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Industrial design team shakeup, redesigned AirPods and more! This week, on The CultCast

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CultCast 385
Reports indicate two new AirPods models are on the way.

This week on The CultCast: Some major changes are in store for Apple’s legendary industrial design team … we discuss. Plus: Apple commits to fixing all MacBook keyboard issues in just one day. This is huge. And it looks like not one but two new versions of the AirPods are on the way, with one being released this year. We’ll fill you in. And the new Powerbeats Pro wireless earphones are almost here, and they look like the higher-quality AirPods we’ve always wanted.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain..

Samsung requests iFixit pull its Galaxy Fold teardown

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Fold teardown
Teardown reviewed what may have been devastating flaw in design.
Photo: iFixit

iFixit says it removed its teardown of Samsung’s troubled Galaxy Fold device at the Korean company’s request.

The website’s teardown revealed that Samsung may have failed to include sufficient protection against debris between the device’s OLED screen and chassis bezel. iFixit removed the article after Samsung retrieved all units sent to reviewers. Many reviews noted that the pricey $1,980 handset suffered serious screen problems.

Subscription services help push Microsoft into vaunted $1 trillion club

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Microsoft Office
Office subscriptions have been a massive boost for Microsoft.
Photo: Microsoft

Apple’s old frenemy Microsoft officially joined the $1 trillion club yesterday, taking its place alongside Apple and Amazon as public companies which have passed the $1 trillion market cap.

While its closing price brought it back down to $990 billion, it still finished the day ahead of Apple $968 billion. This came after Microsoft reported that revenue grew 14% in the last quarter.

Amazon could one-up Apple Music with new high-fidelity music tier

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Amazon Music
Amazon already has its own standard music streaming service.
Photo: Amazon

Amazon is reportedly in talks with some of the world’s largest music rights holders to launch a high-fidelity streaming service, costing around $15 per month.

Rumored to launch by the end of 2019, the service would offer a superior bit rate than many rivals. “It’s a better bit rate, better than CD quality,” a source told Music Business Worldwide. “Amazon is working on it as we speak: they’re currently scoping out how much catalog they can get from everyone and how they’ll ingest it.”

Apple’s design team just lost three of its biggest stars

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Designers who helped make all these products a reality are leaving Apple.
Designers who helped make all these products a reality are leaving Apple.
Photo: Apple

Several highly experienced designers who created Apple’s best-selling products are leaving after working decades for the company.

The departure of these senior designers comes as Apple is shifting some of its focus from computers to services. And even cars.

iPhone XI renderings reveal all-new rear panel design and mute switch changes

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leaked iPhone XI
The back of the iPhone XI.
Photo: OnLeaks/CashKaro

Apple won’t unveil the 2019 iPhone lineup for at least another four months, but we already have a pretty solid idea on what it will look like.

New renderings based on leaked information reveal the iPhone XI and XI Max in all their glory. From the front, the new iPhones look pretty similar to the XS and XS Max. When you flip them over though you’ll notice a new triple-lens camera array and new unique rear panel made out of one piece of glass.

Take a closer look:

2019 iPhone will have Intel 4G modems inside

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intel
Intel will supposedly supply a vital component for the iPhone 11.
Photo: Thomas Hawk/Flickr

Details about the 2019 iPhone models are starting to trickle out. Intel CEO seems to have said today that his company will be supplying 4G modems for this device.

Bob Swan’s comment is deliberately oblique, but at least one expert has taken it as an indication that Apple isn’t ready to fully switch to Qualcomm modems in its iPhones.

Peanuts launch to the moon on Apple TV this May

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Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10
Lunar module pilot Eugene Cernan had a successful moon mission thanks to Snoopy.
Photo: NASA

Snoopy paved the way for astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to walk on the moon.

How the cartoon beagle figured into NASA’s lunar plans will be the subject of a short “documentary” available next month on the Apple TV app.

Apple actually reducing dependence on Amazon cloud services

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This isn't actually Apple's data center, but it's close.
Apple is increasingly using its own data centers, rather than outsourcing iCloud storage to rival companies.
Photo: Pexels

Although a recent report indicated that Apple is spending about $30 million a month for Amazon’s cloud services, new information indicates that’s a considerable reduction from the past.

This is a result of Apple’s growing collection of data centers around the world.

Incredible watchOS 6 concept packs more new features than you can handle

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watchOS 6 could be jam packed with new stuff.
watchOS 6 could be jam packed with new stuff.
Photo: Jake Sworski

The grand unveiling of watchOS 6 is a little more than a month away. Leaked details on watchOS 6 have been pretty scarce in the lead up to WWDC 2019, but that hasn’t stopped concept designer Jake Sworski from coming up with a plethora of feature ideas that will take Apple Watch to the next level.

In his latest watchOS 6 concept, Sworski and his friends have dreamed up tons of big and little features that would add more information to Apple Watch. New watch faces, sleep tracking, activity ring advancements and more are all there. If Apple puts even half of these features in watchOS 6 we’ll be totally blown away.

Take a look at all these great ideas:

iPad Pro unlikely to get 5G until 2021

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2018 iPad Pro
5G on the iPad Pro would be amazing
Photo: Apple

Apple is reportedly planning to lay the foundation for 5G on the iPad Pro by using Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) soft boards for the first time ever.

