This week, surprise! iPads are finally coming with an Apple Event — we have all the details! Also, big news for iOS 18, capacitive buttons are making a comeback on the iPhone, and the huge Apple Watch redesign we’re all dreaming for!

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This week’s stories:

Surprise! Apple sets May 7 event to launch new iPad Pro and iPad Air

• Apple just invited the world to a May 7 product-launch event with the theme “Let Loose.”
• What new features to expect in Apple Pencil 3
• Say goodbye to hopes for mini-LED iPad Air

Get 2 Free Months of Apple TV+

• Watch live MLB games every Friday, plus award-winning Apple Originals on Apple TV+. Code expires on September 27, 2024.

iOS 18 AI features could run entirely on-device

• Apple’s large language model that will power iOS 18’s AI features could run entirely locally. This would prioritize user privacy and offer faster response times.

Calculator app for iPad might finally launch in iPadOS 18

• In a long-overdue move, Apple reportedly will integrate a Calculator app into the iPad operating system.

Why iPhone 16 might dump physical buttons for capacitive ones

• The upcoming iPhone 16 series will have no traditional buttons at all, according to information leaking out of the company that will supply the capacitive buttons that will supposedly replace them.

Apple Watch Series X concept will make you want it now

• Apple Watch Series X is expected to bring a redesign, new sensors and other changes later this year. A designer created images of a concept device to showcase the leaked/rumored features.

Lewis, Griffin and Papa E discuss the state of theme parks and what's going with Disney.

This week, game emulators and alternate app stores are HERE! Also, the new camera features coming to iPhone 16, and a roundup of new Apple TV+ shows.

This episode supported by:

Listeners like you. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone; and helps us secure the future of the podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com — OR at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com .

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This week’s stories:

First third-party app store goes live in EU

• The first third-party app marketplace, AltStore PAL, launched in the European Union Wednesday.

Delta all-in-one retro game emulator now out for iPhone

• The Delta retro game emulator is now on the iPhone App Store. Not only can it handle ROMs originally for the classic Game Boy handheld console, but it also emulates NES, SNES, Nintendo 64 and Nintendo DS.
• Delta on the App Store

9to5Mac: iPhone 16 Pro: Four new camera features coming this year

• We’re expecting multiple noticeable improvements to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max camera hardware. Here are four things to look forward to this year…

Apple could finally fix iPhone’s longstanding camera flare problem

• Apple could finally eliminate lens flare, a longtime problem with the iPhone camera, with a new lens coating technology on the iPhone 16 Pro.

5 essential Mac settings you should change

• If you’ve been using the Mac for a long time, you’re probably used to the way things work on your particular computer. But changing a setting that you’ve had set one way for a long time can make your Mac feel completely different!
• Video on YouTube

Apple TV+ Roundup:

• Slow Horses author brings new thriller to Apple TV+
• Apple TV+ brings huge Hollywood scam to the screen
• Silo star drops major hints about sci-fi hit’s future on Apple TV+
• Apple TV+ renews For All Mankind, spins off Star City

This week, M4 Macs are already incoming! Also: Apple’s next big thing, the AI tools that could turbocharge iOS 18, the disastrous Humane AI Pin, and an all-new What We’re Into!

This episode supported by:

Listeners like you. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone; and helps us secure the future of the podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com — OR at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com .

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This week’s stories:

Macs with AI-focused M4 chip launching this year

• Mac users won’t have to wait until 2025 for the Apple M4 processor, according to a reputable Apple tipster. The replacement for the current M3 will put an emphasis on AI, and will start appearing in Macs this autumn.

Apple Is Rebooting Its Search for a New Next Big Thing

• Apple’s business remains heavily reliant on the iPhone, which accounts for more than half its revenue. And sales in that market have stagnated. That’s made it all the more important for the company to find a major new product category.

Apple’s Ferret-UI helps AI use your iPhone

• Apple’s new Ferret-UI multimodal large language model could help artificial intelligence systems understand your iPhone’s screen, according to a research paper released Tuesday.

Humane AI Pin

• The Verge: Humane AI Pin Review: Not even close
• Inverse: Humane’s Ai Pin Isn't Ready to Replace Your Phone, But One Day It Might

What We’re Into:

• Doctor Who (1963 – 1989) on archive.org
• Constellation on Apple TV+
• Fallout on Amazon Prime Video

It's Movie VS Movie in an all-new VS!

This week: Forget a car — Apple thinks personal home robots are their next big thing. Plus: iPhone 16 leaks, what comes next for the M3, a big new feature lands on Vision Pro, and our solar eclipse stories and photo tips!

This episode supported by:

Listeners like you. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone; and helps us secure the future of the podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com — OR at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com . And if you would like to leave The CultClub, you can do so at unfork.thecultcast.com .

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This week’s stories:

With car junked, Apple robots could be Cupertino’s next moonshot

• Teams in Cupertino are working on Apple personal home robotic devices, including a mobile robot and a table-top device with a moving display, according to a new report.

iPhone 16 ‘dummy’ units give us glimpse of upcoming changes

• Images of iPhone 16 “dummy” units have been published by a tipster with an established record. They show the redesigned camera hump reportedly coming to the two non-Pro models and other changes.

New iPads won’t arrive until May and we can’t stop crying

• No new iPad models came out in 2023 at all, and the tablet drought continues. That’s why there’s so much excitement about the upcoming Pro and Air models.

Redesign could give Apple M3 Ultra processor wicked performance boost

• Apple's in the process of restructuring their Apple Silicon lineup. M3 Max no longer comes with the UltraFusion interconnect. This means that the M3 Ultra chip will be redesigned as its own standalone chip, no longer being made up of 2x Max dies.

Free-floating Spatial Personas arrive in visionOS 1.1 for Vision Pro

• Apple has made Spatial Personas, a more lifelike enhancement of the Persona feature for the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, available in the visionOS 1.1 update which came Tuesday.

How to take solar eclipse photos with iPhone

• Photographing the solar eclipse is hard without the right tools. Here’s how you can get prepared.
• YouTube video