This week: a totally new 16” MacBook Pro; a new 6K cinema display; new Mac Pro; new AirPods; new iPads and iPhones; even a new iPod Touch… according to a new report, Apple’s about to make huge updates to their ENTIRE product line.

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Here’s what Apple’s (apparently) got in store for 2019

• Ming-Chi Kuo’s new research report runs down some of his hardware expectations for the coming year, and my nips have been at 105% of capacity since reading it.
• We’re talking redesigned MacBook Pro, iPads, a new Apple cinema display, AirPods, even a new iPOD... this could be a year to remember.
• Kuo predicts 2019 will see the release of Apple’s biggest MacBook since 2012. The new MacBook Pro will boast a screen between 16 inches and 16.5 inches in size. This would be the largest MacBook notebook screen since the end of the 17-inch models seven years ago.
• It will be a total redesign!
• Kuo says the 13” will possibly get an option for 32GB of RAM.
• Dave Lee theory - the new design will have to address thermal issues.
• Current MBP design is too thin for modern chips. It can’t keep them cool, like with the current i9 throttling. Now intel has a new 9th-gen 8 core chip, and there’s no way the current design could handle it.

Apple Said to Release 31.6-Inch 6K Display With Mini LED-Like Backlight Design in 2019

• Apple will release a 31.6-inch 6K display with a Mini LED-like backlight design in 2019, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo
• Apple left the display market back in 2016 with the discontinuation of the outdated Thunderbolt Display. Apple did, however, say they were working on a new screen alongside the new Mac Pro

AirPower and New AirPods Said to Ship in First Half of 2019, New iPod Touch With Faster Processor Also Expected

• Apple's long-awaited AirPower wireless charging mat and a new version of AirPods with wireless charging support and upgraded Bluetooth connectivity will start shipping in the first half of 2019,
• Kuo also expects a new iPod touch with a faster processor to launch in 2019.

Two New iPad Pro Models, 10.2-Inch iPad, and iPad Mini 5 Said to Launch in 2019

• According to Kuo, Apple plans to release two new iPad Pro models, a 10.2-inch iPad, and a refreshed iPad mini, each equipped with an upgraded processor, later this year.
• The 9.7-inch iPad is getting upgraded to 10.2 inches. No news on if it’s going full screen with FaceID.

Don’t expect a major redesign for this year’s iPad mini 5

• The iPad mini hasn’t gotten a sequel since 2015. However, if you’re expecting this year’s rumored refresh to be a massive leap forward, you might want to think again.
• At least, that’s based on an alleged CAD render shared by noted leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer, a.k.a. @OnLeaks. While he hasn’t shared the image, he suggests that there are no external major design changes — and only a spec bump update.

Apple may finally give fans a first look at its revamped Mac Pro at WWDC 2019

• Apple may finally give fans a first look at its revamped Mac Pro at WWDC 2019.
• Bloomberg is reporting that Apple has “internally weighed” the possibility of previewing the new Mac Pro alongside updates to macOS and iOS at this year’s WWDC, which is expected to take place between June 3 and June 7 in San Jose.
• Apple has also put together a "Pro Workflow Team" to tailor the Mac Pro and other Apple products to its professional users.
• The timing seems right. Speaking about the Mac Pro in 2017, Phil Schiller said this:
• • With regards to the Mac Pro, we are in the process of what we call "completely rethinking the Mac Pro." We’re working on it. We have a team working hard on it right now, and we want to architect it so that we can keep it fresh with regular improvements, and we’re committed to making it our highest-end, high-throughput desktop system, designed for our demanding pro customers.
  • As part of doing a new Mac Pro — it is, by definition, a modular system — we will be doing a pro display as well. Now you won’t see any of those products this year; we’re in the process of that. We think it’s really important to create something great for our pro customers who want a Mac Pro modular system, and that’ll take longer than this year to do.

Next Mac Pro may use stackable design for ultimate customization

Samsung Galaxy Fold is the first foldable smart phone

6 ways Samsung just leapfrogged Apple

This week: it's all but confirmed--Apple's holding a March media event to make some special announcements. We'll tell you what we know. Plus: Apple's all-time best-selling products may surprise you; and is it worth buying a 2018 MacBook Pro, or should you wait? We'll tell you what we think.

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Dashlane is the official password manager of Cult of Mac. It's so good, even El Kahney's mummy uses it! Use it for free for one device at Dashlane.com/CultofMac.

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

7 Painful Truths about the 2018 MacBook Pro

Hollywood stars tapped to attend Apple’s March event

• Some of the biggest names in Hollywood are coming to Silicon Valley for Apple’s first big event of 2019.
• Apple is rumored to be planning a late March keynote where a slew of new services will be unveiled. To help with its pitch to customers, Apple has asked some of the stars from its original TV shows to join the festivities.
• Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner and director JJ Abrams have reportedly been invited by Apple to attend its March 25 event. All four of them have at least one project in development at Apple. Witherspoon’s production company actually had two shows picked up by the company.
• Apple’s TV streaming service will reportedly offer original content for free. There are dozens of shows in various stages of development right now. The service will also sell subscriptions to other channels like Starz, Showtime and maybe even HBO.
• Initially all of Apple’s content will be free, but they plan to launch a paid tier of content by this summer.
• The March event will also see Apple unveil its news subscription service too. Publishers are reportedly still negotiating revenue split deals for that service. Apple was allegedly asking for a 50/50 split on revenues. Customers would pay $10 per month for unlimited access to articles from some of the biggest names in news.
• With the event more than a month away there are still tons of details that could change.

