This week: Steve Ballmer finally lands the perfect job; NFC and your iPhone make credit cards obsolete; iPhone 6 gets even faster data access;  new photos gives us our best look yet at a 4.7-inch iPhone 6; an Apple ad so good it wins an Emmy; APPL stock hits an all-time high; and, behold, Podcasting turns 10!  Oh, and it’s growing like crazy, too. All that and more on this week’s CultCast.  And be sure to check our new CultCast website for all the show notes and links to the products and apps we mention on the show! —> http://www.thecultcast.com <---  Thanks to Lynda.com for sponsoring this episode!  With over 2,800 high quality video courses taught by industry-leading experts, Lynda.com will help you master virtually any application, all on your own time and at your own pace.  Learn all you want for free for 7 days with a free trial.  Try it now at Lynda.com/CultCast And Squarespace, the all-in-one platform that makes it fast and easy to create your own professional website, portfolio, and online store. For a free trial and 10% off, visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code “CultCast" at checkout.    We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a huge thanks for all the great music you hear in today's show. 

This week: Robin Williams.  We remember the incredible passion, talent, comedy and heartbreak of one life’s great artists.  Then, stay tuned for this week’s best iPhone 6 and iPad rumors; Oculus Rift coming to OS X; the good, bad, and ugly of iTunes Family sharing; and we pitch our favorite tech and apps in an all-new Faves N’Raves.   Join us and Youtube gadget-reviewer extroidinaire, Lewis Hilsenteger (aka UnboxTherapy), for this very fun and heart-filled CultCast.  Our thanks to Smile Software for supporting this episode!  If you haven't tried TextExpander from Smile software, you’re missing out on one of the most useful apps available for the Mac and iOS.  TextExpander saves you time and effort by expanding short abbreviations into frequently-used text,  pictures, code blocks, and more, and it's an application we use every single day.  Try it out for free at http://smilesoftware.com/cultcast   And Automatic!  Plug Automatic into your car's data port, and paired with their beautiful app, you'll be able to find your parked car, learn how to save fuel with tips based on your actual driving, and even diagnose and turn off your car's check engine light.  See it out in action and save 20% off your new Automatic now at Automatic.com/cultcast.

This week: iThieves, beware!  Find My iPhone is now a tool of vigilante justice; iPhone 6’s release date gets leaked; we reveal our favorite must-have apps for Mac and iOS; why the next iPhone could ship with 32GB standard; and we wrap’er up with all-new Get To Know Your Cultist: movie edition! Thanks to Lynda.com for sponsoring this episode!  With over 2,000 high quality video courses taught by industry-leading experts, Lynda.com will help you master virtually any application, all on your own time and at your own pace.  Learn all you want for free for 7 days with a free trial.  Try it now at Lynda.com/CultCast And Squarespace, the all-in-one platform that makes it fast and easy to create your own professional website, portfolio, and online store. For a free trial and 10% off, visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code “CultCast" at checkout. A better web starts with your website.

This week: with over 300,000 followers, we welcome back professional (and paid!) Instagram’er Cory @WithHearts Staudacher to share his iPhone photo editing tips and reveal which camera apps he relies on daily.  Plus, why our cities deserve municipal internet; unlocking your iPhone gets legal… again; great changes on the horizon for Apple's Podcasts app; and our musings on the freshly-updated 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pros. Cheerio, guvs! Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode!  Ahh, Squarespace, future home of Buster's Beard Kits, it's the all-in-one platform that makes it fast and easy to create your own professional website, portfolio, and online store. For a free trial and 10% off, visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code “CultCast" at checkout. A better web starts with your website.  And we couldn't forget a big thanks to TextExpander. If you haven't tried TextExpander from Smile software, you’re missing out on one of the most useful apps available for the Mac and iOS.  TextExpander saves you time and effort by expanding short abbreviations into frequently-used text,  pictures, code blocks, and more, and it's an application we use every single day.  Try it out for free at http://smilesoftware.com/cultcast

