Sometimes a computer setup may look basic or boring at a glance — but it still might get the job done quite well and pack some surprisingly cool gear. Today’s featured setup, centered on an M3 MacBook Air with dual monitors, is a good example. It features not only Apple’s great lightweight laptop driving a pair of displays, but some other solid peripherals — like a Harman Kardon Bluetooth speaker I’ve never seen before in a setup featured on Cult of Mac.

And while the user seemed unsure his not-super-cool setup warranted posting on social media, he ended up getting lots of reassurance and good advice for improvements.

The new Apple Sports app version 3.0 dropped Wednesday, packing significant improvements that should make following your favorite teams and matches easier than ever on iPhone. The update brings a redesigned home screen with more personalization, some new baseball features and, more importantly for certain sports fans, new coverage of professional tennis — just in time for Wimbledon!

CarPlay Ultra just hit another speed bump. Several automakers reportedly won’t use Apple’s most advanced in-dash infotainment system because it takes over too many features of the vehicle that the carmakers themselves want to control. This is especially bad news for Apple as some of these holdouts are companies that previously showed interest in implementing CarPlay Ultra.

On the other hand, there are well-known carmakers still planning on adding the system to their vehicles.

Canvid is an AI-powered screen recorder and editor that makes creating pro-level videos fast, simple and actually kind of fun. With this affordable app for Mac or PC, you can easily take your presentations, walkthroughs, app demos and explainer videos to the next level. And you won’t need to learn complex editing tools or wrestle with clunky file exports.

With a one-time payment of just $59.99 (regularly $197), you get lifetime access to Canvid on up to three devices. Turning screen recordings into polished presentations has never been easier.

I recently returned from the beach where I was reminded how much I love the ButterFly foldable wireless charger. It’s small, rugged enough to take everywhere, but is always ready to juice up your iPhone, Apple Watch or AirPods. Really, it’s simply the best.

Even so, when it launched, the travel charger was a bit expensive. Happily, its developer, Twelve South, recently cut the price by 23%. This isn’t a short-term sale — the deal on the ButterFly charger is permanent.

iPhone Stolen Device Protection offers increased safety for your accounts and financial information if someone steals your handset and its passcode.

Here’s how to activate the security feature, and — more importantly — why you should do it now.

Adventurers can once again enjoy Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon, a dungeon crawler RPG with a 16-bit feel. Players battle their way through monsters on ever-changing levels.

Previously, the game by Cornfox & Brothers was included in Apple Arcade, but it’s been pulled out of Apple’s subscription gaming service and is now available to all for a flat fee.

Need a professional-looking headshot but don’t want to hire a photographer? ResumePhoto.ai’s AI headshot generator can fix that — and you won’t even need to change out of your jammies.

This AI-powered tool takes a handful of your everyday selfies — think casual, natural light, nothing fancy — and turns them into polished, studio-quality headshots that look like you hired a pro photog who actually knows your good side.

It’s incredibly affordable, too. With ResumePhoto.ai’s Basic Package, you’ll receive up to 12 professionally styled images for just $14.99, each featuring clean backdrops, business-ready attire and flattering lighting.

Here’s some encouraging news for Apple users eagerly awaiting the next generation of smart wearable — new technology could cool down overheating smart glasses. The world’s first active cooling system small enough to fit inside the frame of smart glasses arrives with µCooling fan-on-a-chip technology, xMEMS Labs said Tuesday.

That potentially addresses one of the biggest obstacles facing AR glasses projects like Apple’s rumored one. A sophisticated system in a frame generates heat against a user’s skin, and a passive heat sink may not dissipate it enough.

The gradual process of reducing the size of the iPhone screen cutout that’s been ongoing for years will continue, but the front-facing camera will remain visible until 2030, according to a reliable source of leaked Apple info.

Getting the various scanners to work well from behind the iPhone’s OLED panel isn’t a trivial task.

Apple has a daily crossword and crossword mini that you can play on your iPad and iPhone inside the News app. This feature is available to anyone with an Apple News+ subscription or the Apple One Premier bundle.

I absolutely love playing the crossword puzzles every day. I’m not very good at them, but it’s a fun challenge and it’s a well-designed app.

Here’s how it works.

JetBlue Airways now offers real-time baggage tracking through its mobile app and supports Apple AirTag location sharing to help recover delayed or misplaced luggage, the airline said Monday. So now it joins other airlines in AirTag/Find My network integration. As such, JetBlue’s new changes should certainly appeal to Apple device users on the go.

“We are constantly looking for ways to offer our customers a more convenient travel experience,” said Carol Clements, JetBlue’s chief digital and technology officer. “As part of our JetForward strategy, we’re focused on delivering the products and perks our customers want. This new in-app bag tracking feature, along with AirTag location sharing for baggage recovery, are designed to bring customers peace of mind when checking their bags with JetBlue.”

Early leaks about an upcoming Apple computer with an 18- to 20-inch folding display were vague about whether the device will be an iPad or the first Mac with a touchscreen. In the wake of the introduction of iPadOS 26, the answer now seems obvious: Apple’s extra-large folding tablet will be an iPad.

