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Budget MacBook: How cheap is cheap?

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Budget MacBook price rumors
The success or failure of the budget MacBook hangs heavily on its price.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

UPDATED: As expected, Apple launched the MacBook Neo on Wednesday. Learn all about it:


There’s huge anticipation for the budget MacBook that’s rumored to launch soon. But a critical question about the laptop has yet to be answered: Just how much will it cost? We already know it’ll be the most affordable macOS notebook ever, and there’s plenty of speculation about the exact cost.

There’s definitely a level that the price cannot go above if Apple wants the low-cost MacBook to succeed. Trouble is, the ongoing AI boom might force Apple to increase the cost of the device above its original plan. That raises questions about how successful the budget laptop will be.

iPhone is secure enough for classified NATO secrets right out of the box

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iPhone security is tight enough for NATO classified documents.
iPhone security is tight enough for NATO classified documents.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone and iPad are the first consumer devices to meet the information assurance standards set by NATO member nations. As a result, the devices can be used to handle classified information up to the NATO Restricted level without the need for specialized software or additional configuration, the company said Thursday.

“Apple has built the most secure devices in the world for all its users, and those same protections are now uniquely certified under assurance requirements for NATO nations — unlike any other device in the industry,” said Ivan Krstić, Apple’s vice president of security engineering and architecture, in a press release.

Apple TV’s For All Mankind spinoff Star City gives off serious Soviet vibes

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Star City season 1
Rhys Ifans stars in Star City, from the creators of For All Mankind. It premieres May 29, 2026 on Apple TV.
Photo: Apple

Star City is an ambitious new Apple TV drama set in the Soviet space program. It expands the alternate-history universe established by the streamer’s acclaimed series For All Mankind. And the new show got the “first-look” treatment Thursday, when Apple sent out a new photo to get fans excited about the premiere of Star City season one.

 The eight-episode series debuts May 29 with two episodes, followed by one new episode each Friday through July 10.

Tim Cook promises ‘big week’ of product launches — what to expect

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Colorful budget MacBook concepts: Apple might launch it in March
The colorful budget MacBook could be the star of Apple's March product announcements.
AI image: Gemini/Cult of Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed Thursday what had previously been rumored: The company will launch new products starting Monday, March 2.

The graphic he posted on X hints at the new MacBooks that are expected to be among the announcements. Beyond notebooks, the iPhone 17e, revamped iPads and possibly more could all be unveiled in just a few days.

Ever heard of a concrete keyboard for Mac? Well, now you have.

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Keychron K2 HE concrete or resin keyboards
This Hall Effect keyboard's body, or housing, is solid concrete.
Photo: Keychron

Never shy about making keyboards that look as good as they perform, Keychron just pushed that idea into genuinely unexpected territory. Launched Tuesday, the K2 HE Special Edition comes in two versions — one with a body made entirely of concrete, and one cast in resin. Both cost $199.99.

“Mechanical keyboards have advanced significantly in switch engineering, but enclosure materials have remained largely unchanged,” said Keychron co-founder Paul Tan. “With K2 HE Special Edition, we applied magnetic switch performance to a material-driven redesign, expanding how a keyboard can look and feel.”

1Password price increase makes Apple Passwords look better

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Photo of an iPhone with the 1Password and Apple Passwords apps showing in Spotlight on iPhone 15 Pro Max
Time to jump ship?
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

1Password, a popular third-party password manager service among Apple users, will soon cost significantly more. The company plans to raise prices for both individual and family accounts by as much as 33%.

After the increase, 1Password’s individual subscription will cost $47.88 yearly, while the Family plan will rise to $71.88 annually. 

New macOS interface will be key to touchscreen Macs’ success

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macOS 27 needs a touchscreen-enabled redesign
Rumors suggest a touchscreen-enabled macOS 27 might look something like this concept.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Building a touchscreen into the MacBook Pro coming late this year will require significant changes to macOS 27. Some early details of what Apple has in store for macOS leaked out Tuesday from a generally reliable source.

The upcoming notebooks will supposedly be the first Macs with a Dynamic Island — but that’s just the start of what Apple has planned.