AirPods are Apple’s second-fastest selling new product of all time

• Apple’s AirPods are the company’s second best-selling new product of all time, a new report by Above Avalon analyst Neil Cybart suggests.
• Cybart estimates that Apple is on track to sell 40 million pairs of AirPods in 2019. That represents almost 90 percent year-over-year growth.
• “There are already at least 25 million people wearing AirPods. This total will likely exceed 50 million people later this year. These are massive sales and adoption figures for a two-year old product that has never received an update and rarely goes on sale for less than its $159 selling price.”
• The most popular Apple product out of the gate?

This week: The 2018 MacBook Pro is a beautiful machine, but it has some odd and painful flaws! Then: Quit or canned? Why is Angela Ahrendts leaving Apple? Plus: The saga of Gil Amelio, the CEO that saved Apple.

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Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

7 Painful Truths about the 2018 MacBook Pro

Quit or canned? Why is Angela Ahrendts leaving Apple? [Opinion]

• When Apple fires an executive, the company is rarely straightforward about the situation. Apple never puts out a press release stating plainly that the executive was canned. So Tuesday’s unexpected announcement that Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s head of retail, is leaving in April led many to suspect she was fired.
• Most of the news stories about Ahrendts’ departure point out that it’s happening during the first-ever iPhone sales slump; The subtext is that she’s underperforming and has to go.
• Ryan Jones, an app developer with a popular Apple-centric Twitter feed, argues that Apple fired Ahrendts. His reasons: the timing of the announcement, coded language in the press release, and a claim that she was just four months from vesting stock.
• “Angela turned Apple Stores into a frustrating mess,” he wrote. “Service and buying are both slow and maddening.”
• No ‘gardening leave’ for Angela Ahrendts
• As noted by John Gruber, Vogue Business reporter Suzy Menke, who profiled Ahrendts just last week in a positive piece, quoted Ahrendts on Instagram saying the departing Apple leader misses her grown-up kids, who live in London. Ahrendts was based in the U.K. capital while CEO of Burberry and clearly misses the city

The saga of Gil Amelio: the CEO that saved Apple

• Gil Amelio was Apple’s CEO for only 500 days, and in that time he rescued Apple from the brink of destruction.
• February 2, 1996: With disappointing Mac sales, the disastrous “clone Mac” strategy, and a failed Sun Microsystems merger to his name, Apple CEO Michael Spindler is asked to resign by the Apple board.
• Apple needs needs a miracle. In the last 4 years, they’ve lost over $230 million dollars.
• They turn to resurrection artist Gil Amelio, without whose leadership, Apple would probably not exist today.

Microsoft is bringing Xbox Live to Android and iOS

• Microsoft is gearing up to release a software development kit (SDK) that will allow Android and iOS developers to integrate Xbox Live features into their games.
• The SDK will be officially confirmed by Microsoft next month, will also be available to Nintendo Switch developers.
• Microsoft’s SDK comes after Epic Games broke boundaries with cross-platform play inside Fortnite.
• The battle royale behemoth is the first title that allows players on all systems — including Xbox, Switch, mobile, and now even PlayStation — to play together. It also allows users to log in to a single account and sync progress between different devices.

This week: a new report details what next for Apple’s 2019 AND 2020 iPhones… Plus: Apple plans Netflix-for-games subscription service (with Alex E Heath!); it’s not just you, everyone got way more spam calls in 2018; and we talk a new wireless charging brick for iPhone, a smart outlet with HomeKit support, and the super smart HomeKit thermostat you’ve never heard of, in all-new Under Review.

This episode supported by

Dashlane is the official password manager of Cult of Mac. It's so good, even El Kahney's mummy uses it! Use it for free for one device at Dashlane.com/CultofMac.

CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

Here’s how crazy spam calls went in 2018

• A new report from call identification and blocking company HIYA shows just how bad these spam calls have gotten.
• Released today, the “State of the Phone Call” report is based on data from 11 billion calls analyzed monthly. The report includes breakdowns of the types of calls made or received, how often phone calls were answered, and the average duration.
• The biggest takeaway from the report: an out of control trend in robocalls, citing a 46% increase in 2018 for a total of 26.3 billion in the year.

Apple Is Planning 3-D Cameras for New iPhones in AR Push 

• 2020
• • Apple plans to launch iPhones with a more-powerful 3D camera. These will give a significant boost in augmented reality capability
  • Other features will include a third, more advanced camera, and a more powerful chip
• 2019
• • Gurman confirms Apple is working on updates to the XR and XS, but only the XS Max will include 3 cameras…<l/i>
  • All models will include an upgraded Apple processor and use an updated Face ID sensor
• Other tidbits
• • Apple is testing USB C on iPhone, indicating they may eventually lose lightning
  • "Apple’s next operating system update, iOS 13, will include a dark mode option for easier nighttime viewing and improvements to CarPlay, the company’s in-vehicle software. There will also be iPad-specific upgrades like a new home screen, the ability to tab through multiple versions of a single app like pages in a web browser, and improve-ments to file management. The company will also integrate two new services, including a magazine subscription service and its original video content efforts, via iOS updates this year."

Apple plans Netflix-for-games subscription service

• Accordingly execrable Alex E Heath, Apple allegedly wants to tap into the booming gaming industry to boost its growing Services business. The company is reportedly planning to create a new subscription service for games
• This is Alex E Heath’s first big Apple scoop, and he he’s claiming he’s got five sources confirming this story.
• We have the exclusive interview.

Erfon goes hands-on with the Mysa smart thermostat

iPhone XS Max vs Hollywood Movie Cameras Red & Arri

Under Review!

Mysa smart thermostat for electric heaters

Mophie Charge Stream Power Station

Connect Sense Smart Outlet 2