

The CultCast
America's favorite Apple Podcast
The CultCast covers each week’s best Apple stories, tech news, and accessories—but more importantly—we do it with pizzaz. Why listen to another dreary tech program? Tune in to the CultCast each week for a healthy dose of Apple and tech news, jokes gone wrong, and unending tangents.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 1, 2023 • 54min
Cool new iOS 17.2 features & Apple canceling Apple Card?!? (CultCast #623)
Send us a text!This week: Apple’s falling out with Goldman Sachs could mean the end of Apple Card - we’ll fill you in. We’ll also give you the real deal on how NameDrop works and run through the top podcasts of 2023. And finally — could multiple cheaper Apple Vision headsets be in the works? This episode supported by: Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for a private tutor - or fooling yourself with language apps that are little more than games - Babbel’s quick 10-minute lessons are designed by over 150 language experts to help you start speaking a new language in as little as 3-weeks. Get 55% off at babbel.com/cultcast. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Cult of Mac’s watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple’s. See the full curated collection at store.cultofmac.com CultCloth will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 15 Pro, guitars, glasses and lenses sparkling clean! For a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a two free CarryCloths with any order $20+ at CultCloth.co This week’s stories: Apple reportedly ending Apple Card partnership with Goldman Sachs Apple’s partnership with Goldman Sachs for the Apple Card is reportedly coming to an end. The Wall Street Journal says Apple sent a proposal to the bank to exit from the agreement in the next 12 to 15 months. MacRumors: Interesting new features in iOS 17.2 Beta 4 Under Sounds & Haptics, there's a new "Default Alerts" section that allows you to choose the sound used for all incoming notifications aside from texts, mail alerts, and calendar alerts, which already had customization options. With the iPhone 15 Pro models, ProRes video can be recorded directly to an external device. iOS 17.2 appears to include a new pop up message that lets users know that external recording is not working because of a USB-C cable that is too slow. Arm ain’t happy about how little Apple pays for its chip tech All Apple computers run on chips based on technology licensed from Arm. And it turns out the licensing fee is surprisingly low. Pennies per device. New deal means fully American-made Apple silicon chips Apple silicon processors that TSMC makes at its Arizona plant will be packaged by Amkor at a nearby facility. Why iPhone NameDrop feature is not a security risk Parents are mistakenly being warned that they need to quickly deactivate iOS 17’s NameDrop feature on their children’s iPhones. The warnings claim that it’s causing the devices to broadcast their contact information to anyone nearby. This simply isn’t true. MacRumors: Work on Multiple Next-Gen Vision Pro Headsets Ongoing, Including Cheaper Model DigiTimes claims that there are a total of four different second-generation Vision Pro headsets in development, including a

Nov 23, 2023 • 1h 9min
Sonos AirPods Max competitors + Tim Cook's plans to leave Apple (CultCast #622)
Send us a text!GOBBLE GOBBLE YAAALL! This week: iPads are going OLED! More HUGE legislation is coming out of the EU, Sonos is taking on Apple and Tim Cook talks about his succession plan. And we wrap up another all-new Under Review! This episode supported by: Notion combines your notes, documents, and task or project management into one space that’s simple and beautifully designed, with the power of AI built right inside. Try Notion AI for free when you go to notion.com/cultcast. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Cult of Mac's watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple's. See the full curated collection at store.cultofmac.com CultCloth will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 15 Pro, guitars, glasses and lenses sparkling clean! For a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a two free CarryCloths with any order $20+ at CultCloth.co This week‘s stories: iPad Air and iPad mini with OLED screens pegged for 2026 release Add iPad Air and iPad mini to the list of Apple tablets getting OLED screens. At least, that’s what an unconfirmed report coming out of Asia says. And the mini will supposedly get a boost in display size. EU’s proposed right to repair law incentivizes repairs, bans parts pairing The European Parliament has voted to approve a strong Right to Repair proposal. It aims to make consumer electronic goods more repairable, with companies required to prioritize repairability over replacement. The EU’s draft law prevents parts pairing. Apple notoriously uses this software block to discourage iPhone users from getting their devices repaired by third-party shops. Enter to win a super-protective iPad case from Zugu [Cult of Mac Giveaway] We teamed up with Zugu to give five lucky winners the chance to win one of these fantastic iPad cases, which come with a great adjustable kickstand and a built-in Apple Pencil holder. MacRumors: Sonos to Launch $400+ Headphones and Set-Top Box, Competing with Apple Devices Popular speaker company Sonos is planning to enter several new product markets that will see it competing with Apple devices, according to a new report from Bloomberg. Apple CEO Succession Plans 'Very Detailed', Says Tim Cook In a 45-minute interview for the BBC Sounds podcast Dua Lipa: At Your Service hosted by singer Dua Lipa, Cook admitted that he does not know how long he will remain at Apple. Tim said, “I would say that my job is to prepare several people for the ability to succeed, and I really want the person to come from within Apple, the next CEO. So that's my role: That there's several for the board to pick from.” Under Review: The Apple II Age: How The Computer Became Personal by Laine Nooney 100W Righ

