This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: New Apple CEO John Ternus reportedly wants to make Apple lean and agile. He wants to eliminate bloat — and push out more products at a faster tempo.

Is he tamping out his own “bozo explosion” at Apple? Or is the “hardware guy” just bringing a more engineering-focused eye to Cupertino’s top job? There’s plenty to discuss!

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• The long-rumored (and long-delayed) Apple home hub, which reportedly arrives in a couple of weeks, will lean heavily on the new AI-infused Siri. Is the virtual assistant up to the task?
• And finally, it’s official: AirPods 5 are the “least unrepairable AirPods yet,” according to DIY gurus at iFixit.

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

October 3, 1994: Apple CEO Michael Spindler reassures the world that Apple “is not a lame-duck company.”

Why would anyone suspect that it is? The answer lies in collapsing Mac sales, massive layoffs and Apple’s $188 million quarterly loss. At 15 months into his stint as CEO, Spindler wants to reassure everyone that the worst is over.

Sadly, things will decline further before they start to turn around.

With RAMageddon jacking up the prices of Apple gear, this refurbished iPad deal makes more sense than ever. While supplies last, you can grab a ninth-generation iPad from 2021 with 64GB of storage for just $179.99. And if you want more space to stash your movies, music and other files, you can bump up to the 256 GB model for just $334.99.

Both models come in near-mint condition, with Apple’s A13 Bionic chip, a 10.2-inch Retina display and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Fall is a busy time for Apple, and we’re expecting a big harvest of products this October.

The highlight might be the first touchscreen MacBook. Also apparently coming in the next few weeks could be Apple’s first smart home hub. Plus, we’re keeping our eyes open for an updated HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K. If all that wasn’t enough, an OLED iPad mini and several other Macs are reportedly waiting in the wings.

And, of course, the month will bring the launch of the folding iPhone Duo, which Apple unveiled in September.

Some of these products supposedly will arrive on October 13. Others have less certain release dates, so there’s still plenty of room for surprises. Here are the new products we’re expecting out of Apple this month.

With many users unknowingly granting AI agents Full Disk Access on their Macs, Apple is stepping in and introducing additional security measures. 

“Some developers are using Full Disk Access in ways that could put users at risk, exposing everything on their systems — including files, mail, messages, and even browsing history — without users’ full knowledge and understanding,” Apple says in a post on its developer website.

A “small number” of iPhone 18 Pro Max units on AT&T’s network lose cellular connectivity because of an iOS 27 bug. This is not an intermittent problem, as the devices fail to reconnect to the network even after a reboot.

Apple recommended on Friday that all iPhone 18 Pro Max users update to iOS 27.0.1 to prevent the issue from happening in the future. But if your unit is already affected, you’ll need a replacement.

Do you dream of exploring exotic destinations and creating memories that last a lifetime? While experts predict flight prices will remain high this year, you can save big with Matt’s Flights, a service that hunts down incredibly cheap flights and sends them to your inbox.

Whether you’re planning a solo adventure, your family’s summer vacation or the bucket list trip you’ve always dreamed of, consider this your golden ticket to making it happen for less money than you ever thought possible. Get a lifetime subscription to Matt’s Flights Premium Plan for just $39.99 (regularly $194).

Pusheen the Cat makes the leap from internet icon to video game star. Pusheen’s Place is now available exclusively on Apple Arcade, giving fans a cozy new way to spend time with the famously adorable feline.

Apple launched the game on October 1 alongside four other additions to Apple Arcade: River City Survivors, Terraria+, Touchgrind BMX 2+ and 4 Pics 1 Word+.

October 2, 1991: As the Cold War comes to an end, hell freezes over a second time as Apple and IBM sign a deal and agree to put aside their differences. Having been bitter rivals for the past decade, the two tech giants host a press conference at the Fairmont hotel in San Francisco to unveil their new partnership.

“We want to be a major player in the computer industry,” Apple CEO John Sculley says. “The only way to do that is to work with another major player.”

Somewhere out there, a data broker has your name, address and phone number for sale. If you want to remove your personal information from the internet,  the process is easier than it sounds.

Data breaches hit a new high this year, and hundreds of broker sites now buy and sell your details without asking. The good news: Reclaiming your privacy doesn’t take a law degree, just a mix of manual steps and automated tools.

The iPhone Duo features a replaceable display cover that will be relatively inexpensive to replace under AppleCare coverage. Unlike regular smartphones, foldable displays feature a protective covering on top of the display.

Over time, this layer can start showing scratches or a visible crease. A replaceable cover layer solves that problem to a certain extent.

Apple finally gave AirPods something we know you all wanted for years: a built-in equalizer that lets you change how your music sounds.

