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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.

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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.  

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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

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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

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This week, it's our epic final episode of 2016!  We’ll wrap up the year with our hands-on review of the hottness themselves, Apple’s AirPods.  Then… is Apple’s “Golden Era” drawing to a close?  We discuss.  And finally, ya’ll know we review a lot of products during the year—we’ll reveal our absolute favorite gadgets of 2016!   This episode supported by CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co.   On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney   Tim Cook calls AirPods a ‘runaway success’ http://www.cultofmac.com/460073/tim-cook-calls-airpods-runaway-success/

• During a short interview, Cook told CNBC the new AirPods are a “runaway success” and that the company is making them as fast as it can. Cook didn’t divulge details on how well the company is doing, but he did hint that the holiday was really good to Apple.

  Every Apple store worldwide is sold out of AirPods http://www.cultofmac.com/460047/apple-airpods-worldwide/

• According to airpods.isinstock.com, and istocknow.com, Airpods are sold out at every Apple Store in the world
• Apple stores have been getting in very limited quantities and they “sell out in minutes”

  All the ways Apple disappointed us in 2016 http://www.cultofmac.com/459403/apple-disappointments-2016/

• Some are saying 2016 is the year that appl's 'golden age' drew to a close

Our favorite gadgets of 2016!   Leander

• 3DR Solo Drone 
• Amazon Echo 
• Eero mesh router 
• Netgear Orbi mesh router 

  Erfon

• Segway miniPRO 
• Fuji X-T1 (or the newer X-T2)
• Philips Hue Lightstrip 
• Philips White and Color light kit 
• Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected 
• Philips Sonicare Adaptive Replacement toothbrush heads 

Buster

• DJI Mavic Pro 
• Sony RX100 
• Yuneec E-GO Electric Skateboard

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This week: everything we like (and don’t) about AirPods; the insider way to lock down your own AirPods without waiting 6 weeks; Apple’s Mac division has a falling out with Jony Ive; and we remember the best of Apple, 2016.

This episode supported by

  CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co.
On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / “at” David Pierini

 

Mac division has ‘lost clout’ with Jony Ive and Apple design team http://www.cultofmac.com/459078/mac-division-has-lost-clout-with-jony-ive-and-design-team/

• Apple’s Mac team has reportedly “lost clout” with the company’s industrial design group and software team, claims a new report
• The picture painted by Mark Gurman as Bloomberg is a Mac division with a lack of clear direction from senior management, departures of key employees, and technical challenges — all conspiring to make the Mac one of Apple’s forgotten divisions.
• The article notes that ever since last year’s reshuffle of Apple’s design team, meetings between the Mac team and the industrial design team have become less frequent.
• It also notes more than a dozen engineers and managers working on the Mac have left over the past 18 months, with at least a sizable percentage put off by their lack of clarity about the “future of Mac hardware.”
• One possible problem is the lack of a singular vision driving the division. Instead of having one concept to work on, increasingly engineers are — in the words of one source — “asked to develop multiple options in hopes that one of them will be shippable.” The result is that resources become more thinly spread than ever, while products ship later.
• Mac generates about 10 percent of Apple sales

    Don’t worry, Tim Cook says new iMacs are coming http://www.cultofmac.com/459110/dont-worry-tim-cook-says-new-imacs-coming/

• The iMac didn’t get much love in 2016, but according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, killer new desktop Macs are coming.
• In a note to Apple employees, Cook assured staff that desktop computers are still “really important” and that they shouldn’t worry about future machines.

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This week: an honest look at Mario Run; better-sounding AirPod alternatives; the cool new stuff in the iOS and tvOS updates; and we reveal the hands-down best tv shows of 2016!

