This week: Our WWDC reactions! Apple keynotes don’t get more legendary than this one. Plus: the crazy cryptographic tech powering Apple’s new Find My app, and our favorite features of iOS 13, macOS Catalina, tvOS and watchOS.

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Our thanks to Linked In for supporting this episode. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters… head to LinkedIn.com/cultcast and get a $50 credit toward your first job post.

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace

This week's stories

How new Mac Pro borrows from Apple’s best designs

• Aside from looks, there are many similarities to the G5, plus a couple of ideas from other older Apple machines. Here are some of the clearest design influences on the new Mac Pro

Apple prods devs to give ‘Sign in with Apple’ top billing

• Not only will Apple require all apps that use third-party login services like Facebook to also support Apple’s privacy-focused login service, but it is also asking that the button be placed above competitors’ options.

THE CLEVER CRYPTOGRAPHY BEHIND APPLE'S 'FIND MY’ FEATURE

How to use a PS4 or Xbox One controller with iOS 13 and iPadOS

• iOS 13, iPadOS, and tvOS 13 will allow you to play games with a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One controller.

Everything Apple showed off at WWDC 2019 in under 8 minutes [Video]

Is the power of a Hackintosh worth the hassle of building and maintaining one?  Big daddy Erf gets the answers with YouTube creator and Hacktintosh expert Peter Paul Chato.

Apple may be prepping the Mac Pro for its big reveal...don’t miss our WWDC 2019 hardware expectations.

This week: Apple may be prepping the Mac Pro for its big reveal... don’t miss our WWDC 2019 hardware expectations! Plus: the pros and cons of the 2019 MacBook Pro... we discuss. And did you know all the best Get a Mac ads never actually aired? We’ll tell you the odd reason why... All that and SO MUCH MORE.

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CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney

This week's stories

Latest MacBook Pro blows away its predecessors

• The top-tier new MacBook Pro employs a Intel 9th-generation Core i9 processor, which just debuted. It’s clocked at 2.4GHz with Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz. This is Apple’s first 8-core laptop, and the promotional materials promises “40 percent more performance than a 6-core MacBook Pro.”
• Geekbench benchmark scores are now confirming that this macOS laptop is around 30 percent speedier depending the the tests look at.
• The multi-core score for this device is around 29180. Last year’s speediest 6-core version of the MacBook Pro topped out at 22620, indicating that its predecessor is 29 percent faster.
• The single-core score for the new model is around 5900, up from about 5350 in the 2018 version. That’s almost a 10% improvement.
• One YouTuber reported the new MacBook Pro is beating his base iMac Pro in some tests!

2019 MacBook Pro teardown reveals minimal keyboard changes

• Keyboard seems largely the same, though iFixit has confirmed Apple has changed some of the material used in the dome switch mechanism and keyboard condom.

Steve Jobs didn’t want the ‘Get a Mac’ ads to be too funny

• Justin Long was recently on a episode of People Magazine’s TV show called Couch Surfing reciting why all the best Get a Mac ads never aired.
• Though 66 ads aired, apparently they filmed over 300!
• According to Long, it was Steve Jobs who kept the best ads off the air because they were just too funny.
• “One, in particular, I remember Zach Galifianakis played a drunken Santa Claus and I was dying to see this one,” Long said on the episode, which aired on Sunday. “Basically, Steve Jobs preferred when they weren’t super funny. It’s because he thought that would detract from the point of the commercial. He thought if people were too focused on humor, they would lose sight of the product.”
• But the commercials worked!
• Apple experienced a sales increase of 200,000 Macs after the first month of the campaign in May 2006. By July, Apple sold 1.3 million and at the end of the fiscal year, there was a 39 percent increase from the previous year’s Mac sales

This week: Apple releases the MacBook Pro we never thought possible, packed with Intel’s newest 8-core chip! But can a machine this slim handle the heat? Plus: WWDC 2019 is officially on! We talk our keynote predictions. And even more good news, Apple announces two new warranty repair programs to fix MacBook’s most troubling issues… for FREE.

This episode supported by

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

The NETGEAR Nighthawk WiFi 6 router gives you ultra-fast speeds and wider coverage throughout your home – it’s the biggest revolution in WiFi ever. Check it out today at Netgear.com/wifi6.

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney

This week's stories

Apple’s wacky unicorn invites press to June 3 WWDC keynote

• Invitations to the keynote address for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference just went out. The design features a unicorn whose brain is exploding with ideas.
• You can catch Episode #387 for our rundown of all features expected to be announced for iOS 13, macOS 10.5, watchOS, all the OSs

iOS 13

• But Apple is expected to unveil a whole bunch of new and upgraded apps for iOS, a Dark Mode, possibly a new swipe keyboard. They’re adding new features to the Health, Books, Maps, and Messages
• Apple is also planning to let the HomePod respond to different users’ voices, creating a multiuser mode.
• iPad is getting some loving', including an updated home screen, updates to multi-tasking, and the ability to use two instances of the same apps.

watchOS

• New apps for the Apple watch that will make it more independent from the iPhone, health tracking enhancements, and an Apple Watch store so you can download apps on the go.
• Marzipan is set to be unveiled for the Mac, meaning developers can bring their iPad apps to the Mac. This should be interesting.
• Apple will be bringing the Podcast app to the Mac, along with Find my Friends, Find my iPhone, and Screen Time.
• New voice memos app so you can record notes from your wrist.
• New watch faces (from Bloomberg:
• A “Gradient” face that makes a gradient look out of a color the user chooses, at least two new “X-Large” faces that show jumbo numbers in different fonts and colors, a “California” dial that looks like a classic watch face and mixes Roman numerals with Arabic numerals, a redesigned “Solar Analog” watch face that looks like a sundial, and a new “Infograph Subdial” one that includes larger complication views like a stock market chart or the weather.
• Apple is also adding more complications

Hardware

• There’s a chance we could see new hardware, like the new Mac Pro, or Bloomberg says there’s a possibility we’ll see a new Apple Display featuring HDR.

Apple unleashes its fastest ever MacBook Pro

• Apple just brought Intel’s latest eighth- and ninth-generation chips to the MacBook Pro, making it the company’s fastest ever laptop.
• The newest 8-core models deliver up to twice the performance of a quad-core MacBook Pro, and up to 40% more than a 6-core model. They also promise powerful graphics, a T2 Security Chip, super-fast SSDs, and “all-day” battery life.
• Apple also addressed problems with the Butterly keyboard, noting that these new models use different materials in the keyboards which will supposedly reduce the well-publicized issues with keys sticking.
• According to Apple:
• • You’ll get to enjoy up to twice as many Alchemy plugins in Logic Pro X. You’ll render 3D scenes up to twice as fast in Maya Arnold. You’ll get to apply complex edits and filters up to 75% faster in Photoshop. And you’ll compile code up to 65% faster in Xcode.
  • What’s more, video editors now have the ability to edit up to 11 simultaneous multicam steams of 4K video in Final Cut Pro X. And you don’t just get new chips.

All MacBooks with butterfly keyboards are now eligible for free repairs

• Apple updated its Keyboard Service Program today to also include support for the 2018 MacBook Pro and 2018 MacBook Air.
• The news comes on the heels of Apple’s unveiling of new MacBook Pros this morning with 8-core processors and butterfly keyboards with new materials. With the updated program, any MacBook with a butterfly keyboard is now eligible for service free of charge.
• Theory: It seems like Apple has no plans to ditch the butterfly keyboards…

Apple Launches New Backlight Service Program for 2016 13-Inch MacBook Pro Display to Address 'Flexgate’ Issues

• Alongside the launch of new MacBook Pro models, Apple today introduced a new Backlight Service Program for the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
• Strangely, this is the only model Apple will fix even though there have been reports of the 15” also having the stagelight issue

This week: new leaks give us our best look yet at iPhone XI and XIR. Plus: new US tariffs could skyrocket the prices of your next iPhone and iPad. And a new US Supreme Court ruling could break Apple’s iron control of the app store, making even alternate app stores a real possibility.

This episode supported by

Our thanks to Linked In for supporting this episode. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters… head to LinkedIn.com/cultcast and get a $50 credit toward your first job post.

The NETGEAR Nighthawk WiFi 6 router gives you ultra-fast speeds and wider coverage throughout your home – it’s the biggest revolution in WiFi ever. Check it out today at Netgear.com/wifi6.

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney
 

This week's stories

New 2019 iPhone leak hints at extra camera lenses (again)

• Mark Gurman has posted molds of the iPhone XI, XI Max, and XR2, and not everyone is happy with how they look.

Apple's Tariff Tradeoff: Raise Phone Prices or Suffer Margin Hit

• A new round of tariffs proposed by the U.S. on Monday includes mobile phones, meaning the iPhone.
• If these tariffs take effect, iPhone could be hit with a with a 25% import levy.

Supreme Court sides against Apple in big antitrust case

• A lawsuit targeting Apple and the App Store will be allowed to proceed, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided.
• The case involves whether or customers technically buy apps from Apple, or whether Apple is a middleman connecting app developers with consumers. The Supreme Court ruled against Apple on Monday by 5 votes to 4.
• The Apple Inc. v. Robert Pepper case dates back to 2011. The broad argument is that Apple has artificially driven up the price of apps by virtue of its monopolistic control over the App Store. By passing the cost of Apple’s 30% cut onto consumers, iPhone users argue that it is an unfair use of monopoly power. Apple, meanwhile, argued that only app developers — and not users — should be able to bring this lawsuit against Apple.

This week: WWDC 2019 is right around the corner, and a new report sheds light on everything Apple's prepping to reveal. We discuss! Plus: the magic of Corning glass, and how making your iPhone just slightly thicker would make it indestructible. And we reveal how and why Jony Ive and team created the massive mystery rainbow structure now present at the heart of Apple Park.

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Dashlane is the official password manager of Cult of Mac. It's so good, even El Kahney's mummy uses it! Use it for free for one device at Dashlane.com/CultofMac.

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

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace
 

This week's stories

Order Leander's new book, signed!

Apple to Reveal New Home-Grown Apps, Software Features at WWDC

• Apple Inc. is planning to unleash a slew of new apps, features and development tools at its annual software conference next month.

How (and why) Jony Ive built the mysterious rainbow Apple Stage

• It’s the latest creation by Jony Ive’s team — and it’s just as thoughtfully and intricately designed as you might imagine.

Apple Park: The Inner Spaceship Stage - May 2019

This week: will it be a car, glasses, or a full frame camera? iPhones aren’t selling like they used to, and Apple’s looking for their next huge hit! We discuss... Plus: even with iPhone sales way down, Apple managed to have another MASSIVE quarter, and you won’t believe how they pulled it off. And stay tuned for our favorite shows and games in an all-new What We’re Into 🔥

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Dashlane is the official password manager of Cult of Mac. It's so good, even El Kahney's mummy uses it! Use it for free for one device at Dashlane.com/CultofMac.

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

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace

This week's stories

Order Leander's new book, signed!

Apple’s wearables is now the size of a Fortune 200 company

• Sales of the Apple Watch grew 50% compared to the same quarter last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Apple’s Q2 2019 quarterly analyst call on Tuesday.
• If Apple’s wearables business — which includes the Apple Watch and the popular AirPod earbuds — were a stand-alone company, it would be in the Fortune 200, Cook said.
• Apple’s wearables business also includes its home and accessories category. Together, sales in the March quarter hit a record $5.1 billion in revenue, up from $3.94 billion in the year-ago quarter.
• Wearables now almost as big as the Mac business (5.5B last quarter).
• Services business is now more than twice as big as the Mac business!

Apple Shipped an Estimated 36.4 Million iPhones Worldwide in Q1 2019, a 30% Year-Over-Year Decline

• Apple shipped an estimated 36.4 million iPhones worldwide during the first calendar quarter of 2019, which corresponds to Apple's second fiscal quarter, according to new estimates shared today by IDC.
• Apple's worldwide smartphone shipments were down 30.2 percent from 52.2 million iPhones shipped in the first quarter of 2018. The decline in sales led to Apple losing the number two worldwide smartphone vendor spot to Huawei. In Q1 2019, Huawei shipped an estimated 59.1 million smartphones.

Our Under Review picks!

The Man in the High Castle

Borderlands 3 official gameplay trailer

This week: some major changes are in store for Apple’s legendary industrial design team… we discuss. Plus: Apple commits to fixing all MacBook keyboard issues in just ONE day. This is huge. And it looks like not one but TWO new versions of the AirPods are in development, with one being released this year. We’ll fill you in. And the new Powerbeats Pro wireless earphones are almost here, and they look like the higher quality AirPods we’ve always wanted.

This episode supported by

Dashlane is the official password manager of Cult of Mac. It's so good, even El Kahney's mummy uses it! Use it for free for one device at Dashlane.com/CultofMac.

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

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

This week's stories

Order Leander's new book, signed!

Apple sets 24-hour turnaround time for MacBook keyboard repairs

• Apple has ordered that sticky MacBook keys be repaired fast enough that, whenever possible, the owner can get their computer back the next day.
• An internal Apple memo said this:
• • “Most keyboard-related repairs will be required to be completed in store until further notice. Additional service parts have been shipped to stores to support the increased volume. These repairs should be prioritized to provide next-day turnaround time.”
• Keyboard issues were previously being sent out for repairs, which could take a full week.
• Apple is now prioritizing repairs and they will be done in store whenever possible. The goal is to get your laptop back to you in 24 hours.
• My source says they see rarely see issues with the 3rd get butterfly keyboard He works at one of the busiest stores on the the west coast.
• They see 2017 and 2016 MBP keyboard issues all the time...
• When they do see issues, it’s usually with someone who does a lot of typing
• For 2016 2017 models, he said most issues are from debris under the keys.
• They use a special tool to remove the key, blow it out with canned air, and wipe it out with alcohol, then it’s “good as new”

Renowned Apple analyst thinks 2 new AirPod models are on the way

• Ming-Chi Kuo says Cupertino plans to release two new models of AirPods, either at the end of this year or the start of 2020.
• The two models Kuo mentions will include a more expensive and a cheaper option. This would make the AirPods product lineup similar to how Apple has been dividing the iPhone since 2013’s iPhone 5c and 5s. Kuo says the pricier AirPods option will include a redesigned form factor. The cheaper models, meanwhile, will retain the same design and pricing as the current model.

Third-gen AirPods may be on the way before end of 2019

• We may only just be getting used to our second-gen AirPods, but Apple is reportedly gearing up to release its third generation AirPods.
• According to a new Digitimes report, the AirPods 3 headphones will go on sale by the end of 2019. The main selling point of the new AirPods will be their smart noise-cancelling tech.
• AirPods are reportedly Apple’s second-best-selling new product of all time.

Powerbeats Pro will only be available in black at launch

• Apple revealed the Powerbeats Pro wireless earbuds earlier this month with black, ivory, moss and navy color options. The ivory ones look especially sleek, but it appears that only the black ones will be available at launch.
• Black launch mid May, others available this summer.
• The new Powerbeats Pro are the first truly wireless earbuds to come out of the Beats by Dre labratory. They’re pretty much the same as the new AirPods, only they have better sweat and water resistance. Longer battery life is one of the other standout features and they have the same H1 wireless chip you’ll find in the updated AirPods that came out last month.

Samsung delays Galaxy Fold launch

• Samsung is hitting the brakes on the launch of its folding smartphone, the Galaxy Fold and have recalled all the review units.
• Galaxy Fold units were supposed to start shipping to customers on April 26th with units costing $1980 a piece.
• Samsung is now saying they’ll be reinforcing the screen, and announcing another new release date "in the coming weeks."
• If you don’t know the screens were having all sorts of issues.
• Rewiewers were unknowably removing the plastic screen protector which was causing failures.
• One reviewer found that something got behind the bend of the display and caused a bulge.
• There’s was a weirdly visible crease in on the screen where it folds. The Verge highlighted that.

This week: is the CultCast crew too critical of Apple? Some say yes. We discuss! Plus, we talk about the pros and cons of Apple’s reported modular Mac Pro. And we’ll look at why Samsung’s new folding phone is already breaking! And this fatal flaw might mean its demise...

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Dashlane is the official password manager of Cult of Mac. It's so good, even El Kahney's mummy uses it! Use it for free for one device at Dashlane.com/CultofMac.

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

CultCloth will keep your iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace

This week's stories

Order Leander's new book, signed!

Modular Mac Pro - Apple’s next flop?

Samsung Galaxy Fold vs Flagship Smartphones

Samsung’s folding smartphones break on Day 1

• Samsung’s new Galaxy Fold smartphone has a serious problem with its folding display.
• Multiple early reviewers are reporting that the display has broken after just one or two days of use. It appears that the hinge on some units is defective, causing the screen to be unusable.
• The Verge, Bloomberg, and other high profile reviewers have had the screens on their units break

This week: Apple’s readying a totally redesigned MacBook Pro with next gen display! We discuss. Plus: Apple’s working on the next generation of Magsafe! And we take a fascinating look at the unbelievable scale and size of Apple’s megafactories from a bonus chapter of Leander’s new book, Tim Cook: The genius who took Apple to the next level.

This episode supported by

Techmeme Ride Home is silicon valley's water cooler podcast. Stay up to date on the latest tech news with new episodes each day--search for Ride Home podcast in your podcast app of choice and give it a listen!

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

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney

This week's stories

Pre-Order Leander's new book, signed!

9 months with stereo HomePods! The good, bad, & the UGLY!

Apple cuts price of HomePod in U.S. and other countries

• Apple permanently slashed the price of HomePod in the United States and a number of other countries. The company’s first smart speaker now lists for $299 — a full $50 less than its original price.
• Some might assume the HomePod discount is a result of lackluster sales. But Apple says it is simply passing on savings achieved by manufacturing at scale, according to AppleInsider. (It’s a shame the company doesn’t do that with all its products.)

Biggest MacBook in years could debut in 2021

• Ming Chi Kuo says Apple is working on a MacBook Pro that’s bigger than any released in years. The downside is this model won’t be out until 2021.
• This device, as well as a new iPad and an external display, will all supposedly use a new type of display: microLED.microLED is the next generation of screen technology. It’s brings the strength the strengths of OLED, perfect black levels, incredible color saturation and accuracy, without the negatives, E.G. degrading performance and brightness over time, and burn in.
• Multiple companies are currently working to figure out how to manufacture the technology, but it’s hard, because the LEDS have to be perfectly placed or the screen brightness looks wonky.
• The MacBook that will be between 15 and 17 inched. but he’s now saying this will be out in the first half of 2021.
• This is the same machine Kuo implied would be a major redesign...

Apple’s beloved MagSafe connector could make a comeback

• Apple is exploring charging cables that attach to its devices with magnets.
• Apple just received a patent for “Smart Charging Systems for Portable Electronic Devices.” This describes using magnets in cables to prevent damage if they get yanked on.
• Apple envisions the system taking an active part in disconnecting itself if an accident occurs. “The connector can be disconnected from the portable electronic device by the charging component before the jolting event occurs.”
• MagSafe was only for MacBooks, but the new version might have a much wider reach. The patent says this magnetized charging system could be used with “a smart phone, wearable device, smart watch, tablet, personal computer, and the like.”
• That said, this is only a patent application, not a product announcement. It’s possible this research might not ever become a product.

Inside Apple’s factories [Cook book outtakes]

• Apple’s capital expenditure, or CapEx, is mindboggling. To get an idea of how big it is, take Apple’s new spaceship campus in Cupertino – which is the fourth most expensive building in the world. It cost the company an estimated $5 billion to construct.
• Apple spends a similar amount every six months on manufacturing equipment

This week: AirPower—the real problem no one else is talking about… Plus: 2019 iPhone rumors point to some wildly useful new features; more evidence the 2018 MacBook, Air and Pro keyboards are STILL having issues. And we wrap up with a review of Leander’s favorite wireless charging mat, Lewis’ take on the new AirPods 2, and Erfon’s got a favorite new podcasting gadget on an all-new Under Review

This episode supported by

Techmeme Ride Home is silicon valley's water cooler podcast. Stay up to date on the latest tech news with new episodes each day--search for Ride Home podcast in your podcast app of choice and give it a listen!

