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David Snow

These amazing Amazon Prime sales on Apple gear refuse to die [Updated]

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Apple deals Prime Big Deal Days 2025
Like Prime Day, Prime Big Deal Days offers plenty of Apple gear on sale.
Photo: chatGPT/Cult of Mac

Shockingly, many of the amazing discounts on Apple gear that we saw during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days remain available for anyone who blinked and missed them. Some disappeared, but some actually got better!

We double-checked the deals early Thursday. Below, you can see all the best Prime Big Deal Days sales still going on Apple gear, from AirPods to iPads to MacBooks to the Studio Display. And that includes Apple audio subsidiary Beats, too.

Be aware that Amazon’s pricing often changes, and we have no idea how long any of these amazing Apple deals will last.

PC user gets deal on MacBook Air — then gleefully upgrades whole workstation [Setups]

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convert to Mac
The newly minted "Apple fanboy" jokingly referred to the Apple ecosystem as a huge trap.
Photo: [email protected]

Ready to convert to Mac? I came across one user who scored a nice student deal on a MacBook Air, and soon found themself upgrading their whole outdated PC setup as a complete, highly functional and reasonably affordable Apple-ecosystem rig. 

“I’m so so cooked … the Apple ecosystem is a huge trap!” they joked. “Don’t let one device get into your house.” 

8 best Sony headphones for iPhone users

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Best Sony headphones for iPhone
Choose the best Sony headphones to use with iPhone.
AI image: Grok

Finding the perfect Sony headphones for iPhone might seem challenging when Apple pushes its own audio ecosystem so heavily. This comprehensive guide examines each model’s features, pros, cons and pricing to help you find the perfect match for your specific needs and budget. Let’s dive into what makes these Sony headphones exceptional companions for your iPhone.

Price drop: Limited-time deal slashes entry-level iPad to lowest price ever

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iPad deal
Get the latest, greatest budget iPad at a discount.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Need a tablet for the new school year? You can take advantage of a sweet deal on the new iPad 11 that takes $70 off the tablet’s usual price of $349. That drops the entry-level tablet with an A16 processor back to just $279, in any color you’d like. 

The budget iPad, which launched in March, offers solid performance for tasks like surfing the web, streaming videos and handling email. Plus, it comes with a welcome boost over the iPad 10’s base level of storage.

It’s a great iPad for everyday users. Don’t hit snooze on this deal, though — this limited-time iPad deal could end at any time.

Make your setup shine with these great deals on Logitech gear

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Amazon Prime Big Deal Days Logitech
Now a Logitech product, the Blue Yeti USB microphone stands tall among streamers' favorites.
Photo: Logitech

Many a Mac computer setup relies on Logitech peripherals and accessories — some of the best gear in the business. Whether you need a reliable keyboard, a blazing fast gaming mouse, a shortcuts console, a powerful webcam or a great USB microphone, our guide to five great Logitech sale items from Amazon Prime Big Deal Days can help. 

Grab these top MacBook dock and charger deals from Anker

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Prime Day Anker
The Anker Prime Docking Station is a formidable tool for your laptop charging and connectivity needs.
Photo: Anker

Anker’s a top accessories maker for Apple users — maybe most of all for charging needs related to MacBooks and other devices. As usual, Anker Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days sale items could fill a dense catalogue. So we thought we’d put together some top picks for MacBook users. Namely, a choice multiport charger with solid wattage, a great portable power bank with retractable cables and a highly functional docking station with fast transfer speeds and ample connectivity. Check them out below.

Grab a Beats Pill speaker for less than $50 — the lowest price we’ve ever seen!

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Beats Pill deal
You can nab the lightweight-yet-powerful Beats Pro for $50 off in time for summer outings.
Photo: Apple

This hot Beats Pill deal lands you one of Apple’s great-sounding portable Bluetooth speakers for just $49.99. That’s a whopping 67% discount off the $149.95 list price — just be aware that not all colors are available at that astonishingly low price.

