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Send us a text!These are the strategies I use to get huge discounts on tech and most of my other online purchases!CultCast Off Topic is our new podcast that's ad-free and free for all thanks to your support!  If you like us and want to support our future content, fork over $5 a month at support.thecultcast.com !

Send us a text!This week, we have Leander Kahney! It's our second-week thoughts on Vision Pro — after cooking, working out, typing tests and more, we've done it all. Are we keeping or returning ours? This episode supported by: Listeners like you. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone; and your $5 helps us secure the future of the podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com — OR at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com . Factor Meals. Treat yourself to Factor's delicious, high-quality, ready-to-eat meals delivered right to your door. Head over to FactorMeals.com/CultCast50 and use offer code CultCast50 to get 50% off. This week's stories: People are returning Vision Pro in droves … or are they? Many early adopters seem set on returning their Apple Vision Pro headsets. As the 14-day return window approaches for people who bought the device on launch day, an avalanche of posts on X and other social media channels point to a wave of Vision Pro returns. Mark Zuckerberg says Quest 3 is better than Vision Pro Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company's mixed-reality headset beats Vision Pro in almost every way, despite the fact that it costs far less than Apple's device. In a short video posted Tuesday on Instagram, Zuckerberg called the Meta Quest headset the “better product, period.†Tweet by Azad Balabanian Griffin's Vision Pro tests What's it like working out wearing a Vision Pro? What's it really like to cook with Vision Pro? Typing on Vision Pro: A scientific test with surprising results MacRumors: iOS 17's AirPlay Feature for Hotel Room TVs Rolling Out ‘This Spring' Starting with iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3, you can wirelessly stream content from your iPhone or iPad to a compatible hotel room TV via AirPlay, and we have now learned that the feature should begin rolling out at hotels over the coming months. They Are Coming! If you want the Fujifilm X100VI, I make a recommendation that I can't remember I've ever done in 12 years of blogging: pre-order it instantly.

Send us a text!CultCast Off Topic is ad free and free for all thanks to you!  Please help us with $5 a month and get access to our exclusive CultClub Discord and maybe even end up on the show!  support.thecultcast.com

Send us a text!These are our hands-on reviews of Vision Pro — everything that’s good, everything that’s great, and then the parts you won’t like. We are RELAUNCHING CultCast Off Topic, a new ad-free weekly podcast covering our favorite weekly topics!  First new episode is coming soon. We're also relaunching The CultClub, a way for listeners to support your friends at The CultCast. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast available for everyone, and it helps us secure our future as a podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Your support also gives us back our creative freedom, freedom to make new experimental content in the style that you know but outside of our regular Apple topics.  Join us for just $5 a month at support.thecultcast.com. This week’s BIG story: Our Vision Pro Hands-on reviews.   Plus: Apple Vision Pro: In the wild! Can you get real work done inside Vision Pro? Vision Pro teardown finds pixels smaller than a red blood cell Win a rugged and waterproof Apple Watch sport band [Cult of Mac giveaway] You might win a super-cool and rugged new Lululook Waterproof FKM Sport Band. We’re giving away one orange band and one blue one, and anyone in the world can enter to win.

