The CultCast – Details, episodes & analysis

This week, it’s official — iPhone 16 is coming! Here’s what to expect. Also, M4 Macs are on the way and might ship with double the RAM, why Apple Intelligence isn’t far behind OpenAI, and the best Apple features you probably aren’t using!

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This week’s stories:

Apple September 9 event invite promises ‘It’s Glowtime’

• Apple sent out invitations Monday for a press event on September 9.

MacBook Pros With M4 Pro and M4 Max Chips Reportedly Being Mass Produced This Month

• Apple's supply chain is beginning mass production of next-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips in August, according to Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes.

Apple is definitely not behind in AI, research paper shows

• A white paper on Apple Intelligence reveals two important facts about Apple’s homegrown LLM: it’s the safest in design and highly competitive with both Llama and GPT-4.
• Extra Ordinary: Notes on the Apple Intelligence White Paper
• Apple: Apple Intelligence Foundation Language Models

Apple Photos app’s Clean Up feature works great … unless it doesn’t!

• The new AI-powered Clean Up feature in the Apple Photos app got people raving about the magical ability to “fix” pictures — and posting examples of when things go horribly wrong.

iPhone 17 Pro Max might exclusively ship with a superior cooling system

• Apple will seemingly continue offering enhanced specs on its Pro Max iPhone to differentiate it from other models.

Apple’s entry-level M4 Macs might ship with double the RAM

• Reportedly, the company is testing multiple M4 Macs with 16 or 32GB of system memory. The lack of an 8GB model indicates the company might do away with that configuration entirely.

6 mind-blowing Continuity features every Apple user should know

• Nothing illustrates the power of Apple’s ecosystem like the Continuity features that help your Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch work seamlessly together.
• Video on YouTube

In this episdoe we go where no CultCast has gone before.... 

This week, we’re talking potentially huge news for the iPhone 17, the latest changes in iOS 18, disappointing news for the Apple Watch — but the latest evidence the HomePod with a screen is real!

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 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

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This week’s stories:

iPhone 17 may get cutting-edge 2nm chip from TSMC after all

• Apple’s chip-maker TSMC will begin trial production of 2 nanometer processors next week.

Apple Watch Series 10 could lack advanced new health features

• The upcoming Apple Watch Series 10 could sport a thinner design with a bigger display, but it sounds like new health sensors won’t arrive this year.
• How to customize Apple Watch widgets for easy access to your favorite apps

Code for HomePod with large touchscreen found in tvOS 18

• A bit of the user interface for a rumored HomePod smart speaker with a large touchscreen reportedly turned up in the latest beta for tvOS 18.
• How to stop Siri from randomly activating all the damn time

iOS 18 beta 3: All the new features and changes

• The third beta of iOS 18 is here, almost a month after Apple dropped the first developer build.

Catch a scary glimpse of Severance season 2, coming in January

• Word of a season 2 air date arrived Wednesday, along with a spooky teaser trailer.

Under Review: Wombat Willow Pro

• The Willow Wombat Pro is a low-profile backlit mechanical keyboard that packs a full set of keys in a compact layout.
• Griffin’s Model F keyboard

This week:

They're finally here, the new M2 MacBook Pros, mew Mac mini and Mac mini "Pro", and the brand new HomePods! This episode we react and discuss all of it....

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This week's stories

Apple Announces New MacBook Pros With M2 Pro and M2 Max Chips, Up to 96GB RAM, and More

• The new M2 Pro chip features a 10-core or 12-core CPU and offers up to 20% faster performance than the M1 Pro chip, according to Apple. The chip also has a 16-core or 19-core GPU that delivers up to 30% faster graphics performance over the M1 Pro, while the 16-core Neural Engine is up to 40% faster compared to the previous generation.

2024 MacBook Pro will feature even-faster 3nm Apple M3-series processors

• Apple designs the CPUs for its computers but they are produced by TSMC. And while the Taiwanese company has been able to consistently shrink the components of Apple’s chips every couple of years, but serious problems with the 3nm process that rollout was delayed many months.

Apple launches powerful new Mac mini at a lower cost

• Apple launched a new Mac mini Tuesday, an upgraded model that uses the M2 chip seen last summer in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. A higher-end version runs on the brand-new M2 Pro chip, which also powers the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, also introduced today.

