The CultCast

Send us a text!This week: Apple’s working on something BIG, and their massive increase in R&D spending proves it. Plus: we discuss all the surprises Apple unveiled in their recent earnings report, and it was another record breaker. And if you think your conversations with Siri are private, think again! Apple’s been caught reviewing your most personal sound bytes. We’ll give you the details. And finally, a new Moviepass competitor has emerged with a very interesting offer, but is it worth the price? 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 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 The key surprises from Apple’s upbeat earnings report iPhone is no longer king Mac Pro could make an American comeback Apple Card is coming in August R&D is at an all-time high Apple contractors 'regularly hear confidential details' on Siri recordings Workers hear drug deals, medical details and people having sex, says whistleblower Apple contractors regularly hear confidential medical information, drug deals, and recordings of couples having sex, as part of their job providing quality control, or “grading”, the company’s Siri voice assistant, the Guardian has learned. Regal offers a new unlimited movie viewing plan, but there are plenty of catches The plan comes in three tiers: Regal Unlimited for $18 a month for unlimited movies at more than 200 theaters; Regal Unlimited Plus for $21 a month for unlimited movies at more than 400 theaters; and Regal Unlimited All Access for $23.50 a month for unlimited movies at any Regal theater.  

Send us a text!This week: the all-new 16-inch MacBook Pro—a new report gives us a price tag and release date. Then: a new hire signals that the Apple Car is far from dead; and there’s finally a way to get podcasts recommendations tailored just for you. Plus stayed tuned for our favorite shows and comic con trailer in an all-new What We’re Into!   This episode supported by 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 iPhone XS, 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 Rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro might start at $3,000 Anyone eager to get their hands on the much-rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro better be saving their pennies. It could cost as much as $3000, if an unconfirmed report coming out of Asia is correct. The Chinese-language Economic Daily News predicts this will be Apple’s most expensive laptop ever. The starting price could be over $2,975, or even as much as $3,300 The EDN report goes on to say that the 16-inch macOS laptop will have a 3072 by 1920 LCD screen, in line with earlier rumors. The largest MacBook in years will supposedly debut in October. New 13.3-inch versions of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air will allegedly launch at the same time. BMW will charge outrageous annual fee for CarPlay BMW has decided that it will charge customers an annual fee if they want to enjoy CarPlay in its newest vehicles. It is the first car-maker to turn Apple’s platform into a subscription service. Most now include CarPlay as standard, or as an optional feature that lasts as long as the vehicle. It took BMW longer than most automakers to support CarPlay, and it doesn’t come cheap. The company charges $300 to add the platform to existing vehicles with a built-in navigation system. If you want CarPlay in a 2019 BMW, you can forget that one-time fee. In fact, you’ll get to enjoy the first year for free. But every year of CarPlay access after that will cost you $80. Overcast adds fantastic new podcast recommendations feature Overcast, the podcast app of choice for lovers of good design, just added a brand-new recommendations feature. Previously, Overcast used a Twitter-based recommendation engine. But developer Marco Arment says almost nobody used it. Now, he’s replaced it with recommendations based on users’ personal listening habits, and the result is amazing. Other notable features include Smart Speed (which cuts out silences) and Voice Boost (which pumps up spoken audio). Overcast also works great with the Apple Watch. Apple hires the engineer who led the design of Tesla's car interiors   What we’re into! Jablinski Games 2019 Tour de France

Send us a text!This week: FaceApp, the mega viral app that ages your face, might also be stealing your data! Plus: why your next iPhone or Mac may feature Apple’s rainbow logo; Apple might soon make a big move into original podcasts; and we’ll tell you about the wild lengths some Apple factory works go through to smuggle out top secret tech. 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 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 Apple’s retro rainbow logo might make a comeback There have been some clues earlier this year that Apple might be ready to embrace its old logo again. Apple renewed its trademark on the logo last year. Jony Ive also meticulously created a rainbow stage at Apple Park that used the rainbow Apple logo’s design. Although Ive was a fan of minimalist design, even he seemed to want to bring the rainbow Apple logo back. “There is the resonance with the rainbow logo that’s been part of our identity for many years,” Jony Ive recently explained. Is viral FaceApp stealing your photos? Not all of them FaceApp has become incredibly popular in recent weeks. It’s gone viral. You’ve probably see the pictures everywhere. But there’s concern over what happens to your photos when you use the app, particularly since the devs are… THE RUSSIANS! Apple might soon feature original and exclusive podcasts Apple’s growing services business will soon feature original podcasts, according to a report that, if true, amps up the tech giant’s battle with rival Spotify. Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, reported Apple executives are in preliminary discussions with media companies to buy the rights to podcasts. Spotify has spent millions of dollars positioning itself to be the go-to podcast app. It has acquired three podcast companies, including Gimlet Media, in the last two years to build up premium content. The Apple Podcasts app comes with iPhones and is considered the go-to platform for listening to podcasts. However, Apple Podcasts is merely a directory of links for users to download podcasts from other platforms. Apple Once Caught Factory Workers 'Digging a Small Tunnel in a Corner' in Attempt to Smuggle iPhone Parts After photos of the colorful iPhone 5c leaked in 2013, the report claims Apple created a "New Product Security" team to monitor security at its most sensitive suppliers in China. At one point, the team reportedly topped more than 30. The security team is said to have uncovered workers going to extreme lengths to smuggle valuable components out of factories over the