Recent comments by a high-level Apple executive about not merging macOS and iPadOS add weight to the theory.

I’d call it a rare sighting in setups featured on Cult of Mac, but I think it’s actually a first sighting ever — stacked dual displays held together by hinges. As such, they’re actually one product, the Uperfect Delta Dual Portable Monitor. To say the least, it’s unusual to see one in a home setup, driven in this case by an M4 MacBook Pro. And those two screens make up just half the setup’s total of four.

EarFun Clip earbuds entered an increasingly crowded open-ear clip-on audio market Monday, promising premium features at a midrange $70 price point at launch (normally $89.99). In my EarFun Clip Open-Ear Wireless Earbuds review, I find they don’t fit me very well (I guess my big head means big ears, too). But they may suit many buyers, and the lightweight earbuds challenge the notion that you need to spend well over $100 for quality open-ear audio.

While brands like Sony and Soundcore are better known, EarFun has quietly developed open-ear wireless earbuds that deserve attention, particularly for active users who need awareness of their surroundings. For those they fit, EarFun Clip offers great sound at a great price.

OpenAI and Jony Ive’s io have removed all public details about the latter’s acquisition. The much-hyped video announcing the acquisition is also no longer live on YouTube. Contrary to rumors, this is not due to the deal between the two companies falling apart.

The issue stems from a trademark dispute over the name “io” used by Ive’s firm.

The Ultimate 14 Mac & Windows Utility App Bundle delivers just what it says on the tin. This one-year subscription packs a punch, giving you access to 14 premium utility apps designed to make your daily tasks smoother, faster and a whole lot less frustrating.

We’re talking smarter file management, system optimization, enhanced privacy tools and productivity boosters — all in one tidy package. And it’s currently available for just $19.99 (regularly $34.95).

iOS 26 will not just make your iPhone better. It will also add several new features to AirPods, improving the already excellent experience of using Apple’s super-popular earbuds.

The changes will further deepen the AirPods integration with the iPhone. Find out all the ways iOS 26 will improve your AirPods experience.

Apple reportedly held internal discussions to acquire AI startup Perplexity AI. The latter is an AI-powered search engine. It uses a large language model (LLM) to process the answers and presents them in an easier-to-understand format.

The discussions inside Apple are seemingly at an early level, and it may not even officially provide an offer to the young startup.

It’s World Wi-Fi Day, which highlights the ability of wireless internet access to bring people together. But I’d like everyone to instead consider the advantages of an earlier tech: wired networking via good old reliable Ethernet.

Ethernet is easy to overlook now that almost everything has gone wireless, but it still has a role to play: filling in a flaw in Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t build Ethernet ports into MacBooks, but adding one is easy and inexpensive.

Apple posted a clever new marketing tool Friday that puts students in charge of making their own sales pitch — a customizable template called The Parent Presentation, designed to help convince parents that a Mac is essential for college success. And it comes complete with a video demo by comedian and Saturday Night Live performer Martin Herlihy (part of the trio behind those Please Don’t Destroy digital shorts videos, which are a lot funnier than his work here, to be honest).

Update: Apple made the YouTube video private for unknown reasons Saturday. It remains offline, although The Parent Presentation is still available as a free download.

Two of the common laments among Mac users talking computer setups online? Too bad Studio Displays are so expensive, and when will Apple jack up that 60Hz refresh rate? But of course the monitors have legions of fans, especially among folks like designers. With today’s featured setup, a designer and video editor loves his pair of Studio Displays and says why. And other commenters get into a little dust-up defending Mac Studio from those who think the small-but-mighty M4 Mac mini is even better.

Need to convert YouTube videos to MP3 files easily, so you can transform your favorite streaming content into high-quality audio files that are a breeze to store and play? One simple way is to download and use 4K YouTube to MP3, a powerful Mac app designed specifically for audio extraction.

This specialized converter focuses on delivering crystal-clear audio files from YouTube videos, podcasts, music and other content across popular platforms including Facebook, SoundCloud and Twitch.

Rather than goofing around with Apple Intelligence, the courses in The 2025 ChatGPT Skills & Creativity Bundle could make you an AI master. From writing and graphic design to travel planning and productivity hacks, this massive bundle of ChatGPT courses will take you from an AI beginner to a well-rounded expert.

The core AI concepts you master can give you a leg up in almost any endeavor. Learn the latest skills with this up-to-date bundle of ChatGPT courses, all for just $29.99 (regularly $249.95).

SanDisk designed its Creator Phone SSD specifically for people recording large amounts of 4K ProRes video with a recent iPhone Pro/Pro Max model. The MagSafe drive magnetically attaches to the back of the handset so it’s out of the way during filming.

It holds up to 2TB of data without making the handset difficult to film with. And transferring data to a Mac for editing is a snap.

I tested the SSD with my iPhone and it worked very well. But the cable is bulkier than it should be.