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This premium portable monitor turns your laptop into a pro-level setup

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A work desk with Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Pro secondary monitor stacked on a laptop
Upgrade your travel rig with this premium second screen.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Working with multiple apps can make a laptop display feel cramped, but you can add a second screen with this deal on the Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Pro. The 16-inch portable display lets you add a snazzy second screen to your setup, wherever you decide to go.

And right now, this well-reviewed second display is on sale for just $279.99 (MSRP $389.99).

Your Mac has hidden tools — this $30 app makes them visible

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MacMagic running on a Mac device.
You save 70% when you get MacMagic: Lifetime Upgrades License now!
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

MacMagic is the Swiss Army knife of Mac utilities: It can perform scores of optimization tasks, from clearing gigabytes of storage to batch processing hundreds of files.

A MacMagic Lifetime Upgrades License is currently on sale for just $29.99 (A massive 70% 0ff MSRP $99.99).

Don’t underestimate it: MacBook Neo packs surprising performance

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MacBook Neo performance
The just-announced MacBook Neo should deliver more speed than many expected.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple’s decision to put an A-series chip in the new MacBook Neo raised more than a few eyebrows. And doubts about its performance.

But comparing the MacBook Neo’s A18 Pro — which debuted a year and a half ago in the iPhone 16 Pro — with previous Mac processors shows that the A-series chip is surprisingly powerful.

MacBook Neo isn’t the MacBook Air killer you might think

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MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air
Which should you get?
Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

The MacBook Neo is Apple’s newest low-end MacBook. Does that mean there’s no reason to buy a MacBook Air anymore? Would power users go straight for the MacBook Pro? I don’t think so. There are still plenty of reasons to buy Apple’s midrange MacBook Air vs. the MacBook Neo.

Apple did a good job differentiating the two computers — there’s no configuration of the Neo that overlaps with the Air. Picking between the two should be straightforward. If you want more than 512GB storage, 8GB of memory or support for multiple external displays, you should opt for the MacBook Air. If you don’t need that much power or high specs, the Neo will do just great for you.

Here are all the differences between the two laptops. 

iPhone or Mac feeling buggy? Grab these updates ASAP.

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iOS 26.3.1 and macOS Tahoe 26.3.1: Bug hunting
Apple updates iOS with bug fixes and support for new displays
AI image: Gemini/Cult of Mac

iOS 26.3.1 is ready to be installed on your iPhone starting Wednesday. Mac users got macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 at the same time. The new versions include bug fixes — which are always welcome. And iPad users can install iPadOS 26.3.1, too.

In addition, all three system software updates bring support for the Apple Studio Display monitors that just launched.

How to get stylish MacBook Neo wallpapers early for iPhone and Mac

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get MacBook Neo wallpapers early
Here's the indigo MacBook Neo wallpaper for Mac or iPhone.
Photo: Basic Apple Guy

Apple unveiled the affordable MacBook Neo Wednesday — and on the same day Basic Apple Guy made a nifty set of wallpapers available for download. So if you’re not ready to buy the laptop or even wait a week or so for the wallpapers, you can still enjoy the related wallpapers — colorful and highly attainable — on your Mac and iPhone.

Today in Apple history: CFO Peter Oppenheimer retires from Apple

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Peter
Peter Oppenheimer oversaw a decade of explosive growth at Apple.
Photo: C-SPAN

March 4: Today in Apple history: Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer retires March 4, 2014: Peter Oppenheimer, the Apple chief financial officer who presided over a decade of skyrocketing growth, steps down from the company.

After becoming Apple CFO in 2004, Oppenheimer saw the company’s valuation soar from $8.8 billion to $471 billion. Luca Maestri replaces Oppenheimer in this crucial position.

Best cases you can buy right now for iPhone 17e

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Beats iPhone 17e case
Beats often brings more style and especially color than Apple does.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s iPhone 17e is the most capable budget iPhone ever made. It packs the A19 chip, a 48MP camera, a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display and, notably, MagSafe, into a $599 package. With MagSafe now onboard for the first time in the ‘e’ line, you’ll want a case that takes full advantage of those magnets while protecting your investment. Here are the best MagSafe-compatible iPhone 17e cases you can buy right now (with more surely on the way). 

New Belkin 3-in-1 foldable charger gives your iPhone a full 25W [Review] ★★★★

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Belkin UltraCharge 3-in-1 Foldable Magnetic Charger review★★★★
This Belkin charger wirelessly juices up an iPhone at the full 25W, and powers two other Apple devices as well.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Belkin UltraCharge 3-in-1 Foldable Magnetic Charger quickly juices up your iPhone, plus it can power up your Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time. And with a folding design, it can stay on your desk or go on vacation.

