MacBook Pro - page 2

M3 Pro and Max MacBook Pros hit Apple’s refurbished store

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M3 MacBook Pro in space black
Buy refurbished and save big on your new M3 Pro/Max MacBook Pro.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s Certified Refurbished store in the US is now selling MacBook Pros with M3 Pro and M3 Max chips. Refurbished models are available in 14-inch and 16-inch displays.

Buying a refurbished unit can help you save up to $300 on the M3 Pro MacBook. On laptops with the M3 Max chip, the savings can be as high as $530.

Find the best laser printer for your Mac

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Best laser printer for Mac
For most cases, laser printers outshine inkjet printers. Here's how to find the best laser printer for Mac.
Photo: Cult of Mac

What is the best laser printer for Mac users? When choosing between laser or inkjet, we recommend laser. Laser printers used to be prohibitively expensive, but prices have come down, and you’ll have fewer headaches. Inkjet printers are better for photos but are a pain to own. Replacement ink costs a fortune, the heads clog, and they dry out if the printer isn’t in regular use.

Laser printers, on the other hand, can sit idle for weeks without problems. They cost more up front, but are often cheaper to own in the long-run.

In this guide, we’ll explore which brand of printer works best with Mac and top laser printers that are fully compatible with macOS, whether you need a printer for your personal use, a home office or a small business.

YouTuber loves his Elgato Stream Deck [Setups]

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Elgato Stream Deck setup
This setup produces many YouTube videos and occasional conference calls.
Photo: MentalOriental@Reddit.com

One of the interesting gadgets we see more and more of in computer setups is the Elgato Stream Deck and its various interations. Today’s MacBook Pro user relies on one to make YouTube videos, and the company’s key light helps with pro-level lighting, too.

MacBook Pro rig rocks Sonos sound system [Setups]

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Sonos One SL speakers in MacBook Pro setup
The Sonos sound system consist of Sonos One SL speakers on the desk and a Sonos Beam soundbar behind the user's seat (not shown).
Photo: MentalOriental@Reddit.com

Sonos audio products are popular for a reason — they sound great and they’re not too far from affordable. Today’s MacBook Pro and Studio Display user thinks the monitor’s built-in speakers are good for many uses, but when they really want the big sound — for gaming, it turns out — they’re all about their Sonos One SL speakers and Sonos Beam soundbar.

Score latest iPad Air in any configuration at $150 off

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iPad Air 5
If you didn't buy an iPad 5 when they came out, here's your chance to save big.
Photo: Apple

A great sale at Best Buy brings you one of Apple’s greatest tablets, the iPad Air (5th Generation) at $150 off — no matter which configuration you want. That includes the base 64GB model with Wi-Fi only, up through the 256GB model with Wi-Fi and cellular coverage, and in a choice of five colors. See the deals below.

Day or night, you can’t go wrong with stereo HomePods [Setups]

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Dual HomePod MacBook Pro setup
The daytime photograph shows the treasured HomePods clearly.
Photo: aleksiralda@Reddit.com

Paired for stereo sound, two full-size HomePod smart speakers — the original or second generation — are a thing of auditory beauty. And they don’t just sound great, they look good, too. Yet we don’t see paired HomePods much in computer setups (HomePod minis yes, the big ones, no).

Today’s MacBook Pro setup takes full advantage of Apple audio, however, and the user couldn’t be happier. Well, except with Siri, that is. Check out their setup’s cheerful day version (above) and moody night version (below).

User trades 4K display for a second MacBook Pro [Setups]

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Dual MacBook setup
This setup traded a vertical 32-inch display for an M2 Max MacBook Pro, among other changes.
Photo: MagneticMotion@Reddit.com

For the second time in as many weeks we’ve come across someone ditching a nice external display and keeping just one — and this time it’s to add a second powerful MacBook Pro used as both a computer and a secondary display. In fact, now it’s triple-display setup, but two of them are laptops on stands.

No regrets on move from monster PC to M3 MacBook Pro [Setups]

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M3 Max MacBook Pro setup
The M3 Max MacBook Pro in clamshell mode offers plenty of power in a small, mobile footprint.
Photo: juicemaistro@Reddit.com

If you have a powerful custom desktop PC, why would you switch to a MacBook Pro? We’ve seen plenty of setups that opt to include both, but today’s setup made the swap and its user feels zero regrets.

