The CultCast

Send us a text! This week: Apple’s weirdest, whackiest, and worst products!  Plus: how Michael Scott almost single-handedly destroyed Apple; the cool new features in the iOS and macOS betas; facial recognition is coming to iPhone; and a look at the beautiful prototypes that led to some of Apple’s most iconic products.’   This episode supported by   Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.   BlueApron - a better way to cook! Get your first 3 meals free with free shipping at BlueApron.com/CultCast   We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.   On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney This week’s intro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ln_CmNtbvQ   Apple hires Dropcam co-founder for special project http://www.cultofmac.com/464072/apple-hires-dropcam-cofounder-special-project/ Apple has added another high-profile hire to its roster of top tech talent by bringing on the co-founder and former CEO of Dropcam, Greg Duffy. Dropcam grew in popularity thanks to its cheap home cameras that connected to Wi-Fi Citing “people who know Mr. Duffy,” the news site suggests he is leading a special project that’s operating like a startup within Apple.

Send us a text!This week: 2017 brings the super-charged MacBook Pro you’ve been waiting for—yes, another update!  Then, a former employee says Tim Cook's making Apple boring...  Is it true?  Plus: we get more evidence Apple will be making TV shows and movies; and iPhone 8 may be packing friggin’ lasers and facial recognition.   This episode supported by  Build a beautiful, responsive website quick atSquarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.   CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean.  Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth!   We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.   On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney   This week’s Intro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak2ZWDnERtA   2017 MacBook Pro to bring Intel Kaby Lake, 32GB of RAM http://www.cultofmac.com/462777/new-macbook-pro-intel-kaby-lake-32gb-ram-arrive-year/   Apple will launch a new 15-inch MacBook Pro later this year powered by Intel’s next-generation Kaby Lake processors and 32GB of desktop-class RAM, according to a reliable analyst. According to reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has a MacBook Pro refresh planned for later this year that will bring new Kaby Lake CPUs and up to 32GB of desktop-class RAM. It will be “the most significantly redesigned product this year,” Kuo says. Kuo doesn’t mention specific release dates for any of these machines, but he expects the MacBook with 32GB of RAM to arrive sometime during the second half of 2017 — at which point Apple could reduce the price of the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar. Kaby Lake will also grace the rest of the MacBook Pro lineup — and the 12-inch MacBook, too, Kuo cl

Send us a text!This week: we reveal our current favorite gadgets!  Plus: is MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar a gimmick?  Then: Apple set to unveil three new iPads; rumors point to an Apple augmented reality headset later this year; and don’t miss our exhaustive AirPods review—we tell you what we love and we what we don’t!   This episode supported by   Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of memory foam and latex, and people everywhere love them.  Learn why and get $50 towards any mattress at Casper.com/cultcast.   We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.   On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney   This week’s intro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sI7hQvQy8A   Apple to deliver 3 new iPads this spring, but no new mini http://www.cultofmac.com/461586/apple-deliver-3-new-ipads-spring-no-new-mini/ iPads are getting stale… The only model introduced in 2016 was the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and the iPad mini haven’t seen a refresh since 2015. The iPad Air 2 has been the same since October 2014. According to one Ming Chi Quo, Apple is focusing its efforts on updating the 9.7-inch iPad and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and on introducing a new model with a 10- to 10.5-inch display. It’s unclear whether the cheaper device will support Apple Pencil or the Smart Connector, but Kuo says it won’t have the new A10X chip, which will be exclusive to the larger models. Instead, it will be powered by the same A9 chip found in the iPhone 6s series Ming-Chi Kuo, widely regarded as one of the world’s best Apple analysts, doesn’t expect Cupertino to launch an AR product until at least 2018   Why the rumor that Apple will launch AR glasses in 2017 is ridiculous http://www.cultofmac.com/461787/ridiculous-rumor-apple-ar-glasses-2017/ Apple is teaming up with Zeiss to create augmented-reality glasses that will be unveiled later this year, according to long-time tech blogger Robert Scoble. “A Zeiss employee confirmed the rumors that Apple and Carl Zeiss AG are working on a light pair of augmented reality/mixed reality glasses that may be announced this year,” Scoble wrote in a Facebook post. “I thought it was next year but now that I saw this I believe it will happe this year.”

Send us a text!This week: the worst gadgets of CES 2017!  Yup, we run through the gizmos no one on the earth actually needs.  Then we spice things up with our most hotly anticipated tech of 2017.  And finally, we’re gonna be real with you guys… Apple had a rough 2016.  But that’s all behind us now.  It’s a new year. It’s a fresh start.  We discuss what Apple needs to get right in 2017. On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r  This episode supported by Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful. BlueApron - a better way to cook! Get your first 3 meals free with free shipping at BlueApron.com/CultCast   We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.   This week’s intro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iozxkxTMSLI   Flow is a wearable that helps you avoid nasty air pollution https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/04/plume-labs-flow-air-sensor-hands-on/ It can measure dust, exhaust fumes and other harmful gases, as well as the household chemicals you might encounter indoors.   Smart hairbrush tells your iPhone if you’re not brushing properly http://www.cultofmac.com/460920/smart-hairbrush/ Every year at CES, there’s one gadget that epitomizes the crazier side of Silicon Valley’s “connected tech” smart devices mania. To do this, the smart hairbrush relies on motion sensors for monitoring your brushing patterns, conductivity sensors for spotting whether your hair is wet or dry, and a microphone for identifying “manageability, frizziness, dryness, split ends and breakage.” The brush also vibrates if you use it too vigorously. All this data gets sent to your iPhone, where an app gives you a hair quality score, tells you which parts of your brushing need work, and offers hairstyling products to buy.   OWC’s gigantic dock adds more ports to the new MacBook P