I put the multidevice charger to the test in my home office. Here’s how it stood up in real-world use.

A18 Pro-powered MacBook Neo brings power at lowest price ever

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MacBook Neo in a variety of vibrant colors, arranged like a flower
The supremely affordable MacBook Neo comes in four colors: silver, blush, citrus and indigo.
Image: Apple

Apple introduced the MacBook Neo on Wednesday, unveiling the company’s most affordable laptop ever. It comes in four gorgeous, vibrant colors — silver, blush, indigo and citrus — and costs just $599 (or $499 with Apple’s education discount).

“We’re incredibly excited to introduce MacBook Neo, which delivers the magic of the Mac at a breakthrough price,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, in a press release. “MacBook Neo is a laptop only Apple could create. It features a durable aluminum design in four beautiful colors; Apple silicon-powered performance; all-day battery life. There is simply no other laptop like it.”

The MacBook Neo is available for preorder now and will be available on March 11.

Apple opens preorders for MacBook Neo, new MacBook Pro, iPhone 17e and more

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Student stowing the MacBook Air in a backpack in a school stairway
Time to place your preorder!
Photo: Apple

Apple’s just-announced MacBook Neo as well as the new M5 Pro/Max-equipped MacBook Pros, M4 iPad Air, M5 MacBook Air and iPhone 17e are now available for preorder. The new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR are also available to order starting Wednesday.

All devices will start shipping and hit retail stores starting March 11.

New price drop: Block ads and data trackers forever with this top-rated service

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AdGuard ad blocker for iOS, Mac, Android and WIndows. Get a lifetime of ad blocking and privacy protection from this top-rated plan.
Get a lifetime of ad blocking and privacy protection from AdGuard's top-rated family plan.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Hackers and malicious viruses are very much a concern when you’re on the web, but the biggest threats to your productivity and your privacy come from everyday internet hazards. AdGuard — an ad blocker for iOS, Mac, Android and Windows — helps protect your privacy by shielding you from the hidden bots that track your every online move and turn your data into currency for advertisers and bad actors both big and small.

When it comes to these threats, regular antivirus software won’t cut it. AdGuard, on the other hand, is specifically designed to deal with both annoying ads and the data crawlers hidden inside them. And it’s now cheaper than ever, thanks to a deep price cut. Get a lifetime subscription to AdGuard’s family plan for just $11.

What new M5 MacBooks will cost you — from entry-level to fully loaded

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The M5 Pro / Max MacBook Pro using Avid Pro Tools
The high-end M5 MacBook Pros is ideal for sound design and composition, in powerful apps like Avid Pro Tools.
Image: Apple

As of Tuesday, Apple has refreshed its entire MacBook lineup with M5 silicon. And while the new machines bring meaningful upgrades across the board, buyers should brace for higher prices than last year.

Whether you’re eyeing the new MacBook Air or the pro-grade MacBook Pro, here’s a breakdown of what to expect at every price point.

Today in Apple history: Homebrew Computer Club meets for first time

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Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak make important connections at the Homebrew Computer Club.
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak learned valuable lessons at Homebrew.
Photo: Apple

March 3: Today in Apple history: Homebrew Computer Club meets for first time March 3, 1975: The Homebrew Computer Club, a hobbyist group that will help spark the personal computing revolution, holds its first meeting in Menlo Park, California.

It becomes a welcome forum for computer geeks at a time when few others care about the nascent technology. Regular attendee Steve Wozniak and his friend Steve Jobs will eventually show off the first Apple-1 computer at the club.

Apple leaks ‘MacBook Neo’ name on its website [Updated]

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AI-generated concept art of budget Apple laptop, possibly called
Apple's upcoming entry-level laptop, possibly called the "MacBook Neo," reportedly will come in a variety of eye-catching colors.
AI image: Gemini/Cult of Mac

Update: Apple launched the MacBook Neo on Wednesday. Learn all about it:


It looks like Apple itself spoiled this week’s biggest product reveal: A new laptop called the “MacBook Neo” briefly appeared on the company’s website Tuesday.

Apple quickly deleted the info after it leaked. While not confirmed, the name seems like it would align with the rumored features of the entry-level laptop. Rumors indicate it will come in fun colors, with a price tag low enough to compete with Windows laptops.

Studio Display XDR arrives with mini-LED backlighting and 5K clarity

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Person working on a MacBook Pro plugged into two daisy-chained Studio Display XDRs
The new Studio Display XDR is ready for graphics-intensive workflows.
Photo: Apple

Apple on Tuesday introduced the Studio Display XDR with mini-LED backlighting as its new premium monitor for professionals. It replaces the Pro Display XDR in the lineup, though the new model is smaller and lower resolution.

