In our top post today, Cult of Mac writer Ed Hardy argues there’s one outstanding feature of the new iPhone 17 that alone justifies its purchase.
My initial reaction — before I actually read the post — was that quote from Marge Gunderson, the police chief in the movie Fargo: "I'm not sure that I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work there, Ed!"
Now, as someone who is a bit older and has a face for radio (spoiler alert), selfie cams ain’t really my thing.
But Ed’s post isn’t about selfies, and he makes a convincing case that this one feature does indeed justify an iPhone 17 purchase. I’d rush out and buy one, if I didn’t already own one.
Also in today’s newsletter:
I’d argue strongly that Apple does not dabble in planned obsolescence, although a lot of people are convinced otherwise. That’s why there’s always a brouhaha every year about older products that the company designates as “obsolete” — meaning they are no longer supported in software or hardware repairs. Here’s the list of products Apple put out to pasture this year, and the ones heading for the chopping block in 2026.
I have a little Apple Watch charging puck like this one, and it’s super-handy for travel.
This is likely the last episode of The CultCast podcast before we transition the show in the new year to a new name and feed. Details forthcoming. But in the meantime ...
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
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A message from Roku
Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays
Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.
Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.
Tweets of the day
Wallpaper of the day
One more thing ...
We had the classic Marxian profit-realization crisis, in that our profit wasn’t in a liquid currency, our profit was in 50 computers sitting in the corner. So then, all of a sudden, we had to think, “Wow! How are we going to realize our profit?” And so we started thinking about distribution: “Are there any other computer stores?” And we started calling the other computer stores that we’d heard of across the country, and we just eased into business that way.
Today’s poll
What's your fave new feature of iPhone 17?
Results from Friday’s poll: Do you like Safari's compact user interface in iOS 26?
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