It’s part of Amazon’s Big Deal Days, and it might not last long. And don’t worry if those big product showcase boxes on our page don’t show the sub-$50 price — things are changing so fast that sometimes tech can’t keep up!

Don’t miss killer Prime Big Deal Days prices on MacBooks

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prime day macbook
MacBook Pro deals abound on Amazon Prime Day.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

As with Amazon Prime Day in July, Amazon Prime Big Deal Days (Tuesday and Wednesday) bring excellent deals on Apple’s popular laptops, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. In fact, you can nab the very same M4 Pro MacBook Pro I have for $250 less than I paid — my exact model with 24GB RAM at $1,799. And you can get the base M4 MacBook Pro for an incredibly low starting price of $1,399. Plus some Prime Day MacBook Pro deals net you hundreds off higher-end models.

As for MacBook Air, the entry-level model now sells for a low $799. And you can add some bells and whistles for a bit more. Scroll down to see Prime Day MacBook Air deals.

Price drop: Save $120 on AirPods Max while you can

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Photo of Apple AirPods Max headphones, with the words,
Getting $120 off top-shelf cans from Apple is a good deal.
Image: Floating Pixels/Cult of Mac

In a rare AirPods Max deal, both Amazon and Best Buy offer a $120 discount on multiple colors of Apple’s premium over-ear, noise-canceling headphones with USB-C charging.

This is one of the lowest prices we’ve seen — you can’t knock picking up a pair of AirPods Max for just $429.99. Especially considering we don’t see discounts on them all that often.

Apple removes ICE tracking apps from App Store following DOJ pressure

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Apple removes ICE tracking apps
ICE tracking apps can help alert people about where immigration raids are taking place.
Photo: Photo by Maciej Prus, Pexels

Apple removed ICEBlock and several similar immigration enforcement tracking apps from its App Store following pressure from the Department of Justice, according to reports late Thursday. The decision came after Attorney General Pam Bondi directly contacted Apple demanding the removal of ICEBlock. 

It’s a crowdsourced app that allows users to anonymously report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents within a five-mile radius. The app had been downloaded over 1 million times since launching in April 2025.

The Lost Bus ignites ‘wildfire thriller’ movie genre [Now streaming!]

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The Lost Bus movie
Just watching Matthew McConaughey anguish over what to do with his empty school bus as tragedy looms made me squirm.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ viewers have a new pulse-pounding watch to take in Friday — The Lost Bus movie. It tells the story of the Camp Fire laying waste to Paradise, California, as a lone school bus driver played by Matthew McConaughey tries to save nearly two dozen children from the inferno. Action maven Paul Greengrass directs. He’s best known for Bloody Sunday, two Jason Bourne movies and Captain Phillips

The film scores an 86% Fresh critical rating and a 92% Fresh viewer rating on reviews site RottenTomatoes.com. “McConaughey, as a nervy reluctant hero, steers the searing, intense narrative about normal people living through the most hellish of circumstances,” wrote USA Today. “The Lost Bus traps us in that disorientating push and pull — it’s a little too real to entertain, and a little too entertaining to feel real,” noted The Independent. Generally, even those who criticized the film’sHollywood-ness praised its intense realism and almost unbearable, horror-movie-style tension.

Get deep discounts on 6 of our top 10 power banks for Apple users

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Anker MagGo Power Bank 10K
This one features a useful display.
Photo: Anker

Choosing the right power bank can transform how you use your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch throughout the day. We recently gathered the top 10 power banks for Apple users — and six of them are currently on sale at Amazon. These power bank deals include our No. 1 pick, Ugreen’s MagFlow Qi2.2 power bank. It features speedy 25W charging for iPhone, plus charging for other devices. See the deals below.

AirPods Pro 3 teardown puts foam-infused ear tips under the microscope

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iFixit AirPods Pro 3 teardown
iFixit found plenty of reasons why even pro technicians wouldn't want to mess with these.
Photo: iFixit

iFixit released its teardown of Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3 Wednesday, providing a close-up look at new features including the foam-infused ear tips Apple includes for greater sound isolation, as well the new battery scheme and repositioned rare-earth magnets. 

