If you’re working in an office or in the city, you’re probably inundated with noise from people chattering, cars running and nearby music. Your iPhone has a built-in feature called Background Sounds for playing rain noises or white noise to tune it all out.

Or, if you work at home and want some of that office or coffee shop ambiance, you can add some of those chatter sounds back in. You can even simulate a commute, with sounds of a bus, train, airplane or even boat.

You don’t need to download any apps or pay a cent. Background Sounds is a free feature on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. Let me show you how it works.

April 15, 1981: Apple CEO Mike Markkula defends the struggling Apple III computer with a surprisingly straightforward admission. The comment comes even as the company pushes an unorthodox “fix” for the Apple III motherboard, which tends to overheat due to a questionable design.

“It would be dishonest for me to sit here and say that it’s perfect,” Markkula tells The Wall Street Journal, after critics blast the new computer for its overheating motherboard. Apple’s official solution to the problem? Ask users to drop their Apple III from a height of 6 inches to reseat the chips.

A smartwatch can help you get in shape for the summer, and a hot deal on Apple Watch Series 11 drops the cost to only $299 for the smaller 42mm size. That’s a $100 discount off Apple’s MSRP — a whopping 25% off!

The same $100 discount applies to the 46mm size, too, lowering it to only $329.

Apple will bring two limited-edition Activity challenges to Apple Watch this month, giving users a reason to get moving in the final stretch of April, the iPhone giant said. The occasions are Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22, and International Dance Day on Wednesday, April 29.

Most portable projectors sound great on paper — until you actually use them. A dim image, tinny audio, and too many cables can ruin your movie night. This Ion Audio portable HD projector fixes some of that — and at just $67.99 (regularly $84.99), it’s more about convenience than perfection.

If you’re looking for an easy way to throw a movie on the wall from your MacBook or iPhone, this is one of the simpler setups around.

Stop me if this sounds familiar: Your old iPhone just doesn’t have the same pep it used to and you’re desperate to speed it up. Ignore the nasty iPhone conspiracy theory — the real reason for the slowdown is rooted in battery chemistry, diminishing amounts of available memory, and the evolving demands of modern iOS apps.

Fortunately, you can take steps to improve the speed of your older iPhone. Here’s what to do.

Samsung Display will reportedly start mass production of OLED panels for the next iPad Air in January 2027. 

Unlike the iPad Pro, Apple will use a standard OLED panel in the iPad Air to keep costs down.

Rising costs across the global tech supply chain are forcing some of Apple’s biggest competitors — most notably Microsoft and Samsung — to increase prices on smartphones, tablets and notebooks, signaling a potential shift in the competitive landscape for consumer electronics.

Apple has not increased prices. It’s actually recently moved the opposite direction by introducing the most affordable MacBook ever.

Apple is reportedly ramping up its supply of a critical component for the foldable iPhone, even as the broader market for foldable smartphones shows signs of slowing.

According to a supply chain report published Tuesday, the company increased its orders of foldable display panels by roughly 20%, a move that signals growing confidence in the long-rumored device.

April 14, 1986: The “low-cost” Macintosh 512Ke brings hardware upgrades — and a bit of confusion — to the low end of the Mac lineup.

The Mac 512Ke is an “enhanced” (hence the “e”) model of the Mac 512K. The upgrade addresses complaints that the original Mac lacked enough memory. The 512Ke adds a double-density 800KB floppy drive and a 128KB ROM to the Mac 512K formula.

A new AI voice recorder promises to solve one of the most persistent frustrations for professionals who live on calls — capturing both sides of a conversation via Bluetooth even when you wear headphones, and without requring bots, subscriptions or complicated setup. It’s the new HiDock P1 AI Voice Recorder.

Plugable Technologies on Tuesday launched the USBC-10IN1E, a new 10-in-1 USB-C hub aimed at delivering docking station-level performance in a compact design. The company says the device stands out in a crowded market by combining high-wattage charging, advanced display support and faster networking in a single accessory.

Despite the advanced features, the new product is quite affordable — which is not surprising for Plugable.

The Clutch Pro is for anyone who wants a very slim power bank that magnetically attaches to their iPhone, but who doesn’t like wireless charging. This tiny 5,000mAh external battery includes a USB-C connector on a cable for easy charging.

I tested it with my iPhone 17 and my iPad too. Here’s why I like it.

Apple secured a new agreement with Amazon ensuring the satellite features millions of iPhone and Apple Watch users depend on — including Emergency SOS — continue to work, even as the company that currently powers them is set to be acquired, the companies said Tuesday.

“This ensures our users will continue to have access to the vital satellite features they have come to rely on, including Emergency SOS, Messages, Find My, and Roadside Assistance via satellite, so they can stay safe and connected while off the grid,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, in an Amazon press release Tuesday.