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

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

Pre-Order Leander's new book, signed!

What went wrong with Apple’s doomed AirPower charging mat?

• AirPower is officially dead. It’s the first time in Apple’s history that they canceled an announced, but unreleased product.
• It’s been about 1.5 years since Apple titillated fans by revealing a wireless charging mat that supposedly would charge not one, not two, but three Apple devices at the same time.
• Overheating problems reportedly posed the biggest hurdle for bringing AirPower to market. We heard rumors and rumblings for more than a year that Apple faced serious technical hurdles as it tried to make AirPower a reality.
• Most wireless charging mats have only one power-generating coil. Some specialized chargers offer two coils, placed far apart. Apple tried to put three or more charging coils into one pad so you could place your device anywhere and it would start charging.
• One of John Gruber’s sources said the design would never work; it violated the laws of physics.
• But here’s the real AirPower problem no one’s talking about…

Two-way charging and bigger batteries rumored for 2019 iPhones

• According to a new report from Mind Chi Kuo, Apple is reportedly planning to add two-way charging that will allow it to recharge your Apple Watch, AirPods and even other iPhones.
• Now if this feature sounds familiar, it may be because Samsung included on the Galaxy S10+...
• Kuo also claims battery capacity will increase between 10 percent and 25 percent on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max successors. The iPhone XS successor will get the biggest gains, while the iPhone XR successor is expected to get minimal battery gains
• Other rumored features for the 2019 iPhone lineup includes a three-lens camera on the back, improved Face ID sensors, a more powerful A13 processor and possibly support for Apple Pencil

The MacBook keyboard fiasco is way worse than Apple thinks

• David Heinemeier Hansson. Founder of Basecamp. Creator of Ruby on Rails.
• Apple keep insisting that only a “small number of customers have problems” with the MacBook keyboards. That’s bollocks. This is a huge issue, it’s getting worse not better, and Apple is missing the forest for the trees.
• So here’s some anecdata for Apple. I sampled the people at Basecamp. Out of the 47 people using MacBooks at the company, a staggering 30% are dealing with keyboard issues right now!! And that’s just the people dealing with current keyboard issues. If you include all the people who used to have issues, but went through a repair or replacement process, the number would be even higher.
• Worth noting here is that the 3rd generation membrane keyboard did nothing to fix the issues. Six out of thirteen – nearly half!! – of the 2018+ MacBooks we have at the company have a failed keyboard.
• He did a Twitter poll that currently has over 7300 responses.
• • 37% have no keyboard issues.
  • 11% had issues that were fixed by Apple
  • 52% have issues now that they’re just living with.
  • He’s calling for Apple to do a Total Recall….

This week:  News+,  TV+,  Arcade,  Card, we react to it ALL. Plus we'll fill in all the details on Apple’s new services. And just when you thought it was safe to type, Apple apologizes for MORE ongoing MacBook Air and MacBook Pro keyboard issues.

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

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

Pre-Order Leander's new book, signed!

Erfon has a moment of eros reviewing Logitech's most premium keyboard

Apple apologizes for continuing problems with MacBook keyboard

• MacBooks made after 2015 have had keyboard issues. Apple tweaked the design of this critical component last year, and there was great optimism that the problem had been fixed in the latest macOS computers.
• Nope.
• After months of use, owners of the 2018 MacBook Pro or MacBook Air are reporting keys that stick, either so they become unresponsive or repeat letters.
• This was highlighted today by Joanna Stern in a Wall Street Journal editorial written on a MacBook Pro with the E and R keys failing. “To sha th pain of using an Appl laptop kyboad that’s faild aft fou months, I could only think of on ida: tak all th bokn ltts out of my column,” wrote Stern. The WSJ article has toggles to make the missing letters reappear.
• Apple responded to Stern’s article by saying “We are aware that a small number of users are having issues with their third-generation butterfly keyboard and for that we are sorry. The vast majority of Mac notebook customers are having a positive experience with the new keyboard.”
• But they still have not offered the same extended keyboard warranty they have given to 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro owners...

These are the ‘low rates’ currently available for Apple Card

With Apple TV+, Tim Cook peddles an antidote to toxic TV [Opinion]

• At a time when critically acclaimed TV shows serve up a steady stream of sex and violence, the upcoming Apple TV+ service proffers an unusual prescription for success: optimism, inclusion, creativity and inspiration.

These are all the games coming to Apple Arcade

• Apple showed off a smattering of games for its upcoming Apple Arcade subscription service at yesterday’s event. But, presumably because reeling off a list of 100 titles would’ve slowed the event to a crawl, it didn’t reveal exactly which games would be available.

This week: Apple just released so much new hardware, they had to do it over 3 full days. We break it all down, and react to all the new gear. Plus, the saga of MoviePass continues with yet another new wild announcement… but is their new unlimited plan too good to be true?

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@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

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Why this week’s Apple PR blitz is brilliant [Opinion]

• Apple is reaching Hannukah levels of gifting this week with significant new hardware releases on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

MONDAY

On Monday Apple released a new iPad Air 3 and iPad Mini 5

iPad Air 3

• The new iPad Air has a 10.5-inch Retain display, A12 Bionic chip, and first-generation Apple Pencil support.
• Performance-wise, it’s just as fast as the iPhone XS.
• This iPad replaces the older 10.5-inch iPad Pro that Apple’s been selling for $650 up until now
• $500 for the 64GB model

iPad Mini 5

• iPad mini now delivers three times the performance and nine times faster graphics.
• Improved Retina display with True Tone, wide color support, is 25 percent brighter than before.
• A12 Bionic processor
• first-generation Apple Pencil support
• Headphone jack!
• the same $399 price tag as the previous model.

TUESDAY

On Tuesday Apple gave some much needed spec bumps to the iMac, added better RAM and GPU options to the iMac Pro, and even dropped the prices on some of their high-end MacBook Pros! iMac

• iMac lineup has been updated with Intel's latest 8th-gen and 9th-gen Core processors, including a six-core 8th-gen Core i7 with Turbo Boost, and a monster eight-core 9th-gen Core i9 with Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz (for the 27-inch 5K iMac).
• Apple says the new i7 brings a 60% performance increase for the 21.5-inch iMac, and up to a 240% for the for new i9 iMac.
• Radeon Pro Vega graphics options are now available across the new iMac lineup, including Vega 20 for 21.5-inch models and Vega 48 for 27-inch models. Apple advertises up to 80 percent faster graphics performance compared to the previous iMac lineup.
• New RAM and storage options are also available.
• Base iMac STILL include a 5400RPM mechanical hard drive…

Mac Pro now available with Vega 64X graphics and 256GB RAM

• Those with a need for speed can now equip the iMac Pro with an AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X graphics card and up to 256GB of RAM for the first time. But be prepared to break the bank

Apple drops prices on some high-end MacBook Pros

• There’s good news for MacBook Pro buyers looking for a lot of storage: Apple has lowered the costs of its most-expensive SSD options.
• When upgrading your SSD, you can save $200 for the 2TB option, and $400 for the 4TB option.
• The bad news is that Apple didn’t change prices on any MacBook Pro SSDs that are 1TB or smaller. Putting a 1TB drive in a high-end 15-inch MacBook is still an extra $400 over the cost of a 512GB one, for example.
• The total package, with 256GB of RAM and everything else as standard, is $10,199. If you add every possible upgrade to the iMac Pro, not including software or a VESA Mount Adapter, it costs $15,699.

WEDNESDAY

New AirPods deliver hands-free ‘Hey Siri’ and better battery life

• Apple’s newest wireless buds are here with a brand new H1 chip that allows for hands-free “Hey Siri.” They also promise better battery life in between charges, and even faster connectivity.
• An optional Wireless Charging Case is also available, but it’s not cheap.
• AirPods 2 have the same $159 price tag, or $200 with the wireless charging case. The wireless case a la cart is $79.

With New Unlimited Plan, MoviePass Swears It's Got Its Shit Together

• Thanks to MacDonald Ted for this glorious story.
• On Monday, MoviePass announced the new plan, which it is calling “Uncapped.” Under the Uncapped plan, subscribers can watch one 2D film a day, for $19.95 per month. A “limited time” offer gets you that same deal for just $9.95 per month with a one-year commitment.
• But can we trust MoviePass?
• Of course they’re playing games in their terms of service. A line in their user agreement gives MoviePass the right to throttle a user’s filmgoing options in the event that an individual’s use of the service has an adverse impact on “MoviePass’s system-wide capacity or the availability of the Service for other subscribers.”

This week: Apple’s Showtime event is just around the corner, and this is the first event ever that focuses purely on services. Is Apple’s streaming TV service going to suck? We’ll tell you what we expect! Plus: Leander unveils the details on his new Tim Cook book, out April 16th!

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@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

Apple reveals WWDC 2019 set for June 3 – 7

• This morning, Apple revealed that it will host WWDC 2019 in San Jose, California, from June 3 to 7.
• Registered developers can apply for tickets now through March 20 at 5 p.m. Pacific on the WWDC website. Tickets cost $1,599 per person and are issued through a random selection process.
• iOS 13, macOS 10.15, watchOS 6 and tvOS 13 are all expected to be previewed during the WWDC 2019 keynote

It’s show time! Apple confirms March 25 event at Steve Jobs Theater

• Apple will hold its next special event on Monday, March 25, in the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino.

What to expect from Apple’s ‘show time’ event on March 25

• The first Apple event of 2019 is nearly here. Tim Cook and friends are set to take the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater on March 25 to unveil the company’s newest goodies, only instead of unveiling some shiny new gadgets you can buy, Apple is supposedly going to bust out some services you can subscribe to.
• Apple’s “It’s show time” event is expected to be the first one ever where services and software play the starring roles.

TV streaming service

• Instead of trying to be just like Netflix, Apple’s new TV service is expected to pull in content from other sources like Hulu, Showtime and HBO.
• As for Apple’s own TV shows, don’t expect them to be available at launch. The company allegedly will show a few previews at the event, giving us our first glimpse of the TV series it’s been working on. Some of the shows likely will come out later in the year, but Apple has so many projects in the works that most won’t come out until later.

Apple News service

• Details about what, exactly, the new news service will look like remai murky. Rumors indicate it will cost about $9.99 per month, giving readers access to unlimited articles from sites that usually put their content behind a paywall. The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and other publishers have all been approached to join the service. Some of those companies reportedly chafed at Apple’s proposed 50/50 revenue split

Magazine Service

• Apple bought texture last year, a service that let users browse hundreds of magazine in digital format for $10 a month.
• Developer Steve Troughton-Smith has uncovered evidence of the new magazine service built in to the Apple News app. So we know that’s coming too.

Apple rushes to add HBO and Showtime to streaming service

• According to Bloombooger, Apple is hammering out the final details of agreements to add movies and TV shows from HBO, Showtime, Starz and others
• The negotiations allegedly would result in these shows appearing side-by-side with Apple’s own content, with the Showtime etc. getting a share of watchers’ subscription fees.
• Apparently 3rd party content is badly needed for the streaming app as Apple’s content is still in development and won’t be ready till the end of the year.

Apple News magazine service details revealed by latest macOS beta

• After digging into the latest macOS 10.14.4 beta, developer Steve Troughton-Smith found some new references that confirm the magazine subscription service is on the way. Even better, Apple’s code provides some new details about it that we didn’t know. Leander’s gotta talk about The Tim Cook Boo

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This week: Samsung has been sending Apple foldable screens… is a folding iPhone on the horizon? Plus: Apple may have quietly fixed MacBook Pro’s ‘stage light’ flaw; Apple prepping products that will “blow you away”; and Tim Cook receives a brand new nick name from none other than Donald J. Trump, and his reaction is legendary.

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Samsung sends foldable screen samples to Apple

• Samsung was one of the first out of the gate with a folding smartphone. Now it is trying to entice its competitors, including Apple, to join the foldable future.
• Samsung, which debuted the Galaxy Fold at its “Unpacked” event on Feb. 20, has reportedly sent some foldable display panel samples to Cupertino in hopes of attracting Apple as a client.
• Plastic screens the the ones Samsung is producing won’t the only option forever. Corning is working on flexible glass panels that could be used in future phones.
• There are currently two folding phones on the market, and the prices of both are reeediculous
• The Galaxy Fold is currently the cheapest at $1,980. Huawei’s Mate X $2,600

Apple may have quietly fixed MacBook Pro’s ‘stage light’ flaw

• Apple’s latest MacBook Pro lineup may be immune to the “stage light” flaw that iFixit claims all MacBook Pros made after 2016 are susceptible.
• The “stage light” flaw, which others have dubbed “Flexgate,” is caused by the MacBook Pro’s delicate display cables wearing out over time. The cables wrap around the machine’s logic board and bend every time the lid is opened and closed.
• When the cable starts to have issues, it creates a weird stage light effect on your MacBook’s screen, and the repair is $600 dollars.
• Well it seems like the problem may have been quietly addressed in 2018 MBPs.
• On 2018 models, iFixit is reporting that Apple has increased the length of the display cable so it doesn’t come into contact with the logic board.
• HOPEFULLY, this resolves the issue. But we’ll know in the next 9 months as it seems the display cables start having issues right at the year mark. Right when your warranty expires.

Apple ‘rolling the dice’ on its upcoming products

• Apple CEO Tim Cook is very upbeat about where his company is going. He told investors today that upcoming products will “blow you away.”
• Cook also indicated that these aren’t going to be just more of the same. Apple is branching out.
• Cook said he’d “never been more optimistic” about Apple’s future.
• Ol’ TC also says they’ve made lowering the cost of the latest MacBook Air a goal.

Apple publishes its 13th annual Supplier Responsibility Progress Report

• The report shows encouraging progress in making supply chain better for workers and the environment.
• Apple has almost completely eradicated child labor bonded labor. Only one incidence of child labor was found. A 15-year old faked some ID to get a job. And there were only two cases of bonded labor affecting 287 employees. Bonded labor is where workers pay factories or recruiters to secure a job. Just six years ago Apple found tens of thousands of cases of bonded labor.
• Apple really stated to crack down on bonded and child labor in 2013, when it axed a supplier for 74 underage labor violations. That year, Apple found about 170 cases of child labor at 11 facilities. Bonded labor was also a big problem: that year Apple made suppliers pay back more than $6.4 million to affected workers — which is equivalent to about 22,000 entry-level Foxconn employees.
• The majority labor violations were related to working hours and paying of wages and benefits. But overtime is a tricky situation, because a lot of workers report that they want to work maximum overtime.
• Improving labor practices has been a priority for Cook, and he seems to be delivering. Apple has got a lot of criticism for its offshore supply chain, which was rife with abuse, but this latest report shows that Apple is really making progress in reform — although, of course, this is all self-reported, so we have to take Apple's word for it. Plus, really big reforms like unionizing workers seem a long way away.
• On the environmental front, Apple’s making big progress too. It announced that all of its final assembly plants for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods and HomePod are now certified Zero Waste to Landfill, which is pretty cool.
• Greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by more than 466,000 annualized metric tons — the equivalent of taking 100,000 cars off the road for one year.
• 30 suppliers have made commitments to 100 percent renewable energy for Apple production — up from a handful earlier last year. This is a big deal. Apple’s already 100 percent green energy worldwide, but the supply chain, which accounts for 3/4 of its cartoon footprint is lagging. Apple’s committees to helping the supply chain also move to 100 percent green energy, and getting 30 more suppliers onboard is another big step.

The president just called the CEO of Apple ‘Tim Apple’

• At an American Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting today, the President Donald Trump pretty unmistakably called Tim Cook “Tim Apple.”
• "We’re going to be opening up the labor forces because we have to. We have so many companies coming in,” Trump says. “People like Tim — you’re expanding all over and doing things that I really wanted you to do right from the beginning. I used to say, ‘Tim, you gotta start doing it here,’ and you really have you’ve really put a big investment in our country. We really appreciate it very much, Tim Apple."

This week: Apple axes another 190 employees from their self-driving car division—is the Apple car dead? Plus: sleep tracking is coming to the Apple Watch; Apple is “rethinking” their high prices; and we wrap with the story of Apple's first legendary CEO, and you won’t believe who it was...

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@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

16-inch MacBook Pro - 8 things Apple BETTER get right!

Apple axes 190 employees from self-driving car division

• Apple’s self-driving car project may be nearing the end of the road.
• Project Titan was reportedly greenlit toward the end of 2014. Apple hired hundreds of engineers setting out to design and build its own self-driving car. Numerous roadblocks hit the struggling project and the company reportedly changed the focus toward just making the underlying autonomous driving technology instead of a complete car.
• After rumors surfaced last month that the company slashed its workforce for Project Titan, Apple confirmed today that 190 employees in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale have been released from the self-driving car project.
• Details of Apple’s self-driving car project were just posted by the company last week. Apple’s cars needed a driver to take over about once every 1.1 miles. By comparison, Google’s Waymo division only had a disengagement every 11,017 miles.
• It’s unclear what the future holds for Apple’s automotive ambitions from here. Tim Cook has said self-driving cars is the mother of all AI problems. With iPhone sales dropping though, the company appears to be tightening its focus by jettisoning projects that aren’t as promising.

Apple developing its own sleep-tracking tech for Apple Watch

• Apple Watch could soon add sleep-tracking tech that makes it an even more capable health monitor.
• Apple has been testing the new sleep-tracking technology at secret sites around Cupertino, a new report claims. And if it lives up to its promise, it could ship as part of the Apple Watch by 2020.
• The Health app for iOS has included sleep-tracking since 2014. However, it simply pulls in information from the Clock app’s alarm function, although third-party devices and apps can bolster the data.
• Apple acquired Finnish company Beddit, which makes a sleep-tracking sensor strip, in May 2017. At the end of last year, a new Beddit sleep monitor launched. This was the first version since Apple acquired the company.

Apple ‘very aware’ of concerns over iPhone’s high prices

• “It’s something we’re very aware of,” Williams said during a question and answer session at Elon University on February 22. “We do not want to be an elitist company … We want to be an egalitarian company, and we’ve got a lot of work going on in developing markets.”
• Apple COO Jeff Williams says the company is “very aware” of concerns over the rising cost of the iPhone and Mac computers.
• Apple CEO Tim Cook has already admitted that the company will “rethink” its prices, particularly those for the iPhone
• Williams goes on to say: “The stories that come out about the cost of our products [have been] the bane of my existence from the beginning of time, including our early days,” he said. “Analysts don’t really understand the cost of what we do and how much care we put into making our products.”
• Williams described how Apple has built its very own physiology lab, with 40 licensed nurses, and enlisted over 10,000 study participants to develop some of Apple Watch’s most important features.

Today in Apple history: Massive layoffs clear out Apple’s ‘bozo explosion’

• February 25, 1981: Apple CEO Michael Scott oversees a mass firing of employees, then holds a massive party.
• At the time, Apple was growing incredibly quickly. With almost 2,000 people on the payroll, Scott thought the company had simply grown too big, too fast. The expansion led to what he called a “bozo explosion,” with Apple employing people he did not consider A-players.
• The event went on to be know as Black Wedneday.
• Former Apple programmer Andy Hertzfeld remembers it as bizarre event: “Black Wednesday was one of a number of shakeups which took place at Apple when things were going great. Sales were doubling almost every month, so that was a little unusual I would say.”
• “I used to say that when being CEO at Apple wasn’t fun anymore, I’d quit,” he tells a crowd of Apple staffers. “But now I’ve changed my mind — when being CEO isn’t fun anymore, I’ll just fire people until it is fun again.” For many people at Apple, the day is the worst in company history — and an early sign that the fun startup culture of the early days are gone forever.