According to one of the most reliable Apple analysts in the game, the new LCP soft boards will allow for better wireless connectivity in the iPad Pro, but 5G modems probably won’t make it into the iPad Pro until 2021.

iOS’ most essential music-making app gets a massive update

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AUM should be on every musician’s iPad.
AUM should be on every musician’s iPad.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you’re an iOS-using musician, then AUM is an utterly essential app. It’s an audio mixer, but that description hides its power. AUM does let you mix the audio from various apps, but it also hosts audio units (like plugins), routes audio between them, records those channels, and more.

This week, AUM got a huge update, adding a whole bunch of great new features.

Show your love for Avengers: Endgame with iPhone gear

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This Infinity Gauntlet is covered in gold and gems. It’s also an iPhone wireless charger.
This Infinity Gauntlet is covered in gold and gems. It’s also an iPhone wireless charger.
Photo: Caviar

The debut of Avengers: Endgame has Marvel fans fired up, and there are plenty of ways to show that with your iPhone, iPad or Mac.

Easily the most over-the-top option is Caviar’s $7,660 Infinity Gauntlet, but there are plenty more Avengers tie-ins that are much more affordable. There are cases and wallpapers, plus Fortnite has limited-time battle with Thanos.

Just Mobile Kickstarter project imagines a three-in-one charging solution

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Encore Wireless
Just Mobile's Encore Wireless does the job of three devices in the space of one.
Photo: Just Mobile

The problem with having a mobile phone, an Apple Watch and a tablet isn’t that you’ve got a lot of devices, it’s that you have a lot of different chargers.

Just Mobile, the folks behind the popular TENC Air phone cases, is attempting to solve this problem with Encore Wireless, a Kickstarter project that launched last week.

Evidence builds for 2019 iPhone triple-lens camera

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Report and report indicates that this is how the back of the iPhone 11 and 11 Max will look.
Report and report indicates that this is how the back of the iPhone 11 and 11 Max will look.
Photo: Macotakara

3D printed mockups claiming to show two of the 2019 iPhone models have surfaced in Asia. These include the triple camera lenses that have been a part of so many unconfirmed reports about these devices.

Watch a video showing these mockups compared to the 2018 iPhone XS-series:

Apple recalls troublesome wall plug adapters

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Apple plug 2
Plugs were produced between 2003 and 2010.
Photo: Apple

Apple has issued a voluntary recall order for AC wall plug adapters designed for use in the U.K., Hong Kong, and Singapore. According to Apple, some of these three-wrong adapters are prone to breaking and can pose an electric shock risk.

They were produced by Apple between 2003 and 2010, and included as part of the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit.

Customer service ranking hails Apple ‘king of laptop tech support’

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You got the touch. Here's how to master your MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar.
Yet another reason to get a MacBook.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple has long been known for its great customer support — and that’s confirmed once more in a new ranking of customer service among top laptop makers.

The Laptop Mag rankings pit 11 of the major players against one another to determine who comes out on top. The winner? Everyone’s favorite fruit-titled tech giant, which secures a whopping 91/100 score.

Indian court rules that TikTok can return to the App Store

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TikTok 1
TikTok has amassed more than 1 billion downloads around the world.
Photo: TikTok

A court in India has lifted its ban on popular video-sharing app TikTok, which resulted in it being temporarily booted from the Indian iOS and Google Play app stores.

The app was ordered removed after accusations that it encouraged pornography and could pose a danger to kids from sexual predators. However, the decision was overturned on Wednesday afer a plea from developers Beijing Bytedance Technology.

Saudi sisters renew requests for Apple to remove woman-tracking app

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Saudi government app
A Saudi man can use a government app to restrict the travel of his wife or daughter.
Screenshot: iTunes

Two Saudi sisters who fled the country for the U.S. have renewed attempts to get Apple and Google to delete an “inhuman” tracking app from the App Store. The app, called Absher, allows men to receive alerts about the whereabouts of wives or daughters.

Apple previously said that it was looking into the app to see if concerns were warranted. However, it still remains available in the Saudi version of both the Apple and Google app stores.

OWC can upgrade iMac Pro to 256GB of RAM, and it’s cheaper than Apple’s

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Phil Schiller: Nope, Apple still isn’t planning to make a touchscreen Mac
Upgrading the an iMac Pro to 256GB of RAM with OWC modules costs $2700 less than Apple.
Photo: Apple

Recently, word went around that the only way to get 256GB of RAM in an iMac Pro was at the factory. OWC  paid no attention to that, and is now offering to upgrade this powerful desktop to the maximum amount. Even better, its 256GB of RAM modules go for 52 percent less than the cost to have the same upgrade done by Apple.

Upgrading this desktop to 128GB of RAM with OWC DDR4 Kits is also significantly cheaper.

Google’s fitness app makes the long jump to iPhone

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Google Fit has activity rings similar to an Apple Watch.
Google Fit has activity rings similar to an Apple Watch.
Photo:

Google’s rival to Apple Health just made the hop across platforms. Google Fit can now be installed on an iPhone, making it easier to participate in challenges with Android users.

Even better, the software can connect with the Health app to pull data from an Apple Watch.