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This week on The CultCast: It’s the best update in years. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about Apple’s very powerful new MacBook Pros. Plus: New Mac minis are on the way; Ming-Chi Kuo confirms Apple’s about to update its entire product line; how coke heads use Apple Watch to maximize their high. Finally, we talk killer whale attacks, port wines and the story of Saturday Night Live’s world-renowned sax player on an all-new What We’re Into.

Editor’s note: There’s good evidence that the new MacBook Pro keyboard actually does address the problems experienced by some owners. Read our: Teardown reveals MacBook Pro keyboard is redesigned to prevent keys sticking

People around the world are hoping the new MacBook Pro models introduced today have a keyboard that’s been carefully designed to not have the same sticky keyboard keys as their predecessors. But it didn’t happen.

A company spokesperson says the problem of grit causing the keys to stick in previous macOS laptops was not addressed.

But that’s not necessarily the whole story. It’s possible Apple did fix the problem but doesn’t dare talk about it.

Those eager to get their wrists on the 2018 Apple Watch can tide themselves over with some fresh concept images. These clearly show the benefits of a much-anticipated larger screen by comparing the upcoming version with past ones.

The 2018 Apple Watch is also expected to sport a bigger battery and other enhancements.

Mike Fisher makes a living getting old, fallen trees ready for a new life in the technology sector.

The woodworker, with a shop in the “Forest City” of Rockford, Illinois, makes wooden iMac stands and shelves out fallen ash and walnut trees.

Sprint has renamed and changed some of the features of its unlimited data plan. iPhone users now have a choice between paying more or getting less.  

It’s not all bad news. There’s 50 percent more tethering data in a new top-tier plan, and the TIDAL music streaming service has been added.

AirPlus is a silicone case for your AirPods’ case, which adds one great feature, as well as several not-so-great ones. With your AirPods inside the case, you can drop it onto any Qi-compatible charging mat and have the AirPods and their battery case charge wirelessly. That’s pretty sweet, but there are downsides too.

Editor’s note: There’s fresh evidence that the new MacBook Pro keyboard actually does address the problems experienced by some owners.

Read our: Teardown reveals MacBook Pro keyboard is redesigned to prevent keys sticking

The MacBook Pro models just introduced include faster processors and better displays, but the most important new feature might be the keyboard. This has been redesigned, hopefully to fix serious problems that plagued earlier versions.

The “butterfly” keyboard in MacBook Pro models since 2016 have sparked a well-publicized recall petition and multiple lawsuits. This makes the reliability of the keyboard in the new devices a critical matter.

Nomad’s Stand for Apple Watch could easily be mistaken for a futuristic tchotchke. But, this futuristic charging stand packs high function in its curvaceous form. This sleek Apple Watch stand fits perfectly with the modern simplicity that marks Apple’s aesthetic.

Our very own Nadine Kahney gives us a hands-on look at the Nomad Stand, available for purchase in Cult of Mac’s Watch Store. Check it out below.

Fortnite season five just kicked off, bringing new locations to explore, a second vehicle, and a whole host of new rewards to unlock.

If you buy the Battle Pass, there’s even more to enjoy, and you can start completing the first week’s challenges right away. There are seven in total, which will earn you 50 Battle Stars.

Here’s how to complete each one.

There are so many cool accessories we can get for iPhone. But after you get enough batteries, speakers, and other peripherals, they really start crowding your bag. So just like cell phones, the natural next step is for them to start coming together.

Apple just updated its MacBook Pro line, ramping up performance and adding various advanced features. Phil Schiller, Apple’s marketing VP, calls the new Apple laptops “the fastest and most powerful notebook we’ve ever made.”

The new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar models boast 8th-generation “Coffee Lake” Intel Core processors, with 6-core CPUs in the 15-inch model and quad-core CPUs on the 13-inch model.

Fortnite season five has finally landed, bringing some of the biggest changes the world’s hottest game has seen since making its debut.

Viking ships, desert outposts, and ancient statues can be found all over the Battle Royale map, which you can now navigate in the new All Terrain Kart. There’s also a whole bunch of new outfits, emotes, and more to look forward to.