This week: a totally new 16” MacBook Pro; a new 6K cinema display; new Mac Pro; new AirPods; new iPads and iPhones; even a new iPod Touch… according to a new report, Apple’s about to make huge updates to their ENTIRE product line.

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Here’s what Apple’s (apparently) got in store for 2019

• Ming-Chi Kuo’s new research report runs down some of his hardware expectations for the coming year, and my nips have been at 105% of capacity since reading it.
• We’re talking redesigned MacBook Pro, iPads, a new Apple cinema display, AirPods, even a new iPOD... this could be a year to remember.
• Kuo predicts 2019 will see the release of Apple’s biggest MacBook since 2012. The new MacBook Pro will boast a screen between 16 inches and 16.5 inches in size. This would be the largest MacBook notebook screen since the end of the 17-inch models seven years ago.
• It will be a total redesign!
• Kuo says the 13” will possibly get an option for 32GB of RAM.
• Dave Lee theory - the new design will have to address thermal issues.
• Current MBP design is too thin for modern chips. It can’t keep them cool, like with the current i9 throttling. Now intel has a new 9th-gen 8 core chip, and there’s no way the current design could handle it.

Apple Said to Release 31.6-Inch 6K Display With Mini LED-Like Backlight Design in 2019

• Apple will release a 31.6-inch 6K display with a Mini LED-like backlight design in 2019, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo
• Apple left the display market back in 2016 with the discontinuation of the outdated Thunderbolt Display. Apple did, however, say they were working on a new screen alongside the new Mac Pro

AirPower and New AirPods Said to Ship in First Half of 2019, New iPod Touch With Faster Processor Also Expected

• Apple's long-awaited AirPower wireless charging mat and a new version of AirPods with wireless charging support and upgraded Bluetooth connectivity will start shipping in the first half of 2019,
• Kuo also expects a new iPod touch with a faster processor to launch in 2019.

Two New iPad Pro Models, 10.2-Inch iPad, and iPad Mini 5 Said to Launch in 2019

• According to Kuo, Apple plans to release two new iPad Pro models, a 10.2-inch iPad, and a refreshed iPad mini, each equipped with an upgraded processor, later this year.
• The 9.7-inch iPad is getting upgraded to 10.2 inches. No news on if it’s going full screen with FaceID.

Don’t expect a major redesign for this year’s iPad mini 5

• The iPad mini hasn’t gotten a sequel since 2015. However, if you’re expecting this year’s rumored refresh to be a massive leap forward, you might want to think again.
• At least, that’s based on an alleged CAD render shared by noted leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer, a.k.a. @OnLeaks. While he hasn’t shared the image, he suggests that there are no external major design changes — and only a spec bump update.

Apple may finally give fans a first look at its revamped Mac Pro at WWDC 2019

• Apple may finally give fans a first look at its revamped Mac Pro at WWDC 2019.
• Bloomberg is reporting that Apple has “internally weighed” the possibility of previewing the new Mac Pro alongside updates to macOS and iOS at this year’s WWDC, which is expected to take place between June 3 and June 7 in San Jose.
• Apple has also put together a "Pro Workflow Team" to tailor the Mac Pro and other Apple products to its professional users.
• The timing seems right. Speaking about the Mac Pro in 2017, Phil Schiller said this:
• • With regards to the Mac Pro, we are in the process of what we call "completely rethinking the Mac Pro." We’re working on it. We have a team working hard on it right now, and we want to architect it so that we can keep it fresh with regular improvements, and we’re committed to making it our highest-end, high-throughput desktop system, designed for our demanding pro customers.
  • As part of doing a new Mac Pro — it is, by definition, a modular system — we will be doing a pro display as well. Now you won’t see any of those products this year; we’re in the process of that. We think it’s really important to create something great for our pro customers who want a Mac Pro modular system, and that’ll take longer than this year to do.

Next Mac Pro may use stackable design for ultimate customization

Samsung Galaxy Fold is the first foldable smart phone

6 ways Samsung just leapfrogged Apple

This week: it's all but confirmed--Apple's holding a March media event to make some special announcements. We'll tell you what we know. Plus: Apple's all-time best-selling products may surprise you; and is it worth buying a 2018 MacBook Pro, or should you wait? We'll tell you what we think.

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On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

7 Painful Truths about the 2018 MacBook Pro

Hollywood stars tapped to attend Apple’s March event

• Some of the biggest names in Hollywood are coming to Silicon Valley for Apple’s first big event of 2019.
• Apple is rumored to be planning a late March keynote where a slew of new services will be unveiled. To help with its pitch to customers, Apple has asked some of the stars from its original TV shows to join the festivities.
• Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner and director JJ Abrams have reportedly been invited by Apple to attend its March 25 event. All four of them have at least one project in development at Apple. Witherspoon’s production company actually had two shows picked up by the company.
• Apple’s TV streaming service will reportedly offer original content for free. There are dozens of shows in various stages of development right now. The service will also sell subscriptions to other channels like Starz, Showtime and maybe even HBO.
• Initially all of Apple’s content will be free, but they plan to launch a paid tier of content by this summer.
• The March event will also see Apple unveil its news subscription service too. Publishers are reportedly still negotiating revenue split deals for that service. Apple was allegedly asking for a 50/50 split on revenues. Customers would pay $10 per month for unlimited access to articles from some of the biggest names in news.
• With the event more than a month away there are still tons of details that could change.

AirPods are Apple’s second-fastest selling new product of all time

• Apple’s AirPods are the company’s second best-selling new product of all time, a new report by Above Avalon analyst Neil Cybart suggests.
• Cybart estimates that Apple is on track to sell 40 million pairs of AirPods in 2019. That represents almost 90 percent year-over-year growth.
• “There are already at least 25 million people wearing AirPods. This total will likely exceed 50 million people later this year. These are massive sales and adoption figures for a two-year old product that has never received an update and rarely goes on sale for less than its $159 selling price.”
• The most popular Apple product out of the gate?

This week: The 2018 MacBook Pro is a beautiful machine, but it has some odd and painful flaws! Then: Quit or canned? Why is Angela Ahrendts leaving Apple? Plus: The saga of Gil Amelio, the CEO that saved Apple.

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On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

7 Painful Truths about the 2018 MacBook Pro

Quit or canned? Why is Angela Ahrendts leaving Apple? [Opinion]

• When Apple fires an executive, the company is rarely straightforward about the situation. Apple never puts out a press release stating plainly that the executive was canned. So Tuesday’s unexpected announcement that Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s head of retail, is leaving in April led many to suspect she was fired.
• Most of the news stories about Ahrendts’ departure point out that it’s happening during the first-ever iPhone sales slump; The subtext is that she’s underperforming and has to go.
• Ryan Jones, an app developer with a popular Apple-centric Twitter feed, argues that Apple fired Ahrendts. His reasons: the timing of the announcement, coded language in the press release, and a claim that she was just four months from vesting stock.
• “Angela turned Apple Stores into a frustrating mess,” he wrote. “Service and buying are both slow and maddening.”
• No ‘gardening leave’ for Angela Ahrendts
• As noted by John Gruber, Vogue Business reporter Suzy Menke, who profiled Ahrendts just last week in a positive piece, quoted Ahrendts on Instagram saying the departing Apple leader misses her grown-up kids, who live in London. Ahrendts was based in the U.K. capital while CEO of Burberry and clearly misses the city

The saga of Gil Amelio: the CEO that saved Apple

• Gil Amelio was Apple’s CEO for only 500 days, and in that time he rescued Apple from the brink of destruction.
• February 2, 1996: With disappointing Mac sales, the disastrous “clone Mac” strategy, and a failed Sun Microsystems merger to his name, Apple CEO Michael Spindler is asked to resign by the Apple board.
• Apple needs needs a miracle. In the last 4 years, they’ve lost over $230 million dollars.
• They turn to resurrection artist Gil Amelio, without whose leadership, Apple would probably not exist today.

Microsoft is bringing Xbox Live to Android and iOS

• Microsoft is gearing up to release a software development kit (SDK) that will allow Android and iOS developers to integrate Xbox Live features into their games.
• The SDK will be officially confirmed by Microsoft next month, will also be available to Nintendo Switch developers.
• Microsoft’s SDK comes after Epic Games broke boundaries with cross-platform play inside Fortnite.
• The battle royale behemoth is the first title that allows players on all systems — including Xbox, Switch, mobile, and now even PlayStation — to play together. It also allows users to log in to a single account and sync progress between different devices.

This week: a new report details what next for Apple’s 2019 AND 2020 iPhones… Plus: Apple plans Netflix-for-games subscription service (with Alex E Heath!); it’s not just you, everyone got way more spam calls in 2018; and we talk a new wireless charging brick for iPhone, a smart outlet with HomeKit support, and the super smart HomeKit thermostat you’ve never heard of, in all-new Under Review.

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CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

Here’s how crazy spam calls went in 2018

• A new report from call identification and blocking company HIYA shows just how bad these spam calls have gotten.
• Released today, the “State of the Phone Call” report is based on data from 11 billion calls analyzed monthly. The report includes breakdowns of the types of calls made or received, how often phone calls were answered, and the average duration.
• The biggest takeaway from the report: an out of control trend in robocalls, citing a 46% increase in 2018 for a total of 26.3 billion in the year.

Apple Is Planning 3-D Cameras for New iPhones in AR Push 

• 2020
• • Apple plans to launch iPhones with a more-powerful 3D camera. These will give a significant boost in augmented reality capability
  • Other features will include a third, more advanced camera, and a more powerful chip
• 2019
• • Gurman confirms Apple is working on updates to the XR and XS, but only the XS Max will include 3 cameras…<l/i>
  • All models will include an upgraded Apple processor and use an updated Face ID sensor
• Other tidbits
• • Apple is testing USB C on iPhone, indicating they may eventually lose lightning
  • "Apple’s next operating system update, iOS 13, will include a dark mode option for easier nighttime viewing and improvements to CarPlay, the company’s in-vehicle software. There will also be iPad-specific upgrades like a new home screen, the ability to tab through multiple versions of a single app like pages in a web browser, and improve-ments to file management. The company will also integrate two new services, including a magazine subscription service and its original video content efforts, via iOS updates this year."

Apple plans Netflix-for-games subscription service

• Accordingly execrable Alex E Heath, Apple allegedly wants to tap into the booming gaming industry to boost its growing Services business. The company is reportedly planning to create a new subscription service for games
• This is Alex E Heath’s first big Apple scoop, and he he’s claiming he’s got five sources confirming this story.
• We have the exclusive interview.

Erfon goes hands-on with the Mysa smart thermostat

iPhone XS Max vs Hollywood Movie Cameras Red & Arri

Under Review!

Mysa smart thermostat for electric heaters

Mophie Charge Stream Power Station

Connect Sense Smart Outlet 2

This week: why iPhone’s 3D touch is probably dead; new reports say AirPods packed with health sensors are coming in 2019; the MacBook Pro “stage light” flaw affects all models built after 2016, and could cost you $600 to fix; and the wild saga of Moviepass… continues!

This episode supported by

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

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.

On the show this week

@erfon  / @lewiswallace

Erfon goes hands-on with the Rodecaster Pro, a unique new jack-of-all trades podcast mixer unlike any other

3D Touch is probably dead

• iPhone’s ability to tell how hard someone is pressing on the display won‘t be a part of the 2019 models, according to multiple sources.
• It will apparently be a victim of Apple’s attempts to lower the price tag of future models.
• A recent Wall Street Journal article compiled several rumors about the next iPhone said Apple is considering trimming functions from its 2019 iPhones to cut costs That includes the force-touch module.
• And last year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that no iPhone coming in 2019 will have this feature.
• His assertion was then echoed months later by an analyst from Barclays.

Health-tracking AirPods rumored for first half of 2019

• Updated AirPods are supposedly on their way in the first half of 2019, according to a new report from Digitimes. They may have some impressive new features, too — including new health-monitoring functions that are “expected to receive enthusiastic market responses.”
• If Apple does include health-tracking features in its near AirPods, it will be interesting to see what they are capable of. A previous patent filed by Apple with the United States Patent and Trademark Office covers wireless earbuds with build-in sensors for performing heart rate monitoring and taking body temperature measurements. AirPods have been a huge hit for Apple.
• Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks Apple sold 16 million AirPods units in 2017, the first full year they were available. He also predicts sales will grow to more than 100 million by 2021, and suggested suggested a full-on redesign could take place in 2020.

MacBook Pro ‘stage light’ flaw could hit you with a $600 repair

• According to iFixit, every MacBook Pro since 2016 has a design flaw that will inevitably require an expensive repair
• The problem supposedly lies in “delicate” ribbon cables that connect the screen with the display controller inside the main body of the laptop. Opening and closing the clamshell causes these to wear out and begin to tear.
• Taylor Dixon from iFixit explains it this way:
• • “The current generation of MacBook Pro laptops (2016–present) uses flexible ribbon cables to connect the display to a display controller board beneath the Touch Bar. These cables wrap over the board, where they’re secured by a pair of spring-loaded covers — and they’re subjected to the stress of bending with every opening and closure of the laptop. Within a seemingly short time, those cables are starting to fatigue and tear.”
• The first to fail is usually the backlight cable causing the “stage light” effect at the bottom of the screen
• Apparently the new MacBook Air has the same design and may be prone to the same problem
• These thin ribbon cables are part of the screen. When they wear out the only way to fix the issue is to replace the entire display, “effectively turning a $6 problem into a $600 disaster,” according to Dixon.
• A petition on Change.org by Louis Rossmann asks Apple “to launch an extended warranty program addressed to this issue as soon as possible.” For a lot of folks the problem seems to appear just when the year warranty runs out...

Sign the petition! Ask Apple to extend the warranty for the Macbook Pro "stage light" flaw

MoviePass Explores Reintroducing Unlimited Plan as It Tries a Relaunch

• Moviepass believes it has finally found a business model that will allow it to improve its service and continue to operate.
• This month, they've introduced a new series of plans, which vary in price depending on location.
• Next week, Itum said MoviePass plans to reintroduce some sort of unlimited program that would enable users to see as many movies as they wanted each month. He did not reveal pricing for that plan.

This week: the Wall Street Journal leaks details about iPhone 11; Apple's new Smart Cases come with wireless charging; Nike unveils the self-lacing Back-To-The-Future shoes you’ve always wanted; and we pitch you our favorite apps, movies, cook books, and exotic alcohols in an all-new What We’re Into!

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On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace

WSJ: High-end ‘iPhone 11’ will feature triple rear camera, XR successor gets dual lenses

• The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple’s iPhone 2019 lineup will feature three models, including 2 OLED and 1 LCD. They’re basically just upgrading the XS, Tennis Match, and XR.
• But get this, the high-end iPhone 11, probably called the iPhone 11 Max, will feature a triple rear camera system. Triple!
• The iPhone 5.8-inch iPhone 11 will stick with a dual lens system.
• The successor to the iPhone XR will have an LCD screen panel, and will be upgraded to a dual-camera system.
• The report says that Apple may drop the LCD option in 2020, moving to an OLED only lineup late next year. It also alludes to the removal of the pressure sensitive component that enables 3D Touch, in order to reduce components costs. It doesn’t say that 3D Touch is certainly going away necessarily as the feature may be achieved through other hardware changes.

Apple unleashes new Smart Battery Cases for iPhone XS, XS Max and XR

• Apple’s new Smart Battery Cases are now available iPhone XS, XS Max and XR
• Along with adding some extra protection to your device, Apple’s new cases promise to deliver 37 hours more hours of talk time, Internet use up to 20 hours
• The cases also support wireless charging.
• Only cost a mere $129!
• And it seems that the XS case will work with the iPhone X, but it does block some of the mics and speakers since it’s not made to fit the X

Nike kills shoelaces with new iPhone-controlled sneakers

• The back to the future shoes you’ve always wanted are finally a reality.
• Nike’s new Adapt BB self-lacing shoes pack wireless connectivity, and a custom motor and gear train, to give athletes a perfect fit without having to fuss with retying their laces.
• The Adapt BB shoes can be tightened and loosened using the buttons on the side of the shoe or via an app (both iOS and Android). This could be really valuable to basketball players, whose feet can expand half a size during the rigors of a game.
• Getting a taste of the future won’t come cheap. Nike will charge $350 for a pair of Adapt BBs when they launch next month.

Netflix hikes prices for U.S. subscribers

• Netflix has confirmed another price hike for subscribers in the United States — its biggest increase since it launched 12 years ago.
• The most affordable Netflix plan, which was priced at $8 a month, now costs $9 a month. The most popular plan has risen from $11 a month to $13 a month. The premium plan that offers 4K content is has gone from $14 a month to $16 a month.
• The new prices will be applied to new Netflix subscribers immediately, while existing customers will see the increase during the next three months
• It costs a lost of money to make that content. Netflix spent a staggering $3 billion last year, and expects to do so again in 2019. In an effort to cut down on its borrowing, it will charge more for its service.

Our Under Review Picks

Tik Tok is the wild west of social media

They’re making a sequel to last year’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle reboot

• Variety reports that Danny Glover is joining the cast of the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle sequel in a role that is being kept under wraps, much like the still-secret storyline.
• Charcutería: The Soul of Spain
• This news is on the heels that Danny Devito is onboard
• The original cast, director, and script writers are also all on board

They’re making Ghostbusters 3. It will continue the story from Ghostbuster’s 2

• The movie will be directed by Jason Reitman, who is the filmmaker son of Ivan Reitman, who directed and produced the original 1984 comedic hit "Ghostbusters" with Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis.
• In an interview with EW.com, Reitman said he would divert from director Paul Feig's 2016 reboot of "Ghostbusters" that featured an all-women cast that included Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig and Leslie Jones. Reitman will go back to the original universe his father created in the present day story.
• The movie is expected to release in 2020, and we don’t yet know if any of the original cast will be involved.

Charcutería: The Soul of Spain

Cúrate: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen

This week: Smart curtains, smart plugs, smart lights, smart locks, and now... the best televisions on the market— Apple just revealed big moves to bring HomeKit to all your favorite gadgets, and they're just getting started. In 2019, the smart HomeKit devices we've always wanted finallay arrive. Plus: Tim Cook just let it slip--Apple's got new services lined up for release this year, but what could they be? We think we might just know...

And stick around for a CultCast United updated, and the saga of FartGate, the most insidious sports scandal you never heard about.

This episode supported by

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

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co. Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.

On the show this week

@erfon / @bst3r / @lewiswallace

2019 - The year of HomeKit

• Until the release of iOS 11.3 in March, anyone who wanted to make HomeKit devices had to plan and pay to build in Apple’s authentication co-processor.
• With iOS 11.3, Apple changed the game, and allowed devices makers to add HomeKit with simple software integration.

Apple promotes HomeKit at CES with press event to highlight new smart home accessories coming in 2019

• Apple is pushing HomeKit hard at CES this year. It coordinated with manufacturers to demo key new HomeKit smart home announcements to the tech press
• TechCrunch says Apple spotlighted announcements from Belkin Wemo, Eve, ConnectSense, Kwikset locks, Nanoleaf lights, and a Netatmo HomeKit connected doorbell.
• We also got an announcement that Netgear is bringing HomeKit support to their Arlo Pro 2 cameras and their new 4K camera.
• And… a bunch of TVs

Here are all of the TVs getting AirPlay 2 in 2019

• Apple announced that it will bring AirPlay 2 and HomeKit compatibility to a bunch of TVs in 2019, spanning models from manufacturers like Samsung, LG, Sony, and Vizio.
• A small list of 2018 models will also receive Airplay 2 support.
• Samsung TVs will be getting the iTunes Movies and TV apps.
• Sony will be adding HomeKit and AirPlay 2 to it beautiful TVs powered by the horrendous and slow Android TV.

