This week: Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set for June 7, and the “M1X” MacBook Pro will almost certainly be making its debut. We’ll tell you all we know.

Plus: Prosser says a Pro version of the Mac Mini with M1X is incoming, Apple may be making moves into crypto, and a BIG update on Apple Music lossless and your HomePod.

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@erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace

Apple details plans for WWDC 2021

• Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference is scheduled for June 7, and on Monday the iPhone-maker revealed that the all-important keynote address for WWDC 2021 will be held at 10 a.m. PDT on that day. This is almost certainly when they wraps will come off the next major upgrades for iOS, macOS and the company’s other operating systems.

WWDC Invite all but confirms new MacBook Pros!

The evidence:
https://twitter.com/SamiFathi_/status/1396861652012785669

Prosser now confirming new MacBook Pros coming to WWDC:
https://twitter.com/jon_prosser/status/1396915038154334214

Next Mac mini refresh could bring slimmer design, faster ‘M1X’ chip

• Apple’s next Mac mini refresh could prove even more exciting than the last, thanks to a slimmer chassis design and a faster “M1X” chipset, according to a reliable leaker.

Apple could be cashing into cryptocurrency

• It’s no rumor that Apple is looking for an expert in alternative payment providers. The job description is for someone with at least five years experience with “digital wallets, BNPL, Fast Payments, cryptocurrency and etc.”

Apple Music lossless WILL be coming to your HomePods, but AirPods Max still uncertain

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212183

HomePod Mini specs

AirPods Max specs

This week: the new M2 MacBook Pros are right around the corner, along with a new and larger “Pro” iMac. We’ll share the details! Plus: everything you need to know about Apple’s new Lossless audio format coming soon to Apple Music. This is going to be a huge leap in sound quality, and it’s totally free! And Lewis fills us in on Apple’s wild new accessibility features coming to Apple Watch.

Get 2-3 episodes of CultCast Off Topic each and every week for just $6! Off Topic is a new weekly variety show hosted by Erfon Elijah and friends, decidated to tech, gaming, culture, and more. Join Cult Support, good friend!

This episode supported by

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Cult of Mac's watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple's. See the full curated collection at Store.Cultofmac.com

CultCloth will keep your iPhone 12, Apple Watch, iPad, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

Join us in the CultClub! discord.gg/BrKdnSK

On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace

Redesigned MacBook Pro could arrive this summer, larger iMac in the works

• A redesigned MacBook Pro could hit Apple Store shelves as early as this summer, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

Apple Watch Series 7 might feature flat-edged design, green color option [Updated]

• The next-gen Apple Watch could get a huge makeover, with a new, flat-edged design and a green option reminiscent of the AirPods Max.

Apple Music will add lossless audio, Spatial Audio for no extra cost

• Apple Music is going lossless — at no extra cost to subscribers. Apple revealed the free upgrade Monday, a day ahead of its rumored launch. The company said Apple Music will bring lossless audio to more than 75 million tracks starting in June so listeners can hear songs “the way the artists created them in the studio.”

Spotify HiFi: quality, price, release date, free trial and latest news

• Spotify HiFi is the popular music streaming service's long-anticipated entry into CD-quality streaming. Set to launch in 2021, it will allow Spotify Premium subscribers to 'upgrade' their membership so they can listen to higher-quality, lossless audio streams.

AirPods, HomePod lose out on Apple Music lossless audio streaming [Updated]

• Apple Music fans who are super-excited about the just-announced lossless audio option should be aware that it won’t work with AirPods or HomePod. Not even the $549 AirPods Max.

What you need to enjoy amazing lossless audio on Apple Music

• You’ll be able to enjoy some of that magic with Apple headphones. Spatial Audio with support for immersive Dolby Atmos will be available on all AirPods and Beats with an H1 or W1 chip. You will also be able to listen to it through the built-in speakers on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

AirPods might offer lossless Apple Music after software update

• On the new episode of his Front Page Tech YouTube show, Prosser said the limitation was because of Bluetooth. And that that restriction is about to be removed.

AssistiveTouch lets users control Apple Watch by clenching a fist

• Apple plans to release software updates this year that will make its devices far easier to use for people with mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive disabilities.

This week: a dubious rumor says Apple is making a portable gaming console, but... the puzzle pieces seem to add up. Apple's up to something. We discuss. Plus: the new M1 iMac is insanely powerful, and Prosser leaks more MacBooks!

Get 3 episodes of CultCast Off Topic each and every week for just $6! Off Topic is a new weekly variety show hosted by Erfon Elijah and friends, decidated to tech, gaming, culture, and more. Join Cult Support, good friend!

This episode supported by

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.