Send us a text! This week, it's our epic final episode of 2016!  We’ll wrap up the year with our hands-on review of the hottness themselves, Apple’s AirPods.  Then… is Apple’s “Golden Era” drawing to a close?  We discuss.  And finally, ya’ll know we review a lot of products during the year—we’ll reveal our absolute favorite gadgets of 2016!   This episode supported by CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co.   On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney   Tim Cook calls AirPods a ‘runaway success’ http://www.cultofmac.com/460073/tim-cook-calls-airpods-runaway-success/ During a short interview, Cook told CNBC the new AirPods are a “runaway success” and that the company is making them as fast as it can. Cook didn’t divulge details on how well the company is doing, but he did hint that the holiday was really good to Apple.   Every Apple store worldwide is sold out of AirPods http://www.cultofmac.com/460047/apple-airpods-worldwide/ According to airpods.isinstock.com, and istocknow.com, Airpods are sold out at every Apple Store in the world Apple stores have been getting in very limited quantities and they “sell out in minutes”   All the ways Apple disappointed us in 2016 http://www.cultofmac.com/459403/apple-disappointments-2016/ Some are saying 2016 is the year that appl's 'golden age' drew to a close Our favorite gadgets of 2016!   Leander 3DR Solo Drone  Amazon Echo  Eero mesh router  Netgear Orbi mesh router    Erfon Segway miniPRO  Fuji X-T1 (or the newer X-T2) Philips Hue Lightstrip  Philips White and Color light kit  Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected  Philips Sonicare Adaptive Replacement toothbrush heads  Buster DJI Mavic Pro  Sony RX100  Yuneec E-GO Electric Skateboard

Send us a text!This week: everything we like (and don’t) about AirPods; the insider way to lock down your own AirPods without waiting 6 weeks; Apple’s Mac division has a falling out with Jony Ive; and we remember the best of Apple, 2016. This episode supported by   CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co. On the show this week @erfon / @lewiswallace / “at” David Pierini   Mac division has ‘lost clout’ with Jony Ive and Apple design team http://www.cultofmac.com/459078/mac-division-has-lost-clout-with-jony-ive-and-design-team/ Apple’s Mac team has reportedly “lost clout” with the company’s industrial design group and software team, claims a new report The picture painted by Mark Gurman as Bloomberg is a Mac division with a lack of clear direction from senior management, departures of key employees, and technical challenges — all conspiring to make the Mac one of Apple’s forgotten divisions. The article notes that ever since last year’s reshuffle of Apple’s design team, meetings between the Mac team and the industrial design team have become less frequent. It also notes more than a dozen engineers and managers working on the Mac have left over the past 18 months, with at least a sizable percentage put off by their lack of clarity about the “future of Mac hardware.” One possible problem is the lack of a singular vision driving the division. Instead of having one concept to work on, increasingly engineers are — in the words of one source — “asked to develop multiple options in hopes that one of them will be shippable.” The result is that resources become more thinly spread than ever, while products ship later. Mac generates about 10 percent of Apple sales     Don’t worry, Tim Cook says new iMacs are coming http://www.cultofmac.com/459110/dont-worry-tim-cook-says-new-imacs-coming/ The iMac didn’t get much love in 2016, but according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, killer new desktop Macs are coming. In a note to Apple employees, Cook assured staff that desktop computers are still “really important” and that they shouldn’t worry about future machines.

Send us a text!This week: an honest look at Mario Run; better-sounding AirPod alternatives; the cool new stuff in the iOS and tvOS updates; and we reveal the hands-down best tv shows of 2016!   This episode supported by   Jamf Now's cloud-based Mobile Device Management is the affordable way to manage the iPads, iPhones, and Macs in your workplace, and you can manage 3 devices free at jamf.com/CultCast.   CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co. On the show this week @erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney   Mario Run to the Apple store to snag Nintendo’s first major iOS game. http://www.cultofmac.com/458332/ready-get-set-go-download-super-mario-run-for-ios/ AirPods finally available with shipping in time for Christmas http://www.cultofmac.com/458057/airpods-shipping-time-christmas/ Apple’s long-awaited wireless AirPods are finally available to buy through Apple’s online store — priced at $159. While it’s not known when they’ll be available for sale in brick-and-mortar Apple retail stores, you can breathe a sigh of relief, since orders placed through Apple’s online store are currently showing a pre-Christmas delivery date of December 21 Apple said AirPods will be available for purchase at Apple stores by next week, as well as authorized resellers, and select carriers. Apple also said stores will receive "regular AirPods shipments”   iOS 10.2 is out with new emoji, TV app and wallpapers http://www.cultofmac.com/457945/ios-10-2-new-emoji-tv-app-wallpapers/#more-457945 iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users get a couple of new wallpapers in the new update. There are also more than 100 new emoji, including new characters for shrug, avocado, gorilla, shark and bacon.   tvOS 10.1 update brings Apple’s TV app to the living room http://www.cultofmac.com/457950/tvos-10-1-update-brings-apples-tv-app-living-room/ TV fans can binge on all their shows in one place with Apple’s new TV app, which simplifies the experience. With the new single sign-on feature, you can quickly access your subscribed content on all your devices. (Here’s how to set up sing

