This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: With the sudden departure of Apple’s UI design chief Alan Dye — and the prompt naming of a Steve Jobs-era veteran to take his place — are we looking at a software renaissance for iPhones and Macs?

We certainly hope so!

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple’s AI chief is out — and that could be great news!
• In another surprise twist, Intel might make chips for Apple again.
• And finally, it’s that time of year when we look at our Apple Music Replay stats and try not to whimper.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video version, embedded below.

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation have dropped to near their Black Friday low at just $99.99. Amazon’s stock of entry-level AirPods 4 (without ANC) seems depleted, because those earbuds shot up to cost more than their more sophisticated siblings!

With the “regular” AirPods 4 AWOL from holiday sales, you should jump on this deal on AirPods 4 with ANC if you want to gift a pair of Apple’s affordable earbuds.

Finding an outlet at the airport or keeping devices charged on a trip can feel like a treasure hunt. But this portable USB-C travel hub changes the game. Designed for on-the-go charging, this hub lets you power up multiple devices from just one outlet — no need for extra adapters or clutter.

It includes a high-power USB PD slot for MacBooks and iPads, and a built-in wireless MagSafe charger for iPhone, AirPods and more.

Now at a budget-friendly $23.99 (regularly $36), it’s a great travel companion for those who value convenience, functionality and, most importantly, fully charged batteries.

The best people to ask about Steve Lemay, the new head of user interface design at Apple, are the people who’ve worked with him.

Spoiler alert: They seem absolutely thrilled. The word “excited” keeps coming up in their comments on the change in leadership.

Here’s what the people in a position to really know Lemay have to say about him.

December 6, 2000: Apple Computer’s stock price falls after the company posts its first quarterly loss since Steve Jobs’ return to Cupertino in 1997.

Shares tumble $3 to just $14 a share as doom-predicting pundits worry that the big Apple comeback might come screeching to a halt. Little did they know …

Alan Dye, the former chief of Apple’s user interface design, has done brilliant, groundbreaking work — but almost no one is getting to experience it.

Dye just got poached by Meta, and the majority opinion among Apple fans seems to be “don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

Some of Dye’s critics, like John “King of the Apple nerds” Gruber, are scathing. “His tenure is considered a disaster by actual designers inside and outside the company,” Gruber wrote after Dye’s departure from Apple became public Wednesday.

Dye, of course, is not perfect. He is rightly getting criticized for Liquid Glass, the shiny new interface in Apple’s operating systems, that’s been tweaked, rolled back, tweaked again, and is now semi-optional for users who don’t want it.

Where’s the conviction Apple is famous for? Steve Jobs must be spinning.

But Dye’s best work is spectacular, important and deep. You’ve just not seen it.

If you’re trying to listen to podcasts or music on your iPhone, it can be annoying when your AirPods keep switching to other devices, like your Mac or iPad.

Personally, I don’t mind this behavior. If I’m sitting at my Mac, I want to use the Music and the Podcasts apps on the Mac. But a lot of people consider their iPhone their primary device — and always want to play audio from their phone, no matter which other device they’re using.

If you want your iPhone to retain supreme control over your ears, here’s how to disable AirPods auto-switching.

The M4 MacBook Air is the best mobile computer for most people, and a sweet new deal drops both the 13-inch and 15-inch models to low, low prices. You can snag the 13-incher for only $799 or the 15-incher for only $999.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, but you can still find wickedly good deals for a beautiful and powerful Apple laptop.

The first trailer for Apple TV’s upcoming documentary series Born to be Wild means well, offering hope in the face of species extinction. But it leans so hard on baby-animal cuteness and human hero worship that I found it cloying. Nowhere does it acknowledge humans as a major cause of animal extinctions. The series itself most likely does, but we’ll have to see when it airs.

The emotional six-part documentary series debuts December 19. 

Classic console game Red Dead Redemption, as well as companion title Undead Nightmare, are now free to play on iPhone and iPad for Netflix subscribers.

Released in 2010 and widely regarded as one of the best video games of all time, Red Dead Redemption mixes Western themes, gunfighter gameplay and a vast open world that players can walk (or gallop) through.

It’s also one of the most emotionally resonant and artistically accomplished titles to ever come out of Rockstar Games. If you own an iPhone or iPad, and subscribe to Netflix, playing Red Dead Redemption should fill up your weekend! 

Apple’s efforts to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery to bolster the Apple TV streaming service ended in disappointment Friday, with Netflix emerging victorious in one of Hollywood’s most competitive bidding wars in recent years.

Netflix said Friday it will purchase Warner Bros. Discovery’s entertainment assets for $72 billion, outbidding Apple and other tech giants to secure one of the industry’s most valuable content libraries. The deal, far larger than any Netflix (or Apple, for that matter) has attempted to date, includes Warner Bros. studios, HBO and the HBO Max streaming service. Those assets would have dramatically transformed Apple TV’s positioning in the streaming wars.

December 5, 2002: Cupertino says it served its millionth unique customer in the Apple Store online, marking a significant milestone for the company. It is a benchmark worth celebrating for Apple, which launched its online store just five years earlier.

“Reaching our 1 millionth customer is a major milestone, and is proof positive that our online shopping experience is second to none,” Tim Cook, Apple’s executive vice president of worldwide sales and operations at the time, says in a statement. “The Apple Store is a popular way for a growing number of consumers and businesses to buy Apple products, and with extensive build-to-order capabilities, easy 1-Click shopping and free shipping on orders, it’s never been easier to buy a Mac online.”

