The CultCast

Send us a text!This week: Apple wipes the Infowars podcast from iTunes, but should they be getting involved in the censorship game?  Plus: we look at the new gadgets announced at Samsung’s unpacked event; and we discuss some of the biggest TV news of the decade in an all-new Under Review!   This episode supported by   A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters… go to LinkedIn.com/cultcast and get a $50 credit toward your first job post.   Casper makes the internet’s favorite mattress.  Learn why at Casper.com/cultcast, and use code "CultCast" at checkout for $50 off select mattress purchases.   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   EU may force iPhone to switch from Lightning to USB https://www.cultofmac.com/568215/eu-may-force-iphone-to-switch-from-lightning-to-usb/ 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 removes InfoWars and Alex Jones podcasts https://www.cultofmac.com/567935/apple-removes-infowars-and-alex-jones-podcasts/ 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.     Samsung preps rivals for Apple Watch and HomePod https://www.cultofmac.com/568965/samsung-galaxy-watch-home-apple-homepod/   What we’re into!   The Orvil

Send us a text!This week:  Is the i9 MacBook Pro a total ripoff?  One YouTube reviewer says yes, and his tests are convincing.  We’ll fill you in.  Plus: the journey to a trillion!  How did Apple become the most valuable company on earth?  We discuss, and remember the company's troubled history. And stay tuned for the sad decline of MoviePass.  Is the troubled movie service still worth it?   This episode supported by   Easily create a website 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 McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.   On the show this week @erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace   i9 Macbook Pro - Apple's biggest RIPOFF! - erfon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSvfEhdNT4s&frags=pl%2Cwn 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.     The biggest takeaways from Apple’s dominant Q3 earnings results https://www.cultofmac.com/566691/the-biggest-takeaways-from-apples-dominant-q3-earnings-results/ Apple beat Wall Street’s expectations today w

Send us a text!This week:  Apple has issued a patch that significantly increases performance for all 2018 MacBook Pros, but there's one glaring problem it doesn't fix...  Plus, we talk new HomePod features from iOS 12 beta, and we wrap up with your emails!   This episode supported by   The Cult of Mac watch store offered a curated collection of beautiful Apple Watch bands at prices far lower than what Apple charges.     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 McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.     On the show this week @erfon / @lewiswallace / @bst3r     Consumer Reports says MacBook Pro thermal throttling is a feature not a bug https://www.cultofmac.com/564741/macbook-pro-thermal-throttling-consumer-reports/ 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 issues thermal throttling fix for 2018 MacBook Pros https://www.cultofmac.com/564973/macbook-pro-thermal-throttling-fix-macos-high-sierra/ 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.   Core i9 MacBook Pro - After the Patch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTguywiC9aw 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.

Send us a text!This week: 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!   This episode supported by   Easily create a website 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 McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.   On the show this week @erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace     2018 MacBook Pro performance shows dramatic improvement https://www.cultofmac.com/562621/2018-macbook-pro-performance-geekbench-scores-benchmark/ 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%   2018 MacBook Pro review roundup: Apple unleashes a speed demon https://www.cultofmac.com/562925/2018-macbook-pro-review-roundup/ 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

Send us a text!This week: it’s the best update in YEARS.  We’ll tell you everything you need to know about Apple’s very powerful new MacBook Pros. Plus: new Mac Minis are on the way; Ming-Chi Kuo confirms Apple’s about to update their entire product line; how Coke-heads use Apple watch to maximize their high; and we talk Killer Whale attacks, port wines, and the story of Saturday Night Live's world renowned sax player on an all-new Under Review.   This episode supported by   The Cult of Mac watch store has the best straps in the biz!  Check out the huge Black Friday sale with savings up to 50% at http://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.   Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.   On the show this week @erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney   Apple updates MacBook Pros with 8th gen Intel Coffee Lake CPUs and ”quieter” keyboards 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”   New Mac mini and cheaper MacBook might finally land this fall https://www.cultofmac.com/561703/mac-mini-2018/ 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 s

Send us a text!This week: 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!   This episode supported by   Easily create a website by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.   Act quick!  Until July 9th, you can save up to $245 on one of Casper’s American-made award-winning mattresses, at Casper.com/savings.   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 McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.   On the show this week @erfon / @lewiswallace / @bst3r   Apple paves the way for new iPads and Macs to arrive in Europe https://www.cultofmac.com/559755/new-ipad-mac-europe/ Apple has this week registered new iPads and Macs with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC).  The filings hint that a big refresh could be just around the corner. Five new Macs with the model numbers has been registered with the commission.   Looking at the model numbers it looks like three of the machines will be MBPs, and then one will be a MBA and A MB. There are five iPad model numbers, too, meaning we’ll likely be seeing an iPad Pro refresh very soon. What’s particularly interesting about the filings is that the Apple lists macOS 10.13 and iOS 11 as the software for these devices, which suggests it might be planning to launch them before macOS Mojave and iOS 12    ‘Coffee Lake’ chips could give 2018 MacBook Pro a jolt https://www.cultofmac.com/559433/2018-macbook-pro-performance-specifications-coffee-lake/ Apple may soon be planning to upgrade the MacBook Pro line to the latest generation of Intel processors. Benchmarks for a macOS laptop running a “Coffee Lake” chip showed up on Geekbench. Why’s that exciting?  More cores and a huge 40-50% increase in multitasking performance. If this isn’t a fake, what’s interesting is the machine tested was likely a 13” MBP, but its processor had 4 cores (8 with hyper threading) instead of just two (what current 13” MBPs have) This would probably also mean the 15 would have SIX cores.   Apple is rebuilding Maps from the ground up

