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This week:  the CIA loses control of its iPhone hacking arsenal, and computer crooks turn your gadgets against you.  Plus: why iPhone 8 may arrive later than you hoped; our favorite Apple Airport replacement routers; and we discuss the non-Apple gear we’re currently obsessing over in an all-new and aptly named What We’re Into   This week:

• The CIA loses control of its iPhone hacking arsenal!
• Computer crooks turn your gadgets against you.
• Why iPhone 8 may arrive later than you hoped.
• Our favorite routers to replace your Apple Airport.
• The non-Apple gear we’re currently obsessing over! It’s all-new, overdue, What We’re Into 💪🏼

 

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Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.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, and for a limited time you can use code CULTCAST to score a free CleanCloth with any order 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 / @bst3r / @lkahney

 

WikiLeaks: CIA lost control of its iPhone hacking arsenal

http://www.cultofmac.com/470847/cia-used-malware-spy-iphone-users/

• The Central Intelligence Agency has been using malware to spy on iPhone and Android users, according to the largest-ever publication of confidential documents from WikiLeaks — and the spy tools are now in the hands of others.
• “This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA.”
• As part of a covert hacking program, the CIA created a “malware arsenal” and dozens of “zero day exploits” to infiltrate smartphones, tablets and even smart TVs to extract data and turn them into covert microphones.
• But the agency recently lost controls of these tools. Those who have obtained them now have “the entire hacking capacity of the CIA” at their disposal, according to WikiLeaks.
• At the end of 2016, the CIA’s hacking division was made up of more than 5,000 “registered users” who had produced over a thousand tools to infiltrate target devices throughout Latin America, Europe and the United States.
• iOS devices were also a major target. The CIA created and obtained tools from GCHQ, NSA, FBI and contractors like Baitshop that allowed them to bypass the encryption used by apps like WhatsApp and Telegram and collect audio and text message data.

  Global elites’ love of iPhone made iOS a prime target of CIA http://www.cultofmac.com/470881/global-elites-love-of-iphone-made-ios-a-prime-target-of-cia/

• Although Google’s Android dominates the worldwide smartphone market, the CIA concentrated on Apple’s iOS because of its popularity among global elites, WikiLeaks reports.
• Despite iPhone’s minority share (14.5%) of the global smart phone market in 2016, a specialized unit in the CIA’s Mobile Development Branch produces malware to infest, control and exfiltrate data from iPhones and other Apple products running iOS, suc

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This week: 

• Tim Cook promises to make Apple “Pro" again!  We discuss.
• iPhone ditching Lightning for USB C
• Spotify about to go Hi-Fi
• Why your next iPhone screen might read your fingerprints
• Leander pitches a new favorite pair of Bluetooth headphones
• The best iPhone bumper case in the land!

 

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Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.   What is Backblaze? It’s unlimited, cloud backup for Macs and PCs. And it’s native for Macs!  Try it out free for 15 days at Backblaze.com/cultcast.   CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can use code CULTCAST to score a free CleanCloth with any order 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 / @bst3r / @lkahney

 

Tim Cook: Pro users remain incredibly important to Apple http://www.cultofmac.com/469839/apple-investors-vote-against-diversity-at-annual-shareholders-meeting/

• During his Q&A session, Tim Cook discussed how Apple plans to fight for net neutrality. He also assured shareholders that Apple plans to come out with new products that appeal to professionals and creatives, but insisted that the Mac and iPad aren’t destined for a merger.
• “You will see us do more in the pro area. The pro area is very important to us. The creative area is very important to us in particular,” Cook told the crowd. “You can expect to see us do more and more that people will view iPad as a laptop replacement, but not a Mac replacement. The Mac does so much more.”