And unlike the EQ setting buried in Apple Music, this one is tied to your AirPods, not a specific application. That means your custom sound profile isn’t limited to music played through that singular app.

But to be clear: The new Custom EQ feature in iOS 27 isn’t the most sophisticated equalizer you’ll find for a set of headphones. It gives you just three controls — Low, Mid and High. But that’s enough to make a noticeable difference if you think your AirPods sound too bass-heavy, lack vocal clarity or need a little more treble.

Here’s how to set it up … and why you might want to.

A fake Zoom installer dubbed CloudSyncD is coaxing Mac users into switching off Gatekeeper and handing over their admin passwords.

The malware hides itself in the installer window itself, but with unusual instructions. Follow them, and you straight up open a backdoor onto your Mac.

The good news is that you can evade CloudSyncD and any similar malware simply by following one of the most basic security rules when installing applications. 

Not every Cult of Mac reader is all Mac, all the time. We know many of you use PCs for various reasons — and here’s the big Windows 11 sale you’ve been waiting for.

For a limited time, you can get a lifetime license to Windows 11 Pro for just $9.97 from Cult of Mac Deals.

October 1, 2011: Just days before Apple plans to unveil the iPhone 4s, the device’s name leaks after the latest iTunes beta inadvertently spills the beans.

The code also reveals that Apple’s new handset will come in black and white color options.

Apple’s long-rumored smart home hub is shaping up to be more than just a smart speaker with a screen. It could double up as a really nice digital photo frame.

Code buried in an iOS beta details a “Photo Face” step during the setup process. It’s a display that shows your photos whenever the hub isn’t busy answering your queries or running your smart home. So instead of a dark, bland screen on your counter, you could see your own memories.

The Razer Prio is a new mobile game controller that’s small enough that you might actually carry it everywhere.

For travel, the accessory folds up to be not much larger than a deck of cards. When it’s time to play, unfold it then clip it to on either side of your iPhone to add physical buttons, triggers and sticks.

I tested the Prio with my iPhone 17 and came away impressed with how easy it is to carry around. It’s fun wherever you need it.

Your car supports CarPlay but still requires you to plug in your iPhone every time you drive? Twelve South has a new solution and it’s only $39.99. The company introduced AirFly Drive on Thursday, a small adapter that turns factory-wired CarPlay into a wireless connection.

AirFly Drive plugs into the car’s USB port and pairs with a phone once. After that, CarPlay connects automatically when the vehicle starts, leaving the iPhone in a pocket, bag or cup holder instead of tethered to the dashboard.

Apple’s latest Final Cut Camera 2.4 update adds a cutting-edge feature: It gives video creators even greater control over the iPhone 18 Pro’s new variable-aperture camera.

The new version also brings a ground-up redesign of the app. And with iOS 27, it gets pro monitoring tools like RGB Parade and clean SDI output.

Some iPhone 18 Pro owners are reporting fading and discoloration of their new devices, particularly around the camera plateau on the back. 

Owners of burgundy and black iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max units are sharing photos on Reddit and other social media that show lighter rings around the rear camera lenses.

Apple is rolling out a collection of updates to Creator Studio, adding new tools to Pixelmator Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Motion as well as Apple’s productivity apps.

September 30, 2002: Apple introduces iSync, a tool that lets Mac users synchronize their address books and calendars with their cellphones, iPods and Palm OS-compatible handheld organizers via Bluetooth.

“iSync is the beginning of something really big,” Apple CEO Steve Jobs says in a press release announcing the public beta. “With the push of a button, iSync synchronizes the address book and calendar on your Mac with those on your mobile phone.”

iSync represents a big leap forward in how computers and mobile devices can talk to one another. And it hints at some of Apple’s later advances.

Apple’s long-awaited entry into the smart home is finally about to become a reality. The company is reportedly preparing to launch its first dedicated smart home hub on October 13.

The device could give Apple its first real answer to products such as Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub, according to an unconfirmed report published Wednesday.

Apple reportedly will unveil the new product alongside two other smart home devices: updated versions of the HomePod mini and Apple TV set-top box. All will be designed around the new AI-powered Siri digital assistant.

The Tangem Wallet stores cryptocurrency offline in a credit-card-size form factor and works with a simple NFC tap.

Right now, you can grab a three-pack of these crypto wallets for just $55.92. That’s a 20% discount off the usual price of $69.90.

AirPods 5 are Apple’s most repairable earbuds yet. But that doesn’t mean much, as the case is “still a disaster” when it comes to repairability.

As the iFixit teardown team aptly puts it, the “AirPods 5 are the least unrepairable AirPods yet.”