Tim Cook: New services coming to Apple in 2019

• Tim Cook teased new services that will be coming to Apple users this year. Responding to questions about falling iPhone sales during a CNBC interview, Cook stressed the way that Apple’s Services division has grown significantly in the past several years.
• “The services are on a tear,” Cook said. “On services, you will see us announce new services this year. There will more things coming.”
• First and foremost is Apple’s original TV content, which the company has supposedly spent more than $1 billion on, but not yet formally announced.
• Second is Apple’s rumored magazine subscription service. Based on Texture, the $9.99 a month magazine service Apple purchased back in March last year, this would be a paid magazine and newspaper subscription service, which will serve as a premium part of the existing Apple News app
• On iPhone XR not selling well: I call bologna on that. Let me tell you how I view this. Here’s the truth, what the facts are. Since we began shipping the iPhone XR, it has been the most-popular iPhone every day.
• On Wearables,: it’s mainly the Apple Watch and AirPods. If you look at this on a trailing basis – I’m not projecting – revenue for wearables is already more than 50% more than iPod was at its peak.

This week: Our huge mega-list of must-have favorite iOS and Mac apps! Special guest Adam Christianson from the Maccast!  Plus, a very special announcement…

This episode supported by

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

Help team CultCast reunite in San Fransisco for a Mecca to Cupertino, and a special CultCast United episode. And we might just bring you with us….

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Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode. On the show this week @erfon / @maccast

Apple warns investors that iPhone sales are weak https://www.cultofmac.com/598692/apple-revenues-iphone-sales-tim-cook/

• Tim Cook warned investors today that weak iPhone sales could translate into revenue shortfalls in the billions of dollars.
• He went on blames the expected revenue drop on fewer-than-expected iPhone upgrades and weakened demand in China.
• “While we anticipated some challenges in key emerging markets, we did not foresee the magnitude of the economic deceleration, particularly in Greater China,” Cook wrote in a letter published on Business Wire. “In fact, most of our revenue shortfall to our guidance, and over 100 percent of our year-over-year worldwide revenue decline occurred in Greater China across iPhone, Mac, and iPad.”
• “As we exit a challenging quarter, we are as confident as ever in the fundamental strength of our business,” he said. “We manage Apple for the long term, and Apple has always used periods of adversity to re-examine our approach, to take advantage of our culture of flexibility, adaptability, and creativity, and to emerge better as a result.

Apple shares plummet following Tim Cook letter https://www.cultofmac.com/598726/apple-shares-plummet-following-tim-cook-letter/

• AAPL shares fell steeply in after-hours trading on Wednesday, after Tim Cook acknowledged that Apple’s earnings would underperform
• Shares fell by more than 7.4 percent, declining as low as $146.22. That’s the lowest that Apple has hit since July 12, 2017. It means that Apple has lost a massive 35.5 percent of its value in just three months.

Tim Cook will host meeting for all Apple employees to talk iPhone https://www.cultofmac.com/598744/tim-cook-will-host-meeting-for-all-apple-employees-to-talk-iphone/#more-598744

• Tim Cook is reportedly hosting an all-hands meeting with every Apple employee today about the revelations regarding stalling iPhone sales.

Our favorite must-have apps, with Adam Christianson, aka Maccast!

Mac

• Audio Hijack Pro let's you record and reroute sound on your Mac
• Setapp is a Mac app subscription packed full of great software
• TryCa.st, let's you record high-fidelity audio, alone or with guests
• Bartender clears up your menu bar icons
• Trip Mode, your Mac's mobile data saver
• Ulysseys, the ultimate writing app for Mac
• iStat Menus, advanced Mac system monitor for your menubar
• iThoughtX is a mindmapping tool for the Mac  
• Marked, a previewer for Markdown files
• PDF Pen, powerful PDF editing for your Mac
• Busy Cal, one of the best calendar apps for Mac
• iMazing, transfer anything fomr any iPhone, iPad, or iPod to a computer
• Loopback, cable-free audio routing for Mac
• Farrago, robust, rapid-fire soundboards
• Reeder, RSS reader for your Mac, iPhone, and iPad
• Text Expander, instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content

iOS

• Ferrite, award-winning audio editing app for iOS
• Gif Keyboard, the perfect gifs, right at your finger tips.
• Hearthstone, Blizzard’s award-winning card battle game.
• Slickdeals, the largest deal-sharing community on the Web
• Strong, workout tracker and gym log.
• Deliveries, package tracker
• Libby, Library ebooks and audiobooks
• Calcbot, one of iOS' best calculators
• Carrot Fit, snarky 7-minute workouts
• Carrot Weather, crazy powerful weather app

This week: it’s our list of the best—and most disappointing—Apple tech of 2018! And stay tuned for all our most favorite news, movies, food, gear, video games, and drug paraphernalia of the year. This one gets real weird...

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Opsgenie empowers Dev & Ops teams to plan for service disruptions and stay in control during incidents. It also gives teams the power to respond quickly and efficiently to unplanned issues. Visit Opsgenie.com to sign up to get a FREE company account and add up to 5 team members.

Whether it’s planning a date night or scheduling a business trip, Fin’s army of virtual assistants can do the tasks you don’t have time to do. Try itself for free at fin.com/cultcast.

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Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.

On the show this week

@erfon / @bst3r

Ranking all the major hardware Apple released in 2018 [Year in Review] https://www.cultofmac.com/596754/ranking-2018-apple-hardware/

Our favorite What We’re Intos of 2018!

MoviePass

Annihilation

Super Mario Odyssey

Captain Jean-luc Picard will helm a new Star Trek series  

Boosted Board Mini X

Finger Bang

Pizza Dillas

Pack Rafts

This week: In December of 1994, Apple began allowing PC manufacturs to license their OS, building their own versions of the “Mac”, and it almost destroyed them. Leander Kahney was a young reporter on the scene in those days, and regales us with the tale.

Plus, we have a very special announcement we'd like to make, about a very special annoumcement we're going ot be making next week. And if you stay tuned, and you definitely should, we're going to wrap up with our favorite movies of 2018, and it’s a long list.

This episode supported by Opsgenie empowers Dev & Ops teams to plan for service disruptions and stay in control during incidents. It also gives teams the power to respond quickly and efficiently to unplanned issues. Visit Opsgenie.com to sign up to get a FREE company account and add up to 5 team members.

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

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co. Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace / @bst3r

Apple Music Connect is shutting down, suffering Same Fate as iTunes Ping - lewis https://www.macrumors.com/2018/12/13/apple-music-connect-shutting-down/

• Apple today announced that its Apple Music Connect social platform for artists is in the process of shutting down, suffering the same fate as Ping, the company's previous social network for music removed from iTunes in October 2012.
• The only band that ever posted anything was ColdPlay.

Apple Sending Unsolicited Notifications for New Carpool Karaoke Episodes and Apple Music Echo Support -erfon https://www.macrumors.com/2018/12/18/apple-unsolicited-notifications/

• Apple has recently been sending out unsolicited notifications to iOS users, promoting Carpool Karaoke episodes and the availability of Apple Music on Amazon Echo devices.
• Apple doesn't appear to be sending these push notifications to all users, so it's not clear what criteria the company is using to determine who to send content to
• Why did Apple just send me a notification about an all new carpool karaoke, something I've never watched and have absolutely no interest in?

Today in Apple history: Apple signs ‘clone Mac’ deal https://www.cultofmac.com/458490/clone-mac-era-tiah/

• This week, in 1994: Apple Computer inks a licensing deal with Power Computing, allowing the company to produce Macintosh-compatible computers.
• With falling market share, and longtime rival Microsoft steaming ahead thanks to its software-licensing strategy, Apple executives think the only way to compete is for Apple to hand over its operating system for third-party Macs.
• The “clone Mac” era turned out to be a disaster for Apple. Rather than spurring Mac sales, it just meant cheaper “Macs.”
• As a result, Apple took a massive hit in the amount it earned per unit. Apple CFO Fred Anderson later worked out that the strategy actually cost the company money. The $50 fee Apple got for every clone Mac sold didn’t come close to recouping the money lost from people choosing to buy third-party Macs instead of more-expensive official ones.
• In order to get out of the deal and top the licensing, Apple ended up buying Power Computing’s entire Mac business for $100 million in 1997. Best movies of 2018! Buster Incredibles 2 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3606756 Sicario: Day of the Soldado https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052474

BlacKkKlansman

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 

Annihilation 

Avengers: Infinity War 

Black Panther 

A Quiet Place 

Hereditary 

The Ballad of Buster Scuggs

Missions: Impossible - Fallout 

Red Sparrow

This week: it’s all our favorite gadgets of 2018! Well, not all, but lots of them. We didn’t have time to get through them all but we tried real hard. Plus: Apple is finally gearing up to overhaul the AMD GPUs in their Mac lineup; and the legit way to purchase a base iMac Pro for just $3800.

This episode supported by

Opsgenie empowers Dev & Ops teams to plan for service disruptions and stay in control during incidents. It also gives teams the power to respond quickly and efficiently to unplanned issues. Visit Opsgenie.com to sign up to get a FREE company account and add up to 5 team members.

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.

On the show this week:

@erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace

Mojave update hints at new AMD Vega GPUs coming to Mac https://www.cultofmac.com/595740/mojave-new-amd-vega-gpu-mac/

• Apple’s most recent macOS Mojave update suggests we’ll soon see new AMD Vega GPUs coming to the Mac.
• Apple just updated the GPUs in the Macbook Pro with Vega 16 and Vega 20 options, and now they look to be planning similar upgrades for other Macs in its lineup.

Sonos Beam Sonos

One Simply Safe security system

See Sense Icon 2 bike lights

Nintendo Switch

Cal Digit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 dock

Apple Pencil 2

Apple Watch 4

"Refurbished" iMac Pro on eBay

• Apple has been running a reduced cost battery replacement program in response to customer complaints about battery gate, but this offer ends on December 31, 2018. After that, replacing an iPhone battery will cost you $49 for the iPhone 8 and older, or $69 for the iPhone X, iPhone XS family, and iPhone XR
• The price until Dec. 31st is just $29.

• Apple’s legal team could soon be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court to face an anti-trust case being levied against the company.
• U.S. Supreme Court justices heard an hour of arguments for an anti-trust lawsuit against Appletoday. The nine justices appeared to be open to letting the lawsuit move up to the highest court in the U.S. and it could bring huge changes to the App Store if Apple loses.
• Apple is being accused of breaking federal antitrust laws by monopolizing the way applications are installed on the iPhone. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit claim that Apple’s 30% cut on all sales in the App Store are causing consumers to overpay.
• Lead plaintiff Robert Pepper of Chicago argued that Apple’s App Store monopoly leads to inflated prices because developers have to account for Apple’s 30% fee. The plaintiffs want Apple to open up iOS so apps can be installed from sources other than the App Store.

• Pres. Trump  told the Wall Street Journal, that he’s prepared to put tariffs on all products being shipped from China that don’t already have them. And he’s also ready to raise the import fees on items already taxed from 10 percent to 25 percent.
• When the WSJ asked if that includes handsets like the iPhone as well as notebook computers, he said “Depends on what the rate is, I can make it 10%, and people could stand that very easily.”

• A company VP says the iPhone XR has outsold the iPhone XS series since the cheaper device came out last month.
• Greg Joswiak, Apple VP of iOS, iPad and iPhone Product Marketing, told CNET that the XR has “been our most popular iPhone each and every day since the day it became available.”
• The situation is quite similar to what happened a year ago, when analysts mistakenly believedthe iPhone X was a flop when it was actually Apple’s best selling handset.

• According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has reduced its orders for both the iPhone XS and iPhone XR.
• Apple’s stock is not at $177 as of this writing, down from an October high of $232!  That’s a drop of almost 25%
• But it’s not just Apple stock that’s dropping, the DOW is also way down.
• Amazon is down 25% too.  $1500 down from $2000.

• In Max Yuryev’s tests, the new Vega 20 GPU was 25-35% faster than the 560X GPU in various benchmarks.
• We’re waiting for Final Cut Pro tests, but I get they’ll be even faster there.
• In Dave 2D’s premier render tests, the Vega 20 is almost twice as fast as the 560X

• How to get the best Black Friday deals most shoppers miss!
• The New MacBook Pro GPUs are a huge upgrade for a meager cost
• Erfon's quest to get Apple to upgrade his two-month-old MBP!
• We have to talk about iPhone XR.  Everyone thinks it’s failing but the only thing tanking is Apple’s stock.
• And we’ll wrap up with a Steve Jobs story so mundane, the internet is fascinated with it

• Apple’s done it.  A mere 4 months, almost to the day.
• The 15-inch MacBook Pro got a big performance boost this morning with the new option to add Radeon Pro Vega graphics to the top-of-the-line model.
• New Radeon Pro Vega graphics cards with up to 60% faster performance in GPU intensive tasks, like VIDEO EDITING, are now available as new options.
• The Vega 16 is only a $250 upgrade.
• Vega 20 is a $350 upgrade.
• Apple quietly mentioned the update after its October 30th event where it revealed the new MacBook Air and iPad Pro.
• A maxed out 15-inch MacBook Pro is a whopping $7,049
• I’m attempting to get Apple take back my machine and let me pay to upgrade to the new one.
• I think everyone who’s purchased a 2018 MBP should have the same option.

• Anyone going for any Black Friday deals?
• Mention Slick deals.
• My experience with Greentoe.

• Ming-Chi Kuo just lowered his estimates for the number of iPhone XR units that will sell over the next year. That’s a real turnaround, as this analyst had previously been bullish on Apple’s latest handset.
• Goldman sachs is also concerned  writing a note to investors saying “We are concerned that end demand for new iPhone models is deteriorating,”
• Kuo is worried the growing trade war between China and the US could affect sales.
• But he also says the price is still too high for a non-flagship phone.
• Galaxy S9 with 64GB is like $30 cheaper.
• 64GB Pixel 3 is $50 more expensive
• Whatever it is, Apple’s stock has TANKED.
• In the last 3 weeks, Apple’s stock has dropped $45 a share, from 232 to 187.
• That a drop of 19%!

• in 2016, someone on the website Quora asked a question about Steve Jobs, and the person who answered was someone he wasn’t expecting, and the mundane fact he shared is still being upvoted to this very day.
• The question: “What are some lesser-known facts about Steve Jobs?”
• Brett Bilbrey, who joined Apple in 2002 and retired in 2014 as its head of technology, responded.
• Steve Jobs, it turns out, used to wait in the lunch line just like everybody else.  
• Steve would somehow end up in line behind Brett Bilbrey on a regular occasion
• • "he would often ask me to hold his place while he went to check other food stations,” Bilbrey wrote. “Once when this happened, another employee got in line behind me, and I turned around and told him, ‘Just so you know, I’m saving that spot for Steve.’ He laughed and thought I was kidding. ‘Yeah, right. Like Steve is going to show up and cut in line.’ While he was saying that, Steve had returned and was behind him, and heard his comment. Steve said, ‘I’m not going to cut in, he was holding my spot for me.’ The guy turned around and saw Steve, and the employee’s face actually turned white, and he started shaking. Instead of just making room for Steve, he kind of just slinked away.
  • “Steve nodded to me and said ‘Thanks.’ Then he pulled out his phone and started checking email while we waited.”

• Everyone is drooling all over the new iPad Pro

• “Nothing is ever slow, and it always feels like there’s more headroom to work with. We were able to import several minutes of 4K footage into Adobe Premiere Rush, edit them, and export without breaking a sweat.”

• The new iPad Pro is “pretty much a laptop in terms of performance thanks to the new 7nm processor,”  “Side-by-side with an iPad Pro 10.5 we have noticed a considerable difference in app loading times, certainly on processor intense apps like iMovie, Affinity Photo, Procreate, and games like Fortnite or Asphalt 9: Legends.”

• “No apps or games I’ve used have been able to make the Pro break a sweat at all and benchmark numbers have been impressive,” adds Jeffrey van Camp of Wired. “By every measure I can think of, these are the best, most powerful, most capable iPads I’ve ever used.
• “It would be a total waste of $999 (or more) to use the iPad Pro 12.9 just for bingeing Netflix, but damn does this screen look good,”
• Wired also noted the new Liquid Retina screens are “gorgeous and packed with pixels.” “Color is vibrant and precise enough for Photoshopping and minute color tweaking if needed.”

• Nilay Patel on lack of storage support:  Like everything about the new iPad Pro, that USB-C connector is both remarkably powerful and incredibly frustrating,” writes Patel. “With one huge exception, most normal stuff you’d plug into a USB-C port works without fuss, and a bunch of other things work if you have an app that supports it … But one extremely important category of devices will definitely not work: iOS does not support external storage

• Just when I thought I’d seen it all, there is now a USB C hub that plugs right into the bottom of the iPad Pro
• Accessory-maker Hyper just unveiled a six-port USB-C hub for the new iPad Pro.
• 4K HDMI Port
• USB A Port
• SD and Micro SD card readers
• And an additional USB-C port so you can plug in an charge other USB C accessories

• “This laptop feels a lot nicer than the old MacBook Air,”  “It fits the same size screen in a smaller body, but it’s not as thin or as light as the thinnest and lightest of laptops you can get today. When the first Air came out, it amazed everybody. This one, though very well-built, does not stand out from the pack when it comes to size or weight.”
• “This new MacBook Air is faster than the old MacBook Air, but not by the kind of margin you’d expect after three years,”

• “I once bought and returned the smaller MacBook, because it comes with a less powerful processor that slugged when I had too many browser tabs and apps open. The MacBook Air doesn’t have that issue,” says Haselton.

• “I appreciate the speed, but I wish Apple included its Face ID technology above the screen instead,” says Haselton. “I’m used to it on my iPhone XS Max, and there seems to be plenty of room above the display to fit the cameras required. Touch ID feels outdated

• There’s one big thing reviewers don’t like about the MacBook Air’s new look, though, and that’s the lack of connectivity. Just like the MacBook and MacBook Pro, the new Air does away with MagSafe, USB-A ports, and an SD card reader and replaces them with just two USB-C ports.
• Battery life on the new Air is 9.5 hours, about an hour less than the old MacBook Air.
• Confusing
• • MacBook Air is slightly more powerful than the MacBook, but $100 less.  
  • MacBook is three quarters of a pound lighter than the MacBook Air.  
  • Both the MacBook and Air both get about 9.5 hours of battery life.  
  • The MacBook is thinner than the Air at it’s thickest point.

• Super sexy new design.
• Already sold out for 1-2 weeks!
• Thinner, and even smaller.  12.9” now the size of a sheet of paper.
• No headphone jack...
• Big performance increases, big price increases. Start price is now about 20% higher.
• • 11-inch models start at $799 (Wi-Fi) and $949 (Wi-Fi + Cellular), while 12.9-inch models start at $999
• iPad Pro comes with Apple's next-generation Neural Engine for advanced machine learning 
• This is the first gadget besides iPhone that will include FaceID.  
• Powered by the new A12X Bionic chip
• • A12X Bionic has eight cores (four performance cores and four efficiency cores) and per Apple provide up to 35 percent faster single-core performance. 
• Seven-core GPU to deliver up to twice the graphics performance.  They say it’s now as powerful as an Xbox One S console.
• USB-C connector is replacing the Lightning connector,
• • Allows iPad to charge your iphone
  • What can connect to the iPad?  USB Hubs?  Hard Drives?  Printers?  Even Apple said they weren’t sure when The Verge asked them.
  • Connect to external displays up to 5K… but why?
  • Still no file system.
  • No mouse support.
  • Apple is trying to position this as a laptop, but it’s not a laptop.
• Apple Pencil 2 gets magnetic connection and charging, better iOS integration, and a 30% higher price tag (now $130)
• BTW: Previous 10.5” iPad is still available, and still for the same 64GB base price of $649.  256 and 512 models are also still available.  

