The battle between virtual assistants is about to hot up again as Microsoft Cortana prepares to go cross-platform to take on Siri and Google Now. The intelligent virtual assistant will be arriving on Android and iOS later this year, but you can get a sneak peek in the video below.

Apple could make its upcoming iPhone 6s handsets slimmer and lighter than ever by taking advantage of new smaller LED backlighting chips, according to a new report.

The new chips have the same 3.0 x 0.85mm dimensions as those used in present generation iPhones, but are an impressive 0.2mm thinner than the current 0.6mm components.

I’ve started cheating on my Apple Watch. It’s not that I don’t love it. It’s amazingly beautiful. It does stuff I didn’t even know I’d like. But when it comes to running wild in the outdoors, I’ve found a smartwatch that satisfies me more than Jony Ive’s wearable does.

For the past week I’ve been testing the Garmin Fenix 3, a top-of-the-line smartwatch from a company that’s made a name for itself by providing runners and outdoorsmen with some of the best wrist-worn fitness tech. I hate wearing the Fenix 3. While Apple Watch gently caresses my wrist, the Fenix 3 feels like I’ve strapped a tank to it. Yet it boasts features Apple Watch doesn’t have that I’m starting to think I can’t live without on runs and hikes.

I don’t plan to completely break up with the Apple Watch anytime soon, but I’m ditching it during my four-day trek through the Grand Canyon this weekend because there are still a couple things it needs to learn before it can truly be the best all-around fitness tracker.

If Apple’s former CEO had been more sentimental, we’d be referring to the company’s upcoming “Spaceship” headquarters as the Steve Jobs campus, according to an interesting tidbit in Stephen Fry’s Telegraph article about Jony Ive’s promotion.

While being given a tour of the rapidly advancing Apple Campus 2 site, Fry suggested it should be named after Jobs, who died in 2011 but was heavily involved with the early stages of planning.

“Oh, Steve made his views on that very clear,” said Tim Cook — hinting that the idea was discussed, but that Jobs wasn’t a massive fan of it.

The first Apple devices to boast A9 chips aren’t even out yet, and already manufacturers are fighting it out to get a piece of the next-next-gen A10 order action — which are likely to make their debut with the iPhone 7 in 2016.

Having come dangerously close to losing out on A9 orders entirely, TSMC is reportedly wasting no time in investing in the right equipment to wow Apple into handing over its order book for the A10 chips.

Jony Ive received a nice gift for the Memorial Day weekend: a promotion to the role of Chief Design Officer at Apple, which will broaden his design duties at Apple while handing day-to-day running of the design team to long-time Apple employees Alan Dye and Richard Howarth.

Congrats, Jony!

Got an audiophile dad? Your search for a Father’s Day gift ends here, with the Veho leather Bluetooth speaker.

Rumors that the iPhone 6s will be getting a vastly improved camera are picking up steam.

According to a new report coming out of China, the next-generation Apple handset will boast a 12MP camera with a special Sony sensor to improve the performance of shooting in low-light conditions.

Living in a world where the iPhone dominates, and rivals don’t so much compete by doing things differently as by offering cut-rate versions of the same core technology, it can be easy to forget how much of a disruption Apple’s handset actually caused when Steve Jobs unveiled it in 2007.

A new book chronicling the rise and fall of BlackBerry tells the story from the perspective of the one-time king of (semi-)smartphones. And the reaction was every bit as full of shock, awe, anger and denial as you might expect.

Because iPhone and BlackBerry don’t have to compete for customers, right? Right?

The India government has previously blocked Apple from opening any brick-and-mortar retail outlets in the country because Apple don’t manufacture any products in India.

That could be about to change, however, thanks to a recent rumor claiming that Foxconn has been given permission to open new iPhone-manufacturing plants in Maharashtra, the heavily-populated state in the country’s western region which claims Mumbai as its capital.

The factories would benefit from government funding aimed at bringing more manufacturing companies to India.

Rapper and entrepreneur Jay Z made waves when he claimed that there is a racially-motivated component to why Apple and others are “hating on” his new Tidal streaming music service.

