All systems glow

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Apple’s taglines for its events and products are often clever but tangential. They rarely reference the elephant in the room directly.

For instance, last year’s tagline for WWDC25 was "Sleek peek" — which kinda, maybe, sorta hinted at the new Liquid Glass interface that served as the focus of the event.

But this year’s WWDC tagline — “All systems glow?”

Come on!!!

Could it be more obvious that the new smarter Siri, with its glowing UI, will be front and center at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference?

Spoilers, Apple! Spoilers!

At least the official WWDC26 playlist is a surprise. I’ve not heard of most of these artists! There’s some OK-looking new WWDC wallpaper, too, and an informative video that gives an overview of the weeklong conference. Get all the details here.

Also in today’s newsletter:

The new image of the folding iPhone making the rounds looks very sketchy to me — more like a dummy unit than a prototype. Nonetheless, more-believable details about the device’s guts leaked, too.
OMG. That international flight that got turned around over the weekend? It was because of an idiot teenager’s choice of Bluetooth device name.
Apple explicitly warns against using an AirTag as a pet tracker — but it’s just too convenient, and the new AirTag 2 is even better for this than the original.
🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: The great Apple accessory maker Ugreen just launched its summer sale with up to 45% off select chargers, docks and other gear. The sale features several “buy more, save more” discounts, too.
This incredibly inexpensive new Bluetooth speaker looks worth checking out. And the price can’t be beat.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

Apple reveals 'All systems glow' tagline, wallpaper and playlist for WWDC26

With WWDC26 a week away, "All systems glow" is the new tagline, undoubtedly in reference to the shiny new AI-powered Siri.

New folding iPhone rumors: Leaked image, color hints and a vapor cooling chamber

With months to go before the first folding iPhone arrives, speculation builds.

Airline passenger picks the worst possible name for Bluetooth accessory

Learn why choosing the wrong Bluetooth name when in public is a terrible, terrible idea.

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team}

Sick of cloud storage subscriptions? Grab a 2TB portable SSD at a steep discount.

The SanDisk Extreme is a pocket-size 2TB portable SSD that hits read speeds up to 1050 MB/s and write speeds up to 1000 MB/s.

Why AirTag 2 makes an even better pet tracker

Keep your pet safe with the AirTag 2 pet tracker. It's even better than the original at locating your cat or dog if they wander too far away.

First Apple smart glasses may not arrive until late 2027

You will need to wait another year for Apple's smart glasses.

^{A message from}^{the Cult of Mac Deals team}

Price cut: Get 3 years of piano lessons on your iPhone, iPad or Mac for just $55

Turn your device into a smart teacher with Flowkey’s interactive piano lessons, real-time feedback and song-first approach to learning.

Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones offer something AirPods Max don't

Apple headphones don't have this feature, and neither do Bose.

Tiny, low-cost portable speaker finds a place in any audio arsenal [Review]

Our hands-on Tozo PE1 Portable Wireless Sports Speaker review finds the little Bluetooth champ a worthy addition to your audio gear.

Ferrari Luce is the Apple car we never got [Cult of Mac podcast No. 22]

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The Ferrari Luce is the closest thing to an Apple car we'll ever see, thanks to Jony Ive's role.

Today in Apple history: Apple II gets its first disk drive

On June 1, 1978, Apple launched the Disk II floppy drive. The groundbreaking peripheral solved the Apple II's biggest problem.

Cult of Mac’s buyback program

We pay top dollar for used Apple gear

Sell your old iPhone, iPad, MacBook and more through Cult of Mac. Free shipping, fast payment!

^{A message from Kalshi}

The LA Mayor Market Ends June 2. The Odds Are Moving Now.

Karen Bass is at 68%. Spencer Pratt at 27%. Over $21 million is already trading on the Los Angeles Mayor race on Kalshi — and the prices are shifting every day as local news breaks. The window to get in before the consensus hardens is closing. The best prediction market trades happen before everyone agrees on the outcome. That moment is right now, before June 2. Peer-to-peer, no house, cash out anytime. Trade $10, get $10 free to start.

Trade Before June 2

_{Trade responsibly.}

Tweets of the day

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Wallpaper of the day

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One more thing ...

❝

Apple stores represent a strategy that said: We're not just going to sell products. We're going to help our customers using Windows — which is sort of an inferior product — move up to a Mac, and we're gonna show them how much better it is. And that worked.

— Steve Jobs, 2006.

Today’s poll

On the excitement meter, how excited are you for WWDC26?

Results from last Friday’s poll:

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