• Newest gen Amberlake 8th gen dual core CPU
• Complete overhaul
• Retina Display
• New 3rd get butterly keyboard
• TouchID
• Larger Force Touch track pad
• Made from 100% garbage
• Also gets a 20% increase in price for the base model with 128GB, now $1200.
• Previous model is still available for the same $1000 price tag.
• Maxed out model with 16GB of RAM and 1.5TB - $2600
• MacBook is now more expensive than the Air, starting at $1,299 and it has a slower processor, a smaller screen and it has fewer upgrade options.
• MBA now just $100 than the 13” MacBook Pro with faster processor and Intel Iris graphics.

• Full overhaul
• Space Gray finish
• HDMI 2.0
• two USB 3 ports
• four Thunderbolt 3 ports
• a headphone jack 
• and — for an extra $100 — a 10-gigabit ethernet port. With the Thunderbolt 3 ports
• A new cooling system doubles the airflow, allowing the machine to run at a maximum sustained power that is 70 percent higher than before
• According to Geekbench 4 scores, the base 4-core CPU has close to the same performance of the base 2017 5K iMac.
• $799 base model comes with 128GB of SSD, a  quad core 8th gen coffeecake i3 CPU with no turbo boost or hyper threading, and 8GB of ram.
• The maxed out with 64GB of RAM, 2TB SSD, and 6-core i7 CPU is a mere $4200.
• But the huge omission here is the Intel UHD Graphics 630.  There is no option to upgrade.

• Apple has screwed us, their loyal pro users.
• Just about 3 months ago, on July 12, 2018, Apple introduced refreshed MacBook Pro models aimed at professional users, with the long awaited 6-core Coffee lake processors, up to 32GB of RAM, and slightly better GPUs.  Apple positioned these as video editing dream machines.
• It had been years since a compeling MBP update, so people were excited and scooped them up when they went on sale.
• But the graphics cards on these new MBPs were only minor spec bumps. The 560X was just a spec bumped 560, which was itself only a spec bump’d 460.
• Fast forward to this week, Apple has announced they will be offering a massive upgrade option to the Radeon Pro Vega GPUs, the same ones offered in the iMac Pro.  These new graphics options offer up to 60 perfect faster graphics performance in video editing, 3D design, and rendering workloads…  you know, the exact things people are BUYING THIS FCKING MBP FOR.
• Clearly, Apple knew they were going to offer this upgrade, but they didn’t tell us.  
• Why?  Because they knew many of us might wait to buy, and they wanted our money.

• You may remember that people were complaining that the iPhone XS/MAX cam were making them look too good.  Ugly people everywhere were very offended and prefer to remain ugly in their photos.
• Issue was causing people to have “unnaturally” smooth skin times and reduces blemishes.  Sometimes it did look unatural, but that’s always what HDR has done.
• Nilay Patel spoke to Apple about the problem and here’s what they told him the issue was actually a bug
• • “iOS 12.1 will fix a bug in its Smart HDR camera system that resulted in smoother-looking photos taken by the front camera on the iPhone XS and XR,”
  • What causes the Beautygate issue, Patel explains, is the Smart HDR system choosing the wrong base frame for HDR processing when a selfie is snapped. Rather than choosing a frame with a short shutter speed to preserve detail, it is choosing a frame with a longer shutter speed.  “This should all be fixed in iOS 12.1, which will pick the sharpest base frame for the HDR merge when taking selfies,”

• The Eurasian Economic Competition database may have just confirmed more than one Mac will be unveiled at Apple’s upcoming more in the making hardware event
• The online database has been updated with three new filings for desktop computers running macOS 10.14. These most likely refer to rumored upgrades of the iMac, Mac mini, and the new lower cost MacBook Air replacement Ming Chi Kuo has been talking about for the last 6 months.

• The iPad mini hasn’t been updated since March 2017, but TFI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors today that an iPad Mini is in the works, though he doesn’t think it’ll launch on Oct. 30th.
• He thinks AirPods could get updated during Q4 this year or during Q1 of next year, and claim AirPower could finally come out during the same period.

• If you haven’t already pre-ordered an iPhone XR, the only way to get one on its release date is to head to a nearby Apple Store and hope they have one in stock.
• Pre-orders are now shipping around Nov 7th.

• The second Apple event everyone has been expecting just became official. Looks like new tablets, laptops, and desktops could be unveiled October 30.
• What makes this unusual is it won’t be at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, but at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
• Keynote is at 10am EASTERN 😩

• Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo thinks the iPhone XR is going to be such a huge hit, he’s increased his esimtate for XR shipments in the fourth quarter by 10 perfect.
• Pre-orders start Friday the 19th at 12:01am, so tonight! Will begin shipping on the 26th
• XR features all the same powerful internals as the XS series.
• The same faster FaceID and Truth depth camera system
• The same A12 Bionic chip
• Same 8-core neural engine
• It features True Tone and a wide color gamut
• It has dual sim
• Same 25% louder speakers
• Same wide angle rear camera with Smart HDR capabilities!
• Computational portrait mode with wide angle lens
• Battery life that is up to 25% longer than the XS.  It even bests or matches the XS Max in battery performance. 1.5 hours longer than iPhone 8 plus.
• Starts at just $749
• 64GB ($749), 128GB ($799), 256GB ($899)

• Roland Borsky has one of the largest and most comprehensive Mac collections in the world, but the costs of storing the collection is forcing him to sell it.
• Borsky began repairing Apple computers back in the 1980s, and collecting them at the same time, to the point where his collection has grown to over thousand items. And there’s also printers, monitors, and more.
• Most of the Macs are in a warehouse where Borsky owes €20,000 to €30,000 ($23,000-35,000) in back rent. He’s hoping someone will take the collection in exchange for paying off what he owes.
• He warns that if he can’t find a buyer all the computers are going to be “shredded".

• How Chinese spy chips may be stealing secret data from Apple’s own servers!
• Another week, another gate-we’ll you about #ChargeGate, the huge iPhone XS problem that ended before it even began.
• Tim Cook reveals why Apple really banned Alex Jones, but can't explain why Siri still sucks
• We’ve got another epic MoviePass update for you, and this is the weirdest one yet!
• And we’ll pitch you a hot new electric skateboard, an uber premium keyboard for your Mac, a super portable keyboard for your iPad, and a an AI-powered bicycle light in an all-new Under Review!
• And, in honor and remembrance of Steve Jobs, we conclude with one of his greatest keynotes.

• What is charge gate?
• • Well, some, but not all, iOS 12 users have complained that their iPhone or iPad won’t begin charging if it’s in sleep mode when a Lightning cable is plugged in.
  • The charging issue doesn’t occur if the device is awake when the cable is plugged in. It only crops up when a phone or tablet’s screen is off.
• Well this blew up this week when Tim Cook’s arch nemesis Lewis Hilsenteger, aka Unbox Therapy popularized the issue with a new video on his Youtube channel, titled: “iPhone XS has a serious problem”
• But it turns out, the problem seems to be not so serious, as Apple has already introduced a new beta of iOS 12.1 that appears to fix the issue.
• So if you’re experiencing the issue and want to solve it right now, install iOS 12.1 beta 2. Otherwise you could be waiting weeks until this 12.1 gets a final release.
• “Gates’ should be limited to hardware issues!

• Appearing on VICE News Tonight on HBO, Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked if Apple’s stance on privacy is hurting Siri from becoming more competitive with Alexa. Cook pushed back saying any company that says they need all of your data to make their service better is telling you a “bunch of bunk.”
• About booting Alex Jones
• • “We think that what the user wants is someone that does review these apps, someone that does review the podcasts, someone that on like Apple news, where a human is selecting the top stories. And that’s what we do,” Cook told VICE. “We don’t take a political stand."

• In an email sent to a select group of previous customers, MoviePass said: "Because we really hope you begin enjoying your MoviePass subscription again, we have chosen you to be a part of a select test group, who beginning Friday, October 5th will be restored to unlimited movies.”
• "To be clear, unless you opt out, your unlimited subscription will be restored and you will begin enjoying unlimited movies again ...  at $9.95 per month, and your credit card on file will be charged on a monthly basis beginning Friday, October 5th, 2018,”
• When Business Insider reached out to MoviePass about the bizarre move, MoviePass doubled down!  Saying it was a  "a terrific one-time promotional offer.”  "If [previous users] are interested in returning to their original unlimited subscription, they can. If they are not, they simply click the link below and opt out," the statement read.
• Now I thought MoviePass would be out of business by now, the vultures are circling.  But they just announced about 65 million in new funding!  Someone believe’s they’ve got a future.

• Everything is very fast and responsive. Apps spring right open. Photos scroll without delay. Maps render without a hiccup. Everything is basically instantaneous, and it’s a joy.
• It’s all thanks to the A12 Bionic chip. Apple is so far ahead in mobile chips, it’s head-spinning. One benchmark shows the iPhone XS is faster than the new iMac Pro, a $5,000-plus pro workstation!

• For such big phone, it doesn’t feel too big. Having used an X all last year, and liking it, I thought the Max would be too big. But it doesn’t feel as big as the old Plus iPhones used to
• iPhone XS Max camera

• Especially the new Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control. The Max is less a phone, and more an advanced, near-DSLR camera with a cellular connection.

• The screen is so big and clear, there’s no need to take your laptop or iPad on flights any more. The Max will do nicely.

• Despite dropping my old iPhone X numerous times, it has just a few scuffs and no cracked screen (it was, however, often in a case). But this time, because the Max is so thin, I’m going to try it caseless for a while. I’d like to enjoy Apple’s design for a change, without a bulky wrapping. (I know; I may regret this later.)

• The iPhone XS and its front-facing camera are supposed to help its owners make better self-portraits. However, some think their iPhone selfies look better than they should
• Lewis Helsenteger, aka Unboxing Therapy, is calling it beautygate
• Users are taking to internet forums like Reddit to question whether Apple added an undisclosed beauty filter to the front-facing camera on the iPhone XS and XS Max. Some are even posting side-by-side selfies taken with an XS and older handset to make a case that the newest iPhone has more than deeper pixels and an improved portrait mode going for it.

• Analysis firm TechInsights did a teardown of the an iPhone XS Max with 256GB of storage. That’s reportedly the most popular version of Apple’s best selling handset.
• As part of its teardown, TechInsights estimated the cost for each component. The total? $443
• Compared to the $1249 price tag for the product. So just 35 percent of the purchase price goes to pay for the actual hardware.
• Of course, the remaining $806 isn’t pure profit. The bill of materials (BoM) doesn’t cover Apple’s employee salaries, advertising, and other costs. Also, the BoM doesn’t include software, and iPhone and iPad sales have to cover the cost of developing iOS and its bundled software.

• Early reviews for the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have already come in and while most of the people that have tested the new device are impresssed, this years models aren’t as big a leap as the iPhone X.

• Panzarino for Techrunch: “As far as Face ID goes, there has been no perceivable difference for me in speed or number of positives… There is also supposed to be improvements in off-angle recognition of your face, say when lying down or when your phone is flat on a desk. I tried a lot of different positions here and could never really definitively say that iPhone XS was better in this regardit… it very likely takes training time to get it near the confidence levels that my iPhone X has stored away.”

• Nilay Patel for The Verge: "I got a full 12 hours of battery life out of the XS Max without low power mode, and that’s even under my heavy daily use.   The smaller XS is rated to get 30 minutes more than the X, which has run for about 8 hours for me this past year. It’s solid."

• NYT: "The XS Max screen was so good-looking that I wanted to keep reading articles and looking at photos on Instagram. When I used Apple’s new Screen Time feature to monitor my use of each device, I discovered that I spent an average of roughly five and a half hours a day on the XS Max, two hours more than on the XS.”

• “On the test Verizon account I used, iPhone XS delivers. I got download speeds of 250 Mbps in New Jersey, versus 170 Mbps using the same SIM in the iPhone X.

• In his comprehensive review of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, John Gruber reveals that Apple made the camera sensor 32% larger. After noticing that the wide-angle lens on the iPhone XS is 2mm wider than the one on the iPhone X, Gruber also discovered the lens is longer too.
• A bigger sensor and longer lens don’t sound like a big deal, but it required some crafty design work to pull it off without making the iPhone a bloated
• Another impressive feature on the iPhone XS camera is its ability to adapt to low-light on the fly. If you’re shooting video at 30FPS, there’s an option to enable “Auto Low Light FPS.” The feature will drop the framerate to 24 FPS when it detects that there’s not enough light to get a good exposure

• It’s definitely a nice phone, but if you have an X, it’s not worth upgrading

• The indedpent called the series 4 watch “Astonishingly good”!
• The Verge and the NYT both raved about how great the new larger display looked.  Particularly with the rounded corners, and made it much more apt to looking at photos and using apps.
• The Watch felt snappier than the gen 3, but The Verge noted that the imrpovement wasn’t as drastic as Gen 2 to Gen 3.

• Wired's Rosenfield came away impressed by the accuracy of the watch's new optical heart-rate sensor as well as the automatic workout detection, while noting that "runners will love the new rolling mile measurement, cadence, and target pace notifications.”
• Both The Verge and iMore commented about how much louder the speaker is, saying it was much easier to hear calls.  Callers also noted they couldn’t really tell they were being rung from an Apple Watch.
• No one has been able to test the ECG feature yet since it won’t be enabled until later this year.

• TechCrunch's Heater took particular liking to the watch's new haptic Digital Crown, which "feels like turning a mechanical dial."

• FOMO: anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.
• The new Walkie-Talkie app is being lauded by Apple Watch owners as the best new feature that came out as part of watchOS 5. But for some wearers there’s a serious problem: they can’t find anyone to talk to.  
• Walkie-Talkie gives wearers the ability to turn their wrist into a sort of digital two-way radio transceiver with other Apple Watch wearers. It’s a super-convenient way to have short bursts of conversation when you don’t want to talk on the phone. If you don’t have any friends with an Apple WAtch though then there’s no way to get in on the action.

• Apple released the first beta of iOS 12.1 today. Developer Guilherme Rambo went digging around in the code and turned up a mention of “iPad2018Fall.” Sometimes references to upcoming devices hidden in iOS betas are obscure, but not this time
• He also found a glyph of the iPad that showed it will have FaceId, but will not have a notch.
• While digging into the simulator for iOS 12.1, Steve Troughton-Smith discovered that Apple has added support for virtualized 4K external displays. That’s a big deal for two reasons: 1) It means you’re going to be able to hook up iPads to 4K monitors, 2) It’s not currently possible to do that through the Lightning HDMI adapter

With over a hundred thousand attendees, the Penny Arcade Expo is one of the largest video game conventions in the world, and it all started in Seattle, Washington.

Hot off the heels of PAX 2018, Erfon sits across his good friend, The Amazing Aaron Hughes, to discuss the state of Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, their favorite games and spectacles from the event, and how FORNITE and PUBG have changed the face of gaming.  

• Apple’s marketing team has reportedly been considering losing the Plus suffix that has been used on the largest models since the iPhone 6 Plus came out in 2014
• We’ve already head reports that Apple is going to ditch the “Plus” description for its larger iPhones. Now there’s word that the replacement term could be “Max.”
• If true, this means that the company will announce a week from today the iPhone Xs with a 5.8-inch display and the iPhone Xs Max with a 6.5-inch one.

• With most of the specifications of the 2018 iPhones already known, the largest remaining question is price.
• A report from the German website Macerkoff, who starts by pointing out that the iPhone 8 costs €799, the iPhone 8 Plus sells for €909, and the iPhone X is €1149.
• Citing two different sources, the site says the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone expected to be announced next week will cost €799, the 5.8-inch replacement for the iPhone X will be €909, and the 6.5-inch OLED device sell for €1149.
• If that assumption is correct, the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will be $699,  the speed-bumped 5.8-inch iPhone X will be $799, and the the 6.5-inch OLED model will be $999.

• Apple is developing an always-on display mode for Apple Watch, a new patent application reveals.
• The feature would give users the ability to see the time — and possibly other information — without having to raise their wrist every time. But Apple wants to make sure OLED burn-in doesn’t become a problem.
• There are several reasons for that, such as its impact on battery life and the risk that the feature could ruin Apple Watch’s OLED display.

• When Steve Jobs died in 2011, pundits wondered how the company would continue to make great products without him.
• The question is partly answered by programmer Ken Kocienda’s new book, Creative Selection, which describes his 15 years working at Apple helping to develop the original iPhone, iPad and Safari web browser.

• The "Gather Round" event invites have been sent out.  
• Apple’s big fall event will take place at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park on September 12.
• The keynote will start at 10 a.m. PT, during which we expect to see the new iPhone lineup, an Apple Watch Series 4, major improvements to iPad Pro, and more.

Better late than never!  With Erfon and Buster out, Lewis and Leander take the reigns of their very first CultCast to discuss the week's best Apple stories!  Ladies and gentlemen, this is one for the record books.

This is last week's episode come late.  We'll have another new episode out this week.

• According to Kuo, Apple will launch an Apple Car sometime between 2023 and 2025.  He said this is a recent note to investors:
• "We expect that Apple Car, which will likely be launched in 2023–2025, will be the next star product. The reasons for this are as follows: (1) Potentially huge replacement demands are emerging in the auto sector because it is being redefined by new technologies. (2) Apple’s leading technology advantages (like AR) would redefine cars and differentiate Apple Car from peers’ products (3) Apple’s service will grow significantly by entering the huge car finance market via Apple Car, and (4) Apple can do a better integration of hardware, software, and service than current competitors

• The long-awaited launch of Apple’s AirPower wireless charging pad may coincide with the launch of the 2018 iPhone lineup.
• Based on a new report out of Asia, Apple engineers are in the debugging phase of the AirPower rollout. The product may not launch on the exact same day as the 2018 iPhones, but a Chinese site claims to know the planned price. And it’s not going to be cheap.
• Though a previous rumor claimed the price could hit $200, Apple will reportedly charge $149 for the AirPower charging mat, according to Chongdiantou.
• Overheating issues have allegedly caused delays with the Apple charging pad

• EU regulators are considering whether they need to force a common standard for phone chargers.
• The idea is to cut down on the 51,000 tons of old chargers and cables thrown away each year.
• Way back in 2009, the European Commission pressured Apple and 13 other companies to work toward a common charging standard by 2011. All the other signatories gave up their proprietary plugs and switched to USB.  Apple switched to lightning, their own proprietary port.
• Accordingly to Reuters, that didn't satisfy that EU Commissioner of Competition, and now the commission is launching an impact assessment study to evaluate costs and benefits of different other options, the other option being forcing Apple to adopt USB on the devices.

• Apple has removed the entire back catalog for five InfoWars’ six podcasts on iTunes and its Podcasts app. One of these shows is the daily “War Room” show hosted by owner and radio host Alex Jones.
• Shortly thereafter, Facebook removed InfoWars page, YouTube removed their channel, Pinterest pin boards, Linked In removed the InfoWars page, Mail Chimp refuses to send their emails, and website comment host Disqus has given them the boot.
• "Consistent with our existing policies, we take action against accounts that repeatedly save content that could lead to harm," a Pinterest spokesperson said in an email statement.

