pretty much the
same as the 6 and 6s.
Direct download: CultCast_229_-_Alex_s_Apple_Orchard.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 10:05pm PST
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Fri, 22 April 2016
This week: why the new iPad Pro screen is “practically perfect”; stories from the "Cult of Mac"; our most anticipated WWDC 2016 announcements; a look at Apple’s newly updated MacBooks; Apple’s secret plan to create hit TV shows; and have you ever wondered how rich you’d be if you invested in Apple’s IPO instead of buying their computers? We break down the numbers.
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!
TunnelBear, the simple privacy app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet. Visit GetTunnelBear.com to get your free TunnelBear today.
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.
9.7-inch iPad Pro’s display is practically perfect
Siri reveals WWDC 2016 dates
Apple unleashes improved MacBooks, now in rose gold
Apple is secretly planning to take over Hollywood
What a $1,000 investment in Apple in 1996 looks like today
What are you most excited to see Apple unveil at WWDC 2016?
Greg Packer, professional Apple line squatter
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Thu, 14 April 2016
This week: how Steve Jobs and the industrial design team saved Apple. Plus: the reason Jony Ive now has a chauffeur; one year with the Apple Watch; and we reveal the strange cultural phenomenon we’ve been secretly loving in an all-new What We’re Into.
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!
Let’s face it, CultCloth isn’t for everyone. But if you’re obsessive about keeping your iPhone, iPad, Mac, DSLR, glasses, and other gadgets in sparkling clean condition, you’ll love ‘em. Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth!
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.
Intro - Steve Jobs intros the iMac DV
Is this the Apple Car????
Why the departure of Apple designer Daniel Coster matters
A year after its launch, it’s now clear that pretty much no one needs an Apple Watch
Apple Watch shipments predicted to fall 25 percent this year
Our blades!
Gerber Curve (Leander)
Spyderco Paramilitary 2 (Erfon)
Direct download: CultCast_227_-_Viking_steel.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 10:53pm PST
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Thu, 7 April 2016
This week: we look into the past at some of the most pivotal moments in Apple’s 40-year history. Plus: why the iPhone 7 Plus may be your only choice for dual cameras; what it’s like downsizing from the iPhone 6s to the SE; and we pitch our favorite new tech and vote on which is best in an all-new Faves N Raves!
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.
Apple might finally let you delete unwanted iOS apps
Dual Camera Said to Be Exclusive to 5.5-Inch iPhone 7
iPhone SE proves size doesn’t matter [Reviews]
40 moments that have defined Apple over 40 years
Erfon
Leander
Buster
Direct download: CultCast_226_-_4_Inches_of_Magic.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 10:56pm PST
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Thu, 31 March 2016
CultCast #225 - Burrito Beard
This week: rumors point to an iPhone 7s with drastic redesign, facial recognition, and the return to a glass front and back. Plus: folks around the world line up for the Tesla Model 3; Apple’s making a show about apps hosted by megastar Willie AM; why the new iPad Pro is not a notebook replacement for the masses; in a bizarre plot twist, Apple seeks FBI’s iPhone unlocking secrets; and we’ll tell you why Cadbury Eggs are the worst thing ever on an all-new Get To Know Ur Cultist.
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!
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.
Intro: Exotic Destinations
Review Roundup: 9.7 iPad Pro is a 'Powerful' Laptop Replacement for Casual Users
Apple is making a TV show about apps with Will.i.am
FBI cracks San Bernardino iPhone without Apple’s help
Apple wants the FBI to reveal how it hacked the San Bernardino killer's iPhone
iPhone 7s Plus may get curved glass body
Direct download: CultCast_225_-_Burrito_Beard.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 9:34pm PST
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Thu, 24 March 2016
This week: Apple’s new iPhone SE in an insane value; the significant differences between the big and small iPad Pros; more evidence affirms major Macbook Pro redesigns in June; future keynotes need more Yak; and the cool features in the new tvOS 9.2 update.
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!
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.
Intro: Macs do more and cost less!
