Launched in June, Apple’s annual Back to School promotion is still in full swing — but time is running out. The Apple Back to School promotion ends soon, as in Monday (September 30), so eligible students and faculty members have only a few days left to receive up to a $150 gift card on select Mac and iPad purchases. Apple also offers a 20% discount on AppleCare+, its premium support and repair service.
Looking for a powerful, affordable second computer? This grade-A refurbished 2019 MacBook Pro might be the one for you, and it’s available for only $449.99. Whether you need it for work, personal use or entertainment, it delivers much of the performance and style of Apple’s premium laptops — at a fraction of the price.
Need a great new laptop, but don’t want to wait for Apple’s models with M4 chips to come out? (Or maybe you just don’t want to spend that much.) Well, you can’t do much better than a few hundred bucks off M3 MacBook Pro models. Amazon offers some smoking-hot prices on 14- and 16-inch versions with various specifications. Take a look at some bargains below.
If you’re serious about high-quality audio, you should crank up the quality level of audio components in your computer setup just like you do in your living room. Today’s MacBook Pro user maxes out sound using Audioengine speakers mounted on stands along with a powerful Audioengine subwoofer on the floor under the desk. So they can get clear and detailed audio at low volume, but they can also shake the whole room with powerful sound when they want.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Griffin takes the wraps off his new iPhone 16 Pro in desert titanium — and he doesn’t like what he sees. The new “color” revealed in his iPhone 16 Pro unboxing fails to knock our socks off.
Still, there’s plenty to talk about, though, including the new Camera Control and how third-party case manufacturers are coping with it.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
This refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Pro from 2018 boasts a Touch Bar, and the laptop’s on sale for just $399.99. Whether you love or hate the Touch Bar, there’s no denying its potential to speed up your workflow with quick access to tools, shortcuts and app-specific controls.
Plus, it’s cool and fun … and discontinued!
If you keep dual displays in your setup but you stack them rather than placing them side by side, where does the webcam go? That question came up with today’s MacBook Pro setup. And the user had a surprising answer that he claims works well.
What’s better than a HomePod? Well, two HomePods, obviously — especially if they’re paired for true stereo sound. Today’s MacBook Pro and Xbox setup, under-lit for a dark and moody vibe, includes AirPods Pro 2 but gets its robust in-room audio from a set of paired HomePod minis placed on HomePod mini stands near the back corners of the desk.
Apple’s switch from LCD to OLED in its MacBook line isn’t moving quickly. A pair of respected industry analysts agree that it won’t happen before 2026.
The change should improve the performance of the display, but might also drive up the price of macOS notebooks.
Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event wrapped up Monday with several upcoming products not even having been mentioned, much less launched. Some of these were not expected to debut, like new Macs and iPads, but others were supposed to be on the agenda, like a new Apple Watch SE.
Here’s what to look forward to at an October Apple event, plus the products that’ll likely come even later.
When a MacBook Pro perched his Studio Display on a generic stand and then asked for recommendations for alternative risers for Studio Display, some Apple users reacted a bit brusquely. That’s simply not done, they seemed to say, presumably because Apple provides adjustability options as part of the purchase process. But plenty of commenters responded to the question with practical advice, below.
You might not be thinking much past a barbecue on Monday. But you should be thinking about nabbing incredible Labor Day deals on M3 MacBook Pro. Both Amazon and Best Buy are pulling out the stops for Labor Day. Savings run up to $500 — or even $1,000 (but that’s only for Best Buy members … so you might want to sign up).
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On Wednesday we drooled shamelessly over an M2 Ultra Mac Pro driving a Pro Display XDR and two Studio Displays, a rig that prices out somewhere around $20,000. So on Friday it’s back to financial reality for us, none too soon. And in today’s MacBook Pro setup from a college student, part of that thrifty reality means deploying a ridiculously affordable SupTek Monitor Mount for the external display. The user recommends it. Why? It just works.
We’ve seen a trend for some time of people using massive smart TVs as external computer displays because they want something even bigger than most purpose-built monitors. But regular monitors are catching up. We’ve seen a few 49-inch curved gaming displays out there, of course, and today’s MacBook Pro setup uses a giant 43-inch Dell flat panel with 4K resolution.
Apple is reportedly testing multiple M4-powered Macs for launch later this year. More importantly, a new report says all the Macs ship with 16GB or 32GB of system memory.
This signals that Apple might finally bid farewell to the paltry 8GB RAM for Mac base models.
Not everyone keeps an iPad in their computer setup, especially when it’s not their main computer. But today’s M2 Pro MacBook Pro user does. And as commenters on his post noted, he may have found the perfect placement for his iPad Pro stand. He seems to get his laptop and tablet mounts working in perfect unison, within view and also within easy reach.
In the battle of 5K resolution displays, it’s Studio Display against a small-but-growing army of foes (at least for Mac fans). Today’s M1 MacBook Pro user looks to replace a 1440K gaming display with either a Samsung ViewFinity S9 curved 5K monitor or with Apple’s well-liked but somewhat-pricey Studio Display. The advice she got leaned heavily toward Apple.
Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup belongs to a coder in Panama who uses two excellent stands to lift almost all of his gear off his desk. One’s a microphone arm doubling as a headphone stand. The other, more-substantial rig is a Vivo Dual Monitor Desk Mount that holds aloft two external displays and a MacBook Pro on a tray. That really tidies up the desk.
In today’s enviable computer setup, a software engineer drives a Studio Display with an M2 Pro MacBook Pro. But among other impressive peripherals connected in the rig we found a great version of one of Cult of Mac‘s Best Audio Interfaces for Mac. An interface serves as a bridge between your Mac and external audio sources like microphones and musical instruments to make the most of recording and mixing.
Some great deals on Apple gear only last for a day, like Woot’s nice discounts on 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2021) and Beats Solo3 headphones. Others may last longer, but for an unknown amount of time, like the price war we’ve been tracking between Amazon and Best Buy. Loads of M3 MacBook Pro models are on sale. See some sample below.
What would the computer setup that has everything — in fact, two of many things — be missing? Well, in the case of today’s dual MacBook Pro workstation, it’s not excellent audio gear. Not only does it double up on high-end laptops, Studio Displays, Trackpads and more. It also mounts powerful Yamaha HS7 speakers and an AKG condenser microphone to help provide a fabulous soundtrack.
We’ve seen quite a few instances of stacked external displays in setups, but today’s M2 MacBook Pro rig might be the first time we’ve seen Studio Displays mounted that way. With all the questions commenters asked about the workstation, the user ended up laying out quite a few points about why it works great.
If you’re going to sound your best on podcasts, online videos or conference calls, it helps to invest in a USB microphone. Today’s MacBook Pro setup takes advantage of a USB mic from the excellent brand Shure. And the user throws in a nice pair of Audioengine speakers for loud-and-clear playback, too.
Looking for a sleek and reliable Apple laptop that won’t break the bank? You’re in luck, because we have a deal on a grade-A refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar from 2016. Yes, it’s on Apple’s vintage list, but it’s only $399.99.
Apparently now’s the time to upgrade to a powerful 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro or M3 Max chip. Major retailers Amazon and Best Buy currently offer the same big-time deals on the killer laptops — $500 off. And it doesn’t matter what set of memory and storage specifications you go for, each machine is five Benjamins cheaper than normal.