Cult of Mac

In this week's episode:

• OLED MacBook Pro reignites controversy over touchscreen laptops
• iMac and 14” MacBook Pro get M6 chip-and-ship upgrades
• But where are the M6 Pro, Max and Ultra?
• And does the iPhone Duo have a crack problem?

Contact us:

Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://newsletters.cultofmac.com/.

Links:

• OLED MacBook Pro reignites controversy over touchscreen laptops
• M6 chip-and-ship upgrades — but only for entry-level Macs
• iMac gets faster M6 chip, but no design changes
• Does the iPhone Duo have a crack problem?

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

In this week's episode:

• The iPhone Duo reviews are in, and they’re mixed -- but we don’t agree with them!
• What happens when you fold your iPhone Duo more than 32,000 times?
• Apple makes ‘Pro and Tell’ event official for October 28.
• And Apple TV serves up Halloween horror, exclusive to Vision Pro - if you have one, find out why you should check this out, and if you don’t, find out what you’re missing.

Contact us:

Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://newsletters.cultofmac.com/.

Links:

• First iPhone Duo reviews call Apple’s foldable impressive but not perfect
• Apple shortens the iPhone Duo wait for some lucky buyers
• After 32,000 folds, iPhone Duo’s hinge serves up a big surprise
• Apple makes ‘Pro and Tell’ event official for October 2

In this week's episode:

• Apple HomeView: Why it’s a genius product
• HomePod mini gets a big update
• Apple TV 4K gets a remote you can actually find down the back of the couch
• Who exactly is the Apple Home Collection for?
• And Apple’s next event looks set for October 28 in LA

Contact us:

Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://newsletters.cultofmac.com/.

Links:

• Apple HomeView: 7 features and catches worth knowing
• HomePod mini gets its biggest upgrade in 6 years
• Apple TV 4K gets Siri AI and a remote you can actually find
• Apple Home Collection is a starter kit for your smart home
• Apple Event set for October 28 in LA to launch touchscreen MacBook and OLED iPad mini

In this week's episode:

• The invites are out -- Apple’s “Welcome Home” event is next week, and it seems to be about embroidery!
• Apple’s teamed up with LG and others for a suite of smart home accessories.
• New last-minute rumors about the upcoming home hub.
• What about the touchscreen MacBook Pro? Where’s that at?
• And, is Apple’s product line getting bloated like it was back in the 90s?John Ternus plans to accelerate Apple product launches.

Contact us:

Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://newsletters.cultofmac.com/.

Links:

• Apple teases new smart-home products with ‘Welcome Home’ event next week
• Apple’s long-awaited smart home hub -- now with accessories
• Everything we know about Apple’s long-awaited smart home hub -- now with new info!
• What about the touchscreen MacBook? Where’s that at?

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: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://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: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://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: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://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: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://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: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://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: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://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: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://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: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://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: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://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

This week: Testing Siri AI against Apple’s bold claims, tons of extra details we’ve found in iOS 27, the big features coming later, and Apple’s major product launches on course for next year.

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://newsletters.cultofmac.com/.

Links:

• I tested the new Siri AI against Apple’s own claims

• I replicated demos from Apple’s WWDC26 keynote, using questions based on my own personal context. Here's how the Siri AI test went.

• 10 hidden iOS 27 features Apple barely mentioned at WWDC26

• Beyond Siri AI and Apple Intelligence, iOS 27 includes plenty of useful hidden features that make your iPhone smarter to use.

• iOS 27 isn’t done yet: Additional features might arrive in September

• From a customizable Camera app to third-party AI in Siri, Apple may have three more surprises lined up for September.

• Apple plans one of its most ambitious product waves ever for 2027

• Apple 2027 product releases ambitiously shape up to include camera AirPods, 2nd-gen foldable iPhone and 20th anniversary iPhone.
• Trump says Apple and Intel will build chips together in US

• Listener Question

• What’s up with the Kinghills Casino postings on Cult of Mac?

This week: We’re unpacking all the week’s WWDC announcements — Siri AI, new Apple Intelligence features, Liquid Glass changes and all the software features Apple didn’t talk about! Plus: Our WWDC prediction results…

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://newsletters.cultofmac.com/.

Links:

• Siri gets major redesign with chat interface and dedicated app

• Apple reinvented its smart assistant Siri as “Siri AI,” with a new range of advanced capabilities and its own dedicated app.

• Why the EU won’t get iOS 27’s biggest new feature

• Apple says EU iPhone and iPad users will miss out on Siri AI in iOS 27 due to ongoing regulatory disputes over the Digital Markets Act.

• 15 great new Apple Intelligence features to try (beyond Siri AI)

• In addition to Siri's revamp, the WWDC26 keynote outlined a slew of new Apple Intelligence features.

• macOS 27’s best new features go far beyond Siri AI and Liquid Glass tweaks

• macOS 27 introduces a refined Liquid Glass design, Siri AI, deeper Apple Intelligence integration and a host of performance improvements for your Mac.

