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Want a new MacBook Pro? Get ready to wait a little longer

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The new MacBook Pro won't be shipping soon.
Photo: Apple

Apple will unveil a new MacBook Pro this month along with a minor update to the MacBook Air lineup, according to the latest Apple rumor out of China.

The big announcement will supposedly happen in June, though it might not happen at WWDC. A “reliable Chinese supplier” claims the new MacBook Pro will ditch USB-A connectors, Thunderbolt 2 and MagSafe 2 charging for USB-C, just like the spy shots we posted, but you’ll have to wait a few more months to get it.

Win It Wednesday: Enter to win $1,000 in free cash at Newegg [Deals]

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Newegg's $1,000 gift card giveaway is your last chance to build the machine of your dreams.
Newegg's $1,000 gift card giveaway is your last chance to build the machine of your dreams.

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but $1,000 in gear and gadgets hardly counts as a meal does it? That’s exactly what you can win if you enter the Newegg $1000 Gift Card Giveaway. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your computer or build a new one, get a new phone, beef up the stereo system in your home or in your car, get a new flat screen TV or just some new flats, Newegg’s endless list of products means a cool thousand bucks will get you a lot of cool stuff.

Apple rumored to be phasing out iTunes music downloads

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Apple Music is awesome -- but can it replace the iTunes Store?
Apple Music could be the death knell for iTunes music downloads.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

With a major Apple Music refresh likely to be arriving at WWDC, there’s no doubting that Apple sees subscription-based streaming music as the way of the future. But where does this leave iTunes music downloads?

Despite Apple’s denials, according to “sources with close knowledge of the company’s plans,” the company continues to plan to “phase out” music downloads in a “just a few years” — depending on how this whole streaming music thing does, of course!

R.I.P. Apple’s original San Francisco store

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Apple's original flagship store in San Francisco is being quickly decommissioned.
Apple's original flagship store in San Francisco is being quickly decommissioned.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

SAN FRANCISCO — The iconic glass staircase is gone. The interior is being gutted. The Apple logos have been covered up.

Rest in peace, Apple’s original flagship store in San Francisco, which opened to great fanfare just a dozen years ago. Apple recently opened a crazily detailed store just two blocks away on Union Square, and the old one is being rapidly dismantled.

Cult of Mac cub reporter Lyle Kahney rode his bike downtown to snap a few photos of the old San Francisco Apple Store before it’s completely gone.

Renderings imagine how the iPhone 7 and 7 Pro may look

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Are you ready for the iPhone 7 Pro?
Photo: Martin Hajek

We’ve still got a little over three months before Apple unveils its next-gen iPhone handsets, but — as always — designers are more than willing to help us imagine how different our lives will be come September.

From flip-phone versions of the iPhone to a retro “dumb” version without any of the added goodies, designer Martin Hajek has long been creating iPhone renderings. For these, however, he sticks to what we’ve heard from the rumor mill to bring us concepts for both the iPhone 7 and the possible iPhone 7 Pro.

Check them out below.

Apple supplier already shipped key component for new MacBook Pro

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The new MacBook Pro vs the Old.
The new MacBook Pro vs the Old.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The next-gen MacBook Pro is nearing completion, according to a new report that claims an Apple supplier has already shipped hinges that will be used in the upcoming 13-inch model.

In order to make the MacBook ultra-thin, Apple will reportedly use metal injection molding hinges from Taiwanese supplier Jarllytec, which shipped them to Apple in May.

Apple will live stream WWDC keynote

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Get ready for iOS 10.
Get ready for iOS 10.
Photo: Apple

You won’t have to go all the way to San Francisco to watch Apple’s big WWDC keynote as it happens.

Apple revealed today that it will offer a live stream of the event, which will be held June 13 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The company is expected to unveil iOS 10, OS X 10.12 and much more at the software-oriented keynote in front of thousands of lucky developers.

Snapchat Discover page redesign adds previews and headlines

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snapchat
Get ready to discover the new Snapchat.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The Discover page on Snapchat has always felt like a disjointed experience from the rest of the app, but starting today Snapchat is rolling out a major update that changes the way you interact with Live Stories from publishers and your friends.

The new design makes previews in the Discover tab a more visual experience by giving publishers the ability to add an image and headline to promote stories. In an effort to get more people to start viewing publisher’s stories, the previews are now located on the Stories page.

Swiss banks are finally getting Apple Pay

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple Pay has a new market opportunity.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s VP of Apple Pay recently said that Apple was “working rapidly” to bring its mobile payment system to new markets — and according to a fresh report that rapid progress may result in Apple Pay arriving in Switzerland, its seventh market, as early as next week.

Any time, any place, keep your Apple devices juiced [Deals]

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Wirelessly charge your Apple Watch, and up to 4 USB devices all at once.
Juice up your Apple Watch and three USB devices with this handy charger.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

We take our iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and MacBooks everywhere with us, which means there are that many more chances for a dead battery (and a lot fewer available outlets). Whether at home, in a packed car, on a plane or in another country, these Apple chargers will make sure you’ve got access to power when you need it.

Samsung may launch bendable smartphones as early as 2017

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Your new iPhone probably won't be this bendy, but it will be incredibly durable.
Samsung has been investigating this tech for years.
Photo: DVICE

Apple’s been rumored to be investigating flexible iPhone, capable of bending and folding without damage, for years now — but it seems that Samsung may beat Cupertino to actually launching a handset like this into the marketplace.