Nov 17, 2023 • 1h 4min
Showdown! M3 Max Macbook Pro 14” Vs. 16” + New iOS 17.2 features (CultCast #621)
Send us a text!This week, performance showdown! It's the 14 Vs. the 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pros - can the 14-inch keep up?! Plus: is 8 GB of memory enough for the base MacBook Pro; new features coming to iOS 17.2, iOS 18 and RCS finally coming to iMessage; and the huge iPad Air coming early next year! This episode supported by: Factor is America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, and can help you fuel up fast with ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door. Head to factormeals.com/cultcast50 and use code cultcast50 to get 50% off your first box. Notion combines your notes, documents, and task or project management into one space that’s simple and beautifully designed, with the power of AI built right inside. Try Notion AI for free when you go to notion.com/cultcast. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Cult of Mac's watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple's. See the full curated collection at store.cultofmac.com CultCloth will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 15 Pro, guitars, glasses and lenses sparkling clean! For a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a two free CarryCloths with any order $20+ at CultCloth.co This week‘s stories: 14" vs 16" M3 Max MacBook Pro: Major OVERHEATING Issues! M3 MacBook Pro 8GB vs 16GB RAM - How BAD is base model? YouTube videos by MaxTech New features coming in iOS 17.2 iOS 17.2 adds a Translate Action button shortcut, the Journal app and spatial video recording from the camera. Spatial video playing on Meta Quest Enter to win a super-protective iPad case from Zugu [Cult of Mac giveaway] The prize in this week’s giveaway is every iPad owner’s dream: an iPad case from Zugu with a built-in Apple Pencil holder. We teamed up with Zugu to give five lucky winners the chance to win one of these fantastic iPad cases. Shocker: Apple commits to RCS for better texting with Android users In what is apparently an enormous change of direction, Apple reportedly plans to add support for Rich Communication Services (RCS) to the iPhone Messages app in 2024. This will enable iPhones and Androids to communicate more securely. iPhone 16 Likely to Get Exclusive AI Features in iOS 18 Apple at WWDC 2024 will reveal a turbo-charged version of Siri powered by large language models (LLMs) that will debut in iOS 18, but some new cutting-edge generative AI features could be exclusive to iPhone 16 models. 12.9-inch iPad Air could launch in early 2024 Apple could overhaul its tablet lineup in 2024, delivering the first 12.9-inch iPad Air and upgrading iPad Pro models to OLED displays and the company’

Nov 10, 2023 • 1h 2min
M3/Pro/Max MacBook Pros - the cold hard truth! (CultCast #620)
This podcast discusses the cold hard truth of M3/Pro/Max MacBook Pros versus previous generations, rumors about iOS 18, and Apple's cutting-edge battery technology. They also cover the confusion surrounding the release of the M3 MacBook Pro and compare the M3 Pro and M3 Max models. The hosts joke about coldamac.com, mention a podcast swap with Twit, and recommend checking out Mac Break Weekly and other Apple-related shows. Lastly, they discuss Apple's next major software releases and upgrading a PC with NVMe.