• watchOS 27 brings Siri AI, smarter Workout Buddy and a lot more to the Apple Watch

• From Siri AI to smarter Workout Buddy, here's what watchOS 27 will bring to the Apple Watch this fall.
• What it means for watchOS to drop support for your Apple Watch

• Our WWDC26 predictions

• Congratulations to listener Stephen Morgan, who scored 9 points.

This week: The leaked colors coming on the iPhone 18 Pro, the powerful software features coming to the folding iPhone, reports that the Vision Pro’s death are greatly exaggerated, reports that smart glasses are greatly delayed, and our WWDC keynote predictions!

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com
• Submit your WWDC26 predictions

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 https://newsletters.cultofmac.com/.

Links:

• Best look yet at four iPhone 18 Pro colors: Can dark cherry top cosmic orange?

• Apple's iPhone 18 Pro color lineup may have just been revealed, thanks to images of a fresh batch of dummy units.

• iOS 27 might finally bring split-screen multitasking to the iPhone

• With iOS 27, designed to support the folding "iPhone Ultra," Apple might solve one of the biggest problems with foldable devices.

• First Apple smart glasses may not arrive until late 2027

• You will have to wait another year for Apple's smart glasses, with their launch supposedly only happening in late 2027.

• They say Vision Pro is doomed, but I just bought one anyway

• Is it weird that I just bought an Apple Vision Pro when everyone says the platform is dead? Maybe. But I have zero regrets.

• Our WWDC26 predictions

• It is time for us on the Cult of Mac podcast to lay out our predictions for Apple’s WWDC26 Keynote.
• Submit your own votes

This week, with special guest Christina Warren: Actual real-life renders of iOS 27, a big fix coming for AirPods users, Jony Ive’s bizarre Ferrari Luce design… and that’s about it.

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://newsletters.cultofmac.com/.

Links:

• Detailed iOS 27 renders show Siri’s big makeover

• A series of new illustrative mockups previews the major Siri overhaul everyone expects Apple to unveil at the WWDC26 keynote.

• iOS 27 might finally fix the messy AirPods settings screen

• Apple is reportedly working on a redesigned AirPods settings experience with a cleaner layout that can handle all the earbuds' features.

• Memes race to poke fun at Jony Ive’s new Ferrari Luce design

• Jony Ive's Ferrari Luce design unveiled this week is already provoking strong opinions. Is the EV the closest we'll ever get to an Apple car?

This week, with special guest Niléane: Apple can’t shake its love of titanium, big upgrades in store for the Apple Watch Ultra 4, the first iOS 27 features officially announced, a lightweight alternative to Spotlight, and our favorite web browsers!

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://newsletters.cultofmac.com/.

Links:

• Apple’s titanium iPhone experiment might not be over just yet

• Bye-bye, aluminum? Apple is reportedly working on a special titanium alloy that could let iPhones run cooler.

• Apple Watch Ultra 4 might add better hypertension alerts

• Apple is also said to be working on a major design and sensor upgrades.
• Apple hardware chief reshuffles product design leadership

• Apple Intelligence supercharges suite of accessibility features

• Apple Intelligence will soon power updated accessibility features including VoiceOver, Magnifier, Voice Control and Accessibility Reader.
• How to file Apple bug reports

• TinyStart: A tiny launcher for macOS, fast and focused on the essentials

• TinyStart displays search results instantly on every keystroke.
• Add your frequently used URLs for quick access.
• TinyStart allows you to save only your favorite folders and open them quickly.
• TinyStart's emoji picker is fast, lets you insert emoji in any text field, and learns your favorites over time.

• Listener Question

• If you use a lot of Google apps on the web, is Safari really the best browser?
• Matt Birchler: Everyone says Chrome devastates Mac battery life, but does it?

This week: Tons of details on features coming in iOS 27, the surprisingly exciting Apple Watch Series 12, how to make a Home Screen that doesn’t suck, and our weirdest product review yet.

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: cultofmacpodcast@icloud.com

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 https://newsletters.cultofmac.com/.

Links:

• Apple plans customizable Camera app and rebuilt Siri in iOS 27

• Looks like iOS 27 will bring a fully customizable Camera app, a ground-up Siri rebuild and a slew of other changes.
• macOS 27 will fix the worst part of Liquid Glass

• Apple Watch Series 12 might make upgrading hard to resist

• After years of incremental upgrades, the Apple Watch Series 12 might bring meaningful upgrades like a faster chip and satellite connectivity.

• My top 3 tips for making an iPhone Home Screen that doesn’t suck

• Creating a custom, minimalist iPhone Home Screen layout that works and looks better comes down to three easy tweaks.

• Listener Question

• Will Mac OS X need to be replaced sometime soon?

• BCAN BT4 Soft Land Pro Adult Trampoline

• It’s a pretty good personal workout trampoline… if you like torturous forms of working out.