Send us a text!This week: Big Mac updates! But not like a Big Mac. We're talking computers. Never mind, look—Apple just updated the MacBook Air, dropped the price, and supercharged the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Plus: a new report says Apple will finally update the butterfly with the design we were all hoping for. And we wrap with a true story that could save you thousands: how neglecting the batteries in your tech could cost you BIG. 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 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 Apple may be gearing up to replace controversial MacBook keyboard According to a new research note from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is set to replace them with a whole new keyboard switch mechanism. According to big Ming, this will debut with the 2019 MacBook Air (more on that in a second) This would be a return to the previous keyboard design, but with an Apple twist. Kuo says the switches in the new scissor keyboards will be made from glass-filled nylon, and material that is stronger than plastic, so it allows Apple to make the internal components stronger and thinner. This is the same material used in the switches of the 2015 butterfly keyboard mechanisms. Latest MacBooks still use Apple’s flawed butterfly keyboard Big Ming got it wrong: Apple's newest MacBooks use the same 3rd-gen keybaord as the 2019 MacBook Pro, and are already included in the extended keyboard repair warranty. The new keyboard will likely debut in the 16" MacBook Pro. Apple brings True Tone to MacBook Air, faster chips to MacBook Pro Apple has updated the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro for the back-to-school season. And they’re now more affordable. The revised MacBook Air, now starts at $1,099 (down from $1,199) or $999 for college students, and has been updated with True Tone. The biggest improvements, however, are to the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Apple officially ditches the 12-inch MacBook Apple has dropped the 12-inch MacBook after introducing an improved MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The previous MacBook Air without a Retina display, which was Apple’s most affordable notebook, has also been ditched.  

Send us a text!This week: A new report details why Jony Ive is departing Apple, and it paints a troubling picture. Plus, Leander tells us about the “fiddle factor,” the unique quality that made Jony Ive our time’s greatest designer. 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. On the show this week @erfon / @lkahney This week's stories Jony Ive’s absence from Apple caused iPhone X headaches A new report from the WSJ paints a bleak picture of Jony’s Ive’s departure, saying he’s been drifting away from the company for years, and it’s because they increasingly are not taking design seriously. Tim Cook slams alleged rift with Jony Ive as ‘absurd’ Why Apple will miss Jony Ive’s fabulous ‘fiddle factor’ The fiddle factor cuts to the heart of Jony Ive’s design genius. In a career spanning 30 years, no designer has been more successful at making computers friendly and approachable, largely by adding tactile elements to his designs. As a design student back in the 1980s, a teenage Jony Ive spent a semester with a design agency in London, the Roberts Weaver Group. One of his first projects was designing a new pen for Japan’s Zebra Co. Ltd., a pen-maker based in Tokyo.  

Send us a text!This week: we knew it was coming, but now it’s official, Jony Ive is leaving Apple. Plus: 16-inch MacBook Pro could arrive sooner than you think; Apple just poached one of the world’s premiere ARM CPU architects; and we’ll tell you about the huge Apple scam going around that you need to watch out for! 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 / @lewiswallace This week's stories Jony Ive is leaving Apple Apple long-time design boss Jony Ive revealed today in an interview that he is leaving the company. After helping create some of the most iconic consumer products of all-time for Apple, Ive says he is going to strike out on his to create a new creative business called LoveFrom. “After nearly 30 years and countless projects, I am most proud of the lasting work we have done to create a design team, process and culture at Apple that is without peer. Today it is stronger, more vibrant and more talented than at any point in Apple’s history,” Instead of naming a new head of design that reports to Cook, Apple’s two design leaders — Evans Hankey and Alan Dye — will report to COO Jeff Williams. 16-inch MacBook Pro could arrive sooner than you think A new 16-inch MacBook Pro is coming this fall, according to analysts at IHS Markit. They claim that Apple will unleash the new laptop at the company’s September media event, alongside the new iPhone. The new laptop will supposedly include a 3072 × 1920 resolution, up from the 2880 × 1800 display in Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Pro It will continue using an LCD display, rather than switching to OLED. Apple just poached one of the world’s premiere ARM CPU architects One of the top CPU architects in the world has joined Apple’s chip team. Mike Filippo, who created some of ARMs most impressive CPUs over the last few years, was hired last month by Apple, signifying the company could be gearing up to switch to ARM CPUs on the Mac. Filippo spent 5 years at Intel. 8 Years at AMD. Then 10 years at ARM as the lead architect creating the chips that have been competing with Apple’s. Apple warning customers that App Store gift cards can't pay income taxes Apple is now warning customers up front that iTunes gift cards, in fact, cannot be used to pay taxes as number of fraud calls ramp up.  

