Tim Cook promises to make Apple ‘pro’ again, this week on The CultCast

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Are you ready for Apple to make Macs
Are you ready for Apple to make Macs "pro" again?
Photo: Cult of Mac

This week on The CultCast: Are you yearning for a more powerful Mac? Well, friend, Tim Cook is promising to make Apple “pro” again. We discuss! Plus: iPhone 8 ditching Lightning for USB-C; Spotify about to go Hi-Fi; why your next iPhone screen might read your fingerprints; and the best iPhone bumper case in the land!

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CultCast #273 – Tim’s gonna make Apple “pro” again! Subscribe on iTunes

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This week’s links

Tim Cook: Pro users remain incredibly important to Apple

  • During his Q&A session, Tim Cook discussed how Apple plans to fight for net neutrality. He also assured shareholders that Apple plans to come out with new products that appeal to professionals and creatives, but insisted that the Mac and iPad aren’t destined for a merger.
  • “You will see us do more in the pro area. The pro area is very important to us. The creative area is very important to us in particular,” Cook told the crowd. “You can expect to see us do more and more that people will view iPad as a laptop replacement, but not a Mac replacement. The Mac does so much more.”

Spotify eyes lossless audio to wow your ears

  • Spotify appears poised to put the final nail in Tidal’s coffin.
  • The music streaming service is planning to launch a new feature that will give listeners access to lossless audio streaming, according to a new report reveals the feature is currently in testing.
  • Spotify is currently calling the new feature “Spotify Hi-Fi.” The Verge reports that Spotify plans to launch the lossless CD quality audio feature. It’s unclear when it will be available to all users, but Spotify is already doing some small group testing.
  • Screenshots posted on Reddit show that Spotify plans to charge between $5 to $10 extra a month for lossless CD quality audio.
  • It has been rumored in the past that Apple was looking to make a similar move with Apple Music, but there haven’t been any clear signs of an impending launch of Apple Music Hi-Fi.

Goodbye Lightning? 2017 iPhones may rely on USB-C connector

  • iPhones may boast USB-C connectors, claims a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
  • What’s not clear from the report is whether this would mean abandoning Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector in favor of USB-C or simply switching out the USB-A plug at the end of the cable for USB-C.
  • Apple adopter the Lightning connector with 2012’s iPhone 5
  • The WSJ report also adds another voice to the growing number of stories claiming that Apple will release three different iPhones in 2017: two LCD “s” cycle iPhones, and an extra-high-end iPhone 8 to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone.

Apple designs iPhone display that reads fingerprints

  • Fans have feared that an iPhone 8 without home button would mean the end of Touch ID, and that Apple would have to use other biometric security solutions — such as iris scanners — instead.
  • But the company was just granted a patent that allows the entire iPhone display to become a fingerprint scanner.
  • Apple says that turning an entire display into a fingerprint scanner would increase the speed of authentication, and allow it to be performed automatically during normal use. This could cut out a dedicated “authentication step” that prompts users for their fingerprint.
  • Elimates the authentication step.

We talk about these products:

  • Sony MDRZX330BT Bluetooth Headphones ($70)
  • Rhinoshield Crashguard ($25)
  • Garmin VIRB Ultra 30 Action Camera ($400)

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