This week: 2017 brings the super-charged MacBook Pro you’ve been waiting for—yes, another update!  Then, a former employee says Tim Cook's making Apple boring...  Is it true?  Plus: we get more evidence Apple will be making TV shows and movies; and iPhone 8 may be packing friggin’ lasers and facial recognition.   This episode supported by  Build a beautiful, responsive website quick atSquarespace.com.  Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.   CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean.  Check them out now at CultCloth.co, and use code “CultCast” at checkout to score a free 8x8 CleanCloth!   We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.   On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney   This week’s Intro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak2ZWDnERtA   2017 MacBook Pro to bring Intel Kaby Lake, 32GB of RAM http://www.cultofmac.com/462777/new-macbook-pro-intel-kaby-lake-32gb-ram-arrive-year/   Apple will launch a new 15-inch MacBook Pro later this year powered by Intel’s next-generation Kaby Lake processors and 32GB of desktop-class RAM, according to a reliable analyst. According to reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has a MacBook Pro refresh planned for later this year that will bring new Kaby Lake CPUs and up to 32GB of desktop-class RAM. It will be “the most significantly redesigned product this year,” Kuo says. Kuo doesn’t mention specific release dates for any of these machines, but he expects the MacBook with 32GB of RAM to arrive sometime during the second half of 2017 — at which point Apple could reduce the price of the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar. Kaby Lake will also grace the rest of the MacBook Pro lineup — and the 12-inch MacBook, too, Kuo claims Former employee explains how Tim Cook made Apple boring http://www.cultofmac.com/462906/former-employee-explains-tim-cook-made-apple-boring/ Tim Cook’s kinder, gentler management style is the biggest reason why 2016 was one of the most boring years for Apple in recent memory, according to a former employee of the company. Steve Jobs was notorious for inciting conflict and competition between top employees After Cook took over, he worked to eliminate conflict within Cupertino’s walls and made employees less passionate, claims ex-Apple employee Bob Burrough. "Tim Cook fired Scott Forstall and aligned the executive staff so as to have peace. ...which is to say there is no conflict”   Apple Plans to Launch Original TV Shows Comparable to 'Westworld' and 'Stranger Things' By End of 2017 http://www.macrumors.com/2017/01/12/apple-original-tv-shows-end-of-2017/ According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Apple is building a "significant" business centered around creating original, including scripted television shows and possibly even movies. The content would reportedly be made available on Apple Music, like the already-announced projects Carpool Karaoke and Vital Signs. Apple executives have told Hollywood that the new original content will launch by the end of 2017, according to the new report. The move is looked at as a way for Apple to gain an edge against Spotify, and not a move to compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.   iPhone 8 may pack frickin’ lasers for facial recognition http://www.cultofmac.com/463022/iphone-8-may-pack-frickin-lasers-facial-recognition/ Apple’s next iPhone may come with new facial recognition technology and actual friggin’ laser beams, according to an analyst. By adding lasers near the front-facing camera, Apple will be able to depth-map objects, according to analysts at Cowen and Company. The camera could also be used for image recognition, enhancing security and fueling augmented reality.   iPhone 8 may have even higher waterproof rating http://www.cultofmac.com/462289/iphone-8-may-even-higher-waterproof-rating/ Apple may