 

This episode supported by   Jamf Now's cloud-based Mobile Device Management is the affordable way to manage the iPads, iPhones, and Macs in your workplace, and you can manage 3 devices free at jamf.com/CultCast.
  CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co.
On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

 

Mario Run to the Apple store to snag Nintendo’s first major iOS game. http://www.cultofmac.com/458332/ready-get-set-go-download-super-mario-run-for-ios/ AirPods finally available with shipping in time for Christmas http://www.cultofmac.com/458057/airpods-shipping-time-christmas/

• Apple’s long-awaited wireless AirPods are finally available to buy through Apple’s online store — priced at $159.
• While it’s not known when they’ll be available for sale in brick-and-mortar Apple retail stores, you can breathe a sigh of relief, since orders placed through Apple’s online store are currently showing a pre-Christmas delivery date of December 21
• Apple said AirPods will be available for purchase at Apple stores by next week, as well as authorized resellers, and select carriers. Apple also said stores will receive "regular AirPods shipments”

  iOS 10.2 is out with new emoji, TV app and wallpapers http://www.cultofmac.com/457945/ios-10-2-new-emoji-tv-app-wallpapers/#more-457945

• iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users get a couple of new wallpapers in the new update. There are also more than 100 new emoji, including new characters for shrug, avocado, gorilla, shark and bacon.

  tvOS 10.1 update brings Apple’s TV app to the living room http://www.cultofmac.com/457950/tvos-10-1-update-brings-apples-tv-app-living-room/

• TV fans can binge on all their shows in one place with Apple’s new TV app, which simplifies the experience. With the new single sign-on feature, you can quickly access your subscribed content on all your devices. (Here’s how to set up single sign-on fo

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This week: why Apple is done chasing big hit products.  Plus: the demise of Pebble Watch is a bad omen for wearables; Foxconn secretly prepares to make more Apple products in the US; and we remember our favorite movies of 2016!

This episode supported by
  Harry’s super-sharp, German-made razors ship free right to your door and for way less than the drugstore razors. Get a free trial set at Harrys.com and score free post shave balm with code CultCast at checkout.
  CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK 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 / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

 

Apple stops swinging for the fences http://www.cultofmac.com/456698/apple-stops-swinging-fences/#more-456698

• Apple analyst Horrace Dediu says Apple’s cultural identity is undergoing a dramatic shift
• Instead of being in the “new hit product business”, Dediu told said that Apple is trying to become a “services and recurring-revenue business.”
• Dediu argues that constantly trying for home runs has been demoralizing for employees, so Apple CEO Tim Cook move away from that attitude.
• Will Apple ever have another “iPhone”?

Apple Says 35% of U.S. Merchants Accept Apple Pay

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This week: why building a Hackintosh can get you the monster Mac you’ve always wanted.  Plus: Apple analyst Ming-Chi Quo reveals iPhone 8’s marquee feature; AirPods ship date is finally revealed; and stick around for our top Apple Airport router replacement picks!

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.

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   Apple’s long-awaited AirPods will ship in ‘next few weeks’ http://www.cultofmac.com/456343/apples-long-awaited-airpods-will-ship-next-weeks/

• Apple revealed the earbuds alongside the iPhone 7, promising an October delivery date, but anxious customers have not been able to buy a set.
• In  email obtained by MacRumors, a customer asks Tim Cook where his AirPods are.
• • Customer’s comment: “Give us a release date. I really bought in to the wireless vision you painted….Let us know if it’s a month or 6 months, because then I’ll just buy some other wireless headphones.”
  • Tim Cook’s response: “Thanks for your note. Sorry for the delay—we are finalizing them and I anticipate we will begin to ship over the next few weeks.”

  Innovative iPhone 8 could shatter sales records http://www.cultofmac.com/456153/iphone8-sales-records/

• Apple has big plans for the iPhone 8, claims KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
• According to Kuo, Apple will be scaling up iPhone production 120-150 million units in the second half of 2017. If true, this would would be well above the 110-120 million units Apple ordered of its bestselling iPhone 6 generation handsets.
• Kuo claims this “unprecedented” demand will be centered around the myriad big improvements Apple has planned for its next-gen iPhone series.

  iPhone 8’s glass design will finally bring wireless charging https://www.cultofmac.com/455354/wireless-charging-iphone8/

• The rumored dec