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.
Apple has finally added dual external display support to the M3 MacBook Pro, nine months after its release. The latest macOS Sonoma 14.6 update enables this feature.
After the update, M3 MacBook Pro users can run two external displays simultaneously, albeit with the lid closed.
Amazon bargain site Woot! currently runs a sale with deals on iPad and MacBooks, including brand new, new (open box) and refurbished models, through August 6. Discounts range up to 31% off. So let it be Christmas in mid-summer with some new (to you) Apple gear.
“Jobs nods his head in approval from the Clouds,” Woot! says at the top of the sale page.
The main complaint about Apple’s 5K Studio Display is price — at about $1,600, it’s financially out of reach for many people. And 5K monitor competitors like LG only bring the cost down a few hundred bucks. So how about saving some dough by making your own DIY Studio Display? The owner of today’s M3 Pro MacBook Pro setup did just that, crafting dual 27-inch 5K monitors for several hundred dollars less than buying production models.
Amazon Prime Day officially ran July 16 and 17, but it’s not over yet, as Amazon extended many big bargains on Apple products. Tons of goods from Apple and others are discounted. See our selection of the best deals on AirPods (and Apple subsidiary Beats), AirTags, Apple Watch, iPads, MacBooks, Mac mini and more below. Return to this page for updates (and beware that deals can change suddenly with supply fluctuations, so you may click through to find updated pricing or sold-out items in some cases).
UPDATE: Amazon extended a host of Prime Day deals on Apple products into Thursday and Friday and even into Saturday, so you can still shop many of the items below! Items with full strikethroughs represent deals no longer available.
Apple doesn’t have a very long list of unpopular products or features, but whatever list of shame it may keep probably includes MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar. But not everyone hates the feature. The Python developer who runs today’s MacBook Pro setup actually loves it.