But the group’s major finding should be unsurprising to anyone familiar with the company’s wireless earbuds. The latest generation earns the same dismal 0 out of 10 repairability score that has plagued the product line since its inception nine years ago.

Mr. Scorsese plumbs director’s ‘struggle’ over good and evil [Apple TV+ trailer]

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Mr. Scorsese documentary series
The new documentary series debuts October 17.
Photo: Apple TV+

Director Martin Scorsese gets deeply philosophical about the “struggle” to understand and convey human nature in the new trailer Apple TV+ dropped Wednesday for Mr. Scorsese, an upcoming five-part docuseries about the legendary filmmaker. Who are we? Are we inherently good or evil? Where are we going? But amid all that doubt, he knew he could tell stories with pictures — and that he had to “go his own way” in Hollywood.

The new documentary series debuts on Apple TV+ October 17. Watch the new trailer below and the previous teaser trailer further down the page.

FCC leaks reveal Apple’s next Vision Pro headset and upcoming Macs and iPads

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FCC leaks of Apple products
FCC's wireless certification test result documents show a familiar-looking diagram.
Photo: FCC

The Federal Communications Commission accidentally exposed Apple’s plans for several unreleased products, including an updated Vision Pro headset, new MacBook Pro models and refreshed iPad Pro tablets, on Tuesday. The FCC leaks of Apple products mark the latest in a series of premature disclosures from the regulatory agency that have frustrated Apple’s typically secretive product launch strategy.

Audio experts blind-test 6 premium headphones — you won’t believe which pair wins

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Cheapest pair wins in blind test of 6 premium headphones
When the blindfold goes on, brand perception slips considerably.
Photo: ChatGPT

When stripped of branding, features and design, how do premium headphones actually sound? Wired put this question to the test by having audio pros blind-test six popular over-ear headphones.

The results not only shocked the panelists, they validated one of my favorite pairs of “budget” headphones. They won the test, coming out above top contenders from the likes of Sony, Bose and, yes, Apple. 

Compact new Powerbeats Fit earbuds add comfort and durability

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Beats Powerbeats Fit earbuds
Powerbeats Fit showing in orange.
Photo: Beats

Beats launched Powerbeats Fit earbuds on Tuesday, bringing a new design to the company’s sports-oriented audio devices. The new earbuds are the successors to the popular Beats Fit Pro earbuds.

The redesigned model brings enhanced comfort, improved durability and a more compact design while maintaining its predecessor’s $199.99 price point, Beats said. 

“Reintroducing Beats Fit Pro as Powerbeats Fit — alongside Powerbeats Pro 2 — unifies our lineup under a name synonymous with athletic performance and gives customers a clearer choice between two distinct, fitness-first form factors,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Music, Sports and Beats. “Powerbeats Fit combines the best of Beats Fit Pro with next-level comfort, durability, and portability — making it a worthy addition to the Powerbeats family.”

New Logitech MX Master 4 mouse brings haptic feedback and Actions Ring

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Logitech MX Master 4 wireless mouse
Haptic feedback is a new feature.
Photo: Logitech

The new Logitech MX Master 4 wireless mouse upgrades what many consider to be the best productivity mouse on the market, the popular Logitech MX Master 3/3S. At $119.99, the latest iteration introduces haptic feedback and an innovative Actions Ring overlay designed to streamline workflows for creative professionals, developers and power users across the Mac ecosystem.

Apple Foundation Models framework brings on-device AI to third-party apps

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Apple Foundation Models framework
Apple’s Foundation Models framework lets developers of apps like SmartGym, Stoic and VLLO create new intelligence features. They can do it by tapping into the on-device large language model at the core of Apple Intelligence.
Photo: Apple

Apple released its Foundation Models framework to developers with iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26. It enables third-party apps to tap into the same on-device large language model that powers Apple Intelligence, the iPhone giant said Monday. 