• YouTuber Max Yuryev pitted the 2.2Ghz and 2.6Ghz i7 MacBook Pros against the the 2.9GHz i9, and the results aren’t great.  These are the tests I’ve been waiting for.
• in his Cinebench test, he found the i9 beat the i7 by only 2 percent, averaging only 3.15Ghz, while both the 2.2Ghz and 2.6Ghz i7’s both averaged 3.05 Ghz.
• And in test after test, he showed that the i9 rarely performs better than the 2.6Ghz i7.
• Why?  It seems like it comes down to heat.  Even with the patch, the MBP struggles to keep the i9 cool enough to keep it in turbo mode, and sometimes it’s even not cool enough to run at base clock.
• For example: In his Red Raven 4.5K Raw rendering test, he noticed that the 2.2Ghz i7 ran about 500Mhz over base clock speed, the 2.7 ran about 200Mhz over base, and the 2.9 ran about 500Mhz below base clock.
• He noted that the GPU and CPU use the same cooler, so if you’re pushing the GPU, like many rendering apps do, the CPU won’t be cooled as well, so can end up throttling more than you’d want.
• So what does all these mean?  
• • It doesn’t seem to make sense to pay extra for the i9.  It matches or barely beats the 2.6Ghz in many tests, and sometimes can’t even beat the 2.2Ghz i7.
  • A better value, and bigger a bottle neck in the 2018 MBP isn’t the CPU, it’s the GPU.
  • The base MBP comes with a 555X Radeon GPU, whereas the premium 2.7Ghz i7 and 2.9Ghz i9 models come with a Radeon 560X, and that’s what made the biggest difference in his tests.
  • My thoughts, go with the 2.7Ghz i7, the 560X GPU, and use the i9 money you save for extra SSD space.

• Apple beat Wall Street’s expectations today with its Q3 2018 earnings report, shooting its stock price just below the $204 price needed to mint it as the world’s first TRILLION dollar company. 
• iPhone sales were up slightly year-over-year. Revenue was up big time. The ASP (average selling price) was also up big time. Even Apple’s EPS (earnings per share) was higher than some of the biggest Apple believers expected.
• When the iPhone X launched last year it was panned as too expensive by far too many critics, but Phone revenue was up 20% YOY.
• Wearable sales are up 60% year-over-year
• AirPods and Beats are also selling well. Combined with Apple Watch they’ve generated more than $10 billion in revenue in just the last year.
• TimCook also commented on Apple’s TV deal with Oprah, saying he “couldn’t be happier” that she’s on board.
• He also said there’d be “dramatic changes speeding up in the content industry,” and went on to say “We’re really happy to be working on something. We’re just not ready to talk about it in-depth today.”
• Apple sold only 3.72 Macs in its third quarter, less than any single quart since it’s Q3 of 2010.  This may be because it’s entire Mac line was ancient until just weeks ago, in Q4, when MBP was updated.
• iPhone and iPad now make up 65% of Apple’s yearly revenue.

• It was a year ago, in august of 2017, that MoviePass dropped their price to $9.95 a month. In the following two days, more than 150,000 new users signed up, crashing their website and app.
• Though AMC said MoviePass’s model could never work, they essentially created their own version of the service to compete. It’s $20 a month and their service includes digital reservations, iMax and 3D, and let’s you see the same movie more than once.
• Sinemia is another competitor that’s popped up.  They offer a 2 movie a month plan for $10 a month that works with any theater, offers advanced ticket options, and works on 3D movies, IMAX, 4DX, and more.  

• Consumer Reports came to the Apple's defense this week. The consumer-testing organization points out that other laptops with top-tier processors are also subject to thermal throttling.
• “Most processors have had this capability built in for years,” says Richard Fisco, an electronics testing program leader at Consumer Reports. “I would rather have the system throttle and take a lot longer to do things than just let itself get fried.”
• They recommend a desktop
• “If you absolutely need bleeding-fast speed — perhaps you’re a programmer who regularly compiles large applications or someone who edits huge amounts of high-resolution video — a high-end desktop may be a better bet than a souped-up laptop,” wrote Consumer Reports.

• Apple saw Dave Lee’s video, and worked with him to figure out what was going on.
• Turns out, a major part of the problem was actually a big in the firmware, which was preventing the fans from coming as often or as high as they should.
• “Following extensive performance testing under numerous workloads, we’ve identified that there is a missing digital key in the firmware that impacts the thermal management system and could drive clock speeds down under heavy thermal loads on the new MacBook Pro. A bug fix is included in today’s macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Supplemental Update and is recommended"
• Apple went on to say this should result in better performance for every version of the new MacBook Pro, even i7 models.

• Dave confirmed that now, MBP fans actually come on, which increased performance on the i9 to the save level achieved with the MBP in the freezer.
• In his tests, the 2018 i9 model is now 30-35% faster than the 2017 i7 model.
• It seems like the patch kicks affects fan activation and speed, but also keeps the chip from throttling itself down all the time.
• But, even patched, this i9 chip still doesn’t hit the clock speed that it COULD hit.
• This is the same i9 that is used in larger gaming laptops, where it can hit 4.5 or 5GHz and stay there comfortably.  In the MBP, its base clock is 2.9Ghz, and it can only boost up to 4.8 in some circumstances.
• In YouTuber Max Yuryyex’s Cinebench encoding tests, his i9 ran at about 3.2Ghz
• MacBook Pro is thin, light, and quiet, but its thermal design inhibits the potential of this high-end high performance chip.  That’s the cost of thin and light.

• French tech blog iGeneration reports that a beta version of the software currently in internal testing enables users to make calls and answer them from the HomePod, ask Siri to Find My iPhone, and set multiple timers on the device.
• The report also mentions that users may also be able to listen to their voicemails, and search their call history over the speaker.  
• Would be cool to allow HomePod to control other devices in your household.
• Add alarms or reminders to your or your family members iPads and iPhones

• The 2018 MacBook Pro is both a beauty AND a beast.  In fact, it's one of the most exciting MBP refreshes in years.  The benchmarks are in and they’re impressive. 
• A popular tech reviewer warns that the i9 processor upgrade in the MBP has a major flaw, and his video proof is compelling.  We’ll fill you in.
• We also bring back Matthew Taylor, creator of the very popular butterfly keyboard recall petition, now with over 32,000 signatures,  to have a frank discussion on the state of the 2018 MBP keyboard.  Has Apple fixed the issues plaguing their butterfly key design?  
• And stay tuned for a strange new HomeKit controller and the best insulated water bottle on the market in an all-new Under Review!

• The 15- and 13-inch MacBook Pro models launching this week boast significantly faster processors. Tests with the Geekbench benchmarking tool show speed increases as high as 86 percent.
• The improvements come from faster Turbo Burst frequencies and more processor cores.
• “For the 15-inch models, single-core performance is up 12-15%, and multi-core performance is up 39-46%
• “For the 13-inch models, single-core performance is up 3%-11%, and multi-core performance is up 81%-86%

• Majorly faster CPU
• Much faster SSDs
• Faster DD4 RAM
• CPU:
• • John Poole from Geekbench: “The 2018 MacBook Pro is the most substantial upgrade (at least regarding performance) since the introduction of the quad-core processors in 2011 MacBook Pro,” 
  • Photography Austin Mann did to covert a 4K Mavic Pro video file to 1080p H.265 (HEVC) using QuickTime Player. 
  • • 2013 MBP with 16GB RAM = 33 minutes
    • Maxed out 2016 MBP = 99 seconds
    • Maxed out 2018 MBP = 24 seconds
• SSD
• • Laptop Mag: “It’s rare that I don’t believe the results coming out of our lab, but in this case I had to do a double take,” explains Mark. It took the system just 2 seconds to duplicate 4.97GB worth of files, which translates to 2,519 megabytes per second
• TrueTone:
• TechCrunch: “I have two 15-inch MacBooks in front of me right now (that’s just how I roll), and it’s like night and day. You’ve got no idea how blue the screen you’ve been staring at is until you see it up against another True Tone-enabled display.”
• The most expensive laps Apple’s ever made.

• Apple made potential buyers of the new MacBook Pro models very nervous when it said no effort had been made to fix the problems plaguing the keyboards in earlier versions.
• They even told the Verge that, though it made the Keyboard quieter, the keyboard was constructed to address the myriad issues they say are affecting only “a tiny" fraction of users.
• But, IFIXIT took apart they keyboard of the new 2018 MacBook Pro, and discovered  “Apple has cocooned their butterfly switches in a thin, silicone barrier”
• And as it turns out, Apple has a patent for just this kind of debris cover...

• No good deed goes unpunished
• Early tests have revealed that the i9 chip in Apple’s new MBP suffers severe thermal throttling under heavy loads, which dramatically reduces its clock speed and performance.
• Dave Lee from Youtube has tests illustrating the issue.
• He did a render in Adobe Premiere that took the MBP 39 minutes to complete.  In that test he monitored the CPU speed temp and saw that the chip was being throttled to BELOW base clock speed just to stay cool.
• In his tests, Lee found that it averaged at around 2.2GHz with a temperature of 90°C.
• So he tried the test again, this time with his MacBook Pro in... the freezer.
• This time, the same test, which took 39 minutes before, took only 27 minutes.  That’s a 44% improvement…
• Not just Apple’s fault
• • There are other laptops on the market that use this chip, and they snuggle to keep the chip cooled as well.  But most of these machines are beefier with better ventilation.

• Unfortunately for existing MacBook and MacBook Pro owners, Apple won’t fit its newer 3rd gen butterfly keyboard into older machines — not even if yours is in need of repair.
• Earlier machines will be repaired with the same keyboard components they originally shipped with. Apple does not offer the option to upgrade for a fee, either. Only the 2018 MacBook Pro will get the new design if a repair is required.

• 13” gets 4 cores
• 15” get six cores with options
• i7s on both machines with faster i9 chip available on 15”
• Apple says that the 15-inch model will have a 70 percent performance increase, and the 13-inch model should double in speed.
• Keyboards have been made quieter, but Apple told The Verge that this 3rd gen keyboard has not been designed to alleviate the issues they say are only affecting a “tiny portion” of buyers
• 32GB RAM and 4TB SSD option now available on 15” model for a mere $6700
• Both models come with True Tone displays, which allows the screen to change its color temperature based on the color temperature of the room.
• Interestingly, the Touch Bar will also support True Tone
• These will also be Apple’s first laptops to support “Hey Siri”

• Ming Chi Kuo has basically just confirmed what I’ve been saying the last couple of weeks: Apple is about to drop an orgasmic amount of updated hardware products on us.
• Yes, according to Kuo’s new report, Apple is getting ready to update almost their entire hardware line.  
• iPhone - There are three iPhones in the works, two OLED models in 5.8 and 6.5-inch sizes and one lower-cost LED model that will be available in a 6.1-inch size. All three will feature Face ID and upgraded A12 processors. While the two OLED models will have dual-lens cameras, the lower-cost model will feature a single-lens camera.
• iPad Pro - Apple is working on two new 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models that are equipped with a full-screen design similar to the iPhone X and no Home button, with Apple to replace Touch ID with Face ID.
• Mac mini - Kuo didn't have a lot of information to share on this one, but he did say a processor upgrade is expected.  He did not say if additional upgrades would be included, like as a redesigned body.
• It’s been over 3 and a half years since the Mac Mini was updated, and they’re still charging full price for it.
• MacBook - Processor upgrades expected.
• New Low-Priced Notebook - Ming Chi believes Apple is designing a new low-priced notebook fo some kind. He originally said it would be part in the MacBook Air family, but now he seems to not be so sure.   We’ll soon know.
• iMac - Kuo says he expect a significant display performance upgrade, and a processor refresh.
• Apple Watch - Apple is working on two new Apple Watch models for 2018 that will have bigger displays and enhanced heart rate detection features. The two Apple Watch models will measure in at 1.57 inches (39.9mm) and 1.78 inches (45.2mm), roughly 15 percent bigger than in the current models. Rumors have not been clear on whether the Apple Watch itself will be larger or if the bigger display will come from a reduction in bezels.

• According to a new report, medical experts are concerned that some drug users, particularly people taking cocaine, are using their Apple Watches and other wearables to monitor their heart rate while imbibing.
• From the users’ perspective, the idea is that doing this could alert them to dangerously high heart rates while taking drugs such as cocaine. However, doctors point out that the technology does not protect people against the dangers of drug use.
• The article details the story of several semi-regular cocaine users. One describes monitoring drug use as the only reason they wear a heart rate-tracking wearable. “I want an early warning system for when my heart’s going to explode,” one person wrote in a thread on Reddit.
• “If someone says, ‘Let’s do a line,’ I’ll look at my watch,” says one of the people interviewed. “If I see I’m at [heart rates of] 150 or 160, I’ll say, ‘I’m good.’

• New evidence just today that Apple has a big Mac refresh right around the corner.
• MacBook Pro is about to get the new feature we’ve all been wanting.
• Apple is rebuilding their maps app from the ground up, and it looks magnificent.
• Erfon visited Apple’s new Seattle flagship store it was STUNNING.
• We pitch a wood-wrapped iPhone case, waterproof camping lights, and a great new reading app an all-new Under Review!

• The butterfly keyboards on the new MacBook and MacBook Pro are officially defective.
• After months of outcry from angry customers, Apple has finally acknowledged that the new keyboards have some serious problems. The company says the issues are limited to a small percentage of MacBooks, but its offering free repairs.

• Bloomberg has a new report out that says we could have some exciting new Apple audio products in 2019.

• First: Ming still expects three new iPhones in 2018: a second-generation iPhone X, a massive 6.5-inch version dubbed the iPhone X Plus, and a 6.1-inch version that will essentially be a budget iPhone X.

• Engineer and popular YouTuber Mark Rober is, accordingly Variety, working for Apple as an engineer in their special projects group.
• More specifically, Rober has been working on Apple's virtual reality projects, including "using VR as on-board entertainment for self-driving cars.”
• His most recent patent addresses an interesting problem:
• • "Many passengers in vehicles may experience motion sickness. Typically, this is not the case for the driver. However, with the arrival of autonomous vehicles, the driver becomes a passenger, and thus may want to occupy themselves while, for example, riding to work. Passengers in conventional or autonomous vehicles may, for example, want to read a book, or work on their notebook computer.

• It’s been over a year since Apple has updated virtually any of their Macs.  Just what in the heck in going on?  
• Why all your online purchases will soon be taxed
• Instagram takes on YouTube with new IGTV app
• MoviePass is about to change for the worse.  AGAIN.
• America’s largest theater chain just put the final nails in the MoviePass coffin
• And things get weird in an all-new what we’re into!

• It’s a sad day for US.  It’s the end of an era.  The end of tax-free shopping online.  
• In 1992 the supreme court that a state couldn’t force an online retailer to collect sales tax for them if the retailer didn’t have a physical presence in that state.  
• Today, they reversed that decision
• What does that mean?
• Well, it means that you state will undoubtedly begin forcing online retailers to charge you sales tax on all your online orders.  
• If you have a big purchase to make, I’d do it this summer.  

• Rogue Amoeba developer Quentin Carnicelli posted this week on the company’s blog about his frustration with Apple’s continued neglect of the Mac.
• "At the time of the writing, with the exception of the $5,000 iMac Pro, no Macintosh has been updated at all in the past year.”

• The photo-sharing social network revealed its new standalone app today called IGTV that’s dedicated to long-form video.
• IGTV was revealed at an event today this morning where the company also shared that it now has 1 billion monthly active users.

• By the end of the summer, you'll see some major changes to your MoviePass subscription — and you're not going to like them all.
• MoviePass told Business Insider that by August members of the service would be able to add a friend when buying tickets through the app and would have the option, at an added price, to order tickets to Imax and Real 3D movies.
• The first change to the service will happen in the coming weeks, when MoviePass will start charging members what CEO Mitch Lowe calls "high demand" pricing.
• CEO Mitch Lowe: "At certain times for certain films — on opening weekend — there could be an additional charge for films"
• The added charge will start at $2 for titles the app deems very popular with MoviePass subscribers

• The largest theater chain in America has announced that it will now offer a subscription service that allows patrons to watch up to three movies a week for $19.95 a month.
• Called AMC Stubs A-List the online and smartphone-based subscription will allow members to watch multiple movies a day and let you see movies more than once.
• There will be no online ticketing fees, and it will offer a discount on food and drinks at the concession stand. Plus Stubs A-List will be redeemable toward formats like IMAX and 3D and will also include special AMC locations such as Dine-Ins.
• The service will allow you to make up to three movie reservations at once in advance without having to physically be at the theater

• Your phone is always available to answer to your input.  No more waiting for animations to finish.  
• You can launch an app and start scrolling within the app even before it fills the screen.
• You can launch an app and then dismiss it even before the app has fully opened.
• You can close and app and instantly open another app from the home screen before the closing animation has finished,

• Police across the country are purchasing a tool called GrayKey. When hooked to an iPhone’s Lightning port, this swiftly enters thousands of passcodes until the correct one is reached.
• But just-released beta of iOS 12 can be set to partially deactivate the Lightning port after an iPhone hasn’t been used for an hour.

• It is always exciting to capture the WWDC keynote in sketchnotes, and this year we filled up four pages with drawings showcasing the biggest new features coming in iOS 12, macOS Mojave and watchOS 5.

• Side-by-side comparisons between iOS 12 beta 1 and version 11.4 show clear speed improvements.

• If any other company had introduced Screen Time, the new system-wide toolset for limiting phone distractions, then it would (rightly) be dismissed as a gimmick, a sop to the increasing worries about phone addiction. But as is typical of Apple, Screen Time looks like it took a lot of work to get just right.

• The just-released beta of iOS 12 can be set to partially deactivate the Lightning port after an iPhone hasn’t been used for an hour. This is a clear attempt to make useless the unlocking tools employed by law enforcement (or thieves).

• The first iOS 12 developer beta debuted after today’s WWDC keynote. Intrepid souls who’ve already installed this early version on their iPhone X noticed that Face ID can be trained to recognize more than one person.

• “Apple has shaken up its iOS software plans for 2018, delaying some features to next year in an effort to put more focus on addressing performance and quality issues,” reporter Ina Fried writes for Axios.

• Apple will introduce a Beat-branded $250 HomePod smart speaker at WWDC, predicts Apple analyst Gene Munster.
• “The knock on HomePod is its $349 price is about 2-3x the price of a typical smart speaker,” Munster writes. “We believe Apple can advance its digital assistant ambitions with a $250 Beats-branded option that does not compromise HomePod’s $349 price point.”

• iOS 11.4 is finally here, bringing AirPlay 2’s multi-room audio capabilities as well as the long-awaited ability to use two HomePods in stereo.
• Apple also said the HomePod will arrive in Canada, France and Germany by June 18. The speaker is currently available in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
• Using HomePod as TV speakers

• The iOS 11.4 update finally brings iCloud support for Messages, which means messages will sync across all devices, and can even be deleted from an iPhone or iPad that’s short on space. But they will remain accessible from the cloud
• Why use Messages in iCloud sync?
  • Any messages you send or receive on your iPhone will be almost instantly synced to your Mac and iPad. But it has limits. One is that, if you set up a new device, then you will not see any of your old messages or conversations.
  • Also, each one of your devices currently backs up its entire Message library, which is a waste of space on your iCloud drive.
  • You can also remove old messages from a device, but still have access to them in future, saving a ton of space on your iPhone. Or you could choose to automatically delete old messages from your iPhone, but keep the full history on your Mac.
  • Link to how to turn it on in the show notes. You can also manage and delete the messages you have stored in the cloud.

• The press passes are out, the WWDC keynote is around the corner.  We gotta talk about it and we’ll tell a new way you can watch it live.
• New details out this week show the Apple car has taken yet another sad and disappointing turn.  We’ll you where it’s at now.
• It’s the 12 year anniversary of one of Apple’s best creations—we remember Apple’s incredible Get a Mac ads.
• And thoroughly embarrass our ourselves in an all-new Get To Know Ur Cultist.