This week: William Shatner is the coolest grandpa ever; to take on Apple, Microsoft doubles down on design; Apple inches closer to a digital wallet; why the Apple on your iPhone 6 could glow; iBeacons are a marketer’s best friend; and then… if you could ride any animal into battle, what would it be?  We’ll answer that question and more on an all-new Get To Know Your Cultist.  Thanks to Lynda.com for sponsoring this episode!  With over 2,000 high quality video courses taught by industry-leading experts, Lynda.com will help you master virtually any application, all on your own time and at your own pace.  Learn all you want for free for 7 days with a free trial.  Try it now at Lynda.com/CultCast  And a big thanks to Kevin MacLeod for all the great music you hear on this week's episode. Links to todays stories: OS X Yosemite beta goes public — here’s how to get it http://www.cultofmac.com/288717/apples-os-x-yosemite-public-beta-live/#5TqpPA3ODgazIybP.99 William Shatner reviews Facebook apps… on his Tumblr http://williamshatner.tumblr.com/ Microsoft makes design central to its future http://www.cbsnews.com/news/microsoft-makes-design-central-to-its-future/ Apple’s mobile payments solution could arrive in the iPhone 6 this fall http://www.cultofmac.com/288607/apples-mobile-payments-solution-finally-arrive-iphone-6-fall/#YtuFpUY3cdZYeBkJ.99 Apple orders insane number of new iPhones, but 5.5-inch model faces setbacks http://www.cultofmac.com/288316/apple-orders-insane-number-new-iphones-5-5-inch-model-faces-setbacks/#FTtKB7oWcfRavQKE.99 Glowing Apple logo could serve up alerts on iPhone 6 http://www.cultofmac.com/288148/glowing-apple-logo-serve-alerts-iphone-6/#XvLprk5SVvBdgi0p.99 All the little tweaks Apple added to iOS 8 beta 4 http://www.cultofmac.com/288205/new-stuff-ios-8-beta-4/#GXlAAx0rCkmvz1IM.99 A look at the redesigned iTunes 12 in OS X Yosemite beta   http://www.cultofmac.com/288212/itunes-12-tour/#siIZOsCFJShLeyFx.99 Apple’s iBeacons are paying off for advertisers in a huge way http://bgr.com/2014/07/23/apple-ibeacon-advertising-stats/?

This week: Chicks on tech!  Plus, rumored Apple tech could give weeklong battery life to your iPhone; why your grandma will love the new iTunes; Apple and IBM kiss and make up; Kim Kardashian’s iOS app makes way more than it should; Beats brings the marketing magic back to Apple; and we pitch our favorite apps and tech then vote on which one’s best—it’s an all new Faves N Raves!  Our thanks to Smile Software for supporting this episode!  If you haven't tried TextExpander from Smile software, you’re missing out on one of the most useful apps available for the Mac and iOS.  TextExpander saves you time and effort by expanding short abbreviations into frequently-used text,  pictures, code blocks, and more, and it's an application we use every single day.  Try it out for free at http://smilesoftware.com/cultcast 

This time on The CultCast:  thirsty Germans drink the tears of Brazilian children!  Ohhh, sorry.  Too soon?  Also on the docket:  the secret Apple eBay store is back at it and selling iPhones at absurdly low prices; we pitch insanely great feature we hope Apple bakes in to Siri soon; a Youtuber gets his hands on the iPhone 6’s sapphire screen and its durability is hard to believe; and… GEEKN, the new segment where we divulge whatever gadget or activity we’re currently obsessing over.  Stay tuned till the end for that.  Thanks to lynda.com for sponsoring this episode!  With over 2,000 high quality video courses taught by industry-leading experts, lynda.com will help you master virtually any application, all on your own time and at your own pace.  Learn all you want for free for 7 days with a free trial.  Try it now at lynda.com/cultcast. This week's stories: Secret Apple factory outlet is the cheapest place to get an iPhone 5  http://www.cultofmac.com/286607/apple-launches-new-secret-ebay-store-refurbished-iphone-5/#FdbhHhv6po5xSfuU.99 How Siri’s ultimate killer feature could be remembering http://www.cultofmac.com/286521/siris-ultimate-killer-feature-remembering/#MEVH0hVBoZ7qG2lC.99 Steve Jobs was right: Tablet sales set to topple the PC market http://www.cultofmac.com/286533/steve-jobs-right-tablet-sales-set-topple-pc-2015/#IGbC7kXHvhRmEFEK.99 Total iBeacon shipments will blow past 60 million units by 2019 http://www.cultofmac.com/286670/ibeacons-shipments-will-pass-60-million-2019/#Jg1D8XxZ1xPo3QAW.99 iPhone 6 Sapphire display emerges unscathed from brutal scratch test  http://www.cultofmac.com/286467/iphone-6-sapphire-display-comes-scratch-test-completely-unscathed/#U4ojRrsVz8WrxhwQ.99 Battery life will still suck on ultra-slim iPhone 6 http://www.cultofmac.com/286352/thinnification-iphone-will-suck-battery-life/#qXpG6jbAE8OxdRqe.99 Foxconn is ready to release an army of robots to build the iPhone 6 http://www.cultofmac.com/286323/foxconn-ready-release-army-robots-build-iphone-6/#PeYEPBdHSxZLEEro.99 OS X Yosemite gets Dark Mode and other interface tweaks in third developer preview http://www.cultofmac.com/286422/os-x-yosemite-gets-dark-mode-interface-tweaks-third-developer-preview/#sF6o1skpLPXmyLAW.99 All the tiny new tweaks added in iOS 8 beta 3 http://www.cultofmac.com/286369/tweaks-added-ios-8-beta-3/#WSIIWkBSwkbJBiQJ.99 

