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What's an iPhone launch without a weird controversy or two?
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This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: That didn’t take long! The iPhone 18 Pro faces more than one problem right out of the gate. First there’s a controversial storage choice that seems to hamper performance of the highest-end models (at least in extreme testing). And then there’s a weird Face ID problem.

So far, no names have stuck for these “-gates” — and maybe there’s not that much to them. The storage problem might be mostly theoretical, and a software fix is on the way for the Face ID glitch. Still, there’s plenty to talk about!

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 face their own reboot problem.
• Apple reportedly built prototypes of a screenless fitness tracker that would compete with Whoop’s fitness tracker and the Oura Ring. We discuss the pros and cons of the approach as well as Apple’s tweaks to its Health app, which is now available in the iOS 27.2 beta.
• The latest Mac mini design makes it harder to upgrade internal storage, and we try to coax a repairability rant out of Charlie.
• And finally, Graham describes the painstaking process of upgrading his strength-training app to get it ready for the iPhone Duo‘s folding screen.

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the 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!)

This week’s top Apple news

On the show this week: Your host, Cult of Mac Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Leander Kahney (@lkahney), Cult of Mac managing editor Lewis Wallace (@lewiswallace) and our colleagues Graham Bower and Charlie Sorrel from the Apple Core podcast.

Here are the headlines we’re talking about on this week’s show:

• 1TB iPhone 18 Pro Max storage speed craters under sustained heavy workloads
• Apple promises fix for iPhone 18 Pro’s frustrating Face ID reboot bug
• Apple Watch reboot problem hits Series 12 and Ultra 4 owners
• Apple’s screenless fitness tracker might someday replace your Apple Watch
• M6/M5 Pro Mac mini takes a step back on third-party storage upgrades