Apple resurrects full-size HomePod with hot new features, same old price

• The first-generation HomePod debuted in 2018, and received equal parts praise for its audio quality and criticism for its $349 price. A drop to $299 did little to raise interest in the product, so Apple discontinued the HomePod in 2021.

HomePod head-to-head: How Apple’s new smart speaker compares to original

Secret sensor in your HomePod mini will activate soon

• Shortly after HomePod mini launched in 2020, teardowns of the device discovered a sensor to measure both temperature and humidity. No one outside of Apple had been aware of it before because the functionality has been inaccessible to users. But that’s about to change.

This week:

They said they'd never do it! But... according to a new report, Apple is now testing a Mac with a touchscreen, and will be supercharging the a cutting edge new display technology (and more!). Plus: Apple's mixed reality headset is almost here, and is now in the hands of a secret cabal of developers who are building apps and preparing for launch.

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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 14, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

This week's stories

Apple ‘seriously considering’ a touchscreen MacBook

• Apple now has engineers “actively engaged in the project” of adding touchscreens to Mac computers, starting with the popular MacBook Pro. According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, a consistent and reliable leaker, the first Mac with a touchscreen display could ship as soon as 2025.

Enter to win spectacular iPad Pro accessory bundle from Pitaka [Cult of Mac giveaway]

• The Cult of Mac giveaway this week is a corker. We teamed up with Pitaka for one lucky winner to get the chance to win an iPad Pro accessory bundle worth $190.

Apple’s in-house display could debut on the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024

• Apple wants to reduce its reliance on sourcing displays for its products from Samsung and LG. So, the company is working on its own custom displays that it intends to use as early as 2024.

Apple's 2023 Roadmap: When to Expect New Product Launches This Year

No major AirPods, iPad or Apple Watch upgrades planned for 2023

• Every year, Apple has some significant hardware upgrades planned for at least a few devices in its product lineup. 2023 could be an outlier, though.

This week:

We just got our biggest leaks yet of Apple's Mixed Reality headset! Plus: there will soon be some serious competition for Apple's Studio Display, and we add MORE picks to our best of 2022, part 3!

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Rocket Money shows you all your subscriptions all in one place, and then cancels whatever you don’t want with a single click! Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions right now at rocketmoney.com/cultcast.

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 14, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

This week's stories

Apple headset uses waist-mounted battery pack — new details emerge

• After testing a version of Apple’s upcoming AR/VR headset with an internal battery, the company’s engineers have resorted to using a separate battery pack connected by a wire, according to a new report about the secret project.

Mac Pro and M2 Mac mini pegged for launch at huge Apple event in March

• The long-awaited Mac Pro desktop will finally debut at a big March event, according to a new rumor.

Dell’s new 32-inch 6K monitor gives Apple’s ProDisplay XDR some competition

• With Dell’s new 32-inch 6K UltraSharp monitor, the Apple Pro Display XDR is no longer in a category of its own. Dell’s new monitor does things a little differently, though, blending elements from Apple’s $4,999 monitor and the $1,599 Studio Display, providing a possible best of both worlds when it comes to productivity and performance.

Samsung ViewFinity S9 first look: a sleek alternative to Apple’s Studio Display

• Samsung announced its ViewFinity S9 monitor earlier this week. With a 5K (5120 x 2880) resolution and stylish aluminum enclosure, it seems like Samsung is trying to square off with Apple’s Studio Display — likely for a lower price — and LG’s high-resolution monitors

Apple uses AI to voice its latest audiobook catalog

• Apple’s latest catalog of books uses artificial intelligence as a narrator instead of a human voice. This is the first time the Cupertino giant has used AI for audiobook narration.
• The move could have a wide-reaching effect in the audiobook space and mark the beginning of the end of human narrators.

This week:

What Apple hardware is coming next in 2023? We got the list! Plus: it's part 2 of our best of 2022 picks, with our favorite tech, shows, and movies!

This episode supported by

Rocket Money shows you all your subscriptions all in one place, and then cancels whatever you don’t want with a single click! Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions right now at rocketmoney.com/cultcast.

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 14, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

This week's stories

5 most exciting Apple products coming in 2023

An Apple Watch Ultra for $48? No, but you can get this obvious knockoff

• Some rugged, outdoorsy types might hesitate over the Apple Watch Ultra’s $800 price tag. But what if they could get a lookalike watch for less than $50?