The Mac laptop is just that powerful, and the option for mobile use proved irresistible.

‘Small’ MacBook Pro rig punches well above its weight [Setups]

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MacBook Pro setup
Despite appearances, there's really a lot going on here.
Photo: dartiss@Reddit.com

Isn’t it great when someone on social media humbly displays a well put-together and complete computer setup that makes yours look like random debris? Well, at least it’s a good learning opportunity. And today’s MacBook Pro setup is an exceptional example, as it doesn’t look like “all that” — even though it is.

At a glance you might not guess that it packs about two dozen components, and the user is happy to explain how he uses most of them.

M3 Max MacBook Pros get hefty discounts

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Space black M3 MacBook Pro
Save big on Apple's most powerful MacBook Pros.
Photo: Apple

Since its launch in late October 2023, retailers have frequently discounted Apple’s M3 MacBooks. Continuing that trend, Amazon is offering hefty discounts of up to $250 on the M3 Max-powered MacBook Pros.

Thanks to the deal, you can get the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip and 1TB storage for as low as $2,999, saving $200 from its $3,199 MSRP.

Good monitor arms ‘go a long way’ [Setups]

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Mac Studio setup with three mounted displays
This user swears by the arms his 4 displays are mounted on.
Photo: TheJTizzle@Reddit.com

Sure, you can buy a computer monitor and set it up on the stand that came in the box. But what if you want to easily move the external display around? And what if you want to have multiple screens and move them around?

Keeping monitors up off the desk and mobile can really improve your setup. And the best way to do that is to mount your screens on arms. It takes some effort, but as today’s user points out below, it’s worth it.

Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs introduces original MacBook Pro

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The original MacBook Pro brought innovative features (and stirred up a bit of controversy).
The original MacBook Pro brought innovative features (and stirred up a bit of controversy).
Photo: Apple

January 10: Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs introduces the MacBook Pro January 10, 2006: Steve Jobs unveils the original 15-inch MacBook Pro, Apple’s thinnest, fastest and lightest laptop yet.

Building on the previous PowerBook G4 laptop, the new laptop adds dual-core Intel processors for the first time. The MacBook Pro immediately makes waves in the tech community. And did we mention its awesome MagSafe connector?

Can removing a 4K external display count as an upgrade? [Setups]

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MacBook Pro setup with LG UltraFine monitor on stand
Once again, a monitor riser (and other updates) elevates a computer setup.
Photo: jonyoungmusic@Reddit.com

Multiple-display computer setups are all the rage, but can a workstation benefit from losing one of its external monitors, even one with 4K resolution?

If today’s featured MacBook Pro rig is any indication, yes, it can — especially if the outfit sees a bunch of other cool upgrades at the same time, like a cool new monitor riser, an open stand for the MacBook Pro and a great new office chair.

Dual 5K displays and giant DIY desk distinguish this rig [Setups]

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MacBook Pro setup
Cleaned, reorganized and beautifully underlit, this MacBook Pro and Studio Display rig is ready for work in the new year.
Photo: dominicmannphoto@Reddit.com

People often compare LG’s UltraFine 5K display to Apple’s Studio Display because they’re directly comparable, with the same size and resolution. But rarely do you find the two in the same setup. That makes today’s dual MacBook Pro and dual 5K display setup something of a rarity.

That, along with the rarely seen Wacom drawing tablet and the truly massive DIY desk, fashioned from a kitchen countertop and mechanized legs.

This MacBook Pro workstation enjoyed a very merry Christmas [Setups]

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MacBook Pro setup with dual monitors
Sometimes the holiday season turns a half-empty desk into a powerful computer setup.
Photo: TemporaryAd_4202@Reddit

Ah, the magic of Christmas. Even a grownup can get deliriously excited about unwrapping a rich haul of computer gear that turns a Charlie Brown Christmas tree of a setup into a powerful workstation that would intimidate Ebeneezer Scrooge.

Today’s user had a decent MacBook Pro and iPad Pro to begin with, but ended up with a proper, highly functional setup. And commenters had further suggestions for additions, too. Hey, the more the merrier!

