Apple may be prepping the Mac Pro for its big reveal...don’t miss our WWDC 2019 hardware expectations.

This week: Apple may be prepping the Mac Pro for its big reveal... don’t miss our WWDC 2019 hardware expectations! Plus: the pros and cons of the 2019 MacBook Pro... we discuss. And did you know all the best Get a Mac ads never actually aired? We’ll tell you the odd reason why... All that and SO MUCH MORE.

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On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney

This week's stories

Latest MacBook Pro blows away its predecessors

• The top-tier new MacBook Pro employs a Intel 9th-generation Core i9 processor, which just debuted. It’s clocked at 2.4GHz with Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz. This is Apple’s first 8-core laptop, and the promotional materials promises “40 percent more performance than a 6-core MacBook Pro.”
• Geekbench benchmark scores are now confirming that this macOS laptop is around 30 percent speedier depending the the tests look at.
• The multi-core score for this device is around 29180. Last year’s speediest 6-core version of the MacBook Pro topped out at 22620, indicating that its predecessor is 29 percent faster.
• The single-core score for the new model is around 5900, up from about 5350 in the 2018 version. That’s almost a 10% improvement.
• One YouTuber reported the new MacBook Pro is beating his base iMac Pro in some tests!

2019 MacBook Pro teardown reveals minimal keyboard changes

• Keyboard seems largely the same, though iFixit has confirmed Apple has changed some of the material used in the dome switch mechanism and keyboard condom.

Steve Jobs didn’t want the ‘Get a Mac’ ads to be too funny

• Justin Long was recently on a episode of People Magazine’s TV show called Couch Surfing reciting why all the best Get a Mac ads never aired.
• Though 66 ads aired, apparently they filmed over 300!
• According to Long, it was Steve Jobs who kept the best ads off the air because they were just too funny.
• “One, in particular, I remember Zach Galifianakis played a drunken Santa Claus and I was dying to see this one,” Long said on the episode, which aired on Sunday. “Basically, Steve Jobs preferred when they weren’t super funny. It’s because he thought that would detract from the point of the commercial. He thought if people were too focused on humor, they would lose sight of the product.”
• But the commercials worked!
• Apple experienced a sales increase of 200,000 Macs after the first month of the campaign in May 2006. By July, Apple sold 1.3 million and at the end of the fiscal year, there was a 39 percent increase from the previous year’s Mac sales

This week: Apple releases the MacBook Pro we never thought possible, packed with Intel’s newest 8-core chip! But can a machine this slim handle the heat? Plus: WWDC 2019 is officially on! We talk our keynote predictions. And even more good news, Apple announces two new warranty repair programs to fix MacBook’s most troubling issues… for FREE.

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The NETGEAR Nighthawk WiFi 6 router gives you ultra-fast speeds and wider coverage throughout your home – it’s the biggest revolution in WiFi ever. Check it out today at Netgear.com/wifi6.

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.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney

This week's stories

Apple’s wacky unicorn invites press to June 3 WWDC keynote

• Invitations to the keynote address for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference just went out. The design features a unicorn whose brain is exploding with ideas.
• You can catch Episode #387 for our rundown of all features expected to be announced for iOS 13, macOS 10.5, watchOS, all the OSs

iOS 13

• But Apple is expected to unveil a whole bunch of new and upgraded apps for iOS, a Dark Mode, possibly a new swipe keyboard. They’re adding new features to the Health, Books, Maps, and Messages
• Apple is also planning to let the HomePod respond to different users’ voices, creating a multiuser mode.
• iPad is getting some loving', including an updated home screen, updates to multi-tasking, and the ability to use two instances of the same apps.

watchOS

• New apps for the Apple watch that will make it more independent from the iPhone, health tracking enhancements, and an Apple Watch store so you can download apps on the go.
• Marzipan is set to be unveiled for the Mac, meaning developers can bring their iPad apps to the Mac. This should be interesting.
• Apple will be bringing the Podcast app to the Mac, along with Find my Friends, Find my iPhone, and Screen Time.
• New voice memos app so you can record notes from your wrist.
• New watch faces (from Bloomberg:
• A “Gradient” face that makes a gradient look out of a color the user chooses, at least two new “X-Large” faces that show jumbo numbers in different fonts and colors, a “California” dial that looks like a classic watch face and mixes Roman numerals with Arabic numerals, a redesigned “Solar Analog” watch face that looks like a sundial, and a new “Infograph Subdial” one that includes larger complication views like a stock market chart or the weather.
• Apple is also adding more complications

Hardware

• There’s a chance we could see new hardware, like the new Mac Pro, or Bloomberg says there’s a possibility we’ll see a new Apple Display featuring HDR.

Apple unleashes its fastest ever MacBook Pro

• Apple just brought Intel’s latest eighth- and ninth-generation chips to the MacBook Pro, making it the company’s fastest ever laptop.
• The newest 8-core models deliver up to twice the performance of a quad-core MacBook Pro, and up to 40% more than a 6-core model. They also promise powerful graphics, a T2 Security Chip, super-fast SSDs, and “all-day” battery life.
• Apple also addressed problems with the Butterly keyboard, noting that these new models use different materials in the keyboards which will supposedly reduce the well-publicized issues with keys sticking.
• According to Apple:
• • You’ll get to enjoy up to twice as many Alchemy plugins in Logic Pro X. You’ll render 3D scenes up to twice as fast in Maya Arnold. You’ll get to apply complex edits and filters up to 75% faster in Photoshop. And you’ll compile code up to 65% faster in Xcode.
  • What’s more, video editors now have the ability to edit up to 11 simultaneous multicam steams of 4K video in Final Cut Pro X. And you don’t just get new chips.

