Cult of Mac

In this week's episode:

• Apple’s long-awaited smart home hub finally gets a launch date.
• John Ternus plans to accelerate Apple product launches.
• AirPods 5 are less impossible to fix.

Contact us:

Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]

Sponsors:

The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.

Links:

• Apple’s long-awaited smart home hub finally gets a launch date
• John Ternus plans to accelerate Apple product launches
• AirPods 5 are less impossible to fix

In this week's episode:

• iPhone 18 Pro Max has performance issues on high-end models
• Big changes in Apple’s fitness team as Eddie Cue prepares to take on Whoop
• Mac Mini storage upgrade options get a downgrade
• Plus: Developers can finally get to work adapting their apps for iPhone Duo. Graham will be giving us a show-and-tell of how his fitness app is shaping up for the Duo.

Comments: Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]

Sponsors:

The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.

Links:

• 1TB iPhone 18 Pro Max storage speed craters under sustained heavy workloads

• Apple’s screenless fitness tracker might someday replace your Apple Watch

• M6/M5 Pro Mac mini takes a step back on third-party storage upgrades

In this week's episode:

• Apple’s not done yet. John Ternus may showcase more new products next month.
• The wait is over – OS 27 updates arrive on all Apple platforms.
• We ask: should you skip your iPhone upgrade this year? 
• Plus, will the iPhone Duo have a crunchy dust problem like other foldables?

Comments: Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]

Sponsors:

The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.

Links:

• Don’t think Apple is done: New Macs, iPads and more are coming soon

• iOS 27 arrives with a smarter Siri and fixes you’ll actually notice

• 6 reasons to skip the iPhone 18 Pro this year

• Will the iPhone Duo Be Repairable? iFixit is Skeptical

In this week's episode:

• • At Apple’s “Surprise and Shine” special event this week, there weren’t many surprises, but there were plenty of shiny new products. 
  • We’ll be discussing the all new iPhone Duo, with its beautiful crease-less display.
  • Plus the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, with its new burgundy paint job.
  • And Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, which look exactly the same, but boast a brand new Health Sensing System that supports two new metrics: readiness and Health Age.
  • Are these new metrics scientific, or gamified wellness fluff? 

Comments: Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]

Sponsors:

The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.

Links:

• iPhone Duo avoids the crease and merges iPhone and iPad into one brilliant device

• iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro: How much better is the new Pro?

• Apple Watch Series 12 is the upgrade long-term users have been waiting for

• Are Apple Watch’s new readiness and Health Age metrics scientific? Yes, but …

In this week's episode:

• There’s a new broom in Cupertino. As John Ternus takes the reins from Tim Cook, we’ll discuss whether he’ll make sweeping changes, and how he’ll solve the innovator’s dilemma. 
• Plus, the latest rumors for what Ternus is expected to unveil at Apple’s Surprise And Shine event next week.
• iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro: The biggest rumored changes.
• Folding iPhone won’t support Apple Pencil but it will get MagSafe.
• Apple Watch Series 12 rumors: Everything we know so far.
• Apple Watch Ultra 4 rumors.

• Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]

Sponsors:

The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.

Links:

• John Ternus faces classic dilemma as he takes over as Apple CEO.
• iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro: The biggest rumored changes.
• Folding iPhone won’t support Apple Pencil but it will get MagSafe.
• Apple Watch Series 12 rumors: Everything we know so far.
• Apple Watch Ultra 4 rumors.

In this week's episode:

• Mark your calendars. Apple’s “Surprise and shine” iPhone launch event is set for September 9th. 
• New Mac mini is the first to receive an all new M6 processor.
• Mac Studio gets upgraded with super-fast M5 Max and Ultra options.
• Finally, the long-promised AirPods charging tip that will blow your mind!

• Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]

Sponsors:

The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.

Links:

• Apple sets ‘Surprise and shine’ launch event for folding iPhone.
• Mac mini gets huge performance boost with M6 and M5 Pro chips.
• Mac Studio upgraded with super-fast M5 Max and M5 Ultra processors.