Apple also introduced a second-generation Studio Display, its high-end monitor for prosumers. This includes a better camera, more speakers and other tweaks.

“Apple has led the industry in delivering the world’s most advanced displays for pros to do their life’s best work, and today we do that once again with the introduction of the new Studio Display family,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, said in a press release. “Studio Display gets even better with a new 12MP Center Stage camera and powerful Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. And the Studio Display XDR is a huge leap forward for XDR technology, with a mini-LED backlight, 2000 nits of peak HDR brightness, advanced color accuracy, and a 120Hz refresh rate, transforming workflows like filmmaking, design and print, and 3D animation. It’s by far the world’s best pro display.”

M5 Pro and M5 Max ‘super cores’ supercharge new Macs

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The M5 Pro and M5 Max chips
The new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.
Image: Apple

Using Apple’s all-new Fusion Architecture with “super cores,” the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips that Apple unveiled Tuesday in new MacBook Pro models will bring more than enough power to handle Apple Intelligence and plenty of other complex computing tasks, the company said.

“M5 Pro and M5 Max are a monumental leap forward for Apple silicon, leveraging our new Fusion Architecture to scale the capabilities of Apple silicon while preserving its core tenets of performance, power efficiency and unified memory architecture,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, in a press release.

“Both chips underscore our relentless pace of innovation, integrating the world’s fastest CPU cores, a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators, a faster Neural Engine and high-bandwidth, high-capacity memory — resulting in an unparalleled combination of performance, efficiency, and incredible on-device AI capabilities for MacBook Pro,” he added.

MacBook Pros with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips deliver major performance leap

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Running an LLM and 3D modeling software simultaneously on an M5 Pro / Max MacBook Pro
Run local LLMs and powerful 3D modeling software simultaneously on the MacBook Pro.
Image: Apple

Apple’s long-rumored M5 Pro- and M5 Max-powered MacBook Pros are finally official. The new laptops look visually the same, but pack updated internals that promise a massive leap in performance.

“MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max redefines what’s possible on a pro laptop, now up to 4x faster than the previous generation,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, in a press release Tuesday.

New platform makes it easy to craft perfect AI prompts

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Photo of AI prompt generator VibeFarm opened on a laptop.
Quit wasting your time trying to create (or remember) the perfect AI prompt.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

AI prompt generator VibeFarm gives you a new way to write, revise and reuse AI prompts so you achieve the best results in the shortest time. Just use this simple but sophisticated tool to create the perfect prompt, then feed it to your AI of choice. 

After you achieve your goal, you can use VibeFarm to easily tweak your prompt and reproduce similarly stellar results time and time again. And right now, a lifetime subscription to VibeFarm costs just $99.99 (regularly $539).

M5 MacBook Air ramps up speed, storage and connectivity

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M5 MacBook Air
Apple's most popular laptop just got even better.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s best-selling laptop got even better with Tuesday’s launch of the M5-powered MacBook Air. It features no major design changes, but it sports a faster processor than before, adds storage capacity and shifts to Apple’s N1 chip for improved connectivity.

“The new MacBook Air with M5 brings incredible performance and even more capability to the world’s most popular laptop,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. “With M5, MacBook Air powers through a wide range of tasks, from everyday productivity to creative workloads, and is even faster for AI.

“Now featuring double the starting storage, as well as Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, in a sleek and durable design with long battery life, MacBook Air is the perfect laptop for anyone who values the unrivaled combination of performance and portability,” he added.

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 17e comparison: Here’s the smarter pick

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iPhone 17e vs. iPhone 17
Is the iPhone 17e a better buy than the iPhone 17?
Image: ChatGPT/Apple

Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup has a new, more affordable addition: the iPhone 17e. It might look different from the rest of the family, but under the hood, it shares many of the same core components.

If you are trying to decide between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e, here’s the smarter option.

New price drop: Get Microsoft Office 2024 for Mac or PC for less than $90

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Woman using her laptop with one of Microsoft Office 2024 apps installed.
Save on essential Microsoft software for Mac or PC.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Not a fan of monthly fees for software like Microsoft 365? This deal lands you a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 for Mac or PC.

It comes with all the Microsoft programs you know and love. And it’s on sale for a limited time. So instead of paying $249.99, you can get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 for $89.97.

These open-ear earbuds can translate more than 50 languages in real time

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Photo of two hands holding up Mymanu Orb open-ear translating earbuds
With these translating earbuds, you can hear — and understand — the world around you.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Mymanu Orb open-ear translating earbuds deliver real-time, AI-powered translation in more than 50 languages. They work for translating face-to-face conversations (movies and music, too), transcribing things like meetings and classes, and interpreting conversations going on around you.

And right now, you can grab a pair for just $139.99 — a $40 discount off the regular price.