Send us a text!This week: new iPhone rumors point to some BIG changes… Plus: Leander gives his take on the new betas; two long-awaited features are finally coming to tvOS; and scientists say iPhone is making teenagers too... horny 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. 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 2020 iPhone XS Max will get bigger display Ming Chi-Kuo sent a note to investors claiming Apple will put out three different iPhone models in 2020. The 2020 iPhone XR equivalent will be upgraded to a 6.1-inch OLED display but it won’t get 5G. The 2020 iPhone XS Max successor will be upgraded from a 6.5-inch display to a slightly larger 6.7-inch screen. The 2020 iPhone XS successor will have a 5.45-inch screen, a slight downgrade from the current 5.8-inch display currently in use. Like the larger model, it will also have 5G. iOS 13 uses iPhone to perfectly sync wireless audio on Apple TV Nothing ruins a good movie like sound that’s completely out of sync. But thanks to iOS 13 and tvOS 13, you will no longer have to suffer that when watching video on your Apple TV. When iOS 13 and tvOS 13 roll out to everyone this fall, you’ll be able to use your iPhone or iPad to fix unsynchronized audio on Apple TV. It works by using your iOS device to listen to tones played through your speakers. The feature calculates the time it takes for the audio to be heard after your Apple TV plays it, then adjusts your settings accordingly. Apple TV finally gains picture-in-picture support One of the best media features for iPad is finally coming to Apple TV. With the new tvOS 13 beta released this morning, Apple added picture-in-picture support to Apple TV, allowing users to watch a show while searching for the next thing to watch. Apple never mentioned the new picture-in-picture feature during the Apple TV segment of the WWDC 2019 keynote. Works just like it does on the iPad. You can minimize the picture to a corner of the screen then keep browsing content while it plays. Phone overuse makes millennials grow spikes on their skulls Doctors have noted a change in the shape of many millennials’ skulls: spikes are growing just above the neck, and researchers into the phenomenon blame it on too much cell phone use. However, this apparently isn’t some bizarre radiation-induced mutation, but is instead the skeleton adapting to the bent-over posture phone users

Send us a text!Two friends discuss fatherhood, and meeting their kids for the first time

Send us a text!This week: the super useful iOS 13 features you haven’t heard about! Plus: we discuss the best new features in iPadOS. And we’ll tell you about our favorite new gadgets in an all-new Under Review. This episode supported by 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. 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 / @bst3r / @lewiswallace   This week's stories iOS 13 now shows a map of where apps have been tracking you when requesting permission iOS 13 now presents a popup notification when an app is using your location in the background, and the notification shows a map of the location data a specific app has tracked. iOS 13 Apple Maps: Share your live route ETA with a friend In iOS 13, integrated right into Apple Maps, you can share your journey status with your contacts in a feature called Share ETA. NFC gets a lot more powerful in iOS 13 NFC — the technology that helps power Apple Pay as well other clever features for iOS apps like Launch Center Pro’s tappable stickers — is getting a big upgrade with the launch of iOS 13 iOS 13’s NFC triggers bring Shortcuts to the real world The iOS 13 Shortcuts app has been updated to support automatic scheduled and location-based shortcuts But it also includes NFC triggers. So if you have a compatible iPhone, you can combine NFC tags with Shortcuts. That is, you can run any shortcut just by tapping your iPhone onto an NFC sticker. Under Review! Nikon Z6 https://amzn.to/2Rflbyb Rodecaster Pro podcast mixer https://www.rode.com/rodecasterpro Choetech Dual Wireless Fast Charger https://www.cultofmac.com/630664/choetech-dual-wireless-fast-charger-review/  

Send us a text!Two life-long playas talk about their favorite games, and which future titles they're most excited for.