    Spotify eyes lossless audio to wow your ears http://www.cultofmac.com/470077/spotify-eyes-lossless-audio-wow-ears/

• Spotify appears poised to put the final nail in Tidal’s coffin.
• The music streaming service is planning to launch a new feature that will give listeners access to lossless audio streaming, according to a new report reveals the feature is currently in testing.  
• Spotify is currently calling the new feature “Spotify Hi-Fi.” The Verge reports that Spotify plans to launch the lossless CD quality audio feature. It’s unclear when it will be available to all users, but Spotify is already doing some small group testing.
• Screenshots posted on Reddit show that Spotify plans to charge between $5 to $10 extra a month for lossless CD quality audio.
•  It has been rumored in the past that Apple was looking to make a similar move with Apple

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This week: 

• We celebrate 5 years!
• We regale you with some of our favorite stories from past shows
• Our hardware expectations from Apple’s rumored March event
• Why iPhone 8’s wireless charging will probably be lame
• Apple has five teams working on their next-generation charging tech
• Why iPhone 8’s camera could pump out industrial-grade slow motion
• Steve Jobs gets a beautiful new home on Apple’s spaceship campus.

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Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.   Blue Apron makes it easy to cook delicious meals at home.  See their upcoming menu and get your first three meals free at BlueApron.com/CultCast.   CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can use code CULTCAST to score a free CleanCloth with any order 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 / @bst3r / @lkahney

 

iPhone 8’s wireless charging won’t be as good as we hoped http://www.cultofmac.com/468709/iphone-8s-wireless-charging-wont-good-hoped/

• If you were hoping Apple had developed a spectacular new wireless charging system for iPhone 8, you’re going to be disappointed come September.
• A new rumor claims that Apple won’t be using range charging technology developed by Energous as previously expected, but instead one of the existing solutions already found in rival smartphones like those made by Samsung.
• Adding fuel to that fire, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has only recently approved a version of Energous technology that delivers very low power over just a few inches.
• The iPhone would require higher levels of power and a wider range. A solution that meets these requirements is yet to be approved by the FCC.

  Apple has five different teams working on wireless charging http://www.cultofmac.com/469187/apple-five-different-teams-working-wireless-charging/

• According to a new report, the company currently has not one or two, but five different groups i

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This week:

• iPhone 8 is getting a huge makeover with edge-to-edge screen, wireless charging, huge battery, and more. We’ll fill you in.
• End of the Home Button and Touch ID.
• The riches you’d have if you bought Apple IPO stock
• A 4K Apple TV is on the way
• The best 4K televisions
• TV of yore you need to watch
• The search for the perfect corn dog
• Join us for a live CultCast on Friday, February 24 at 12PM Pacific Time!  Tune in at Live.TheCultCast.Com

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CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can use code CULTCAST to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.   The Cult of Mac store!  Cult of Mac has curated and culled the best Apple Watch straps around and is making them available at great prices. Check them out at store.cultofmac.com.   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 Vowed to Revolutionize Television. An Inside Look at Why It Hasn’t https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-16/apple-vowed-to-revolutionize-television-an-inside-look-at-why-it-hasn-t

• The new Apple TV will be capable of streaming 4K content and more vivid colors.

  AAPL shares close at new all-time high http://www.cultofmac.com/467231/aapl-shares-close-new-time-high/

• Thanks to an improved rating from Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs, Apple shares have been on the rise this week. Today shares were trading above the previous intra-day record high of $134.54 set on April 28, 2015.
• IPO December 12, 1980 at $22 a share.
• 100 shares would have cost you $2200
• Since the IPO, the stock has split four times, including three 2-for-1 splits and one 7-for-1 split
• Your 100 shares would have multiples to  5600 shares.
• You initial $2200 investment would now be worth 759,136.
• By comparison, a $2,200 investment in the S&P 500 in the same time would have netted you about $79,000
• If you had invested 10k, you’d now how have $3,446,477.44

  Smaller iPhone set to get big battery upgrade in 2017 http://www.cultofmac.com/466699/smaller-iphones-set-to-get-big-battery-upgrade-in-2017/

• Apple reportedly plans to pack a much bigger battery inside the new 4.7-inch iPhone set to be revealed later this year.

  iPhone 8 to Feature 5.8-Inch OLED Display With 5.15-Inch Main Screen and Virtual Buttons Below https://www.macrumors.com/2017/02/15/2017-iphone-edge-to-edge-display-virtual-buttons/

• The 2017 iPhone will feature a 5.8-inch display OLED display panel with 5.15 inches of usable screen space according to new prediction

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This week: 