All MacBooks with butterfly keyboards are now eligible for free repairs

• Apple updated its Keyboard Service Program today to also include support for the 2018 MacBook Pro and 2018 MacBook Air.
• The news comes on the heels of Apple’s unveiling of new MacBook Pros this morning with 8-core processors and butterfly keyboards with new materials. With the updated program, any MacBook with a butterfly keyboard is now eligible for service free of charge.
• Theory: It seems like Apple has no plans to ditch the butterfly keyboards…

Apple Launches New Backlight Service Program for 2016 13-Inch MacBook Pro Display to Address 'Flexgate’ Issues

• Alongside the launch of new MacBook Pro models, Apple today introduced a new Backlight Service Program for the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
• Strangely, this is the only model Apple will fix even though there have been reports of the 15” also having the stagelight issue

This week: new leaks give us our best look yet at iPhone XI and XIR. Plus: new US tariffs could skyrocket the prices of your next iPhone and iPad. And a new US Supreme Court ruling could break Apple’s iron control of the app store, making even alternate app stores a real possibility.

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The NETGEAR Nighthawk WiFi 6 router gives you ultra-fast speeds and wider coverage throughout your home – it’s the biggest revolution in WiFi ever. Check it out today at Netgear.com/wifi6.

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.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney
 

This week's stories

New 2019 iPhone leak hints at extra camera lenses (again)

• Mark Gurman has posted molds of the iPhone XI, XI Max, and XR2, and not everyone is happy with how they look.

Apple's Tariff Tradeoff: Raise Phone Prices or Suffer Margin Hit

• A new round of tariffs proposed by the U.S. on Monday includes mobile phones, meaning the iPhone.
• If these tariffs take effect, iPhone could be hit with a with a 25% import levy.

Supreme Court sides against Apple in big antitrust case

• A lawsuit targeting Apple and the App Store will be allowed to proceed, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided.
• The case involves whether or customers technically buy apps from Apple, or whether Apple is a middleman connecting app developers with consumers. The Supreme Court ruled against Apple on Monday by 5 votes to 4.
• The Apple Inc. v. Robert Pepper case dates back to 2011. The broad argument is that Apple has artificially driven up the price of apps by virtue of its monopolistic control over the App Store. By passing the cost of Apple’s 30% cut onto consumers, iPhone users argue that it is an unfair use of monopoly power. Apple, meanwhile, argued that only app developers — and not users — should be able to bring this lawsuit against Apple.

This week: WWDC 2019 is right around the corner, and a new report sheds light on everything Apple's prepping to reveal. We discuss! Plus: the magic of Corning glass, and how making your iPhone just slightly thicker would make it indestructible. And we reveal how and why Jony Ive and team created the massive mystery rainbow structure now present at the heart of Apple Park.

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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.

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.

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.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace
 

This week's stories

Order Leander's new book, signed!

Apple to Reveal New Home-Grown Apps, Software Features at WWDC

• Apple Inc. is planning to unleash a slew of new apps, features and development tools at its annual software conference next month.

How (and why) Jony Ive built the mysterious rainbow Apple Stage

• It’s the latest creation by Jony Ive’s team — and it’s just as thoughtfully and intricately designed as you might imagine.

Apple Park: The Inner Spaceship Stage - May 2019

This week: will it be a car, glasses, or a full frame camera? iPhones aren’t selling like they used to, and Apple’s looking for their next huge hit! We discuss... Plus: even with iPhone sales way down, Apple managed to have another MASSIVE quarter, and you won’t believe how they pulled it off. And stay tuned for our favorite shows and games in an all-new What We’re Into 🔥

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.

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.

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.

On the show this week

@erfon / @lewiswallace

This week's stories

Order Leander's new book, signed!

Apple’s wearables is now the size of a Fortune 200 company

• Sales of the Apple Watch grew 50% compared to the same quarter last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Apple’s Q2 2019 quarterly analyst call on Tuesday.
• If Apple’s wearables business — which includes the Apple Watch and the popular AirPod earbuds — were a stand-alone company, it would be in the Fortune 200, Cook said.
• Apple’s wearables business also includes its home and accessories category. Together, sales in the March quarter hit a record $5.1 billion in revenue, up from $3.94 billion in the year-ago quarter.
• Wearables now almost as big as the Mac business (5.5B last quarter).
• Services business is now more than twice as big as the Mac business!

Apple Shipped an Estimated 36.4 Million iPhones Worldwide in Q1 2019, a 30% Year-Over-Year Decline

• Apple shipped an estimated 36.4 million iPhones worldwide during the first calendar quarter of 2019, which corresponds to Apple's second fiscal quarter, according to new estimates shared today by IDC.
• Apple's worldwide smartphone shipments were down 30.2 percent from 52.2 million iPhones shipped in the first quarter of 2018. The decline in sales led to Apple losing the number two worldwide smartphone vendor spot to Huawei. In Q1 2019, Huawei shipped an estimated 59.1 million smartphones.

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