This week on The CultCast: Apple’s secret Siri speaker is just around the corner — we’ll tell you everything (we think) we know about it. Plus: Why AirPods are the best product Apple’s made in years; and why Microsoft’s MacBook clone is actually great for Apple fans.

Finally, we’ll deconstruct and decode Tim Cook’s mysterious and quickly deleted accidental tweet, and you’ll be shocked at the truth!

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off any hosting plan.

Apple has reportedly placed the first orders for its standalone Siri smart speaker, a device designed to rival the Amazon Echo.

Inventec, the Taiwan company that makes Apple’s popular AirPods, received the order, which was reported by the Chinese-language Economic Daily News. No order numbers or production timeline have been revealed, although previous reports suggest Apple could unveil the device this June at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

Starting today, we are offering high-quality repair services for Apple products to all our U.S. readers. Following the great feedback we’ve received on our trade-in program — to date we’ve paid our readers almost $200,000 for their old devices — we are extending our partnership with MyPhones Unlimited to include repair services with unbeatable prices.

Shipping is always free, and there’s no need to worry about hidden fees. Plus, every repair comes with a 180-day warranty. Find out just how cheap iPhone, iPad and MacBook repairs can be!

A Siri smart speaker will bring better audio (and a higher price tag) than the Amazon Echo, and we might get our first look next month, according to a prominent analyst.

KGI Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo says it’s increasingly likely Apple will debut its high-end audio device at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, paving the way for Siri to move into a prominent place in your home.

Apple will open an online store in India to start selling iPhones, which it may begin making locally within the next couple of week.

Selling iPhones it makes in India is Apple’s first big step in competing for market share in a country with rapidly growing smartphone sales.

Looking to get up to speed on the week’s hottest apps? We’ve got your back!

This week’s “Awesome Apps” installment is a game-heavy edition, ranging from a great viking-themed adventure game to a beloved Mac classic going free. Check out our picks below. You won’t regret it.

Apple currently offers more products than ever before. Whether you’re buying an iPhone, an iPad, a Mac, or even an Apple Watch, there are a bunch of options to consider before you hand over your cash in an Apple store.

Having options is always a good thing, but has Apple’s product portfolio become too confusing for consumers? Does the company even have the resources to keep everything fresh and fully-supported, or is its larger lineup hurting its products?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over whether it’s time for Apple to streamline its product lineup.

Yes, the iPhone can shoot pictures in the same places as many pro-level cameras. But because the iPhone lacks pro-level durability, you may not bring it on your most rugged adventures.

Hitcase’s latest product should ease your mind and let capture your most extreme imagery ever.

Apple has paved the way for its Live Photos to takeover the web with a new JavaScript API that makes it easy for developers to embed the moving images onto websites.

Apple’s next iPhone refresh will be the device’s biggest in years, but some of the more dramatic upgrades could be curtailed by technical challenges.

In its report on the new iPhone 8, Bloomberg corroborates many previous rumors about the next-gen iPhone, but suggests that more “ambitious” features may be scaled back or ditched due to manufacturing problems.