New ultra-thin MacBooks rumored to arrive in June
What Apple product launches say about Tim Cook’s leadership
Apple Special Event in 90 Seconds
New iPad Pro is slower than 12.9-inch model
Direct download: CultCast_224_-_No_more_dongles.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 8:59pm PST
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Thu, 17 March 2016
This week: will we see new Macs? Will there a One More Thing?? These are our March 21st Apple event predictions and expectations… Plus: how Instagram is about to be ruined; reports of an Apple Car price and ship date surface; why pirates are excited for the AyeCar; and some new iPhone 7 leaks echo familiar rumors...
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.
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 thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.
Intro - Maybe people won’t get along in the future, but our Macs will
50,000 users want Instagram to turn back time
Apple Car may ship in 2021, with a price tag of $75,000
Major iPhone 7 changes revealed by leaked case
iPhone 7’s redesigned antenna band revealed in leaked photo
This could be our first look at the iPhone 7
Everything Apple will announce at its March 21 keynote
Direct download: CultCast_223.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 10:58pm PST
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Thu, 10 March 2016
This week: it’s official, Apple is gonna “loop us in” at their March 21 press event. Join us as we decode the mysterious event invitation. Plus: some new leaks give us glimpses at the iPhone SE and iPhone 7 designs; why Apple’s new Spaceship campus is clearly home to a future post-apocalyptic battle colosseum; and we share the stuff we’re embarrassed to secretly love in an all-new Get To Know Ur Cultist.
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!
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.
Apple’s March 21 event promises to ‘Loop you in’
iPhone 7 case hints at stereo speakers, no headphone jack
Upcoming iPhone SE may look just like an iPhone 5s
Close up with Apple’s new spaceship campus Theatre
Intro: Where are all the robots?
Erfon never chokes back the tears watching Meet Joe Black
Buster wants to hand out the Bachelor rose
This scene from Scrooged made Leander WEEP!
You need to try these. Alone. In your car.
Direct download: CultCast_222_-_Secret_man-tears.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 8:34pm PST
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Thu, 3 March 2016
This week: rumors point to an insanely thin iPhone 7, but is that what we want? Plus: our list of top, most-wanted iPhone 7 features; why only some of us are excited for iPhone SE; why the new iPad could have a killer new camera; and if want to hear Leander complain about Mariah Carey and Maroon 5, stay tuned for Leander Loves Pop!
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.
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 thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.
Intro - They finally figured out a way to make PCs easy to use!
Is this Drake??
Whitney Houston was a national treasure!
Rosanne Bar… well
This is basically Buster Heine’s theme song
Check out Rob Roy for some great “kilt action"
Apple event for iPhone SE, new iPad to take place March 21
iPhone 7 will be as slim as an iPod touch
New iPad may pack better camera than iPad Pro
Direct download: CultCast_221_-_Great_kilt_action.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 9:36pm PST
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Thu, 25 February 2016
This week: with the FBI vs. Apple battle heating up, some lawyers say Tim Cook could land in jail; why Siri in the next version of OS X may point to redesigned MacBooks; and, just how much would you pay for a box of Steve Job’s old crap? Plus we pitch you our favorite tech and apps in an all-new Faves 'N Raves!
This episode supported by
Let’s face it, CultCloth isn’t for everyone. But if you’re obsessive about keeping your iPhone, iPad, Mac, DSLR, glasses, and other gadgets in sparkling clean condition, you’ll love ‘em. Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth!
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.
This week’s intro: you need a family computer
Steve Jobs’s smelly old sandals just sold at auction
Siri-ously? Apple’s virtual assistant finally coming to Mac
Apple Faces U.S. Demand to Unlock 9 More iPhones
From Fines To Jail Time: How Apple Could Be Punished For Defying FBI
Congressional ‘Crypto Commission’ may tackle Apple vs FBI debate - buster
Apple believes Congress should decide iPhone privacy case
Apple Is Said to Be Trying to Make It Harder to Hack iPhones
Direct download: CultCast_220_-_Before_and_after.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 8:51pm PST
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Thu, 18 February 2016
This week: major Macbook Pro and Air redesigns may be coming in June; the magic of the MagSafe adapter; the best Mac for college; Apple vs. the FBI; Apple explains "Error 53” and offers up a fix; and stay tuned for our favorite shows and apps in an all new 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.
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 thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.
A Mac is all you need!
Check the swagger level in listener Josh Holme's twitter profile!
