Mario Kart Tour on mobile will finally get its much-anticipated multiplayer mode next month. It will initially arrive in beta, giving players the opportunity to compete online for the first time.

But there’s a catch. You can’t enjoy the beta unless you’re coughing up for the game’s Gold Pass.

This week on The CultCast: AirPod Pros! You want them, we got them. We’ll tell you what’s new, what’s good, what’s not, and how they compare to the regular AirPods. We’ve got lots to say…. Plus: The first Apple TV+ reviews are trickling in, and, well … they’re not great.

Our thanks to Belkin for supporting this episode. Belkin cables are built to last and supported with a five-year warranty. If you’re tired of broken, burned-out cables, switch to Belkin, and save 30% off your order with code CultCast at checkout.

Apple has upgraded five executives to Vice President status. This includes one returning early iPhone executive, a report from Bloomberg notes.

Paul Meade is the new VP of hardware engineering, Jon Andrews is now VP of software engineering, Gary Geaves is VP of acoustics, and Kaiann Drance is VP of marketing. Apple has also brought back Bob Borchers, who has been named VP of product marketing.

Apple TV+ is here, and anyone can test it out for a week for free. After that, the $5-per-month charge will be billed automatically, just like any other Apple subscription you may have. Unless, of course, you get to watch Apple TV+ for free. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Apple’s new TV subscription service is pitched as a rival to Netflix, Amazon Prime and so on. It works on Apple devices. Plus, you can watch Apple TV+ on Samsung TVs, Roku boxes and in pretty much any web browser. Signing up is absurdly easy, but a few tips will help you get the most out of the service.

Apple TV+ service launched this morning. And, with it, The Morning Show, Apple’s star-studded drama about the goings-on at a morning news show.

It stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell. With that cast, it’s an illustration of the ambitions Apple has for creating top-tier entertainment for its streaming show. But is it any good? Here’s what I made of the first episode.

Everyone who was busy ogling the “cheesegrater” design of the 2019 Mac Pro can be forgiven for not paying attention to the keyboard. But Apple is prepping multiple keyboards that match the silver-and-black look of this powerful desktop.

An image of one of these not publicly seen before has come to light.

Apple’s two largest competitors enjoyed growth in smartphone sales last quarter, with both Samsung and Huawei up. iPhone sales dropped, however.

The market analysts at Canalys credited the decline to weak demand for the 2018 iPhone models as customers anticipated Apple’s 2019 offerings.

Why am I returning my AirPods Pro just a day after receiving them? If the AirPods Pro don’t fit in your ears, then tough. There’s pretty much nothing you can do about it short of returning them to Apple.

However, if you’re prepared to wait, there might be some hope.

Just in time for Halloween, Apple TV+ is serving up two new teasers of its mysterious new series called Servant.

Created by M. Night Shyamalan, Servant follows a married couple who cope with the loss of their child by buying a therapy doll. Details on the show are being kept under wraps, including Rupert Grint’s enigmatic character Julian Pierce. Judging from the trailers and teasers we’ve seen so far though, a lot of weird stuff is about to go down.

This series looks creepy asf:

Despite being named Donald Trump’s cybersecurity expert in 2017, Rudy Giuliani is so clueless about tech, he had to go to the Apple Store genius bar for help unlocking his iPhone.

Leaked internal documents from Apple reveal that just a few weeks after being tapped as Trump’s top cyber guy, Giuliani waited in front of a San Francisco Apple store with a very pressing issue: he had forgotten his passcode and couldn’t unlock his iPhone.

This post on VPNs for Mac is brought to you by VPNOverview.

Many advanced Windows users have been using VPNs for various reasons for years. However, not many people are aware that VPNs can be just as beneficial for Mac owners. There is a misconception that Macs do not get viruses, and that you are completely safe browsing the web if you do it on a Mac. Apple products are better at defending against attack — and are less frequently targeted by malware. But that does not mean VPNs aren’t useful for Apple computers. In fact, VPNs for Mac are just as effective as they are for Windows systems.

It has taken me just over a day to realize AirPods Pro are the best accessory I’ve ever purchased from Apple. They sound terrific, work exceptionally well with other Apple products, and feel great.