Nov 3, 2023 • 1h 14min
Reacting to all the new “Scary Fast” M3 Macs! (CultCast #619)
Send us a text!This week: the pros and cons - it's our reactions to the new M3 MacBook Pros and iMac! Plus: a long-rumored health feature will finally debut in the next Apple Watch, and we find out the winner of last week's Scary Fast event predictions! This episode supported by: Factor is America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, and can help you fuel up fast with ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door. Head to factormeals.com/cultcast50 and use code cultcast50 to get 50% off your first box. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for a private tutor - or fooling yourself with language apps that are little more than games - Babbel’s quick 10-minute lessons are designed by over 150 language experts to help you start speaking a new language in as little as 3-weeks. Get 55% off at babbel.com/cultcast. PDF Editor ,PDF Book Reader is your do-it-all PDF app, perfect for reading, creating, editing, signing, and scanning PDFs. And CultCast listeners can get a year of all pro features totally free. Here's how: First, download the app on your device (iPhone, iPad or Mac) Next, click on this link Enter the code CULTOFMAC You'll unlock a free year of pro features Code expires on Dec 1, 2023 or after 10,000 uses! This week‘s stories: Apple M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max boost Mac performance up to 50% The M2 was a fairly modest improvement over the original version, but the M3 brings more of a boost. Much of that come from a switch from a 5nm production process to a 3nm one. Shrinking the chip’s components allows them to work faster while generating less waste heat. 3 new M3 MacBook Pro models promise blazing speed The basic new MacBook Pro is a 14-inch model with the M3 chip. “Perfect for aspiring creatives, students, and entrepreneurs, it now starts at $1,599,” Apple said. Orders start Monday for all the new laptops, with shipping starting November 7, Apple said. The base M3 MacBook Pro at $1,599 ($1,499 for education). M3 Pro starts at $1,999 ($1,849 for education). M3 Max starts at $2,499 ($2,299 for education). Good riddance: 13-inch MacBook Pro discontinued Apple has discontinued the 13-inch MacBook Pro. It was the last MacBook in the company’s lineup with a Touch Bar, a thin, customizable OLED strip at the top of the keyboard that replaced the usual row of function keys. M1 vs. M3 24-inch iMac comparison: What’s changed? The biggest upgrade between the 2021 and 2023 24-inch iMac is the switch to the faster M3 chip. Apple claims its newest iMac delivers 2x faster performance. Fail: No USB-C update for Magic Mouse or Keyboard With the latest iPhones dropping the Lightning port in favor of USB-C, there was speculation (and hope) that Apple would release new versions of the Magic Mouse, Trackpad and Keyboard that also reject the Lightnin

Oct 27, 2023 • 1h 41min
Let’s talk Apple’s “Scary Fast” Mac event expectations! (CultCast #618)
Apple's surprise 'Scary Fast' event is expected to showcase a barrage of new Macs. Speculations and rumors about the event include the possibility of new Mac Pro and AirPods. The hosts discuss Apple's challenges in Mac gaming and the availability of new Macs. They also touch upon the rumors surrounding upcoming AirPods models and express gratitude to Leo LaPorte. The episode concludes with discussions on Apple's streaming service price increases and predictions for Apple's 'Scary Fast' Mac event, including potential redesigns and focus.

Oct 20, 2023 • 1h 18min
Apple prepping 32-inch iMac and FOLDing iPad! (CultCast #617)
Apple is preparing a 32-inch iMac Pro, and a foldable iPad could launch in 2024. They also discuss rumors about the next iPad Pro, including its higher price tag. The hosts debate whether fast charging harms Apple devices and talk about the confusion surrounding the new Apple Pencil. They mention funny anecdotes about Mac's 'reactions' feature and share their thoughts on different hybrid car models.