• Press invites for the June 4 keynote were sent out today. And guess what?
• Cult of Mac is on this year’s guest list, so we’ll be live blogging all of the action from ground zero at the San Jose convention center.
• For the rest of you shlubs, Apple will give you a front row seat to the keynote on June 4th.
• WWDC 2018 is expected to include the unveiling of iOS 12, macOS 10.14, tvOS 12 and watchOS 5. Other rumors have suggested that Apple may unveil new hardware such as new MacBook Pros, or possibly an iPhone SE 2.

• As always, you’ll be able to watch it using Apple’s Safari browser, the WWDC app or Apple TV. However, for the first time Apple is also supporting Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
• But does this mean you’ll be able to watch the stream on PC?  Unsure.

• Apple originally began its car project — known internally as Titan and T172 — in 2014. At the time, Apple planned to build a single vehicle that would upend society and industry, in what would be the automotive version of the iPhone. The company set to work on an electric driverless car with a lush interior reminiscent of a lounge or living room, where passengers face each other instead of the road, according to two early employees of the project.
• But Apple soon learned that making a car is really hard, so they tried to partner with BMW and Mercedes.  But as Apple always does, they made things difficult by insisting on controlling the car experience and customer relationship, so the
• Now?  Well, they’re making an Apple Park shuttle bus.  with VW.
• Apple has inked a deal with Volkswagen that will allow the iPhone-maker to turn some of its T6 vans into self-driving shuttles for employees.
• Apple’s self-driving shuttle bus is behind schedule, thought, according to The New York Times. Nearly all of Cupertino’s car team is working just on the VW vans project, but the 2018 deadline will be missed.
• And what happens after the shuttle bus? No one knows.

• May 21, 2010: Apple quietly ends its long-running, award-winning “Get a Mac” marketing campaign.
• Debuting in 2006, the ads starred actor Justin Long as the cool, youthful Mac. Comedian John Hodgman portrayed the stuffy, awkward PC. Alongside the “Think Different” and the iPod “Silhouette” campaigns, “Get a Mac” will become one of the most fondly remembered extended ad campaigns in Apple history.
• The U.S. ads ran for the next few years, with 66 television spots in total. The campaign also spread to other markets, with alternate actors playing the Mac and PC roles.
• Apple aired the last “Get a Mac” TV ad in October 2009, marking the beginning of the end for the campaign.
• But the clever marketing continued on Apple’s website. On May 21, 2010, Apple finally replaced its “Get a Mac” page with a “Why You’ll Love a Mac” page.

• The butterfly keyboard in recent MacBooks draws frequent complaints. And these have now escalated to the point where an online petition is requesting that Apple recall every MacBook Pro released since 2016.
• The “butterfly” name comes from the shape of each key’s internal mechanism. In the 2015 MacBook, Apple replaced the old scissor design with one reminiscent of a butterfly.
• It’s supposed to more evenly distribute the pressure from tapping on the keys. As mentioned, it’s also 40 percent thinner.

• “Apple’s relative silence on this issue for existing customers is deafening. If these problems are remotely as common as they seem to be, this is an altogether defective product that should be recalled.”

• “This keyboard has to be one of the biggest design screwups in Apple history. Everyone who buys a MacBook depends upon the keyboard and this keyboard is undependable.”

• “Butterfly keyswitches are a design failure…. they are fatally unreliable.”

• Pic on twitter with caption: what am i supposed to do when the space bar stops working. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING WITH THIS FCKING KEYBOARD

• A lawsuit filed in federal court claims that the keyboard used in all the MacBook Pros and MacBooks made for several years is defective. The plaintiffs request that this be made into a class action lawsuit, and that Apple be required to replace all the affected keyboards at no cost to users.
• The lawsuit also requests punitive damages because, as they claim, Apple continued to build and sell laptops with the “butterfly” keyboard even though the company knew it was defective.

• Apple is secretly building a TV empire
• Google’s new AI assistant has a feature you have to see to believe
• Financial filings show MoviePass’s time is running out
• Our favorite lesser-known iOS and Mac apps
• And… why do men have nipples?  We answer your most burning questions in an all-new CultCast QnA 🔥

• An updated version of Google Maps aims to keep you in-the-know about what’s going on around you. There’s a new tab called “For You” that’s designed to tell you about events in neighborhoods you care about.
• You can now hold your phone up to the world in front of you and Maps will overlay walking directions that make finding your way around a new city easier.
• A very human-sounding Google Assistant made a call on behalf of it’s owner to book a haircut, and the result was was magical as it was creepy. The most impressive thing was that the person on the receiving end of the call didn’t seem to suspect they were talking to an AI

• After going on a spending spree in Hollywood the last eight months, Apple appears to be poised to make a huge push into original content.
• Apple has 13 shows in development.

• The future doesn’t look promising for MovePass
• According to a recent financial filing, the company has spent an average of $21.7 million per month for the stretch between October 2017 through April 2018, but as of April 30th, MoviePass has just $15.5 million in cash

• Apple to many seems to have lost its mojo for innovation. But it knows how to build a pile of cash.
• This is the impression of Silicon Valley venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya, who told CNBC Wednesday:
• • “I think Apple is a productive cash machine,”  “Is it a font of innovation? Unclear, trending to probably"

• Analysts were wrong—iPhone X is a massive hit
• The death of 3D Touch starts with 2018 iPhone
• The world’s most famous Apple analyst may no longer be reporting on Apple
• Apple’s AirPort router lineup is officially dead
• And we pitch you our favorite shows, movies, and vodka in an all-new Under Review!

• Apple introduced the AirPort lineup back in 2003 when it was starting to ride the high from the original iPod
• Apple decided to finally put the nail in the coffin for its lineup of AirPort routers that haven’t been updated in years.
• Statement: “We’re discontinuing the Apple AirPort base station products. They will be available through Apple.com, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers while supplies last.”

• Apple blew analysts’ expectations out of the water this afternoon with its historic Q2 2018 earnings report that saw the company post the most revenue ever in the March quarter.
• Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri were giddy during Tuesday's call with investors. Everyone expected the iPhone X to be a bust, but even Apple was surprised by its success as it still dominates the iPhone sales charts.

• A very reliable analyst predicts one of the iPhones coming in autumn won’t have this pressure-sensitive technology, and none of the 2019 devices will.
• Ming-Chi Kuo says it’s all because Apple is changing the components of its displays to make them lighter and less likely to break.
• The analyst says sources in Apple’s supply chain told him that the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, expected this fall, will use a CGS (Cover Glass Sensor) process. This means the touch sensor will no longer integrated with the actual display, but will instead be part of the cover that protects the LCD underneath.
• The CGS displays weigh less than the current ones, and are more shock-resistant, according to Kuo. But they also cost more. To save money, Apple is going to leave out the 3D Touch sensor.
• The KGI analyst says all 2019 models will use the CGS process, even the OLED ones, and therefore they won’t have 3D Touch.

• it seems that Kuo is moving on to greener pastures for a job with another firm. Unfortunately for Apple fans, this may mean focusing on non-Apple companies instead.
• According to Kuo’s LinkedIn profile, he joined KGI in January 2012.
• While Kuo is well known, he keeps a low profile and doesn’t do interviews. Very few pictures of him can be found online

• How Steve Jobs saved Pixar, then stole all their stock
• iPhone SE will steal one of iPhone X’s best features
• Told ya!  MoviePass ends its unlimited movie option
• Gal Gadot promotes Huawei on twitter… from her iPhone
• What the heck happened to the AirPower Mat?
• And we wrap with the best iPhone camera lenses, wireless security system, and the most powerful flashlight on EARTH in an all-new under review.

• Gal Gadot, best known for the lead role in the Wonder Woman movie, became a ‘brand ambassador’ for Huawei earlier this year. In that role, she yesterday tweeted a glowing video about her new Huawei Mate 10 – with just one small problem
• Marques Brownlee spotted, the tweet was sent from Twitter for iPhone.
• Gadot’s publicist told CNET there was a perfectly innocent explanation.
• • “Some people have asked about my recent post with my new Huawei smartphone, and think I am using an iPhone,” Gadot said through her publicist. “That’s simply not the case. I love my Huawei P20 and Mate10Pro. They are lifelines wherever I am in the world.”

• iPhone SE is looking to be a real beauty.  
• Reliable leaker Benjamin Geskin claims the new iPhone SE, codenamed Jaguar, will feature wireless charging just like iPhone X. To make that possible, Apple is expected to scrap the handset’s aluminum unibody first introduced with iPhone 5 in favor of a shiny glass back panel.
• Hopefully it’s waterproof and gets Touch ID 2.
• The new iPhone SE, with a faster A10 Fusion processor, will likely make its official debut next month, according to recent reports.

• At its September 2017 event, Apple said AirPower would appear some time in 2018, but since then we've barely heard a peep about about it.
• AirPower will charge multiple devices at the same time, and while other mats out there can do that too, Apple says AirPower can help devices communicate with each other to manage power consumption.
• It’s been 7 months now and we haven’t heard a peep.
• Will the WDDC keynote on June 4th be the day?

• April 25, 1990: Steve Jobs shuts down Pixar’s hardware division (yes, it used to have one!), ending production of the pricey Pixar Image Computers immediately.
• Pixar was Jobs’ “rebound” company after his departure from Apple in 1985. In early 1986, he bought a majority interest in Pixar from  George Lucas for just $5 million bucks.
• When Lucas owned the company, he led the development of the Pixar Image Computer. George found existing computers too weak to handle the graphics needed to produce Pixar’s work (or to meet the demands of Hollywood studios that hired the company).
• However, the computers sold poorly — and to a relatively small number of buyers.
• When Pixar’s five-person Animation Group won an Oscar for its short film Tin Toy in 1989, Jobs’ interests switched to that team, which he previously planned to kill off due to its inability to turn a profit. The hardware division got canned instead.  
• But then the story gets a strange twist.

• Apple threatens employees to quit leaking, or go to jail!
• Apple’s building new tools to help you know just how addicted you are to that iPhone of yours.  We’ll fill you in.
• It looks like a new iPhone SE will be landing real soon.  We’ll tell you what we know.
• And we reveal all the cool stuff we’re currently into in an all-new What We’re Into!

• With Apple planning to move Macs to Arm chips, and the rumored unification of iOS and macOS apps, you might be anxious Apple might just go ahead and combine your iPhone and Mac into some God forsake combo device.
• Tim Cook recently stated that merging the Mac and iPad lines would be bad for both. He told a reporter from The Sydney Morning Herald, “We don’t believe in sort of watering down one for the other. Both are incredible. One of the reasons that both of them are incredible is because we pushed them to do what they do well. And if you begin to merge the two … you begin to make trade offs and compromises.”

• In a leaked memo detailing Apple’s efforts to stop leaks, the company says it caught 29 leakers in 2017. Of those caught, 12 were arrested. Apple told employees they are “getting played” by journalists and bloggers that approach them with flattery in exchange for information.

• Former Apple executive, father of the iPod and current Nest CEO Tony Fadell wants Apple to do more to battle smartphone addiction.
• In a newly published op-ed, Fadell argues that it would be “easy” for Apple to create a deep dashboard that could reveal exactly how much time we spend on different apps.
• Fadell suggests that users could receive a regular itemized list like a credit card bill, complete with detailed information about how long they spent on each app, or even what they were doing inside each app.
• It turns out Apple agrees, and has said that it plans to incorporate smartphone-monitoring features into the next version of iOS.

• Apple is planning to launch its own premium subscription magazine service as part of the Apple News app, a new report claims.
• Earlier this year, the company acquired magazine app Texture. Texture offers more than 200 magazines for a rolling price of $9.99 per month.
• Since acquiring Texture, Apple has reportedly parted ways with 20 of Texture’s 100 employees. The remaining ones are now being integrated into the Apple News team. An app combining Apple News and Texture is expected to launch sometime in the next year.
• When the iPad first launched in 2010, one of the apps Steve Jobs was most excited about was The Daily, a short-lived, iPad-exclusive newspaper that was the first subscription app Apple offered.

• The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) — which has previously leaked the iPhone 7, AirPods, and new MacBooks early — has now spilled the beans on a bunch of new handsets Apple is planning to release this year.
• Given that the iPhone X and iPhone 8 launched just six months ago, they will almost certainly be new versions of iPhone SE.
• Apple’s newest iPhone SE launched last March with increased storage, but the rest of the device has remained unchanged since March 2016. Current models still pack an aging A9 processor that first made its debut inside the iPhone 6 in 2014.
• A new version of the iPhone SE will probably offer the same physical design, again with a 4-inch Retina display, but with more recent internals. Apple could give the device a more powerful A10 chip alongside improved cameras.

• HomePod is already stumbling in sales—is it doomed?  
• Apple Is the richest company on earth, so where are all its billionaires?
• Face ID could replace passwords on your favorite websites
• The death of Touch ID scheduled for this fall
• And stay tuned for Under Review, where we go hands on with an $80 tech-packed coffee cup, a beautiful new HomeKit smart lock, and the all-new Mavic Air drone.

• HomePod is already stumbling in sales—is it doomed?  
• Apple Is the richest company on earth, so where are all its billionaires?
• Face ID could replace passwords on your favorite websites
• The death of Touch ID scheduled for this fall
• And stay tuned for Under Review, where we go hands on with an $80 tech-packed coffee cup, a beautiful new HomeKit smart lock, and the all-new Mavic Air drone.

• Is the HomePod toast?
• According to some Apple store workers, inventories are piling up and Apple has cut orders with their manufacturer.
• "At first, it looked like the HomePod might be a hit. Pre-orders were strong, and in the last week of January the device grabbed about a third of the U.S. smart speaker market in unit sales, according to data provided to Bloomberg by Slice Intelligence. But by the time HomePods arrived in stores, sales were tanking, says Slice principal analyst Ken Cassar. “Even when people had the ability to hear these things,” he says, “it still didn’t give Apple another spike.””
• According to Slice Intelligence: During the HomePod’s first 10 weeks of sales, it eked out 10 percent of the smart speaker market, compared with 73 percent for Amazon’s Echo devices and 14 percent for the Google Home
• Why aren’t people buying HomePods?

• Did you know it wasn’t Apple that made Steve Jobs a billionaire? It was Pixar selling to Disney.  
• Well it seems, as the world’s richest company, Apple would have many billionaires in its ranks.  Turns out it doesn’t, and two astute reporters at Bloomberg wondering why.
• Apple Chairman Art Levinson is the only insider billionaire at Apple, and his Apple stock only accounts for $200 of his fortune.
• It’s estimated that Tim Cook is only worth 600 million dollars.
• Steve Jobs sold all but one of his shares when he was ousted from the company.
• One theory is that large stockholders sold off their shares in 1997 when Apple was on the brink of bankruptcy.
• Apple is smart with their executive pay, tying significant parts of compensation to company performance.
• Only corporate insiders or shareholders with stakes exceeding 5 percent are required to report their interests, so it’s possible there are billionaires around.

• Face ID could become even more useful thanks to a newly launched Web Authentication standard, which could replace regular web passcodes with biometric identification. This is via an API created by the FIDO Alliance and W3C. It allows users to access any online service in a browser through password-free FIDO Authentication.
• While Apple already allows Face ID to autofill usernames and passcodes on iOS, this could go one step further by replacing the passcode altogether. This would make it a more secure option.
• The biometric services covered by the API include fingerprint readers, cameras and USB keys.
• At present, the feature can be used in Mozilla’s Firefox browser, with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge integration set to follow in the coming months. Opera integration is in the works, too, although sadly there’s no mention of Apple adopting this for Safari.

• All of the 2018 iPhone models will have Face ID, according to an industry analyst.
• The analyst also indicated that two of the three models coming this fall will have OLED displays. There will be one medium-size and two bigger iPhones, both larger than any before.
• He’s also expecting a price drop on the iPhone X to $899, with the X Plus costing $999.
• Could that mean a move to FaceID on the Mac?

• Whoa!  Apple just stole Google’s head of A.I. to make Siri smarter
• Apple plans to ditch Intel processors on the Mac 
• You won’t believe the massive cash being pay to silicon valley’s A.I. talent
• Future iPhones could boast curved displays and touch-free controls
• iOS 11.4 public beta arrives with AirPlay 2, but it won’t work with your HomePod
• And a Leander gives us the scoop on his new Tim Cook book!

• John Giannandrea used to be in charge of Google’s search and artificial intelligence, but now he works for Apple.  He’s leading the drive to make the company’s Siri voice assistant smarter, a goal many would agree is overdue.
• NYT: Apple said on Tuesday that Mr. Giannandrea will run Apple’s “machine learning and A.I. strategy,” and become one of 16 executives who report directly to Apple’s chief executive, Timothy D. Cook.
• This is the most high-profile move yet in a ongoing drive to hire more talent for the Siri team.
• Mr. Giannandrea came to Google in 2010, where he helped make AI and machine learning part of all the company’s products, from search to Gmail. And now he’s doing that for Apple.
• Apple is also looking to hire  to hire 142 more people for Siri-related jobs, almost twice as many as this time last year.

• Fun fact: Engineers with A.I. expertise are some of the most sought-after people in Silicon Valley, with salaries sometimes exceeding eight figures.
• Tech’s biggest companies are placing huge bets on artificial intelligence, banking on things ranging from face-scanning smartphones and conversational coffee-table gadgets to computerized health care and autonomous vehicles.
• Typical A.I. specialists, including both Ph.D.s fresh out of school and people with less education and just a few years of experience, can be paid from $300,000 to $500,000 a year or more in salary and company stock
• In a court filing this year, Google revealed that one of the leaders of its self-driving-car division, Anthony Levandowski, a longtime employee who started with Google in 2007, took home over $120 million in incentives before joining Uber last year
• In the entire world, fewer than 10,000 people have the skills necessary to tackle serious artificial intelligence research, according to Element AI, an independent lab in Montreal.
• Not enough teachers because they all get lured into making their fortunes
• Over the last several years, four of the best-known A.I. researchers in academia have left or taken leave from their professorships at Stanford University. At the University of Washington, six of 20 artificial intelligence professors are now on leave or partial leave and working for outside companies.
• Nonprofits like Fast.ai and companies like Deeplearning.ai, founded by a former Stanford professor who helped create the Google Brain lab, offer online courses.

• According to Bloomberg, Apple is working on touchless gesture controls and curved screens for future iPhones
• The touchless control feature would be a bit like the Air Gestures feature Samsung introduced several years back. This allows users to accept calls and navigate through web pages by waving their hands across the screen.
• The other new technology is for a curved display more noticeable than the slight curve seen on the iPhone X’s OLED screen. Unlike Samsung’s curved handsets, which curve down at the edges, Apple’s approach reportedly curves “inward gradually from top to bottom.”