According to a new report, Samsung is planning to introduce two new smartphone models featuring flexible displays, including one able to fold in half “like a cosmetic compact.”

‘Hey Siri’ helps mom call ambulance for her baby daughter

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Siri
Siri is saving lives!
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Whether it’s saving the life of a man trapped beneath a truck or calling 911 after a mom suffered a fainting spell, Siri has proven to be a real life-saver on a few occasions.

The latest such example comes out of Cairns, Australia, when a mother used her iPhone 6s’ “Hey Siri” feature to call an ambulance after her one-year-old daughter stopped breathing.

Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone 4

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Steve obs
The iPhone 4 sold 1.7 million units in its first weekend.
Photo: Matthew Yohe/Wikipedia CC

tuesday_7_360 Apple hasn’t always left users waiting until September to get their paws on the latest iPhone. Back on June 7, 2010, Steve Jobs took to the stage at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference to introduce the iPhone 4.

These days, with the iPhone 4 no longer capable of running the latest version of iOS, it’s easy to look back on the fourth-generation handset as a piece of ancient tech. In fact, the device was incredibly significant: The iPhone 4 introduced some very important features — and also addressed concerns that are still important today.

Check out Steve Jobs unveiling the iPhone 4 below.

Spotify enlists Lady Gaga’s manager to fight Apple Music

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Troy Carter is bringing his talents to Spotify.
Troy Carter is bringing his talents to Spotify.
Photo: TechCrunch/Flickr

The battle between Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music for exclusive content from artists is about to get fiercer, thanks to a new hire from Spotify that has connections to some of the hottest musicians around.

Troy Carter, the guy who helped turn Lady Gaga and Meghan Trainor into pop superstars, is reportedly joining Spotify to help it scores more exclusive music deals to draw in subscribers.

Apple’s new ‘Shot on iPhone’ video ads are mesmerizing

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Meet the star of Apple's new ad.
Meet the star of Apple's new ad.
Photo: Apple

The long-running ‘Shot on iPhone’ ad campaign by Apple got a big update with eight incredible new videos spots featuring clips from unique locations all across the globe.

Bees, dogs, penguins and even a giant hippo star in the new video ads that were published today. The short clips highlight the iPhone’s video recording features like Slo-Mo and Timelapse while other shots are played in slow-mo. What makes the ads great is the simplicity of each show accompanied by awesome indie jams like “Chocolate (Milk Version)” by Jesse Rose & Trozé.

Watch all 8 videos below:

Coach Apple Watch bands will arrive on June 12th

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Watch out Apple Watch, Google is coming for you.
Coach is getting into the Apple Watch band business.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Coach’s website accidentally leaked details of their upcoming Apple Watch last week, but it looks like you won’t have to wait much longer to get one on your wrist.

The first shipment of Coach’s Apple Watch bands are set to arrive in stores by June 12th, according to a new report that has also revealed some of the details of the bands. Though they’re certainly not as simple as the Hermés lineup, they’re about a tenth of the price and quirky details that will be perfect for fashionistas.

Check out a closeup of three bands:

DJ Khaled is the major key to Apple Music’s new ads

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Ray Liotta and DJ Khaled getting their nails did.
Ray Liotta and DJ Khaled getting their nails did.
Photo: Apple

Snapchat philosopher and hip-hop producer DJ Khaled is the latest celebrity to endorse Apple Music in a new series of ads that show Khaled living the life while introducing Naomi Campbell and Ray Liotta to Apple Music.

Along with dropping some major keys in the new ad, Khaled also dropped a fresh new song featuring Drake called “For Free” that’s available for free on Apple Music. The song is so hot it’s already the top song on iTunes.

Check out the funny new ads below:

You’ll get ‘keyed up’ over this Apple computer jewelry

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Stacey Peterson has a key to each Apple fan's heart.
Stacey Peterson has a key to each Apple fan's heart.
Photo: Stacey Peterson

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugIf you like how your Mac keyboard feels to the touch, you may like the way some of the keys look and feel as wearable art.

Pennsylvania artist Stacey Peterson salvages the keys and even the power button to make necklaces, cufflinks, and other wearable keyboard pieces that she sells to eager Apple fans on her Etsy site. In most cases, the key or power button engages in that satisfying click.

While Apple continues to produce desirable electronic devices, other support industries have emerged to provide cases, sleeves, and peripheral hardware accessories. Like the T-shirt or toymakers who celebrate Apple culture, Peterson is part of a cottage industry that engages the Apple fan’s emotional motherboard, the circuits that spark that loyalty, nostalgia and a sense of coolness.

Apple drops new betas for all of its platforms

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iPhone
Don’t miss out on iOS 13. Ditch your old iPhone now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In just over a week Apple will reveal its big software updates for all its products at WWDC, but for now it’s still working on bug fixes on the current platforms before moving on.

Apple seeded four new beta updates to developers today, bringing a big batch of under the hood improvements to iOS, OS X El Capitan, watchOS and tvOS.

Dragon’s latest app is like a hearing aid for your Mac [Deals]

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Dragon Version 5 is dictation software that listens closely and accurately.
Dragon Version 5 is dictation software that listens closely and accurately.

Speech-to-text technology — for speaking into your device to compose a text message, send an email, etc. — isn’t very old, but still shows signs of a hearing problem. When you want to translate your spoken words into written text without having to manually change every ‘ours’ into ‘hours’, you won’t find more accurate software than Dragon. The 5th and latest version of their dictation software is as accurate and easy to use as you’ll ever find, and right now you can get it for $99.99.