But if you thought the whole hip hop community would stand behind Jay Z on the topic, you’d be wrong. In particular, “Pump It Up” hit maker, Slaughterhouse member (and Apple fan?) Joe Budden hit back with comments in a recent interview.

His take on the situation? That people don’t buy products based on their love of a particular company. They do it because that company makes the best products. And right now, Apple does and Tidal doesn’t.

Oh, snap!

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I used to live the classic geek lifestyle, forever hunched over a MacBook, munching on comfort food. Until one day cancer forced me to take my health more seriously.

Now I run marathons and lift weights for fun. But the geek is still strong in me. From GPS watches to bioelectrical impedance analyzers, I’ve used pretty much every kind of fitness gadget.

Here’s the story of how fitness gear helped me get in shape for the first time in my life and swap my middle-aged dad bod for a six pack.

This we week we got lost in the vast oasis of Instagram searching for some great photographers to recommend. We wandered down the road searching for fun feeds featuring motorcycles, adventurers, dogs and, oddly, pigeons.

What we found, once again, was how many people are using this amazing visual delivery tool to tell their stories. Sure, we found a ton of poorly done selfies and cliche sayings, but check out what cool stuff we found for you this week.

This week: ok sure, Apple may have forever shelved plans for a proper television, but reports of a souped-up Apple TV debuting at WWDC will make you forget all that. Plus: the good stuff in Apple’s first Watch update; new Macbook Pros and iMacs get faster specs and bigger price tags; and Steve Jobs teaches bad actors a lesson they shan’t forget.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Squarespace 7 is live, and it’s their biggest update in years. Now building a beautiful website is faster and easier than ever. Learn more at Squarespace.com/seven and use code “CultCast” at checkout for 10% off any order.

Show notes ahead!

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A young Russian woman who posed for a selfie with a 9 mm handgun accidentally shot herself in the head.

Police report that the 21-year-old found the weapon in the building she worked in after a security guard left it behind while he went on vacation.

When you’re ranting about Apple and its products, don’t forget to breathe.

One incredibly angry man learned that crucial lesson the hard way: His profanity-laden diatribe about the Apple Watch ended when he broke into a coughing fit. You can see the whole NSFW rant and its shocking twist ending below.

We’ve got a host of new stuff to show off this week, from Killian’s look at the new MacBook and iMac lines to Luke’s exploration of all things bacon (emoji). We’ve got Rob’s essential Apple Watch tips, a new credit-card sized cell phone, and Luke’s take on the new non-trivial QuizUp update.

All this, and a ton more, in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine.

UC Berkley researchers have hit a major milestone in the creation of usable AI. They’ve created a new set of algorithms that will allow robots to learn through trial and error — much like humans learn new tasks.

With this kind of educated automaton, there’s nothing they won’t be able to do. Think of mechanical beings assembling your next iPhone, building skyscrapers, or exploring Mars.

Is this where we see the first inklings of the robot apocalypse?

With Apple Watch still sold out and Google reportedly gearing up to deliver Android Wear support for iPhone at Google I/O next week, it’s time for two of the hottest wearable platforms to face off.

Apple Watch is selling 30,000 units every day in the U.S., according to the latest reports, which makes it significantly hotter than any of the Android Wear watches we’ve seen so far. But is it really worth the hype?

Find out what we think in this week’s Friday Night Fight with Cult of Android versus Cult of Mac!

If you grew up in the 80’s one of your earliest video gaming memories was probably playing Oregon Trail on an old Apple II or Macintosh, but you haven’t experienced Oregon Trail until you’ve played it on a 27-inch Apple Cinema Display. In color.

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Voltaire was the first. Now Vader is a wax figure.

Madame Tussauds has been in the business of meticulously sculpting lifelike models of the famous since 1777. Now, in a gallery far, far away (well, London), the wax museum has produced 11 famous sets featuring 16 Star Wars characters. And a new video shows the tedious, behind-the-scenes creative process, which involves much more than just pouring hot wax into molds.