Tim Cook is teasing us

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Is it a new HomePod with an interactive screen?

Or maybe the rumored redesigned AirTag 2? Or perhaps the new iPhone SE, which is supposedly launching next week?

In a highly unusual move, Tim Cook this morning put out a cryptic X post about an Apple product launch next week. It promised to introduce a “new member of the family.”

Cook’s post included a picture of a round white something with an animated Apple logo — looking very much like an AirTag.

But Apple is rumored to be launching an updated version of the tracking tag sometime later this year, not next week, so maybe it’s something else?

Teasing an upcoming product is a very unusual move for the Apple CEO — I can’t remember anything like it.

It is, however, a social media best practice.

Apple usually has no need to drum up excitement about new product launches or events. After all, even the mainstream media reports Apple rumors these days — a big change from just a few years ago.

Whatever it is, the phrase “a new member” could refer to any number of products Apple is rumored to be working on — and may even be an entirely new category.

Also in today’s newsletter:

• This tiny, cleverly designed SSD just launched on Kickstarter, and it’s a mind-boggler that it can record 2TB of high-res video.

• If you use Android (don’t worry, no judgment), you can now watch Apple TV+ on a new native app.

• This is interesting: Apple won’t use its homegrown AI in China (lest anyone queries it about “Tank Man”). Instead, Apple is partnering with Alibaba, China’s answer to Amazon.

• VPNs are commodities these days, but they are also essential: You should never leave home without one. Here’s a good deal on Surfshark VPN, which comes from a reputable company, works on unlimited devices, and is pretty dirt-cheap.

• Don’t miss our hands-on review of Nuvyyo's Tablo TV, a cord-cutting device that picks up and records local TV broadcasts.

• Cult of Mac’s resident headphones expert, David Snow, says Sennheiser’s high-end headphones sound great, especially when they’re on sale.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

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

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

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