Cult of Mac's watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple's. See the full curated collection at Store.Cultofmac.com

CultCloth will keep your iPhone 12, Apple Watch, iPad, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

Join us in the CultClub! discord.gg/BrKdnSK

On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace

Enter to win a high-end Qrono Apple Watch band from Juuk [Cult of Mac giveaway]

• This week, Cult of Mac is giving away two fantastic metal Apple Watch bands from Juuk, a high-end watch strap company. We’re giving away two aluminum Qruno straps in cosmic grey.

New MacBook Air renders look thin, flat and colorful

• Apple plans to release a surprisingly thin MacBook Air in the same colors as the current iMacs, according to leaker Jon Prosser.

High school student makes impressive 3D renders of big-time Mac leaks [Setups]

• It’s not every day you come across a high school student running a successful tech-based business – never mind one whose 3D renderings are routinely seen by thousands of people. But that’s the case with 17-year-old New Yorker Ian Zelbo and his RendersbyIan.

M1 iMac can’t match fastest Intel iMacs in early benchmarks

• People were hoping the M1 would supercharge the iMac, but the first benchmark scores for the upcoming 24-inch machine are out, and the all-in-one desktop is the same speed as the other M1 Macs released in 2020, but not faster. The previous-generation high-end 21.5-inch iMac earned a single-core Geekbench score of 1109, and a multi-core score of 6014.

2021 iPad Pro beats every Intel MacBook in early benchmark tests

• The first iPad Pro with an M-series processor is apparently going to be as fast as many had hoped. Benchmark tests for the upcoming tablet show that it’s almost as speedy as the Macs released in late 2020. And faster than any Intel-based MacBook ever.

Sketchy Rumor Claims Apple Developing Nintendo Switch-Style Gaming Console

• Apple is working on a Nintendo Switch-style handheld games console, according to a sketchy new rumor coming from Asia. According to a post on a Korean forum, shared by Twitter user @FrontTron, Apple is developing a portable hybrid games console, comparable to the Nintendo Switch. While the sourcing of the rumor is suspect, it has gained some visibility in larger news outlets over the past day or two, so we figured it was at least worth acknowledging.

Apple TV Is Missing the Moment

• “For next year, Apple is planning an upgraded box with a stronger gaming focus, an updated remote and a new processor.”

Apple said to be spending more than $500M on Arcade gaming subscription effort

• Apple’s new gaming subscription service Apple Arcade may have been a bit of a footnote at its Services event earlier this month compared to the stage time given to more prime time-ready efforts like Apple TV+ and Apple News+, but the company is throwing some major funding behind its effort to get people paying a monthly fee for exclusive titles.

This week: Apple’s working on a folding iPhone, and it’ll be here sooner than you think! We’ll fill you in. Plus: A new sensor could turn 2022 Apple Watch into a doctor on your wrist, the honest truth about AirTags, and an EPIC update on Apple Vs. Fortnite.

Get 3 episodes of CultCast Off Topic each and every week for just $6! Off Topic is a new weekly variety show hosted by Erfon Elijah and friends, decidated to tech, gaming, culture, and more. Join Cult Support, good friend!

This episode supported by

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.

Cult of Mac's watch store is full of beautiful straps that cost way less than Apple's. See the full curated collection at Store.Cultofmac.com

CultCloth will keep your iPhone 12, Apple Watch, iPad, glasses and lenses sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CarryCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.

Join us in the CultClub! discord.gg/BrKdnSK

On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace

8-inch folding iPhone might launch in 2023

• A folding iPhone is two years away, according to a trusted industry analyst. When open, the device will have an 8-inch screen, significantly bigger than the current largest iOS model, which has a 6.7-inch display.

New sensor could turn 2022 Apple Watch into a doctor on your wrist

• A deal between Apple and Rockley Photonics could add new medical sensors to the Apple Watch in 2022. That might include non-invasive monitoring of blood sugar levels, body temperature and blood pressure. It might even add the ability to measure blood-alcohol levels.

Creeps could use AirTags to stalk people with ‘frightening’ ease

• While Apple says that it’s been careful to incorporate anti-stalking measures to stop the AirTags being used in this way, a Washington Post report argues that Apple’s countermeasures are not effective.

AirTag Owners Bemoan Inability to Let Others Track Their Items Via Family Sharing

• On the face of it, sharing the location of an AirTag via Apple's Family Sharing feature should be a no-brainer, since individual members in a Family Sharing group can use the Find My app to see the location of other family members' Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, AirPods, and Apple Watches.

rint a variety of useful AirTag holders with these free 3D models

• It’s not necessary to buy an accessory to attach an Apple AirTag to your keys, bike or dog’s collar if you own a 3D printer.

Read Epic Games’ reasonable idea for opening up the App Store

• Epic Games suggested a change to the iPhone App Store that, if Apple had followed it, might have prevented the lawsuit that put the two tech giants in court this week.