You can get Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business and Windows 11 Pro together for just $104.99, a 76% savings off the $448.99 combined value.

The macOS Tahoe menu bar icons are one of the more universally panned changes in Apple’s redesigned Mac operating system. They clutter the interface, making it hard to find what you’re actually looking for. And on top of that, different apps use different icons for different actions — it’s not remotely consistent. 

You don’t need to live your life this way, though. Developer and hacker Steve Troughton-Smith figured out a quick way to disable the icons. You need to crack open the Mac’s Terminal app, but luckily, you can paste a single command in to bid (most of) the icons adieu. 

Apple’s iPhone cases provide stylish protection, and a new deal cuts $9.01 off the price of various Silicone, Clear and TechWoven models for iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

As you might expect, the company’s cases fit its smartphones perfectly. This sale applies to cases for various models in multiple colors and sizes. And if you happen to own an iPhone Air, you can currently save a whopping 54% on a bumper case.

Find big discounts on practically the full range of official Apple iPhone 17 cases in Amazon’s sale.

April 13, 2005: The tech world gets excited when a sketchy rumor suggests Apple is building a tablet computer.

The Chinese-language report claims Quanta will build a 15-inch touchscreen tablet PC with a detachable keyboard. Apple will supposedly ship the device in the first quarter of 2006. Things don’t turn out quite like that, but the rumor offers the first hint about Apple’s secret iPad project.

You can convert any bitmap image — think logos, clip art and scanned sketches — into clean, scalable vector graphics with Super Vectorizer Pro. It’s great for rescuing old artwork from the digital trash heap so it can be used for modern pursuits.

A lifetime license to the app, available for Mac and Windows, is on sale now for just $19.99 (MSRP $120).

If you’ve ever looked at a foldable phone and winced at the visible crease down the middle of the screen, you’ll want to know what Apple has reportedly been working on as its first foldable iPhone approaches.

The industry’s approach to eliminating that unsightly fold line has fundamentally changed — and materials in development go well beyond clever hinge engineering, according to a new report. It’s how Apple’s fast-approaching folding iPhone will crack the crease problem.

Apple’s sleek, simple smart glasses without a display, internally dubbed “N50”, reportedly will launch in 2027. The company is testing four designs for the wearable, in multiple finishes.

The smart glasses supposedly will integrate tightly with the iPhone and Siri to offer an experience like no other.

April 12, 1976: Apple’s third co-founder, a former Atari colleague of Steve Wozniak’s named Ron Wayne, cashes in his Apple shares for just $800.

Wayne, who owns a 10% stake in the company, throws in the towel after worrying that he doesn’t have the time or energy to properly invest in Apple. He later receives an extra $1,500 check to seal the deal. When he cashes it, he loses out on an investment that could have been worth billions.

“I was 40 and these kids were in their 20s,” Wayne told Cult of Mac decades later, referring to Apple co-founders Wozniak and Steve Jobs. “They were whirlwinds — it was like having a tiger by the tail. If I had stayed with Apple, I probably would have wound up the richest man in the cemetery.”

Anyone still dissatisfied with the amount of RAM in the MacBook Neo should be pleased to learn that the second-generation version of Apple’s hit entry-level notebook will almost certainly boast 50% more RAM.

And that’s not a guess. Apple is already making the processor/RAM combos to go into the notebook, even though the release is not expected for almost another year.

To understand why, you need to know where Apple gets the chips for this popular computer. And once you know that, you’ll realize why we can confidently say the 2027 MacBook Neo will include 12GB of RAM.

Apple no longer accepts orders for certain high-end Mac mini and Mac Studio models. As of Sunday, the company’s online store lists the computers as “currently unavailable.”

This comes after delivery times for most Mac mini and Mac Studio models slipped to a few months.

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The MacBook Neo looks like a runaway success. And Apple’s clever use of binned chips in the budget laptop is textbook Tim Cook — magically turning slag into gold.

However, the brilliant tactic might have paid off too well.

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• Dummy units of the rumored folding iPhone and iPhone 18 Pro give us a better look at what Apple has planned for later this year. But will the foldable be called the iPhone Fold, the iPhone Ultra or something else? And do we really need a folding iPhone?
• Try to buy a Mac mini or a Mac Studio and you’ll likely be waiting quite some time (up to five months!). What’s going on?
• There’s a simple way to add gorgeous moon shots from the Artemis II mission as wallpaper on your iPhone.
• Griffin gives us an update on his AirPods Max 2 review.
• And finally, we check out a gorgeous Mac Studio setup that’s one of the best we’ve seen.

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 version, embedded below.