Send us a text!This week we’re talking Vision Pro reviews, the good, the bad and the ugly! Also, we have some details on iOS 17.4 — and did Vanity Fair leak an image of the new iPad? 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. If you like fresh tech, check out Scott Hanselman’s Hanselminutes wherever you get your podcasts! Scott finds fresh tech and fresh faces and shares them with you, like clockwork, every week. It’s like NPR’s Fresh Air for the tech set. 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: Vision Pro review roundup: ‘Magic’ and ‘a revolution,’ but definitely unfinished The first reviews of Apple’s Vision Pro gush compliments on the augmented-reality headset, with one reviewer calling it “mind-blowing” and another “stunning.”However, there’s also plenty of criticism for the high price, weight and slim collection of software available when the product launches later this week.Vanity Fair: Why Tim Cook Is Going All In on the Apple Vision ProApple Vision Pro’s biggest problem: It’s highly addictive! Win a rugged and waterproof Apple Watch sport band [Cult of Mac giveaway] You might win a super-cool and rugged new Lululook Waterproof FKM Sport Band. We’re giving away one orange band and one blue one, and anyone in the world can enter to win. iOS 17.4 beta 1: All the new features and changes The first beta of iOS 17.4 is here, and it packs several big changes. The beta build arrived just days after Apple released iOS 17.3 to the public.Auto-generated transcripts coming to Apple Podcasts Is this an unannounced iPad in a press photo? Some people think the first picture of Tim Cook wearing a Vision Pro also has a surprise: an iPad that Apple hasn’t released yet. But no. The tablet looks a bit odd, but that’s not because it’s a future one with a new design.Post by John SiracusaEdited image by David Schaub

Send us a text!This week: Vision Pro sells out in mere moments and its insane scalping prices, new Apple hardware coming this spring, and yes, the Apple Car is back on the menu! Plus: BREAKING NEWS on App Store sideloading and game streaming on iOS. What a week! This episode supported by: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist, entirely online. Visit BetterHelp.com/CultCast to get 10% off your first month. 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. Notion AI can now give you instant answers to your questions, using information from across your wiki, projects, docs and meeting notes. Go to notion.com/cultcast to try the powerful Notion AI today. This week’s stories: Too late: Apple Vision Pro preorders sell out fast Seven months after its announcement at WWDC23, Apple started accepting preorders for its Vision Pro headset Friday morning — and quickly sold out. Shipping dates for the company’s first AR headset slipped within minutes of preorders opening. More Vision Pro headsets sold on launch weekend than you might expect 9to5Mac: Vision Pro scalpers used bots to place thousands of pre-orders; face check no barrier Win a portable magnetic 3-in-1 wireless charger [Cult of Mac giveaway] Kuxiu X55 3-in-1 Foldable Magnetic Wireless Charger and Stand gives you a compact, lightweight way to keep your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods wireless charging case charged up pretty much anywhere. New Apple sideloading rules require pre-approval for iPhone apps Apple gave EU developers the guidelines and access to the tools needed for sideloading — installing applications that don’t go through the App Store. iPhone App Store change allows streaming games and mini apps Apple will allow alternative browser defaults and engines in EU Apple opens iPhone tap-to-pay to third parties in EU MacRumors: New iPad Air, iPad Pro, and MacBook Air Models Likely to Launch in March or April Finally, Apple car coming in 2028 Apple still plans to put a car on the road, but the release date for the Apple car is sometime in 2028, according to a new report. And designers had to slam the brakes on hopes for full self driving. The electric vehicle will allegedly offer some driver-assistance capabilities but these will fall far short of full autonomy.

Supreme Court's ruling on Apple's anti-steering rule, implications for third-party developers; Apple Vision Pro challenges and potential; Creative ways to repurpose old iPhones; Storage systems and DIY HomePod