While Apple’s AirTag is an incredible invention, helping you locate misplaced keys or luggage in seconds, the tracking tag’s circular design leaves an awkward lump if you cram one in your wallet. Luckily, the MagTag — a credit card-size wallet tracker that will slide right in — also works with Apple’s Find My network.

Yes, the MagTag functions much like an AirTag, giving you an easy way to find a lost wallet. And yet its sleek design won’t leave an unwanted bulge. It’s cheaper than an AirTag, too. You can get a MagTag for just $23.99 (regularly $59.99).

Right after UI chief Alan Dye quit Apple, two more executives are poised to leave the company. Next out the door are Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, and Kate Adams, Apple’s general counsel, the company said Thursday.

Jackson will retire in late January 2026, according to Apple. Adams will retire late next year.

In the meantime, Apple said Jennifer Newstead, Meta’s chief legal officer, will become Apple’s general counsel on March 1, 2026.

Apple Podcasts awarded its prestigious Show of the Year honor to The Rest Is History Thursday, marking the first time a UK-based podcast has received the recognition. With the award, the streamer celebrates the show’s exceptional quality and cultural impact in the podcasting landscape. And the hosts obliged with insights into how they do what they do. 

Apple honored 17 apps and games that stood out for their innovation and cultural impact in 2025, as the iPhone giant unveiled the winners of its annual App Store Awards Thursday. 

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, but not the savings. A deal that knocks $100 off the cost of a new M3 iPad Air lowers the mid-range tablet to a very affordable price: 17% off. It makes a great gift for the tablet user in your life, or maybe you need one to get through the school year.

For shopping flexibility, you can snag a deal on either the newest 13-inch iPad Air or the 11-inch iPad Air variant, both at $100 off.

December 4, 1992: Apple engineers demonstrate a “proof of concept” of the Mac operating system running on an Intel computer. More than a decade before Macs will switch to Intel processors, getting Mac OS to run on PCs is an astonishing feat.

It’s part of an aborted plan to make Apple’s software available on other manufacturers’ hardware. Apple ultimately chickens out, fearing (probably correctly) that such a move would hurt Macintosh sales.

In 2025 an unprecedented talent exodus decimated Apple’s leadership ranks, with Meta Platforms emerging as the primary beneficiary of the iPhone maker’s retention struggles. The social media giant has successfully lured away four high-profile executives from Apple’s artificial intelligence and design divisions, raising serious questions about the Cupertino company’s competitive position in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Find out more about the top executives left Apple for Meta below.

Whether you’re commuting, working out or just enjoying your favorite music, there’s a pair of earbuds on our list of best budget earbuds for less than $100 that can meet your needs without (much) compromise.

Today’s budget-friendly earbuds offer impressive features once reserved for premium models — excellent sound quality, active noise cancellation, long battery life and companion apps for customization.

And can you believe it? Even an Apple product made our list of best budget earbuds (when it’s on sale).

Meet Steve Lemay, the new head of user interface design at Apple — the highest-profile software design job at the giant company, and possibly the world.

Unfortunately for Lemay, who has worked at Apple since 1999, he shares the same first name as the late Steve Jobs, who nicknamed him “Margaret” — a name that reportedly stuck.

Aside from being called “Margaret” internally at Apple, Lemay has a long and stellar design record at the company. He’s helped shape everything from OS X to visionOS. He is named on hundreds of patents and helped develop one of Apple’s most highly celebrated UI tricks.

Apple’s set to lose yet another top executive as Alan Dye, the company’s head of user-interface design, departs for Meta Platforms, according to a new report Wednesday. While some view this as a coup for Meta, others seem tickled pink to see Dye head for the exit.

This major news instantly inspired Liquid Glass-fueled snark over whether Dye’s departure is really such a big loss for the iPhone giant.

Apple on Wednesday seeded the iOS 26.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.2 release candidates to developers and public testers, a move that typically signals the software is just about ready. The final versions are expected to arrive next week.

There is a useful change to AirDrop file sharing, improvements to Sleep Score for Apple Watch wearers, a prominent tweak to Liquid Glass and more.

Release candidates for iPadOS 26.2, watchOS 26.2, tvOS 26.2 and visionOS 26.2 also went out on Wednesday.

Contact Posters let you customize how your Apple contact card looks to other people when you call them. If they have your contact info in their address book, your customized Contact Poster will appear on their iPhone’s screen. 

Done right, Contact Posters look great — way better than the old thumbnail images that preceded them. Plus, it’s really easy to turn an ordinary picture into a gorgeous-looking Contact Poster that makes a real impact.

And once you set one up, everyone with your matching phone number and/or Apple Account will see your chosen contact picture and personalized Contact Poster.

I’ll show you how to set one up; the process might look familiar if you’ve set up a custom Lock Screen.

The Abxylute M4 game controller is genuinely pocket-size, but clip it to your iPhone and you’ll have all the buttons and sticks you want to play retro and modern games.

It clings to your iPhone’s MagSafe connector, plus it includes a stand for detached gaming.

I enjoyed testing out the pint-size game controller with my iPhone 17, as long as I accepted the reasons for its necessary limitations. The affordable price helped a lot, too.