The new 14" MacBook Pro—you want the good or bad news first? (CultCast #507)

This week: If you're excited about the new 14" Macbook Pro, well, we got good news and bad news for you.... Plus: sweet heat! iPhone 13 may be packing Apple's next-GEN FaceID, and it has a special trick. Plus plus: hold on to your cheeks, cause now we got the launch date for you. And stay tuned for our roundup of iOS 15's best new HomeKit and iCloud+ features!

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On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace

14-inch MacBook Pro could be just as fast, almost as pricey as 16-inch model

• The next-generation 14-inch MacBook Pro will be nearly identical to the 16-inch model that launches alongside it in terms of performance, according to one tipster. Both machines are expected to feature the same M1X chip.

iPhone 13 could land September 17, AirPods 3 soon after

• The wait for Apple’s next-generation iPhone lineup could be over in less than a month. A new report, citing information from a Chinese retailer, claims iPhone 13 will make its big debut on September 17, followed by AirPods 3.

Yep! iPhone 13 Pre-Orders Starting September 17th, Launch on September 24th

• That being said, I would usually insert my usual “take it with a grain of many butt hairs” and you still should, BUTT 🍑, since this date is not only lining up with what our own sources said and with Apple’s traditional pre-pandemic schedule of a September launch date timeframe, take it with a smol speck of butt hair, because these dates are looking right.

EXCLUSIVE: Apple Testing New iPhone 13 Face ID

• Apple has developed new Face ID hardware that they are currently testing with a COVID-like landscape in mind, according to sources.

Faster ‘M1X’ Mac mini with more ports coming ‘in the next several months’

• Apple’s “high-end, M1X Mac mini” will launch “in the next several months,” according to the latest Power On newsletter from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. “It will have an updated design and more ports.”

Apple could host multiple events in September for a bunch of new products

• Last year, Apple staggered its fall events over September, October and November. But according to some sources, it will unleash a barrage of hardware within just a few weeks this time around.

What's New With HomeKit in iOS 15

iCloud+ subscribers can now create custom email domains

• iCloud+ subscribers can now start using custom domain names with iCloud Mail. The new feature, announced at WWDC 2021 alongside iOS and iPadOS 15, just rolled out in beta with support for up to five custom domains.