Oct 13, 2023 • 1h 24min
Uh oh — BAD news for the new Macs and the next Apple Watch (CultCast #616)
Send us a text!This week: a super useful new iPhone 15 feature is coming to iOS 17.1! Plus: Why the next Apple Watch might not be too great; rumors say no new MacBooks before 2024, and the big problem with Vision Pro that no one's talking about. Then, we pitch our favorite gadgets in an all-new Under Review! This episode supported by: Factor is America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, and can help you fuel up fast with ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door. Head to factormeals.com/cultcast50 and use code cultcast50 to get 50% off your first box. Notion combines your notes, documents, and task or project management into one space that’s simple and beautifully designed, with the power of AI built right inside. Try Notion AI for free when you go to notion.com/cultcast. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Cult of Mac's watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple's. See the full curated collection at store.cultofmac.com CultCloth will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 15 Pro, guitars, glasses and lenses sparkling clean! For a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a two free CarryCloths with any order $20+ at CultCloth.co This week‘s stories: iOS 17.1 will add pocket-detection mode for iPhone 15 Pro’s Action button To avoid accidentally activating the action button, Apple plans to add a pocket-detection feature in iOS 17.1 (as spotted by MacRumors in the latest beta). This will ensure that pressing the Action button while the iPhone 15 Pro is in your pocket won’t activate the camera, flashlight or any other action that does not make sense. 2024 Apple Watch 'Unlikely' to Have 'Significant' Innovation The 2024 Apple Watch is "unlikely" to offer "significant innovative experiences," according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. M3 MacBooks unlikely to launch before 2024 A DigiTimes report corroborates an earlier prediction from TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that Apple will not launch new M3-powered MacBooks this year. Enter to win a protective and stylish iPhone 15 bundle from Laut [Cult of Mac giveaway] Three lucky winners can choose either a Laut Revive Prop or a Laut Prestige iPhone 15 case. (This week’s winners get to choose which type and size of case they want.) Both offer 10.5-foot drop protection. Apple’s Challenge for the Next Vision Pro: Making It Easier to Wear A key focus for Apple is making its device more comfortable to wear — with a smaller and lighter design. The company’s first headset, the Vision Pro, has caused neck strain in testing due to its size and weight. Under Review:

Oct 6, 2023 • 1h 40min
New Macs are incoming! + iPhone 15 Pro #WarmGate aftermath! (CultCast #615)
Send us a text!This week: get your wallets ready... cause a whole slew of new Macs are just around the corner! We'll tell you what to expect. Plus: more iPhone 15 Pro issues, Apple's prepping to unveil their next-gen display tech, and 12 years later - we remember Steve Jobs! This episode supported by Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Cult of Mac's watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple's. See the full curated collection at Store.Cultofmac.com CultCloth will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 15 Pro, guitars, glasses and lenses sparkling clean! For a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a two free CarryCloths with any order $20+ at CultCloth.co. This week's stories GRIFFIN: New MacBook Pros with mini-LED, new iMac and new MacBook Air could all launch this year “Apple is expected to ship new models of 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro devices in the fourth quarter of 2023,” Digitimes reported today. LEWIS: Apple rushes out fix for ‘warmer than expected’ iPhones Our incredibly brief, slightly warmer than anticipated, international iPhone nightmare is over. iOS 17.0.3 just launched, and Apple promises it “addresses an issue that may cause iPhone to run warmer than expected.” LEWIS: Enter to win a protective and stylish iPhone 15 bundle from Laut [Cult of Mac giveaway] Three lucky winners can choose either a Laut Revive Prop or a Laut Prestige iPhone 15 case. (This week’s winners get to choose which type and size of case they want.) Erfon: The iPhone 15 Pro has a weird USB-C charging problem Tried charging your new iPhone 15 from a power bank but came back to a dead iPhone? You're not alone! Here's what's going on. Griffin: How Apple muffed the iPhone 15 Pro’s new Action button I’ve been using my new iPhone 15 Pro for a couple of weeks now, but I still haven’t gotten used to the new Action button. LEWIS: How to stop macOS Sonoma from flashing your desktop, aka, How to disable the coolest new feature in macOS Sonoma! This is the new “Click wallpaper to reveal desktop” feature in the new Mac operating system. If you find this functionality annoying, here’s how to turn it off. That way, you can safely click your Mac’s desktop again. Erfon: Next Major Apple Watch Ultra Upgrade Rumored to Be MicroLED Display Technology MicroLED display technology will be the next major upgrade coming to the Apple Watch Ultra, according to a Weibo leaker with a proven track record for disclosing accurate information about Apple's plans.

Sep 29, 2023 • 1h 44min
Nothing but the truth! One week w/iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple Watch Ultra 2, & Apple Watch 9 (CultCast #614)
Nerds are upset about iPhone 15 Pro's titanium finish; reviews and hidden features of iPhone 15 Pro discussed; new features in iOS 17 highlighted; Apple's new Finewoven cases are a topic of discussion; hands-on impressions of iPhone 15 Pro Max and Apple Watch Ultra 2 shared; concerns about the camera lens and overheating addressed; disappointment with Apple's color marketing for Apple Watch; speculation on Apple's chip naming strategy; discussion on AI-generated content and Apple's car project; colorful options for new Apple product; debate about Neuralink and connecting to a computer.