• How to get significant discounts on Apple gadgets
• The INSANELY SPECIAL doorknobs at Apple’s Spaceship HQ
• The fat paychecks earned by Jony Ive’s industrial designers 
• iPhone 8 to come in a plus plus size
• Wireless charging is all but confirmed for all three iPhone 8 sizes
• Next iPhone could cost more than $1,000!
• How to get a massive discount on Final Cut and Logic Pro X
• We reveal our favorite new shows and movies in an all new, What We’re Into Yaaa’aaall 💪🏼

 

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.   CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can use code CULTCAST to score a free CleanCloth with any order 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 / @bst3r / @lkahney

 

Students get a massive discount on Apple’s Pro Apps Bundle

• Apple is offering students a massive discount on a bundle of pro apps that includes Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X and more.
• The total cost of the apps included in the set would be just under $630, but Apple is offering them all to those in education for just $199.
• “Education pricing is available to college students, students accepted to college, parents buying for college students, faculty, homeschool teachers, and staff at all grade levels,” Apple said. 

All three 2017 iPhones may get wireless charging

• According to a reliable Apple analyst, the company will release three new iPhones this year — including a redesigned iPhone 8 (or iPhone X) and two iterative iPhone 7 updates.
• All three models will reportedly boast new Apple wireless charging tech, rather than the feature being limited to a high-end OLED handset.

  The next iPhone may cost more than $1,000

• The price of the top-of-the-line iPhone is set to increase to more than $1,000, according to a new report that claims the device will pack an OLED display that stretches across the entire front of the phone
• Switching to an OLED display will likely cost Apple twice as much as the current LCD display used on the iPhone 7, reports Fast Company.
• The report also echoes previous rumors that the 2017 iPhone will come in three screen sizes: 5.8 inches, 5.5 inches and 4.7 inches. It’s still unclear what Apple will call the next iPhone. Some fans expect it to be called the iPhone 10 or iPhone X because this year marks the device’s 10th anniversary.

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This week: astounding facts and figures from Apple’s newest earnings report;  Nintendo promises a bunch of new iOS games; how to get the best deal in cloud storage; affordable options for your first drone; the perfect minimalist strap for your mirrorless camera; and we pitch you our favorite gadgets in an all-new Fave N Raves!  💪🏼  

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Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.   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

 

Got suggestions or feedback for us?  Air your thoughts at TheCultCast.reddit.com.

 

‘I’m a Mac’ star Justin Long becomes new face of Huawei phones http://www.cultofmac.com/465034/im-a-mac-star-justin-long-becomes-new-face-of-huawei-phones/

• Ever heard of Huawei?  They’re in China.
• Justin Long, the face of Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign for three years, is now starring in ads for Huawei phones.
• Huawei is now the third-biggest smartphone maker in the world behind only Apple and Samsung. It shipped 44.9 million handsets last quarter to grab a 10.2 percent of the global market
• The company is now trying to break into Western markets, with a big focus on the U.S.
• What better way to do that than with the face of Apple’s famous “Get a Mac” campaign

  Nintendo promises at least 2 new mobile games every year http://www.cultofmac.com/465047/nintendo-promises-least-2-new-mobile-games-every-year/

• Its new Switch console right around the corner, but Nintendo won’t be losing its focus on Android and iOS. The Japanese firm today confirmed that it plans to release two to three mobile games every year.
• Super Mario Run attracted a staggering 40 million downloads in just four days when it landed on iOS, and according to a recent report from The Wall Street Journal, it has already made Nintendo over $50 million.
• Nintendo’s announcement comes a day after it disappointed investors by slashing a third off its forecast operating profit for 2017 — despite the upcoming release of the Switch, which already has support from over 70 game makers developing over 100 titles.

  Apple shatters records with blockbuster Q1 2017 earnings http://www.cultofmac.com/464838/apple-shatters-records-blockbuster-q1-2017-earnings/

• Surprise!  Apple sold more iPhone units than ever before last quarter
• With total revenues of $78.4 billion bringing in a profit of $17.9 billion, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he is “thrilled” with the results.
• Apple only expected to sell between 76 million and 78 million iPhones in the quarter, but it managed to move 78.3 million.
• • Cook told investors today that he still views the smartphone market as being in the “ear

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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.

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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 claims

Former employee explains how Tim Cook made Apple boring

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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.”

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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 Pro