“We’re excited to see developers around the world already bringing privacy-protected intelligence features into their apps,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “The in-app experiences they’re creating are expansive and creative, showing just how much opportunity the Foundation Models framework opens up.”

FCC leaks confidential iPhone 16e schematics

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FCC leaks iPhone 16e schematics
Thanks to the leaked schematics, competitors can find out a lot about iPhone 16e, right, without reverse engineering.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

The Federal Communications Commission appeared to inadvertently expose detailed electrical schematics for Apple’s iPhone 16e, despite the company’s explicit request to keep the documents confidential. The leak, discovered Monday, looks like a breach of the regulatory agency’s confidentiality protocols and could potentially benefit Apple’s competitors.

Mind behind Slow Horses brings thriller Down Cemetery Road [Apple TV+ trailer]

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Down Cemetery Road season 1
Watch the new trailer below.
Photo: Apple TV+

With Slow Horses season 5 now streaming, Apple TV+ cues up another crime thriller, Down Cemetery Road, in collaboration with novelist Mick Herron —  and now you can watch its first trailer, below. Set to stream October 29, the new series stars Academy Award winner Emma Thompson and Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson. It’s based on Herron’s “Zöe Boehm” book series.

Bad Bunny will headline Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show

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Bad Bunny will headline Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show
Bad Bunny, Apple Music's 2022 Artist of the Year, will perform at Super Bowl LX.
Photo: Apple Music

Three-time Grammy Award winner Bad Bunny will headline the 2026 Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. The game will air on NBC, bringing the Puerto Rican superstar to one of the world’s biggest entertainment stages.

“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bad Bunny said in a press released issued by the NFL  on Sunday. “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown. This is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”

The game will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on February 8, 2026.

Top 10 power banks for Apple users in 2025

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Ugreen MagFlow Qi2.2 power bank
With fast Qi2.2 (25W) wireless charging, faster wired charging and an informative display, this is our top choice.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

Ever been stranded with a dead iPhone in a crucial moment? Finding the best power banks for Apple devices can be the difference between staying connected and watching your screen go black. Thankfully, the market is loaded with great portable power banks that can keep your iPhone and other Apple devices powered up on the go. We rounded up the top 10 power banks for Apple users, including two of the fastest Qi2.2 models available so far. 

iPhone 17 Pro will help shoot Friday’s Red Sox vs. Tigers game

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iPhone 17 Pro camera rig for baseball
Four iPhone 17 Pro handsets will capture all sorts of action.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple’s latest smartphone will step into the major leagues Friday night when the iPhone 17 Pro helps capture live footage during a professional sports broadcast for the first time. The Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park, streaming on Apple TV+ as part of Friday Night Baseball, will feature live game footage shot on four iPhone 17 Pro devices, according to MLB.com

And by the way, the game — part of the two teams’ final series of the regular season — has big playoff implications. Apple TV+ subscribers can watch it at no extra cost. 

EU rejects Apple’s push to scrap Digital Markets Act [Updated]

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Apple compliance with DMA
The EU's Digital Markets Act causes plenty of headaches for Apple.
Photo: European Commission

The European Union pushed back Thursday after Apple said the Digital Markets Act — antitrust legislation aimed at broadening competition among tech companies — is backfiring on consumers and forcing Apple to delay key features for European users.

In a detailed statement submitted during the EU’s review process, Apple claimed the DMA is achieving the opposite of its stated goals. Apple’s statement, issued Wednesday, was the company’s strongest criticism of the law to date, and EU leaders did not care for it. But European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said the lawmakers were “not surprised” by Apple’s stance.

“Apple has simply contested every little bit of the DMA since its entry into application,” said Regnier in a Politico article, adding that Apple has snubbed EU efforts to have positive talks on the matter. “This undermines the company’s narrative of wanting to be fully cooperative with the Commission.”

In addition to the European Commission, some users took issue with Apple’s statement slamming the DMA.