Next-gen Sandisk Extreme Portable SSD gets 2X faster but smaller

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Sandisk Extreme Portable SSD in use
Add terabytes of storage to your Mac, iPad or iPhone with SanDisk's latest SSD.
Photo: Sandisk

Sandisk just launched a third generation of the Extreme Portable SSD. It offers 2,000 MBps data transfers, drop protection and more. Capacities go up to 4TB.

The drive will be joined later in 2026 with two more additions to the line of SSDs — one with even faster data transfer speeds, and the other expected to be more affordable.

Earth-Mars tensions flare in For All Mankind season 5 [New Apple TV trailer]

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For All Mankind season 5
Has Happy Valley on Mars finally grown too big for its britches? Some people on Earth are up in arms.
Photo: Apple TV

Earth almost seems to have a “make Earth great again” moment in the new For All Mankind season five trailer Apple TV released Tuesday. Happy Valley, the burgeoning Mars colony that the alternative-history drama depicts, needs so much funding and resources it’s starting to piss people off — on both planets. 

The new trailer, full of new characters and aging favorites, ratchets up the tension for the upcoming 10 episodes. Season 5 debuts on Friday, March 27 on Apple TV. 

Why Apple users should care about a ‘looming Taiwan chip disaster’

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TSMC chip
Apple silicon devices are powered by TSMC chips made in Taiwan. Apple is trying to change that, but it's slow going.
Photo: TSMC

Nearly every high-end chip powering Apple devices is manufactured in Taiwan, a small island democracy over which China claims ownership. U.S. officials have warned Apple and the rest of Silicon Valley for years that a Chinese blockade, invasion or prolonged military standoff — possibly coming by 2027, according to intelligence sources — could cut off the chip supply.

And with a too little, too late response by tech giants grinding forward, a chip shortage could crush the tech industry, hobble the U.S. economy and keep your next iPhone out of reach for a long time, according to a new report.

Apple Studio Display 2: Everything we know so far

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Apple Studio Display in use
Apple Studio Display 2 might build considerably on the current model.
AI image: Cult of Mac/ChatGPT

Apple will soon replace the Studio Display with an even more gorgeous second-generation version with a range of upgrades, according to reliable rumor sources.

Read on for all the enhancements that rumors indicate will come to the high-end Mac monitor.

WhatsApp prepares to add this useful iMessage feature

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Live Photos WhatsApp
No more late wishes.
Photo: WhatsApp/Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac

WhatsApp is preparing to add a long-requested message scheduling feature. The app will let users compose messages in advance and send them at a chosen time, similar to how iMessage handles scheduled texts.

References to the feature popped up in the latest WhatsApp beta release on TestFlight.

Apple is bringing Mac mini production home to Texas

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Mac mini M4 pictured from above, with various things plugged into the back.
"Made in the USA" Mac minis are coming soon!
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Apple will start assembling Mac mini in the United States later this year. Foxconn will build the tiny desktop computers at its facility in Houston, Texas.

The assembled units will primarily serve local demand, which surged recently due to interest in agentic AI OpenClaw. (For more info, see: How OpenClaw turns your Mac into an action-based AI agent.)

How Apple’s Visual Intelligence could change everything

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iPhone 16 using Visual Intelligence
The iPhone's Visual Intelligence feature is a sign of things to come.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook has a well-established habit of dropping subtle hints about where the company is headed. This time, the dropped breadcrumbs all point toward Visual Intelligence. And the impression they leave is of a company preparing to reshape how humans interact with the world around them.

iPhone 18 Pro might double down on bold colors

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An iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange, on a desk surrounded by objects with orange accents
The iPhone 17 Pro finally brings some chromatic excitement, and extremely pro features to the lineup.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Following the success of the cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro, Apple reportedly plans to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro in a deep red color. It will seemingly be the new flagship color for 2026 Pro iPhones. 

The company may also be testing similar hues internally.

What to expect at the ‘special Apple Experience’ [Cult of Mac podcast No. 8]

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Image of layered yellow and green Apple logo, with the Cult of Mac podcast logo
Apple's March 4 event sounds unusual (and clever).
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The “special Apple Experience” planned for March 4 doesn’t sound like a typical Apple event. What could it be? And what new hardware will we see?