Get ready to grab that Battle Pass!

Distracted driving is a major source of accidents. In hopes of combatting the problem, road signs that can detect whether a cell phone is in use are being tested in the UK.

The signs currently just light up to remind the motorist to put down their phone. Plans to record the license plates of drivers receiving warnings are being considered. And traffic citations are the likely next step.

Tricky text situations:

• You typed a block of text, and it’s all in capital letters because you left the CAPS LOCK on.
• You copy a URL and it’s a mess, like this: http%3A%2F%2F
• You want to capitalize/de-capitalize text, adding or removing title case.

It’s easy to just do this by hand, if time consuming, but now there’s a better way, on iOS at least. Check out Chris Hannahs’s Text Case.

The documentary about the most important tech company you’ve never heard of is nearly ready to hit the big screen.

General Magic, a ‘90s startup created by some of the best minds at Apple, is getting the documentary treatment it deserves and the trailer is finally here.

Check it out:

Many iPhone user experienced quick battery drain problems with iOS 11.4. This week, Apple introduced an operating system update designed to fix bugs with its predecessor. Did that take care of the complaints?

Comments posted online generally seem to show that iOS 11.4.1 squashed this battery bug. Not everyone agrees, though.

It used to be that the first-party iOS apps were only used by people who didn’t care enough to download something better. Mail, Notes, Contacts, the Calendar — all of these were immediately dumped into a junk folder by experienced users, to be replaced with a proper app. But something happened along the way to 2018. Now, Apple’s apps are every bit as good as third-party apps. (Well, mostly. The Contacts app is still awful.)

Today we’ll take a look at a few of Apple’s surprise hits.

Apple got a bit pushy with Japan’s wireless service providers, and was slapped down by regulators as a result.

The iPhone maker was requiring the carriers to put subsidies on iOS handsets. The Japanese Fair Trade Commission decided that was a violation of Japan’s antitrust rules.

It’s road trip season, and that means gas prices can have a big impact on your vacation. Sometimes what seems like a decent gas price is actually a ripoff because you don’t know about the local station around the corner that’s selling fuel for far less.

If you want to get the best gas price, use GasBuddy for iPhone. The app shows you where all the nearby gas stations are. Better still, GasBuddy helps you find the best prices on gas, wherever you are.

That buzzing you hear outside probably isn’t a swarm of bees. These days it’s way more likely to be a drone. They’re everywhere, big and small, so why not get in on the fun?

Four teens in hoodies brazenly snatched a bunch of MacBooks and iPhones from an Apple Store in California this weekend. The crime is very similar to one committed in New York last week.

The brazen thefts took place so close together it’s not impossible the second was inspired by the first.

Four years ago, I wrote a post explaining how to “add GPS to your dumb camera photos using your iOS device.” It was a pretty good how to, but things have moved on and it is now easier than ever to import a bunch of photos into your iPad, and then geotag them using an app.

Why would you do such a thing? Well, how about having all your vacation photos plotted on a map, so you can find where you took them, years, later? Or having your fancy-camera photos show up alongside your iPhone photos when you search for nearby pictures?

Paper’s great for some things, but when it comes to reading and taking notes, the traditional medium is mediocre at best. And when iPad apps try to replicate paper, things get even worse.

“It doesn’t work,” said Craig Tashman, developer of the LiquidText PDF Reader app, which Apple showcased in an iPad ad this week. “They end up inheriting the deficiencies of paper without really inheriting the things that make it work.”

Tashman talked with Cult of Mac about his quest to reinvent paper, and the massive benefit of having a $945 billion tech giant giving an indie developer some props.

A new feature in the Netflix app will automatically download episodes of your favorite shows. This means they’re waiting on your phone or tablet when you’re ready.

Netflix already allows users to download episodes to watch later. The improvement announced today just makes it easier.

Augmented Reality (AR) is still an emerging technology, but Apple is poised to profit from it significantly. Or that’s the prediction of one analyst anyway.

And all the extra billions in revenue wouldn’t require the rumored Apple AR Glasses, though that would help.