• Apple is pushing forward with plans to ditch Intel’s processors in favor of its own chips, according to a new report that claims the transition away from Intel CPUs will likely take multiple steps.
• Bloomberg says that Apple executives have already approved the project to make the Mac run on ARM-based processors by 2020.
• Moving to its own chips inside Macs would let Apple release new models on its own timelines, instead of relying on Intel’s processor roadmap.
• Making the move to ARM chips won’t be easy though. All software would basically have to be rewritten for the new processors, which certainly won’t make developers happy.
• Pluses
• •  Intel chips have stalled in major progress, leaving little reason for many to update from older computers.
  • The A11 bionic chip inside the iPhone X beats meets or beats Geekbench scores of the fastest 2017 13” MacBook Pro
  • No more waiting on Intel!  More regular releases of Macs with updated hardware.
  • Even tighter integration of your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and other  devices
• Concerns
• • Machines not capable with doing pro work.  Sure the X beats a 13” MBP, but what about a desktop  4-core or 6-core chip with hyper threading?
  • is this going to mean Macs that are more like phones and iPads? (efficient but not very powerful)
  • Even more of a walled-garden as Apple fine-tunes it’s machines to work best with it’s own software, but 3rd party apps may not follow

• New 9.7inch iPad
• Updates to iWork
• Updated Classroom and new Schoolwork Cloud Apps
• ClassKitAPI
• More iCloud storage for students and teachers

• The iPhone X’s $1,000 price point has been hard to swallow for a lot of customers, which may help explain why sales have supposedly been a bit disappointing.
• According to a new report, Apple has managed to reduce its manufacturing bill of materials (MBOM) for this year’s iPhone X-sized handset to a level much lower than that of its present flagship.
• The report suggests that Apple’s manufacturing cost for the new iPhone could be more than 10 percent lower than the $400+ dollars it pays for each iPhone X model.
• Apple will allegedly launch two new OLED iPhones this year, including a 5.85-inch (the same size as the iPhone X) and 6.45-inch OLED model, as well as a 6.1-inch LCD model. A plan to produce a 5.85-inch LCD iPhone has reportedly been suspended since mid-February, and could be cancelled altogether.
• Theory: Plus-sized phone price will probably be that of iPhone X with 5.85-inch phone being price of today’s 8 Plus.  LCD version of the phone will take on iPhone 8 pricing.

• Apple will kick off its 29th annual Worldwide Developers Conference on MondayJune 4. keynote at 10am?
• The week-long event, which will offer the first previews of Apple’s next big software updates, will again be held in the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose.

• According to a new Digitimes report and also Apple Analyst Ming Chi Kuo, Apple is prepping a new entry-level 13-inch MacBook that will debut in the second quarter of 2018.  The price?  A mere $999.
• One other interesting tidbit in today’s report is that Apple’s upstream supply chain has supposedly started shipping components for a new iPad Pro upgrade and cheaper 9.7-inch iPad. The 9.7-inch iPad is reportedly set to be released in the second quarter of this year (making WWDC a likely candidate for its debut), while the refreshed iPad Pro will come some time in the second half of 2018.
• I’ve seen a ton of sales on the 9.7", and also the iPad Pro more recently.
• June is the 6th month in the year, so technically all these products could be unveiled at WWDC.
• If you remember the 10.5” iPad was announced at the last WWDC.

• Under the veil of anonymity, some current and former Apple employees are admitting Siri sucks, and Apple knows it.
• Apple’s AI assistant is way behind the competition, and a new report indicates that Cupertino’s coders can’t agree on how to fix Siri — or even if it should be fixed.
• Siri had so much promise… How did we get here?
  • Bugs and infighting
• • Multiple sources told The Information that Apple "rushed Siri into the iPhone 4s before the technology was fully baked,"
  • According to The Information, the problem is so severe that Apple can’t decide “whether to continue patching up a flawed build or to rip it up and start from scratch.”
  • Bugs and other problems reportedly began almost from the time Apple acquired the voice system back in 2010. Part of the problem was Siri’s instant popularity. The backend servers weren’t prepared for the demand coming from millions of iPhone users. The company has struggled ever since to make Siri’s code more efficient.
• Lack of vision
  • Well, like so many things, it’s due to a total lack of vision for what Siri should be.
• • Steve Jobs spearheaded the acquisition of Siri and the integration of the technology into iOS.
  • Siri was unveiled as the signature feature of the iPhone 4s in 2011. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died the very next day
  • “When Steve died the day after Siri launched, they lost the vision,” one of The Information’s sources said. “They didn’t have a big picture.”
  • Since that time, multiple project managers have come and gone, none with Jobs’ vision. There’s allegedly an internal debate over whether Siri should be a system for answering short questions and following simple commands, or a more full-featured digital assistant capable of handling more complex queries.

• A version between $150 and $200 will change that, if a report from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News is correct.
• This unconfirmed report doesn’t say what features will change to lower the cost that significantly. However, a separate research note from Rosenblatt analyst Jun Zhang says the upcoming cheaper HomePod will be smaller.
• This isn’t expected to be a replacement for the current HomePod. It would be a lower-priced alternative that’s within the grasp of a far wider potential audience, enabling Apple to better compete with the Amazon Echo and Dot smart speakers.

• Apple could kill off iTunes in the near future, a new report suggests.
• It cites an email that Apple reportedly wrote to people in the music industry recently, announcing the “end of iTunes LPs.” The iTunes LP format was first introduced in 2009 and let publishers add interactive artwork, along with assorted iTunes Extras, with their content.
• The LP format never achieved great popularity. However, the fact that Apple plans to ditch iTunes LPs in 2018 potentially hints at the possibility that Apple may stop selling iTunes music downloads in the near future.
• According to a previous report by The Wall Street Journal, Apple Music is currently growing at a rate of around 5 percent each month.

• A new video posted online by Bennett Sorbo compares an iPhone 6s with depleted battery against one with a fresh battery.
• The two iPhones are then put head to head as they run through a variety of CPU-intensive tasks, including opening apps, using the internet, playing games and videos, and more.

• MoviePass responded late this evening to a number of reports calling into question the company’s privacy policy after CEO Mitch Lowe publicly claimed the theater subscription service tracks its users’ locations.

• "video game consoles; controllers for game consoles; video output games, namely, video output game machines for use with televisions; apparatus for electronic games adapted for use with an external display screen or monitor.”
• This is a significant update that has to be taken seriously. Bringing a whole new level of gaming to Apple TV could be another twist coming to Apple TV in addition to a video content service driven by Apple Worldwide Video.

• One of the best features for Apple’s new HomePod appears to be facing some big delays.
• AirPlay 2.0 promises to give HomePod users the ability to stream the same song to different devices in different rooms from a single iPhone. But with the release of iOS 11.3 beta 3 this morning, Apple has decided to pull the feature from testing.
• The functionality of AirPlay 2.0 was pretty buggy in the first two beta builds of iOS 11.3. Apple removed it in the latest betas of iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3 that just came out.
• Until AirPlay 2.0 comes out, you also won’t be able to pair two of Apple’s new smart speakers together so they play stereo sound or multi-room audio.

• Apple has been given the go-ahead for two new iPads, hinting at an imminent refresh.
• The company filed for approval with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), and both devices were granted permission this week. Apple has also been given approval to bring several iPhone and iPad “samples” into the region.
• The filings don’t tell us much about these devices. But it does suggest that an Apple announcement is imminent.
• Apple is dumping 9.7” models.  128GB versions are selling for $280-$350 (regular price $430)
• Apple Files Major Apple TV Logo Trademark Update Focused on All-Things related to Gaming, Including a Video Game Console

• One of the most reputable tech review sites isn’t that impressed with the HomePod’s superb sound.
• While most reviewers have noted the HomePod as the best sounding speaker they’ve ever listened too, Consumer Reports claims Google Home Max and Sonos One sound better.
• “The HomePod will serve many music fans well, but CR testers did hear some flaws. The HomePod’s bass was a bit boomy and overemphasized,” wrote Consumer Reports. “And the midrange tones were somewhat hazy, meaning that some of the nuance in vocals, guitars, and horns was lost

• Reddit user WinterCharm posted exhaustive audio performance testing results for HomePod to the Reddit audiophile community.
• Using specialized equipment and a controlled testing environment, the review features in-depth analysis of the smart speaker's output when compared to a pair of $999 KEF X300Adigital hi-fi monitors, representing a "meticulously set up audiophile grade speaker versus a tiny little HomePod that claims to do room correction on its own”.
  • "I am speechless. The HomePod actually sounds better than the KEF X300A. If you're new to the Audiophile world, KEF is a very well respected and much loved speaker company. I actually deleted my very first measurements and re-checked everything because they were so good, I thought I'd made an error. Apple has managed to extract peak performance from a pint sized speaker, a feat that deserves a standing ovation. The HomePod is 100% an Audiophile grade Speaker."

• Our ol’ pal Genie Munster, in a new test shared today by Loup Ventures, HomePod was put through a bunch of Siri AI tests
• When asked a series of questions, here’s how it performed vs. other smart speakers
• Google Home answered 81 percent correctly, Amazon's Alexa answered 64 percent correctly, and Microsoft's Cortana answered 57 percent correctly.

• HomePods are already making their mark in new homes across the country — but not in a good way.
• Apple customers started noticing that HomePod can damage wood furniture by leaving a white ring after resting on a table for just a few minutes or days.
• Apple confirmed the problem today, saying “the marks can improve over several days after the speaker is removed from the wood surface.” Apple also suggested owners “try cleaning the surface with the [table] manufacturer’s suggested oiling method.”If the white rings don’t disappear, Apple says you can just refinish the furniture.
• Apple also recommends putting the HomePod on a coaster if you’re worried about the speaker damaging your table.

Erfon listens to HomePod for the first time... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lz7dxfNXL8

• Apple will start focusing on the next two years of updates for its iPhone and iPad operating system, according to people familiar with the change. The company will continue to update its software annually, but internally engineers will have more discretion to push back features that aren't as polished to the following year.
• Software chief Craig Federighi laid out the new strategy to his army of engineers last month, according to a person familiar with the discussion. His team will have more time to work on new features and focus on under-the-hood refinements without being tied to a list of new features annually simply so the company can tout a massive year-over-year leap, people familiar with the situation say. The renewed focus on quality is designed to make sure the company can fulfill promises made each the summer at the annual developers conference and that new features work reliably and as advertised.
• The decision to give engineers more time to perfect software is a major cultural shift.
• At Google, teams update apps on their own schedule and aren’t tied to the annual Android release. At Apple, all new features are tied to a big release in the fall, when Apple rolls out its splashiest new software, and a more modest update in the spring

• Apple has been busy hiring a record number of engineers over the last few months. The move comes after the company also went on a designer hiring spree, indicating a major new product or two could be in the works.
• Job openings for engineering jobs at Apple rose 80% from the period starting in September until just last week. The company’s listings went from 665 open hardware engineering positions to 1,198 last week.
  • What exactly Apple is working on is anyone’s best guess right now, but check out these job listings:Analog Layout Designer, Advanced Material Scientist (Electrolyte Development), 3D Perception/Computer Vision Algorithm Engineer, Sensor Design Engineer, Motion Sensing Hardware Engineer: Magnetics, and even a Flexible Display Technologist.
• Leander had an epiphany last show of what all these jobs have in common

• Nintendo just announced that a mobile version of Mario Kart is under development. The company says the game will be released sometime in the next 13 months, but left it at that.
• "The checkered flag has been raised and the finish line is near. A new mobile application is now in development: Mario Kart Tour! #MarioKartTour Releasing in the fiscal year ending in March 2019.”

• Apple is changing up its plans for this year’s mobile software
• According to Ina Fried in a report for Axios, “Apple has shaken up its iOS software plans for 2018, delaying some features to next year in an effort to put more focus on addressing performance and quality issues"

• Apple’s primary focus for its software updates this year is on improving performance and stability. But there’s a big new feature that the company is still working to bring to macOS, according to a new report. That’s the ability to run iPad apps.
• Apple has delayed big new features for iOS to focus on ironing out the kinks this year, according to a report from Axios’ Ina Fried. Software chief Craig Federighi is said to have announced the plans to Apple employees at a meeting earlier this month.
• But one key feature remains on the roadmap for 2018: The ability for Macs to run iPad apps,” reads the latest report.

• A growing number of analysts and news outlets have claimed that Apple is cutting production due to weaker-than-expected demand for its flagship device. The Wall Street Journal is the latest to corroborate the claims.
• The Wall Street Journal is the latest to pipe up. It claimed on Monday that Apple has significantly reduced component orders for iPhone X — by as much as 60 percent in some cases. “They always do this when things aren’t selling well,” one source said.

• In a weekend report to investors, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities reiterates that Apple is planning two OLED iPhones and one LCD model for this year. The two OLED models, he says, be 5.8- and 6.5-inches in size, while the LCD model will be 6.1-inches.

• Apple today Wednesday that it will release its $349 HomePod on February 9.
• Pre-orders start this Friday!
• That technology includes a seven-tweeter array and a 4-inch woofer — plus spatial awareness capabilities. These allow HomePod to “read” its environment and tailor audio output for the best results, though this functionality won’t be available until later this year.
• In large rooms, you can even pair multiple HomePods for bigger sound.

• HomePod, the first new Apple product of 2018, is about to arrive. And as a huge Apple fanboy, I couldn’t care less.
• Thanks to Siri, HomePod is great at the things you want to know, and do, in your home. Set timers. Convert measurements. Get translations. And get live news, sports, weather, and traffic. You can also create lists that anyone can add to.
• Will it replace an iPad or AppleTV as as HomeKit hub?
• It’s too damn expensive
• Siri sucks
• You’re stuck with Apple Music
  • Will Spotify work at all?
• HomePod is not even finished yet!
  • No stereo or multi-room support till alter this year

• Apple gave the public a preview of the new features coming in iOS 11.3 Wednesday.
• iOS 11.3 beta 1 contains a number of notable improvements, including iCloud Messages. Apple also added the ability to view your battery’s health and choose between increased performance or better battery life. The new feature is in response to criticism Apple received from customers after it was discovered that Apple throttles CPU speeds on iPhones with older batteries.

• Messages on iCloud were first previewed at WWDC 2017. Apple pulled it from later beta builds though as it wasn’t ready for wider use
• Well it’s finally entering the beta testing phase among developers.
• Once iMessage on iCloud rolls out to the public you’ll be able to delete iMessage conversations to save space on your device. Conversations will still be accessible on your other Apple devices though and on 

• The most popular consumer drone on the market just got a huge upgrade that gives it even more mass appeal for budding droners and video creators.
• DJI unveiled its new folding drone, the Mavic Air, today. A blend of the company’s two most popular drones, the Mavic Pro and the Spark, it also packs new features you won’t find on DJI’s other drones.

• Tim Cook has revealed that a future iOS 11 update will let users disable the feature that was causing their iPhone to throttle performance.
• He says that this forthcoming update will give users the option to disable performance throttling if they would rather be at risk of unexpected shutdowns but maintain full CPU and GPU performance.

• Apple’s big tax break is about to unleash an big beautiful avalanche of spending from the iPhone-maker.
• In its last earnings report, Apple said it held $252 billion in cash overseas. It appears, given the new corporate tax rate of 15.5  percent, that it is returning a majority of this to the United States.  This low rate is a one-time deal for corporations to repatriate their overseas cash hordes
• Apple revealed its plans to contribute $350 billion to the U.S. economy over the next five years now that the fee for repatriating its mountain of overseas cash has been significantly lowered.
• Even though construction on Apple’s new spaceship campus just finished, the company says its already looking to build a new one. Plans (including the location) for the third Apple HQ will be revealed later this year. The building will initially house new team specializing in technical support for customers.
• The company also says it plans to increase the size of its advanced manufacturing fund from $1 billion to $5 billion. The fund is used to invest in U.S. manufacturing companies and suppliers.
• Apple says it will add over 20,000 new jobs in the next five years by hiring for new jobs at its existing campuses and the new one. $30 billion will be spent on capital expenditures in the US over next 5 years with $10 billion of that going to data centers.
• With the new tax law in effect, Apple expects it will only pay $38 billion to bring its money home. That would still be the largest ever payment to the IRS.

• Apple told employees Wednesday that it plans to give all of them $2,500 worth of restricted stock, thanks to the revised tax law that goes into effect this year.
• Trump applauded Apple’s moves on Twitter, saying “Great to see Apple follow through as a result of TAX CUTS. Huge win for American workers and the USA!”
• Tim also announced a very generous new charity match:
• • I’m happy to announce that starting immediately and running through the end of 2018, Apple will match all employee charitable donations, up to $10,000 annually, at a rate of two to one.

• Apple suppliers have begun shipping the first HomePod units ahead of the smart speaker’s much-anticipated launch. Just 1 million devices are on the way initially. However, Apple is expected to receive as many as 12 million by the end of this year.
• HomePod was supposed to launch ahead of the holidays but Apple delayed it because it wasn’t ready. When it finally goes on sale this year, HomePod will give Apple fans an alternative to Amazon Echo and Google Home.
• Meanwhile, smart speakers were ubiquitous at CES, and Amazon’s Alexa is now being built into everything from thermostats to toilets.
• Apple still hasn’t provided us with a proper HomePod release date yet

• Capturing super-smooth video on your iPhone is about to get a lot easier (AND cheaper) thanks to the folks at DJI.
• DJI unveiled its newest handheld smartphone gimbal today called the Osmo 2. The new gimbal packs simplified controls to allow anyone to record shake-free video from their iPhone, and it’s got some new tricks you won’t find on its predecessor.

• Everything you want to know about Apple’s $29 iPhone battery replacement program, and why you should absolutely use it.
• We’ll tell you about Steve Job’s new fashion line soon to be sweeping the runways of a Costco near you
• We break down just how much money Tim Cook earned each week and each day in 2017. Spoiler: He’a rich yaaa’aaall!.
• A high-tech butt cleaner, a $400 cooler, and a powerhouse network attached storage — Faves N Raves is back baby. We’ll pitch you our favorite tech then vote on which is best.

• In a surprising turn of events, Jony Ive has taken back the reigns of Apple’s design team.
• The new iMac is out, and the reviews are coming in.  We’ll tell you what’s new about this beastly machine with a MONSTER price tag
• By the numbers: how much dough Apple earns every single second will help you realize what plebeians we all are
• And we wrap with how Apple got it right 2017, and what they need to do better in 2018!

• Jony Ive is reportedly returning to hands-on design duties at Apple, two years after being promoted to the role of Chief Design Officer.
• According to an Apple spokesperson, “With the completion of Apple Park, Apple’s design leaders and teams are again reporting directly to Jony Ive, who remains focused purely on design.”
• Why Ive would be returning to his old role isn’t immediately clear — nor what this means for Dye and Howarth. Ironically, at the time that Ive was given his new job in 2015, some pundits suggested it meant Jony was on his way out of Apple, and this was a way of carrying out the transition. Now that he is “demoted” to his old position, no doubt many people will take it as signaling much the same thing.

• Just a heads up: Got my first AT&T bill with my Apple Watch LTE added on. Taxes on the $10 data plan add-on come to $7.69 meaning the cellular plan for the watch is actually $17.69/month or $212.28 for a year of service. That's insane and totally not worth it. Just wanted to make people aware of the fact that AT&T conveniently neglects to mention how expensive the plan will actually be.

• Jailbreaking was once a necessity to millions of iPhone owners, is just about dead, at least according to Cydia store creator Jay Freeman
• Many of the features that made jailbreaking so popular — like video recording, useful settings toggles, custom ringtones, and enhanced multitasking — are now baked into iOS. So jailbreaking is no longer required for many iPhone and iPad users.
• It was the only way to obtain native apps during the handset’s first year on the market. But even after the launch of the App Store, users turned to jailbreaking to get their hands on software Apple wouldn’t allow.
• Two of Cydia’s largest repositories have been shutdown as jailbreaking dies out. ModMy and ZodTTD are no longer available, leaving BigBoss as the only major source still available to those who want apps and tweaks you can’t find in the App Store.

• Apple wants to help you make the most of your iPhone and iPad with a brand new YouTube channel. It offers a collection of how-to videos that teach you how to take screenshots, send attachments in Mail, print on the go, and more.
• The channel, which launched on Monday evening, currently hosts ten how-to videos. They’ll teach you how to do things like change your wallpaper, mute or leave a group conversation in iMessage, delete call logs and photos, and more.
• Each video is under two minutes in length. It provides step-by-step instructions for each how-to, with useful bullet points that make the directions easier to follow. English captions are also available if required.

• Swipe up and over to the right for app switching, or swipe up and to the right
• Swipe up the down for reachability.
• You can then access control center from the top of the lowered screen
• Close apps by swiping them up (instead of using the lame minus icon)
• Volume up. Volume Down.  Power button hold to restart/shutdown