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Over-ear headphones dubbed ‘AirPods Studio’ might debut in June

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Apple headphones concept
This artists concept for over-ear AirPods headphones brings in design aspects from HomePods.
Photo: Martin Hajek

Apple is allegedly prepping a set of over-ear wireless headphones that will be part of the AirPods line.

Currently, the company offers headphones in this style under its Beats label. But the upcoming model supposedly reflects a change in strategy. If you’re looking for high-quality alternatives, you might want to check out the Sennheiser website for premium audio options like the Sennheiser HD 550 open-back headphones.

The great Dark Mode delay [Cult of Mac Magazine 348]

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Why so seriously slow? Adding Dark Mode is no cakewalk.
Why so seriously slow? Adding Dark Mode is no cakewalk.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

If your favorite apps don’t yet support Dark Mode, there’s a good reason. Making their apps work with Dark Mode can be a total pain in the butt for devs.

Get an inside look at the travails of adding this popular feature in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now for that story, plus the rest of the week’s top Apple news, reviews and how-tos. (There’s plenty on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, too.)

Access a truly massive library of streaming content [Deals]

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SelectTV
Dive into the world's largest entertainment library, including movies, TV shows, radio stations and more from around the globe.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

We live in a golden age for streaming content. These days, plenty of us have more time to watch TV shows and movies than we used to, so even the list of offerings on Netflix or Hulu starts to feel a little short. Luckily there are far larger libraries of content to dive into.

Apple starts gradual reopening of its US stores next week

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Apple Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall will reopen in mid-May.
This Apple Store in Anchorage, Alaska, will be one of the first to open its doors.
Photo: Apple

The long wait is almost over. Apple said Friday it will open the doors of a few of its U.S. retail locations next week. The majority of Apple Stores globally closed almost two months ago as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. More stores will reopen when the company deems it safe.

Defending Jacob takes an unsettling turn in 5th episode [Apple TV+ review]

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J.K. Simmons takes Defending Jacob to an unsettling new place.
J.K. Simmons takes us to an unsettling new place in this week's episode.
Photo: Apple TV+

Things start to get unbearably tense and inhumane as pressure builds on the Barber family in Defending Jacob’s fifth episode, “Visitors.” The show takes a number of risks that may pay rich dividends in future episodes — as long as the showrunners remember not to flinch.

New guest stars — including veteran actor J.K. Simmons — and old vendettas surface in Friday’s new episode. And the Barbers head toward what might turn out to be a moral dead end if they want to stop their son, Jacob, from going to prison. Can we say climax?

We talk our WWDC ’20 hardware predictions plus big iPhone 12 leaks, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 442: AirPods with health sensors
WWDC 2020 goes virtual, and it's gonna be different.
Image: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: Apple announces WWDC 2020! We talk our hardware and software predictions. Plus: A new leak gives us some exciting info on the upcoming Apple TV hardware, and the iPhone 12 lineup, including some surprising prices and new features. And we wrap up with a look at the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, so stay tuned!

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.

Billie Eilish’s new me & dad radio show hits Apple Music today

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Billie Eilish and her father kick off a new radio show called
Billie Eilish kicks off a new radio show with her dad on Apple Music today.
Photo: Lars Crommelinck Photography/Flickr CC

American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish is continuing her connection with Apple Music listeners with the release of a new radio show featuring she and her father, Patrick O’Connell.

Her new show, me & dad radio, will debut Friday on Apple Music at noon Pacific time with six episodes planned.

Save a ton on a 2019 15-inch MacBook Pro today only

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15-inch-MacBook-Pro
Refurbished by Apple, backed by a 1-year warranty.
Photo: Apple

Bag a bargain notebook upgrade with hundreds off 15-inch MacBook Pro units. Woot is blowing out a number of 2019 models, all refurbished by Apple, today only. You can claim yours for as little as $1,579.99 before they’re all gone.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

Updated classic AirPods delay expected into new year, but with ‘Made in Vietnam’ tag

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AirPods Pro and Transparency Mode make for fine hearing aids.
Your next classic AirPods could be made in Vietnam.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The coronavirus and its aftermath appear to be taking a toll on manufacturing of updated AirPods, with a new report indicating an update to Apple’s popular earbuds will be delayed slightly and roll into the first quarter of 2021.

