iPhone 15 rumors + iOS 17 beta horror stories [The CultCast]

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest iPhone 15 rumors paint a somewhat troubling picture. This year’s models might look a lot like last year’s models, which already seemed pretty darn familiar. Plus, is that camera hump really going to get even bigger? And will we once again revert to non-parity between Pro models, so you have to go ridiculously large to get the best features? Oh dear …

Also on The CultCast:

• The iOS 17 public betas arrive, but should you really install them on your daily driver? Our lousy experiences with the buggy software make that a pretty hard no unless you’ve got extreme tolerance for iPhone malfunctions.
• Craving that bigger iMac we heard about recently? Better put on your waiting pants.
• Jony Ive returns to hardware design with a very pricey product. Meanwhile, his precious $300 book Designed by Apple in California would have made a very smart investment.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

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This week’s top Apple news

On the show this week: Your host Erfon Elijah (@erfon), Cult of Mac managing editor Lewis Wallace (@lewiswallace) and Cult of Mac writer D. Griffin Jones (@dgriffinjones).

Here are the headlines we’re talking about on this week’s show:

Weekly Cult of Mac giveaway

Win a compact charger that juices up 3 devices at once

This week, Cult of Mac is giving away one X40 folding charger from Kuxiu. This sucker can juice up an iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch simultaneously, and it folds down into a perfectly packable size. Excellent for international travel! And that’s good news, because this giveaway is open to anybody around the world.

To enter, just visit our giveaway page and pick your poison(s). As always, entry is free.

Under Review

Griffin: Røde NT-USB+ mic and Røde NTH-100 headphones.

Lewis: Geometric Goods Leather AirTag Travel Wallet. Constructed of vegetable-tanned Italian leather, this beefy bifold can hold your passport, up to 11 credit cards and plenty of cash. It’s a little bulkier than expected, but its sturdy leather construction makes it seem like a family heirloom. Comes in a variety of colors and retails for $137.90.

Erfon: Soundcore Motion X600. With its tank-like metal build, beautiful design, IPX7 waterproofing and spatial audio, it’s one of the best portable speakers I’ve used. It retails for $199, but at the time of this writing, you can snag a special deal on the X600 plus a Soundcore mini portable speaker for just $169.98. That’s on Amazon, though, so prices are subject to change.