In this week's episode:

• AirPods with cameras are real, and Apple just showed how they’ll work - but they might not arrive until 2027.
• Oops: Apple accidentally leaks 10+ unreleased devices.
• iPhone 18 Pro Max might get big camera upgrades that regular Pro lacks.
• Graham: I’m getting my app ready for OS 27 next month.
• Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]

Sponsors:

The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.

Links:

• AirPods with cameras are real, and Apple just showed how they’ll work - but they might not arrive until 2027.
• Oops: Apple accidentally leaks 10+ unreleased devices.
• iPhone 18 Pro Max might get big camera upgrades that regular Pro lacks.

 Sound bites:

"AI is my friend and I use it for everything"
"These AirPods supposedly coming for a while now"
"Infrared cameras can see what you're doing"

The Cult of Mac Podcast is back! We have a new lineup of hosts: Leander Kahney, Lewis Wallace, Graham Bower and Charlie Sorrel.

In this week's episode:

• The all-glass iPhone is dead, but the compromise design still sounds droolworthy.
• Apple Watches might get bigger screens, smaller screens, or no screen at all
• Start saving now, big iPhone price hikes are coming, but we have practical advice you’ll not hear anywhere else
• The world’s most boring sport is coming to Vision Pro, and it’s magical.
• Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]

Sponsors:

The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.

Links:

• iPhone 20’s (nearly) all-glass design is compromised, but it still sounds downright droolworthy Apple’s flashy 20th-anniversary iPhone is apparently not canceled—it’s still rumored to arrive in 2027.
• Big screens, rounds screens, no screens: Revamped Apple Watch lineup Apple is reportedly looking at a much bigger Apple Watch rethink, as screen-free fitness trackers and smart rings gain traction. Stuff like Fitbit Air and the Oura Ring.
• iPhone price hikes incoming If you’re eyeing an iPhone 18 Pro, brace yourself: analysts think the price could jump by roughly $100 to $300 when it arrives in September. 
• Baseball on Vision Pro will be like teleportation to the ballpark Apple is bringing live Friday Night Baseball to Vision Pro in Apple Immersive Video—basically a far more “you’re at the ballpark” version of the usual broadcast. 

This week: An announcement on the future of the podcast, which will be taking a brief hiatus, returning with Leander and Lewis.

Links:

• Griffin is going independent (and open to new opportunities)
• Extra Ordinary email newsletter

This week, with special guest Mikah Sargent: Apple’s big price hikes hit hard, what iOS will look like on the folding iPhone, changes in iOS 27 beta 2, what to do if you’re stuck on Siri AI waitlist, and all about how you can podcast and livestream from a Mac.

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]

Sponsors:

The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.

Links:

• Ouch: Apple’s Mac and iPad price hikes are brutal
  • From the MacBook Neo to MacBook Pro to Vision Pro, Apple is raising prices across the board as soaring memory costs squeeze its margins.
  • Check out the best Amazon Prime Day deals on our favorite Apple gear
• Resizable iPhone apps show what the folding iPhone will be like
  • Now that you can resize iPhone Mirroring to any arbitrary size, you can stretch the screen to the dimensions of Apple’s folding iPhone.
  • Extra Ordinary: Hidden In Plain Sight—A History of iOS Foreshadowing iPhone
• iOS 27 beta 2: All the new features and changes
  • iOS 27 beta 2 introduces several hidden changes, including smarter HomeKit camera notifications, Write with Siri, and other quality-of-life improvements.
• Hack to skip the Siri AI waitlist no longer works — but there may be another way
  • The hack that some Mac users were using to try out the new Siri AI, skipping the waitlist, no longer works — but there may be a new way.
  • How to file Apple bug reports (and why you should do it ASAP)
• Podcasting and live-streaming from a Mac
  • Dell UltraSharp U2719D Display
  • Elgato Prompter Display
  • Sony ZVE10 II mirrorless camera
  • Elgato Stream Deck MK.2
  • Heil PR 40 microphone
  • Sound Devices MixPre-3 II Audio Interface
  • Ecamm for Mac
  • Restream
  • Audio Hijack
  • Hazel
  • TextExpander
  • Keyboard Maestro