The unreal price of old Apple tech and our Lust List of the gadgets we covet on The CultCast | Cult of Mac

The unreal price of old Apple tech and our Lust List of the gadgets we covet on The CultCast | Cult of Mac: "This week, on The CultCast: Apple aims to end music downloads; you can now live stream your aerial drone flights to iDevices worldwide; staggering facts about who’s making money in the app store; creators of Siri demo an even smarter AI; the ridiculous resale value of old Apple tech; and we reveal our Lust List of the gadgets we’re currently coveting."

20 years from now, the most significant thing about the "mint condition iPad2 for sale on craiglist" will be the nag screens for iOS 9. I guess that'll be nostalgia for the millennials. To think that Apple once lampooned Microsoft for annoying popup boxes. I guess one man's annoying is another man's timely reminder.

Unfortunately, despite the nags, iOS 9 won't install correctly then because the Apple servers will no longer be around to certify the OS upgrade. The good news is there will be a Linux distro that runs perfectly and includes a GPL iOS 8 emulator written by a disgruntled Apple employee.

When the EMP pulse takes out all the Silicon Valley data centers, I'll be running my collection of Snow Leopard-era MacBook Pros from a CD hardcopy. The dystopian futurist in me is waiting for the OTA upgrade that bricks every mobile device at once and the resultant class action lawsuit(s).

Despite Q2 sales dip, Apple's Macs, iPad and iPhone continue to outperform the industry

Despite Q2 sales dip, Apple's Macs, iPad and iPhone continue to outperform the industry: "Over the past quarter, reports from all over have been belaboring the idea that Apple is on the edge of crisis because its iPhone sales—which represent the majority of its business—declined year-over-year and because China—its brightest growth territory—similarly turned in disappointing sales numbers across the board."

Three percent of a big number is still a big number.

Who Will Debunk The Debunkers? | FiveThirtyEight

Who Will Debunk The Debunkers? | FiveThirtyEight: "In 2012, network scientist and data theorist Samuel Arbesman published a disturbing thesis: What we think of as established knowledge decays over time. According to his book ‘The Half-Life of Facts,’ certain kinds of propositions that may seem bulletproof today will be forgotten by next Tuesday; one’s reality can end up out of date. Take, for example, the story of Popeye and his spinach."

Nothing succeeds like bad science. The PR industry has known that for at least 75 years.

After three weeks in China, it's clear Beijing is Silicon Valley's only true competitor - Recode

After three weeks in China, it's clear Beijing is Silicon Valley's only true competitor - Recode: "Beijing will be the only true competitor to Silicon Valley in the next 10 years."

Bye-bye god complex. And "Ethics? What does that mean?"

Uber drivers waiting in villages near Heathrow cause 'huge distress' | Technology | The Guardian

Uber drivers waiting in villages near Heathrow cause 'huge distress' | Technology | The Guardian: "Instead, Heathrow has announced it is planning to build a waiting area capable of holding about 800 private hire vehicles on the airport’s northern perimeter road."

As the world turns.

Lower MacBook sales push Apple down to sixth place in laptop marketshare

Lower MacBook sales push Apple down to sixth place in laptop marketshare: "A drop in MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air shipments year-over-year likewise resulted in Apple losing share in the world's declining laptop market, according to March-quarter research data."

Maybe it's time to rethink that strategy of making jewelry and go back to making computers. I like that new rose gold model, it'll make a great gift for a Silicon Valley trophy wife. That's a market of at least 100. Hmmm, add the oligopolists. Now we're up to 500. Let's call it a Facebook appliance and be done with it.

Star pupil finds lost Mayan city by studying ancient charts of the night sky from his bedroom

Star pupil finds lost Mayan city by studying ancient charts of the night sky from his bedroom: "‘I was really surprised and excited when I realised that the most brilliant stars of the constellations matched the largest Maya cities,’ he told the Journal de Montréal."

A more interesting question is how a "primitive culture" could lay out geometrically precise arrangements of buildings (mapping star positions) across uneven terrain. Maybe they had help with an aerial view.

Amazon makes jump into self-published videos with Amazon Video Direct

Amazon makes jump into self-published videos with Amazon Video Direct: "Some of the partners already enrolled in Video Direct include Conde Nast, HowStuffWorks, The Guardian, Mattel, Machinima, Samuel Goldwyn Films, and Journeyman Pictures."

The advantage that YouTube has is that it's everywhere. Prime Video isn't even in Canada.

Apple remains no. 1 PC maker, despite falling Mac sales

Apple remains no. 1 PC maker, despite falling Mac sales: "Apple has once again been named the No. 1 seller of PCs, based on shipments of just over 14 million units in the first three months of 2016."

If only there weren't so many vendors.