This week on The CultCast: Why Pokémon Go is the smash iOS hit Nintendo needed; iPhone 7 may get the extended battery life we’ve all been asking for; Cult of Mac’s bizarre connection to Apple’s new Planet of the Apps TV show; and… which is manlier summer attire, midriff shirts or short shorts? We answer life’s most intriguing questions on an all-new Get to Know Your Cultist.
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to build a website that looks beautiful on any device that visits at Squarespace.com. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off.
Episode
CultCast #240 — Pokemania — Subscribe on iTunes
Our Twitters and Periscopes are a quiet riot.
@bst3r / @erfon / @lkahney
Join our new Reddit community to discuss current episodes and submit and vote on story topics for future episodes! TheCultCast.reddit.com
This week’s links
iPhone 7 might finally bring the feature everybody wants
- The upcoming iPhone 7 may pack a juicy 1,960mAh battery inside its simplified shell, according to a new rumor from OnLeaks.
- The often-reliable Apple leaker says he’s not 100 percent sure it will happen, but if he’s right, it would be about a 15 percent increase in capacity over the 1,715mAh battery in the iPhone 6s.
Apple posts open casting call for Planet of the Apps TV show
- Apple is looking for a few talented developers to star in the inaugural season of its first ever reality TV series that will focus on the hard knock life of developers and the apps they create.
- Helmed by executive producers Will.i.am, Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens of Biggest Loser fame, the series has teamed up with Product Hunt to go on a four city tour to find the country’s best up-and-coming app developers. The producers are touting Planet of the Apps as not just a reality TV show, but also as a “launch pad and accelerator for exceptional developers.”
- Upcoming casting calls are scheduled for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and New York. Interested developers must apply by Friday, August 26, with an app for iOS, tvOS, watchOS or macOS.
- Apple says those selected will be given the chance to receive guidance from some of the tech community’s top experts. They’ll also get premium placement on the App Store and access to funding from Silicon Valley VCs.
Pokémon Go continues its global invasion this week
- The game is officially available only in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand right now, but it is already a huge success. According to data from analytics firm SimilarWeb, the game already has more users than Tinder.
- Pokémon Go will continue its global invasion later this week as it expands its reach into Europe and Asia.
- The title has already become a smash hit, causing Nintendo shares to rocket 25 percent despite the game only being available in a small number of regions.
Get to Know Your Cultist
- A movie we’ve seen at least 25 times and still love.
- Leander – Apocalypse Now, The Wild bunch, The Onion Field
- Buster – Step Brothers, Pineapple Express, A Night at the Roxbury
- Erfon – Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- Albums we love listening to from start to finish.
- Leander – Sandinista by The Clash
- Buster – Explosions in the Sky
- Erfon – Ten by Pearl Jam, Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too by New Radicals