Apple silently downgraded the default resolution of videos when viewed on macOS Photos

This week:

It's part 1 of our best of 2022 picks, with our favorite tech, shows, and movies!

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 14, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

This week's stories

Don’t give up on the iMac Pro just yet

• The first iMac Pro launched in 2017, with a powerful Intel Xeon processor, a 27-inch 5K display and a starting price of $5,000. The first iMac designed for professionals, the pricey computer failed to find a market. Apple nixed it in 2021 without ever releasing follow-up versions. But it’s apparently not too late.

Apple seemingly cancels ‘M2 Extreme’ Mac Pro

• At WWDC20, Apple promised to complete its transition to Apple silicon inside Macs in two years. It missed that deadline, and the company is yet to reveal a replacement for its 2019 Intel Mac Pro.

Apple store rewards procrastinators with free two-hour deliveries

• It’s almost Christmas, while Hanukkah is already in full swing, and the Apple store is helping last-minute shoppers with free two-hour delivery of some items.

Why AirTags make the ultimate Apple stocking stuffers

This week:

The best new features in iOS 16.2, plus: this is unreal—alternate app stores, side loading, and A LOT more coming to iOS!

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Rocket Money shows you all your subscriptions all in one place, and then cancels for you whatever you don’t want with a single click! Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions right now at rocketmoney.com/cultcast.

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 14, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

This week's stories

Apple gears up for alternative app stores on iPhone and iPad

• Apple has launched a major project to allow alternative app stores on iPhones and iPads by 2024. The effort is meant to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, coming fully into force then, and other possible national or regional laws that make Apple allow side loading, according to new report Tuesday.

Apple Considering Dropping Requirement for iPhone Web Browsers to Use WebKit

• As part of a larger story about Apple's plans to allow third-party app stores on the iPhone and iPad in EU countries, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed that Apple is also considering removing its requirement for iPhone and iPad web browsers to use WebKit, the open source browser engine that powers Safari.

10 new iOS 16.2 features to try right away

Get way more done with full external display support in iPadOS 16.2

• iPad users can now connect a second display and open up to four application windows on it. This at least doubles the available space to work in. Adding 27-inch screen to an 11-inch iPad is a dramatic change.

Winner’s choice! Enter to win any mophie product [Cult of Mac giveaway]

• The giveaway this week is slightly different, as we teamed up with Zagg to give five lucky winners the opportunity to choose their own prize from the extensive lineup of mophie products.

Escape Apple TV+ subscription fees with Emancipation-themed trial offer

• With Emancipation now streaming on Apple TV+, Apple wants to make sure Will Smith fans can watch it. So the company is offering a free two-month trial of its streaming video service. That’s much longer than the usual 7-day trial.

This week:

We're talking Apple's "20-inch folding MacBook", new features in iOS 16.2, + the big changes coming to iCloud!

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 14, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

This week's stories

20-inch folding screen could change MacBooks forever

• Apple could be working on a MacBook far larger than the current 16-inch model – a 20.25-inch one is supposedly in development. But don’t picture a standard laptop, as this will supposedly use a folding display.

iOS 16.2 with Freeform, Apple Music Sing and more is just days away

• Apple seeded the iOS 16.2 release candidate to developers Wednesday, taking a huge step toward giving iPhone users access to the Freeform collaboration app, the recently announced Apple Music Sing and other exciting new features.

Apple vastly expands iCloud data encryption with 3 security updates

• Apple said Wednesday users are gaining three new security features to protect their data in the cloud, with some available now and some to come. The overall program is called Advanced Data Protection.

Enter to win a tough, titanium Apple Watch Ultra band from Lululook [Cult of Mac giveaway] - Lewis

• This week’s giveaway will let five lucky winners get their hands on a sturdy Apple Watch Ultra Titanium Band from Lululook. The band matches the new Apple Watch Ultra perfectly, thanks to its sleek titanium finish.

Apple car just got a lot less ambitious

• Apple’s plan for a completely autonomous vehicle has gone back onto the drawing board, according to a reliable source. The company supposedly is still prepping an electric car but the self-driving capabilities much more limited.

Dyson is making the strangest headphones on the planet