USA!  USA!  On this festive new episode, we reveal our favorite 4th activities and it’s clear Alex E Heath will be in jail by the 5th. Plus! A weird breakthrough app has us texting hodor to all our friends; Apple kills off Aperture and iPhoto; Siri might finally understand us after a rumored update; Apple maps is poised to finally get a whole lot better; and did you know Steve Jobs always ate lunch alone like a sad Keanu?  It’s true. Well, maybe.  Alex doesn’t believe a word of it.  We’ll tell you story coming up.    Our thanks to Smile Software for supporting this episode!  If you haven't tried TextExpander from Smile software, you’re missing out on one of the most useful apps available for the Mac and iOS.  TextExpander saves you time and effort by expanding short abbreviations into frequently-used text,  pictures, code blocks, and more, and it's an application we use every single day.  Try it out for free at s

This week on the CultCast: Leander’s Big Adventure!  Leander’s back to tell us about his top secret mission to Apple HQ.  CoM reviews editor Charlie Sorrell tells us about some cool gear he’s reviewing.  We also run through a list of all the great hardware we’re expecting Apple to dump on us in just a few short months… And we wrap up with an all new Get to Know Your Cultist, and this round has us diving into some of our favorite movies ever made.  Guess who has the weird choice?   You’re right it’s Leander… Thanks to Lynda.com for sponsoring this episode!  With over 2,000 high quality video courses taught by industry-leading experts, Lynda.com will help you master virtually any application, all on your own time and at your own pace.  Learn all you want for free for 7 days with a free trial.  Try it now at Lynda.com/CultCast  And our thanks to Slingbox for their support! Slingbox is the best way to watch your TV anywhere, and brings your cable set-top box, satellite receiver or DVR, right to your favorite mobile device, wherever you are in the world. With no monthly fees.  Check it out at slingbox.com/cult, and get $50 off plus free shipping on a new Slingbox.   We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a huge thanks for all the great music you hear in today's show.  Links to today's topics: Microsoft will pay you $650 to ditch your MacBook Air for a Surface http://www.cultofmac.com/284788/microsoft-will-pay-650-ditch-macbook-air-surface/#SkXYvSdB74oSgYcE.99  12 Inch MacBook Air to Begin Production in 3rd Quarter 2014 http://www.cultofmac.com/284866/apples-12-inch-macbook-air-enter-production-next-quarter/  iPhone 6 Said to Launch on Friday September 19 in 32 GB and 64 GB Variants http://www.macrumors.com/2014/06/25/iphone-6-friday-september19-32gb-64gb/  Bloomberg: Apple’s Big IPhones Said to Start Production Next Month http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-24/apple-s-big-iphones-said-to-start-production-next-month.html  Google reveals its real face: unfocused, unoriginal and a little bit evil http://www.cultofmac.com/285112/google-reveals-real-face-unfocused-unoriginal-bit-evil/#oeZq3Ijlo1Bmkh2P.99 

There’s a fire in the Amazon!  Ok, but bad jokes aside, we’ll tell you what we love and don’t about Amazon's much-buzzed debut mobile phone.  Plus: the iMac just got a lot cheaper… and slower; another Weibo leak reportedly shows a huge 5.5-inch iPhone 6; the cool additions to iOS 8 and Yosemite's 2nd betas; this summer’s hottest mens’ bathing suit attire; plus, you asked, we answer—it’s an all-new CultCast Q&A! Our thanks to Smile Software for supporting this episode!  If you haven't tried TextExpander from Smile software, you’re missing out on one of the most useful apps available for the Mac and iOS.  TextExpander saves you time and effort by expanding short abbreviations into frequently-used text,  pictures, code blocks, and more, and it's an application we use every single day.  Try it out for free at http://smilesoftware.com/cultcast And Squarespace, the all-in-one platform that makes it fast and easy to create your own professional website, portfolio, and online store. For a free trial and 10% off, visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code “CultCast" at checkout. A better web starts with your website.