$2,000 off a loaded MacBook Pro? Don’t miss B&H’s year-end Mega Deal Zone.

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Space black M3 MacBook Pro
Want a great deal on a space-black M3 MacBook Pro? It's in there.
Photo: Apple

The holiday shopping season might cool off a bit right after Christmas, but not at B&H Photo. Its year-end Mega Deal Zone sale is running hot with a bunch of bargains on Apple products this week — especially MacBook Pro.

You can get $250 off a hot new M3 MacBook Pro or up to an amazing $2,000 off a massively loaded 16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro, to name two examples. See more below.

Multiple Macs drive phalanx of Dell displays [Setups]

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Mac Studio setup with 3 external displays
Windows on water everywhere in this triple-screened Mac Studio and MacBook Pro setup.
Photo: kribyl@Reddit.com

After a recent debate over whether dual external displays should be lined up straight across or angled for better ergonomics, a Mac Studio and dual-MacBook setup addresses the question in a different way. It uses three identical displays in landscape mode, placing the center one one straight and one on either side of it at an angle.

And the setup also offers connecitivity tips, running the two MacBooks into two of the displays via a CalDigit dock while the Mac Studio drives one directly.

If you have dual displays, try this neat wallpaper trick [Setups]

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Dual-Studio Display MacBook Pro setup
This flat side-by-side look brought up debate, plus the question of getting wallpaper to work that way across two screens.
Photo: Z4YN389@Reddit.com

Few people would dispute that the extra screen real estate of a second display can be a huge help in a computer setup. But let’s say you have two Studio Displays in landcape (horizontal) mode. Do you place them side by side perfectly straight or do you angle them in some way?

Today’s MacBook Pro workstation brought up the debate and surfaced a cool tip for getting wallpaper to appear half on one display and half on the other.

Studio Display stars in designer’s Lego-rich home office [Setups]

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Setups Jose Munoz desk with MacBook Pro and Studio Display
Munoz loves his Studio Display the most, but he also praises his 14-inch M1 MacBook Pro and other gear.
Photo: Jose Munoz

If Apple’s popular but pricey Studio Display is well-suited to anyone, it’s any type of designer because of the monitor’s formidable graphics chops.

In today’s loaded MacBook Pro setup, a designer sets apart his Studio Display for the highest praise among many items in a remarkably well-equipped workstation. And his Lego collection is epic, too.

How many displays would you add to this MacBook Pro workstation? [Setups]

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MacBook Pro setup with ultra-wide Samsung display
Would you add displays alongside or above this ultra-wide monitor, or replace it?
Photo: ryperl@Reddit.com

If you had a gigantic 49-inch curved ultra-wide display, would you dream of adding more external monitors to it? If so, would you stack them, or add one or two displays in portrait mode (vertical) on either side of the big screen?

A MacBook Pro user with a giant Samsung display is pondering those very questions.

Top 10 Best Buy holiday deals on Mac and iPad

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M3 MacBook Pro in space black
Yes, an M3 MacBook Pro in space black is on the list.
Photo: Apple

With gift-giving season at full-tilt, Best Buy offers its Apple Sales Event on a full range of fabulous products you can check out here. We’d thought we’d focus below on 10 great Mac and iPad deals you won’t want to miss. Click on the prices below to go straight to the products.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

Ugreen’s potent new power bank charges 3 gadgets on the go

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Ugreen 100W 20000mAh Power Bank
Ugreen's new power bank works with most devices and recharges itself in just a couple of hours.
Photo: Ugreen

The new Nexode 100W 20,000mAh Power Bank lets users fast-charge three devices at once on the go, the company said Tuesday.

And the portable charger’s 65W “rapid recharge” feature lets it fully power itself back up from an empty battery in just 2 hours.

Macintosh buying guide: Choose the best Mac and accessories

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Mac buying guide: Choose the best model and accessories
We'll help you pick the perfect Mac.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

When you buy a new Mac, you will spend a decent stack of cash. So, whether you’re shopping for yourself or someone else, ensuring you choose the best Mac is key. While every modern Mac can handle casual computing with ease, some are a much better fit for certain use cases.

In our Mac buying guide, we’ll look at all of the models offered by Apple today, as well as some of the best Mac accessories you can get to go with them.