Send us a text!This week: why Apple is done chasing big hit products.  Plus: the demise of Pebble Watch is a bad omen for wearables; Foxconn secretly prepares to make more Apple products in the US; and we remember our favorite movies of 2016! This episode supported by   Harry’s super-sharp, German-made razors ship free right to your door and for way less than the drugstore razors. Get a free trial set at Harrys.com and score free post shave balm with code CultCast at checkout.   CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co.   We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show. On the show this week @erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney   Apple stops swinging for the fences http://www.cultofmac.com/456698/apple-stops-swinging-fences/#more-456698 Apple analyst Horrace Dediu says Apple’s cultural identity is undergoing a dramatic shift Instead of being in the “new hit product business”, Dediu told said that Apple is trying to become a “services and recurring-revenue business.” Dediu argues that constantly trying for home runs has been demoralizing for employees, so Apple CEO Tim Cook move away from that attitude. Will Apple ever have another “iPhone”? Apple Says 35% of U.S. Merchants Accept Apple Pay

Send us a text!This week: why building a Hackintosh can get you the monster Mac you’ve always wanted.  Plus: Apple analyst Ming-Chi Quo reveals iPhone 8’s marquee feature; AirPods ship date is finally revealed; and stick around for our top Apple Airport router replacement picks! This episode supported by Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful. Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of memory foam and latex, and people everywhere love them.  Learn why and get $50 towards any mattress at Casper.com/cultcast.   We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.   On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney   Apple’s long-awaited AirPods will ship in ‘next few weeks’ http://www.cultofmac.com/456343/apples-long-awaited-airpods-will-ship-next-weeks/ Apple revealed the earbuds alongside the iPhone 7, promising an October delivery date, but anxious customers have not been able to buy a set. In  email obtained by MacRumors, a customer asks Tim Cook where his AirPods are. Customer’s comment: “Give us a release date. I really bought in to the wireless vision you painted….Let us know if it’s a month or 6 months, because then I’ll just buy some other wireless headphones.” Tim Cook’s response: “Thanks for your note. Sorry for the delay—we are finalizing them and I anticipate we will begin to ship over the next few weeks.”   Innovative iPhone 8 could shatter sales records http://www.cultofmac.com/456153/iphone8-sales-records/ Apple has big plans for the iPhone 8, claims KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. According to Kuo, Apple will be scaling up iPhone production 120-150 million units in the second half of 2017. If true, this would would be well above the 110-120 million units Apple ordered of its bestselling iPhone 6 generation handsets. Kuo claims this “unprecedented” demand will be centered around the myriad big improvements Apple has planned for its next-gen iPhone series.   iPhone 8’s glass design will finally bring wireless charging https://www.cultofmac.com/455354/wireless-charging-iphone8/

Send us a text!This week: is a secret Apple project stalling Mac updates?  It wouldn’t be the first time… Plus: Apple teases Black Friday deals; Airport routers are dead, and the Mac Pro might be next;  the future of Time Machine; why iPad should be iOS/OS X hybrid; and Jony Ive’s new role designing Apple itself. This episode supported by Might Tees’ artful Steve Jobs, Woz, Apple and Star Trek tees are worn Will Wheaton, LeVar Burton, co-founders at Bad Robot, Chris Hardwick, Veronica Belmont, and even Steve Wozniak himself.  And without Might Tees, there’d be Leander have Erfon would have never met.  Grab a piece of CultCast history!  While supplies last, get 60% off any order at MightTees.com and use code CultCast at checkout. CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co.   And check out Cult of Mac’s new, free fitness eBook! This ebook is your practical how-to guide, covering step by step everything you need to know about getting fit with Apple’s devices.   We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.   On the show this week @erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney   Apple teases one-day shopping event for Black Friday Apple is teasing a one-day shopping event for Black Friday that could bring tasty discounts on its latest products. Apple chose not to participate in Black Friday sales last year, so fans were forced to look elsewhere for price cuts on Apple products. In 2014, Apple took a different approach to Black Friday, offering free gift cards with certain purchases instead of cutting prices. Customers got up to $150 for buying a Mac, up to $75 with an iPad, and up to $50 with an iPod. It’s also worth remembering that over the holiday period, the company offers free two-day shipping on almost all online purchases, while its retail stores are open longer.   Apple grounds its AirPort router division for good According to