The Nikkei Asian Review also reported Friday sources as saying around 30% of all classic AirPods to be produced this quarter for Apple will be “made in Vietnam”. That the report said is “a sign the company is accelerating its diversification of production out of China amid the coronavirus pandemic.”

Bag brilliant Beats Solo3 wireless headphones at 50% off today only

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Beats-Solo3
Or save a small fortune on other Beats headphones.
Photo: Apple

Struggling to block out background distractions when working from home? Pick up a pair of brilliant Beats Solo3 wireless headphones at 50% off today only.

They work wonderfully with Apple and third-party devices over Bluetooth, and they sound terrific. They also run for a whopping 40 hours in between charges.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

Why it’s taking so long for apps to add Dark Mode

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Has your favorite app embraced the dark side yet?
Has your favorite app embraced the dark side yet?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

This week, I finally got around to adding Dark Mode support to Reps & Sets, the iPhone bodybuilding app I develop as a side hustle. That’s almost a year after Apple first announced the feature at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

What took me so long? Supporting Dark Mode is not as simple as it seems. It’s not just indie devs like me who have struggled with it, either. WhatsApp only recently added Dark Mode support, and Facebook is still beta-testing it.

So if you’re waiting for your favorite app to switch to the dark side, here’s why it might be taking so long.

Clean your Mac and boost its performance with this bestselling app [Deals]

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CleanMyMac X- Junk Cleaner for Mac
Score lifetime access to a top-rated app for removing malware, clearing clutter and boosting your Mac's performance.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Macs aren’t immune to aging — just like us, they get slower over time. One of the main causes is clutter and malware, but luckily there’s a cure called CleanMyMac X. And this is your last chance to get it at a 24% discount.

Apple to reopen all 15 retail stores in Germany May 11

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apple.store.germany
15 Apple stores reopen in Germany on Monday as pandemic precautions ease in parts of Europe.
Photo: Corporate Dispatch

Apple plans to reopen all its 15 retail stores in Germany on May 11, according to a published report.

Germany will become only the second country in Europe to resume Apple Store operations since the majority of locations closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic almost two months ago.

Apple opens virtual online storefront experience as most retail locations remain closed

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online.virtual.store.8.jpg
Not knowing when most of its retail stores will reopen worldwide, Apple re-organizes content virtually to ease the load.
Photo: Apple

With most of its brick-and-mortar locations closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Apple launched Friday an online virtual services store focused on helping customers find and complete no-contact purchases and educate users through on-demand videos.

Titled “Everything you love about our stores is online,” the new hub is linked from the home page of Apple.com and accessible at apple.com/shop.

Apple TV reigns with best picture quality among streaming devices in pandemic’s early days

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Apple TV Siri Remote
Streaming video quality during early 2020 was above par using Apple TV devices.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

While it might be far down the pecking order of best selling streaming boxes, the Apple TV and Apple TV 4K got high marks in the first quarter of this year for best picture quality speed and shortest lag time in starting videos, according to data collected from billions of sensors embedded into video applications.

The results are a clear sign of how well streaming devices and services performed in a period where more people around the world were homebound due to the coronavirus pandemic and turned to watching television en masse.

Gorgeous iPhone 12 renders could spill new camera secrets

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Render shows iPhone 12 camera with three lenses
The basic iPhone 12 might have three camera lenses, just as the current iPhone Pro models do.
Photo: Pigtou/xleaks7

The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 will jump from dual to triple camera lenses, if an unconfirmed report is correct. New renders supposedly showing other details this handset came to light as well.

If the basic 2020 iPhone gets a big camera upgrade, this would further blur the line between the iPhone 12 and the more expensive iPhone 12 Pro models. Previous leaks indicate that every iOS device coming this fall will have 5G and an OLED screen.