Send us a text!Vision Pro goes on sale NEXT WEEK — we have all the last-minute details! We’re also talking about the strange new AI hardware from CES, AI-powered Siri coming at WWDC, and finally, is it worth it to buy expensive phone cables? This episode supported by: Notion AI can now give you instant answers to your questions, using information from across your wiki, projects, docs and meeting notes. Go to notion.com/cultcast to try the powerful Notion AI today. 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 Vision Pro launches February 2, preorders start January 19 [Updated] Apple’s Vision Pro headset finally has a release date. Apple will accept preorders for Vision Pro in the United States starting Friday, January 19, at 5 a.m. Pacific, the company said Monday. Steven Troughton-Smith on Mastodon First Vision Pro ad harks back to classic iPhone Hello advert Apple’s fun new Get Ready video for the upcoming Vision Pro headset is clearly intended to ratchet up the hype for the spatial computing device scheduled for release in early February. MacRumors: Apple 'Carefully Orchestrating' Vision Pro Reviews With Multiple Meetings Apple has a detailed plan for Apple Vision Pro reviews, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. YouTubers and members of the media selected for reviews will meet with Apple on January 16 for a hands-on experience, with a follow-up meeting to take place on January 23 to go over the device's features a second time. Win a Pitaka iPhone 15 case that’s colorful, thin and incredibly durable We're giving away four iPhone 15 cases from Pitaka. Winners will get one of these: Sunset or Moonrise. Ask AI-powered Rabbit R1 for anything (without touching an app) You can ask the new AI-powered Rabbit R1 gadget to do pretty much anything you’d normally do with some combination of apps on your smartphone, according to Rabbit’s fascinating keynote at CES 2024. Wave of Apple Generative AI Tools on Track for WWDC Debut In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman reaffirmed and expanded upon previous comments related to Apple's plans to announce a series of new tools based on generative AI at WWDC as part of iOS 18, including a revamped version of Siri. Cheap or Pricey: Which Charging Cables Last Longest? How many times have you left your phone plugged in overnight just to wake up and find that it hasn’t charged at all? It seems like a trivial thing, but when a charging cable fails, it can ruin your day.

Send us a text!This week, it’ll be the biggest update since the original — here comes Apple Watch X… Plus, app sideloading might be coming to the US next and we pitch our favorite shows, movies and stuff in an all-new What We’re Into! 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: What to expect from Apple Watch in 2024: Series X 2024 looks like a big year for Apple Watch. The world’s most popular wearable could get the biggest redesign in its 10-year history in the form of a device potentially called “Apple Watch Series X” or simply “Apple Watch X.” Everything (else) Apple Will Announce in 2024 9to5Mac: US antitrust case against Apple’s App Store exclusivity is ‘firing on all cylinders’ The US antitrust case against Apple’s App Store exclusivity is “firing on all cylinders” according to the head of the Department of Justice unit responsible for policing breaches of competition law. Inside Apple’s massive push to transform the Mac into a gaming paradise Gaming on the Mac in the 1990s until 2020, when Apple made a big shift to its own custom silicon, could be boiled down to this: Apple was in a hardware arms race with the PC that it couldn’t win. “Apple silicon has changed all that,” Keppel tells Inverse. D. Griffin Jones on Extra Ordinary: The Weird, Cyclical State of Mac Gaming What We’re Into Griffin: Sausage with bell peppers and onions Erfon: Fujifilm X100V rumored successor

Send us a text!This week, the Apple Watch is back on sale already — but for how long? Jony Ive is pawning some BIG designers from Apple to work on a secret new AI project. And we close with the rest of our picks for the Best (and Worst) of 2023. This episode supported by: Notion AI can now give you instant answers to your questions, using information from across your wiki, projects, docs and meeting notes. Go to notion.com/cultcast to try the powerful Notion AI today. 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 has limited uses so don't wait 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: Federal court temporarily un-pauses Apple Watch ban During the temporary stay on the ban, the court will review Apple’s request. Now the ITC has until January 10 to respond to Apple’s request for a stay. Another Apple Designer Joins Jony Ive to Work on Hardware for OpenAI Apple's vice president of product design Tang Tan is set to join Sir Jony Ive's LoveFrom to design hardware products for OpenAI. At Apple, Tang Tan is vice president of product design and reports to senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus. Tan is responsible for the design of the iPhone, Apple Watch, accessories, and acoustic devices like AirPods. Best of 2023 Round 1: Griffin: 404 Media is a journalist-run independent media company with excellent investigative reporting on the hottest tech news. Lewis: Anker 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe is a great night stand charger for your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch. Erfon: Xbox Game pass is like the Netflix of video games, and with its ever-expanding library of indie, and now, big titles from major studios, it’s finally worth its monthly price. Best of 2023 Round 2: Griffin: Mastodon is an open-source social media platform that cuts out garbage ads, tracking and algorithms; cutting straight to the