Snowden says Apple security case is most important issue in a decade
How Apple could hack terrorist’s iPhone for FBI (if it wanted to)
Buster’s into Vinyl on HBO
Leander’s into People Vs. OJ Simpson on FX
Erfon’s into swapping faces with Face Swap Live and you will be too!
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Thu, 11 February 2016
This week: neighbors complain of peculiar “motor noises" emanating from Apple’s secret auto labs; the strange error that’s bricking iPhones everywhere (and how to avoid it); and, has Apple lost their way? Some pundits are arguing Cupertino needs to shape up and start shipping better products. We discuss!
This episode supported by
Let’s face it, CultCloth isn’t for everyone. But if you’re obsessive about keeping your iPhone, iPad, Mac, DSLR, glasses, and other gadgets in sparkling clean condition, you’ll love ‘em. Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth!
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 thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.
Intro - Alan Greenspan recommends the Apple IIc
‘Motor noises’ complaint at Apple’s auto campus fuels speculation
Does Apple have a software problem?
iOS 9 bricks iPhones with unauthorized Touch ID repairs
Everything you need to know about iOS’ crippling ‘Error 53’
Buster
Tim Cook gets sacked by Twitter for blurry Super Bowl photo
Direct download: CultCast_218_-_The_Beak_made_im_do_it.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 9:16pm PST
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Thu, 4 February 2016
This week: new hardware, incoming! We’ll tell you our expectations of Apple’s rumored March 2016 event. Plus, why the next iPad Air could be the best one yet; iPhone 7 may have far fewer features than expected; and, is Apple making a move into virtual reality?
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.
This Coldplay music video makes Leander angry!
The amazing Word Lens app is now Google Translate
Apple plans March 15th event for iPad Air 3 and iPhone 5se unveiling
Schematic reveals iPad Air 3 will be slightly thicker than iPad Air 2
Apple Watch may get an ‘S’ upgrade in March
iPhone 7 design may ditch antenna bands and camera bump
Apple is spending lots of time at Stanford’s VR lab
Direct download: CultCast_217_-_Super_Brawl.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 8:05pm PST
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Thu, 28 January 2016
This week: a souped-up iPad Air 3 coming in March; iPhone 5se is a terrible name for a 4-inch iPhone; the iPhone 7 Plus PLUS is for those who demand only the best mobile camera; and why Apple is pumping the brakes on their electric car.
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. 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 thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.
This week’s intro - Give your kids the universe!
The 5 biggest takeaways from Apple’s biggest quarter ever
Apple might unveil Pencil-ready iPad Air 3 in March
iPhone 5se may have been finished and ready to ship for months
Apple may release special iPhone 7 Plus aimed at pro photographers
Apple puts the brakes on struggling electric car project
Direct download: CultCast_216_-_iPhone_7_Plus..._PLUS_.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 8:39pm PST
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Thu, 21 January 2016
This week: our legs are blown off by hover boards; our favorite ways to manage iOS photos; the new Music Memo and Garageband apps get our enthusiastic thumbs up; Bob Mansfeld is back to massage us; and we remember the hard, cruel, miserable realities of life before iPhone.
This episode supported by
Squarespace! Build a beautiful, responsive website quickly at Squarespace.com. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.
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 thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.
I rode a hoverboard around my office for a week, and here's what I learned
Apple introduces new Music Memos app, updates GarageBand
Apple’s new Music Memos app makes songwriting chimp-simple
$50 price bump for Trump’s U.S. iPhones is just as realistic as his hair
Direct download: CultCast_215_-_Hover_Board_Haters.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 10:55pm PST
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Thu, 14 January 2016
This week: some useful new features are coming to iOS 9.3; the future of driving technology; the coolest, weirdest, and worst technology of CES 2016; Elon Musk says it’s “obvious” Apple is working on an iCar; and we’ll tell you what we love (and don’t) about the gadgets we’re currently testing—it’s an all-new Under Review.
This episode supported by
Let’s face it, CultCloth isn’t for everyone. But if you’re obsessive about keeping your iPhone, iPad, Mac, DSLR, glasses, and other gadgets in sparkling clean condition, you’ll love ‘em. Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” as checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth!
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!