Send us a text! This week: Apple plans new, improved AirPods, HomePod and over-ear headphones; Apple finally acknowledges its new MacBook keyboards suck, and they’re going to make it right; a top Apple analyst drops a bunch of details on Apple’s 2018 product pipeline; and Apple is tries to solve a fascinating issue with autonomous vehicles.   This episode supported by   Easily create a website by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.   Print postage from your office and take advantage of special shipping discounts at pb.com/cultcast, and beat the postage rate increase with exclusive discounts on letters.  Plans start at just $5 a month!   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 McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.   On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r   Apple finally acknowledges its new MacBook keyboards suck https://www.cultofmac.com/557431/apple-finally-acknowledges-its-new-macbook-keyboards/ 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.   Apple plans new, improved AirPods, HomePod and over-ear headphones https://www.cultofmac.com/557567/apple-plans-new-improved-airpods-homepod-and-over-ear-headphones/ Bloomberg has a new report out that says we could have some exciting new Apple audio products in 2019.   Top Apple analyst drops a ton of details on Apple’s 2018 product pipeline https://www.cultofmac.com/557883/2018-apple-product-r

Send us a text!This week: 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!   This episode supported by   A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters… go to LinkedIn.com/cultcast and get a $50 credit toward your first job post.   Whether you’re looking to learn something new or just sharpen your skills, Udemy has over 65,000 courses starting at just 11.99. Visit Ude.my/CULTCASTor download the Udemy app to learn anytime, anywhere.   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.   Print postage from your office and take advantage of special shipping discounts at pb.com/cultcast, and beat the postage rate increase with exclusive discounts on letters.  Plans start at just $5 a month!   Thanks to Kevin McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.   On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r   Supreme Court Kills Quill, Gives States More Authority To Collect Sales Tax https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2018/06/21/supreme-court-kills-quill-gives-states-more-authority-to-collect-sales-tax/#5259f8dc3994 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.     On The Sad State of Macintosh Hardware https://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2018/06/14/on-the-sad-state-of-macintosh-hardware/ 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.”   Instagram takes on YouTube with new IGTV app https://www.cultofmac.com/556779/in

Send us a text!This week:  the hidden iOS 12 features you need to know about!  Plus, in an all-new Under Review, we’ll tell you about one hecka good portable mouse, a pair of earphones that give you supersonic hearing, the king of all power banks, and a beautiful new wireless charger you’ll be proud to set your phone upon.     This episode supported by   Easily create a website 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 single-router wifi model just doesn’t work for our increasingly high-bandwidth world. The EEROdistributed system will blanket your home in hyper-fast, reliable WiFi, and you can score free overnight shipping with code "CultCast" at checkout.   CultCloth will keep your iPhone 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   iOS 12 UI tweaks let you interact with apps as they’re opening - buster https://www.cultofmac.com/554711/ios-12-ui-tweaks-let-you/ 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,   The best iOS 12 features Apple didn’t mention https://www.cultofmac.com/553125/all-the-ios-12-features-apple-didnt-mention/ 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.   iOS 12 makes iPhones immune to ‘brute force’ unlocking https://www.cultofmac.com/552919/iphone-unlocking-blocked-ios-12/   Under Review   Logitech MX Anywhere 2S wireless mouse https://amzn.to/2lcKtOs   Spigen Essential F306W https://www.spigen.com/products/e

Send us a text!This week: It’s our WWDC 2018 reactions! Plus—our picks for the best new features announced at the keynote.   This episode supported by   Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of memory foam and latex, and people everywhere love them.  Learn why and get $50 towards any mattress at Casper.com/cultcast.   A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters… go to LinkedIn.com/cultcast and get a $50 credit toward your first job post.   Thanks to Kevin McLeodfor the music you hear on today’s episode.   On the show this week @erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace   All the important new stuff Apple revealed at WWDC 2018 https://www.cultofmac.com/552775/apple-wwdc-2018-keynote-takeaways/   Speed through the WWDC 2018 keynote with sketchnotes https://www.cultofmac.com/552845/apple-wwdc-2018-sketchnotes/ 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.   iOS 12 definitely speeds up your iPhone https://www.cultofmac.com/553599/ios-12-performance-improvements/ Side-by-side comparisons between iOS 12 beta 1 and version 11.4 show clear speed improvements.   Apple’s Craig Federighi explains how iOS apps will work on macOS https://www.cultofmac.com/553127/apples-craig-federighi-explains-how-ios-apps-will-work-on-macos/   How iOS 12’s smartest features put users firmly back in control https://www.cultofmac.com/553009/how-ios-12s-smartest-features-put-users-firmly-back-in-control/ 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.   iOS 12 makes iPhones immune to ‘brute force’ unlocking https://www.cultofmac.com/552919/iphone-unlocking-blocked-ios-12/ 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).   Face ID in iOS 12 recognizes two different faces