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The HomePod reviews have been coming out hot and heavy, and they’re surprising. This week on The CultCast, we’ll tell you what people like, love and hate about Apple’s new speaker. If you’re planning on buying one, don’t miss our discussion. Plus: Something strange is happening at Apple HQ … we elaborate; 150 new kickass emojis are coming to your iPhone; and we pitch you the movies, gadgets and food we can’t get enough of in all-new What We’re Into!

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After months of delays, Apple’s HomePod is finally available in Apple Stores today. Before we get to the reviews, comparisons and tips, with our latest video we give you a tour of what’s in the box, show you how easy it is to set up, show it off in action and my first impressions.

In this week’s issue, you’ll find that story and more. Learn how to set up Apple’s Health app to unlock its awesome fitness potential. Apple is investigating iPhone X’s incoming call bug. Discover how to to see Cult of Mac at the top of your Facebook feed. And, now until Tuesday take advantage of a two-for-$65 promo on Nyloon’s lineup of great nylon Apple Watch bands. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

After months of delays, Apple’s HomePod is finally available in Apple Stores today. Before we get to the reviews, comparisons and tips, with our latest video we give you a tour of what’s in the box, show you how easy it is to set up, show it off in action and my first impressions.

Check the video out below.

Bulky virtual reality headsets may soon look like retro relics if Apple’s designers have their way.

Details of a new patent from Apple reveal the company is investigating different ways to reduce the size of bulky augmented reality and virtual reality headsets. The patents specifically mentions a tech that its rivals aren’t using, which could give it big advantage if it enters the market.

HomePod has landed. If you’re an Apple fan who loves audio, it’s a wonderful day. If you’re a speaker company, however, you now have to compete against the biggest tech brand in the world.

Sonos has shown it’s not scared by trolling HomePod with a Spotify playlist that contains a hidden message.

If you just shelled out $350 for Apple’s phenomenally sounding HomePod speaker, we have one small bit of advice: Get AppleCare+!

Trust us, HomePod is not a speaker you want to break. And the replacement price without AppleCare+ is absolutely insane.

You may finally get a way to disapprove of inappropriate content on Facebook. The social network is testing a new “downvote” button that lets users flag public comments that are offensive, misleading, or off-topic. Just don’t call it a dislike button.

Apple is investigating how an AirPod exploded and very nearly injured its owner. A Tampa, Florida man was listening to music at the gym when he noticed smoke billowing out of his ear. Fortunately for him, he took the AirPod out before it ended up in tiny pieces.

Apple has introduced a live news section to its TV app for iOS and tvOS. It hosts a bunch of live feeds from a number of major news providers — but you’ll only see them if you live in the United States.

This week, you can go pro and upgrade your iPad, or snag a sweet deal on a refurbished iPhone. Plus, get an app that tracks cryptocurrencies — for free! You’ll find those bargains and more in our roundup of the week’s best Apple deals.

Apple confirmed this morning that the leaked iOS source code that hit the web yesterday is indeed authentic.

The iPhone-maker ordered GitHub to pull the iBoot source code from its servers. Security researchers remain worried that the leak could help hackers compromise iPhones and iPads, but Apple says there’s nothing to worry about.

Immigration is one of the hottest issues in Washington D.C. this week and with a little help from Apple, the issue is about to take over Hollywood too.

Apple is developing yet another original TV show called Little America that’s being written by Silicon Valley star Kumail Nanjiani and his partner Emily V. Gordon.

Source code for a core component of the iPhone’s software has appeared online in what is described as “the biggest leak in history.”

iBoot, a part of iOS that ensures the device is booting a trusted operating system, was posted to GitHub anonymously. The code could be used by hackers to find vulnerabilities in Apple’s software. The company has already filed a copyright take-down request to have it removed.

A Best Buy employee has revealed Apple’s launch plans for AirPower and its new AirPods case with wireless charging. It seems the lengthy wait for these accessories is almost over.

Nintendo’s upcoming Mario Kart Tour game will be “free-to-start” on mobile, developer DeNA has confirmed.

Much like Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem Heroes, you’ll be able to enjoy the game without coughing up any cash, though optional in-app purchases will provide some advantage.

The Unicode Consortium has approved more than 150 new emoji characters that will likely be headed to iOS and macOS later this year.

The new emoji set finally includes male and female faces with red hair, along with bald characters, new superheroes and supervillains, and more.

The Amazing Stories TV show anthology Apple recently purchased is already running into problems.

Showrunner Bryan Fuller has reportedly exited the project that is a reboot of Steven Spielberg’s old 80’s TV show of the same name. The split was supposedly made over creative differences.

Something hot is brewing in Apple’s hardware department.

Apple has been busy hiring a record number of engineers over the last few months. The move comes after the company also went on a designer hiring spree, indicating a major new product or two could be in the works.

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Anyone with a busy schedule knows how checking off the list can either feel like climbing up a hill or running down one.

The Chinese governement is finally starting to crack down on fake Apple stores and service centers that look just like the real deal.

Authorities in Beijing fined a store 270,000 yuan (US$43,000) after it was found to be infrining on Apple’s intellectual property and fooling customers into thinking they were getting serviced directly by Apple.

Apple is making a big change to the way it accepts payments at its stores in China this week.

As part of its effort to increase sales in the second most important iPhone market, Apple is now embracing Alipay at its 41 brick-and-mortar stores located throughout China.

Apple won’t need to throttle the performance of iPhone 8 or iPhone X so severely as they age.

Its latest devices use more advanced hardware and a different power management system that allows iOS to avoid unexpected shutdowns without having to cap processor performance.

Figuring out if you have diabetes could soon be as easy as strapping on an Apple Watch.

A new study from Cardiogram shows that by using heart rate monitors on wearables like the Apple Watch, neural networks can now detect whether the wearer shows early signs of diabetes with astonishing accuracy.

Microsoft Cortana is now available on iPad. The smart assistant comes with all the features you’ve been enjoying on iPhone since July, combined with an interface that’s optimized for massive iPad screens. It also promises a much faster experience.

Apple has apologized to developers after sending Search Ads Basic reports to the wrong people. It blames the issue on a “processing error” and says future reports will require users to sign into their accounts.