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
Tesla’s Elon Musk calls Apple Car an ‘open secret’
Everything new (and exciting!) coming in iOS 9.3
All the cosplay girls are going to want this fake electronic tail
Buster is scooting around on his new Priority Bike
Leander wants this CarPlay stereo
This steel Apple Watch band from Juuk is just as suave and 1/5 the price of Apple's
Erfon is living in the future with these home kit enabled Philips Hue lights
Direct download: CultCast_214_-_Tails_ONLY.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 11:20pm PST
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Thu, 7 January 2016
This week on The CultCast: robot bartenders, smart coffee mugs, and the coolest of gadgets from CES 2016. Plus, don’t miss our picks for the absolutely, positively, you-should-install-them-today, most essential Mac and iOS apps.
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.
Will Ferrel is a porn actor (and sells iPods)
This supersized drone will fly you to work (or anywhere)
Booze bots, badass routers, high-flyin’ drones and more at CES
CES Day 3: Hoverboards, doggie ‘brain puzzles’ and beer
Chevy unveils its pure-electric Bolt
The Ember mug keeps your drink at the perfect temperature
Your movements charge Ampy so Ampy can charge your iPhone
Pico let’s you make craft beer at home
Sombabar is your home's app-controller robotic bartender
Nikon does a full 360 with new action cam
Deliveries Dashboard Widget
Erfon won’t live in a world without iStat Menus
SuperDuper! back and recovery tool
Byword 2 markdown tool
Spark is Adam’s email client of choice
Direct download: CultCast_213_-_Best_Gadgets_of_CES_2016.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 10:38pm PST
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Thu, 31 December 2015
This week: why 2015 was one of Apple's best (and worst!) years ever. Plus: everything Apple needs to improve in 2016; future tech that could change the world; and stick around for our deep-dive into The Force Awakens, our in-depth review of the magic, delight, and heartbreak of J.J. Abrams' new Star Wars universe.
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!
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
Why 2015 was Apple’s most important year since original iPhone’s unveiling
What would you like to see Apple improve in 2016? (discussion)
What technology could change the world around us in the next 5 years? (discussion)
J.J. Abrams, the force behind the new Star Wars
How the new “Star Wars” begins
Thoughts on the end of Force Awakens (SPOILERS)
Direct download: CultCast_212_-__Full_Dolphin_.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 6:34pm PST
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Thu, 24 December 2015
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
10 things we learned from Apple’s 60 Minutesepisode
Apple may have accidentally leaked new MacBook
Movies we mention in this episode
Spectre
Sicario
Ex Machina
The Road
No Country for Old Men
Direct download: CultCast_211_-_Kanye_Cobra.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:24pm PST
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Thu, 17 December 2015
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 PST
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Thu, 10 December 2015
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.
Internet questions Jony Ive’s sanity with new iPhone battery case - buster
Apple now sells Lightning headphones that are super-expensive
watchOS 2.1 is out with lots of language support and bug fixes - buster
iOS 9.2 is now available to the public
Eddy Cue promises new iOS remote app for Apple TV - buster
Dropbox Shutting Down Mailbox and Carousel in Early 2016
Robin Hood
Vain Glory
Overcast
Periscope
Direct download: CultCast_209_-_The_Negotiator.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 9:43pm PST
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Thu, 3 December 2015
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
Amazon is bringing Instant Video app to Apple TV
Apple would be stupid to drop the iPhone headphone jack - evan
Christmas lights may be ruining your Wi-Fi speeds
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 PST
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Wed, 25 November 2015
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
The Apple Pencil has reignited my love of drawing
An Apple TV pro tip you absolutely need to know
Direct download: CultCast_207_-_Kiss_The_Cook.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 10:21pm PST
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Thu, 19 November 2015
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
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We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a huge thanks for all the great music you hear in today's show.
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:
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 PST
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Thu, 12 November 2015
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!
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We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a huge thanks for the great music you hear in today's show.
This week’s intro
First impressions with the big and beautiful iPad Pro - leander
Jony Ive interview: The story of the Apple Pencil
Surface Pro vs iPad Pro stylus tracking
Apple Working on Mobile Person-to-Person Payment Service
Leander Hate Watches The Walking Dead
Erfon can't stop watching Casey Neistat
Buster is into Ash Vs Evil Dead
Direct download: CultCast_205_-_Beautiful_Manscapes.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 8:42pm PST
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