They might be pricier than their siblings at $249. But with new features like active noise cancellation and Transparency mode, they’re worth every penny.

Here’s our full review of AirPods Pro.

If you ever sat with a pair of earbuds, and a handful of interchangeable silicone tips, and felt a sense of apathy and confusion creep over you, then you’re going to love the new AirPods Pro Ear Tip Fit Test. This clever new feature uses the AirPods Pro’s own microphones to test how well the variously sized silicone tips fit in your ears.

It works really well. The only problem is, the results could be bad news.

Now that the iPhone 11 line brings an ultra-wide camera to the bump, there is some question on what to do with an extra-wide lens attachment you may have purchased from brands like Moment, Sandmarc or olloclip.

The short answer: Use it. For now, it’s the better option.

Amazon is blowing out refurbished 15-inch MacBook Pro units today only. You can save up to $709 on mid-2018 models with beefy specifications. And there’s a whopping $700 off a 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display.

There’s even more to enjoy in today’s Deals & Steals roundup. You can bag a stellar USB-C hub for iPad Pro at 41% off its usual price if you act fast, and pick up a two-pack of anti-spy screen protectors for iPhone 11 Pro for under $8.

Plus, there are sweet savings to be had on Case-Mate accessories for iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods.

Newly leaked screenshots depict an updated AirTags section in the “Find My” app. Although they are referred to by their codename “B389,” the screenshots show how AirTags findability will work.

AirPods are the rumored item tracker tags which promise to help users to locate bags, keys, and assorted other valuables.

There are plenty of reasons to be enthusiastic about Apple’s massive earnings call yesterday. One analyst who’s not happy, however, is Barclays analyst Tim Long. In a note to clients, Long writes that Apple average selling price for iPhones may be slipping.

Apple stopped reporting unit sales for the iPhone last year. Instead, it focused on ramping up the average price it sells each iPhone for. Perhaps not enough, though.

Apple TV+’s post-apocalyptic fantasy show See seems like Apple’s attempt to tap into the fandom of Game of Thrones (or, at least, the seasons up until the last two when everyone loved it.) Jason Momoa starred in both shows. His pick for a personal favorite? See. Here’s why.

Most of us lovingly look after our newest Apple devices to ensure they last as long as possible. iFixit pulls them apart in the name of science. Its latest teardown victim? AirPods Pro.

You won’t be shocked to find that there’s loads of tiny tech inside Apple’s newest earbuds. But you might be surprised to see how different they are to regular AirPods on the inside.

Apple this week rolled out an emergency iOS 13.2.1 update for HomePod. The 25MB release comes just days after iOS 13.2, which was bricking HomePod speakers for some unlucky users.

China has been one of the biggest causes of Apple instability in recent times, particularly when it comes to trade tensions between China and the United States. Things may be starting to stabilize, however, as Tim Cook noted in Apple’s earnings call yesterday.

That’s good news when it comes to the country Cook has said is Apple’s future biggest customer.

Tim Cook thinks Apple’s awesome new AirPods Pro are “complementary” to the original AirPods. No, he’s not just referring to the fact that there is a space in the market for both products. He thinks many AirPods Pro customers will buy and own regular AirPods as well.

And you know what? Given Apple’s amazing track record in the “hearables” area, I don’t have any problem believing he might just be right.

A quick glance at the Apple Q4 2019 earnings report shows the company just finished a record three months, but a deeper dive into the numbers reveals how Apple managed to pull in more revenue than it ever has in a July-through-September period, including strong increases from wearables, iPad and Services.

Apple shares are soaring in after-hours trading today thanks to yet another record-breaking earnings report.

Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri got on the phone with investors after the numbers came and provided some surprising details on how Apple hit a new high for Q4 revenue despite slowing iPhone sales. While everyone has been focusing on Apple’s booming services business, one of the company’s other product categories has transformed into its true growth engine.

Apple Card users can soon use this credit card to buy an iPhone with payments stretching over two years, but without incurring any interest.

It’s already possible to buy an iOS handset through the iPhone Upgrade Program, but this requires a separate loan.