CultCast #292 - Why even audiophiles are hyped for HomePod

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This week: 

• the magic of HomePod!  We’ll tell you about the built-in audio tech that's getting even the most ardent audiophiles hyped about Apple’s new smart speaker.  
• Plus: why iPhone 8’s biggest features may be disabled at launch
• Why you can grab free Beats in Apple's new back to school promo without being in college
• The fascinating story behind Steve Jobs' iconic turtleneck
• More of iOS 11’s best unknown features
• And we wrap with the heart warming story of why Steve Jobs insisted on always buying Scott Forstall's lunch.

  This episode supported by   You might know of Shutterstock as home to royalty-free photos. But, they offer much more.  Kickstart your next interactive project with video clips or music tracks from their collection, and save 20% for a limited time at shutterstock.com/cultcast   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.   Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of sink and bounce, and people everywhere love them.  Learn why and get $50 towards any mattress at Casper.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.   Thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the great music you hear on today's show.   On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney   iPhone 8’s biggest features could be disabled at launch https://www.cultofmac.com/492358/iphone-8s-biggest-features-disabled-launch/

• Some of the iPhone 8’s biggest new features could be disabled when the handset makes its debut this September.
• According to Fast Company, there is “a sense of panic in the air” at Apple as engineers scramble to iron out software bugs that are affecting wireless charging and 3D facial recognition.
• For both features, the hardware is ready — but the software that controls the features is “not ready for prime time.”
• If Apple cannot fix the issues, wireless charging could be disabled when the iPhone 8 goes on sale this September. Users would then have to wait for a future iOS update for it to be enabled — just like Portrait Mode on iPhone 7 Plus, which wasn’t ready for launch last fall.
• Same goes for facial recognition, but this report says Apple will indeed include a touch ID sensor under the screen, so at least you’ll have that.

  Apple offers free Beats in latest Back to School promo https://www.cultofmac.com/492362/apple-offers-free-beats-latest-back-school-promo/ Apple is giving away free Beats headphones for its latest Back to School promotion.

• Those who purchase a new iPad Pro — either the 10.5- or 12.9-inch mode