New Macs coming to WWDC + iOS 15 features! (CultCast #495)

This week: it’s all but confirmed… ANOTHER source is saying we’re getting new Macs at WWDC’s keynote on Monday. They're incoming!   Plus we’ll review all iOS 15’s rumored features, and there’s something going on with HomePod that Apple’s not telling us… there’s hope for us HomePod fans! 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 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 Expect to see updated MacBook Pros at WWDC Wedbush analyst Dan Ives expects new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros to be among Apple’s announcements for the usually software-focused WWDC. The company’s 2021 Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off with a keynote address next Monday. Why interactive widgets might be the best improvement in iOS 15 Widgets actually debuted in iPadOS 13, then made the jump to iOS in 2020. But Apple has yet to make them interactive. The current version gives fast access to useful information. A widget is convenient for seeing what’s coming up on your calendar, or checking the weather. But they can’t do anything. Apple has a pair of intriguing HomePod devices in the works A proposed HomePod speaker with a built-in screen, and another device combining HomePod, FaceTime camera, and Apple TV, remain in “early development” at Apple, a Bloomberg report Friday states. Mysterious ‘homeOS’ platform leaks in Apple job listing [Updated] There’s macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS and tvOS. How about homeOS, signaling a ramping up of Apple’s smart home ambitions? That is one take-home from a new Apple Music job posting spotted online. It references a hitherto-unannounced mobile operating system called “homeOS.” While Apple rolled out its HomeKit smart home platform in 2014, it has — to date — been a part of iOS/iPadOS, rather than its own fully fledged operating system. That could change soon.