It definitely doesn’t look like Apple CEO Tim Cook will be hitting us with his standard “good mooooorning” … we go over the possibilities.

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

  • Apple is ramping up its AI efforts with three interesting new products: smart glasses, a pendant/pin and AirPods with earcams. The devices all have one thing in common — and we should see at least one of them later this year!
  • While iOS 26.3 was a total snoozefest, the first beta of iOS 26.4 brings some exciting new features.
  • We try to wrap our minds around the strangest MacBook Air setup we’ve ever seen.
  • And finally, Griffin gives us the scoop on an excellent, affordable iPhone game controller he reviewed.

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast 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.

Supreme Court kills Trump tariffs — what it means for Apple

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Image of Supreme Court Building with a black Apple logo overlaid, used to illustrate a story about a Supreme Court kills Trump tariffs — what it means for Apple
The Supreme Court made a ruling that will save Apple billions.
Image: Pexels/Cult of Mac

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump does not have the authority to impose tariffs on imports coming into the United States from virtually every country. This could ease costs for U.S. companies that rely heavily on overseas manufacturing, including Apple.

In the months since Trump began broadly imposing tariffs, Apple paid billions in these import taxes. And it rearranged its supply chain to move some product assembly away from China, the country that the president made the primary focus of his tariff policy.

How iPhone satellite SOS helped save skiers in deadly avalanche

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iPhone satellite SOS helped save skiers
The avalanche proved devastating, but Emergency SOS via satellite helped ensure rescue for suvivors.
Photo: Apple

Six survivors of a deadly backcountry avalanche near Lake Tahoe in California this week communicated with emergency responders through an iPhone’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature to help ensure their rescue, according to reports. It helped safeguard their lives, though nine others were killed in the tragedy. 

An affordable MacBook? Here’s what the rumors say.

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Budget MacBook might come in yellow, green or blue aluminum casings.
The much-anticipated budget MacBook might come in yellow, green or blue aluminum casings.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

The first ever entry-level MacBook could hit the market soon, with a budget price that could attract a huge new audience to macOS notebooks.

Could there be a lower-cost MacBook in your future? Here’s what the rumors reveal about its specs.

MLS kicks off 2026 season on Apple TV with new features and World Cup spotlight

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MLS kicks off 2026 season on Apple TV
Opening weekend matches are all free to Apple TV subscribers.
Photo: Apple

Major League Soccer’s 31st season gets underway Saturday, with all 30 clubs taking the pitch for MLS is Back weekend. And Apple TV subscribers will have a front-row seat to all of it, with all 13 matches available and no blackouts across more than 100 countries and regions, Apple said.

“All eyes are on North America this year as the MLS season kicks off this week and the World Cup approaches,” said Thomas Müller, Vancouver Whitecaps FC attacking midfielder and 2014 FIFA World Cup champion. I’m excited to begin my first full season in MLS, help the team build on what we started, and give fans everywhere the chance to follow our journey on Apple TV.”

Apple won’t make AirTag better at tracking thieves — here’s why

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AirTag stalking vs theft prevention
AirTag prioritizes privacy over theft prevention.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Apple’s AirTag really frustrates some people. It’s a great way to find a missing set of keys, but Apple deliberately built in features to prevent the tracker tag from being used to locate stolen property.

Maybe you’ll be less irritated with those features when you realize that stalkers find those exact same features equally frustrating — for the opposite reason.

Apple revives Apple Music Connect (but fans can’t join)

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Apple revives Apple Music Connect
The new Apple Music Connect is for music industry people, not fans.
Photo: Apple

Apple just quietly relaunched Apple Music Connect, repurposing the name of its long-defunct social platform into something entirely different. Now it’s a centralized hub designed for record labels, music distributors and industry partners rather than fans.

Here’s a hopeful sign the M5 Mac Studio isn’t too far away

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M5 Max-Ultra Mac Studio launch
Get excited about Mac Studios powered by M5 Max and M5 Ultra processors.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Buying some configurations of the Mac Studio now means lengthy wait times. While that’s surely frustrating for those shopping for the powerful macOS desktop, this can be taken as a sign that it might be better to hold off on the purchase.

That’s because a new version is on the way.