Cult of Mac

If your Mac is running slow, there are a few things you can do to speed it up and better understand what’s slowing it down.

It’s not just that your Mac is old — although that is an important factor. It could be that you don’t have enough memory, especially if you like to use Google Chrome. You may have a bunch of apps running in the background. There also might be dust in the vents, keeping your Mac from running nice and cool.

Check out our latest video or keep reading to learn why your Mac is slow and how to speed it up.

Right now you can lop up to $250 off the regular prices of M3 Pro or M3 Max MacBook Pro, the latest and greatest Apple laptops. And you can do it at your choice of competing retailers. Amazon, B&H Photo and Best Buy all have the same deals.

The new Best Buy Envision app helps you find new purchases through a Vision Pro AR/VR headset and picture how they’ll look in your living space, the company said Friday.

“Today we’re announcing a new way that our customers can explore, discover and bring new technology to life in their own living space,” the big box store noted. “Best Buy Envision is an app exclusively available on the Apple Vision Pro that helps users plan their ultimate home technology setup.”

April 19, 1994: Gaston Bastiaens, the executive in charge of Apple’s revolutionary new Newton MessagePad product line, parts ways with the company.

“We can’t say whether he fell or was pushed,” says an Apple spokesman. Reports suggest that the departing Bastiaens, general manager of Apple’s personal interactive electronics division, is leaving due to his failure to make the Newton a financial success.

A medical school student’s charming dual-display setup adds an M3 MacBook Pro as a third display by keeping it open on a stand. And the three displays form a pleasingly staggered formation, with one in portrait on the left, one in landscape at center and then the laptop’s screen.

As spring has sprung, and with the CdkeySales Spring Sale extended, software deals continue to blossom through late April and into May. So go ahead and pick your favorite Microsoft deals. Many stunningly low prices await on Microsoft productivity software like Windows and Office. That includes a lovely Windows 10 Pro deal for just $17.05. And a free upgrade comes with it!

You can find surprisingly low prices at software activation keys provider CdkeySales.com now and throughout the year. To get the most savings, enter promo code CULT. That cuts an additional 30% off the site’s low prices on software keys. And when you buy Windows 10, you get a free upgrade to Windows 11!

The Anker Solix c800 Plus Portable Power Station is a capable and versatile portable power station that can get you through a power outage or let you live like a king on a camping trip.

With a stout 768Wh lithium-ion battery, the device packs a punch. It allowed me to charge multiple devices simultaneously and power various appliances in a simulated blackout. Now I’m just waiting for the power to go out for real, or for someone to invite me camping.

Apple Watch Series X is expected to bring a redesign, new sensors and other changes later this year. A designer created images of a concept device to showcase the leaked/rumored features.

Take a look.

It sucks when you see the dreaded message that your iPhone or Mac is running out of storage space. Fortunately, you can solve that problem with this cloud storage deal. You’ll pay less than $25 to get 100GB of Amaryllo Cloud secure storage for life.

That’s 58% off the regular price of $59.98.

Following a request from the Chinese government, Apple has reportedly pulled WhatsApp and Threads from China’s App Store. Other Meta apps, like Facebook and Instagram, are still available for download in the country.

The Cyberspace Administration of China asked Apple to take down the two Meta apps, citing national security concerns.

Sunny, a mystery thriller with a darkly comic bent, will premiere on Apple TV+ this summer. The series will star Rashida Jones and a robot.

The two will work together in an attempt to locate the woman’s missing family.

Whether you read to unwind, learn or simply keep yourself entertained, finding time to cross books off your reading list can be challenging while dealing with everyday life. If you can’t invest time to cuddle up with a good book, a book summary service like 12min can keep you up to speed with your reading goals. It serves up microbooks in multiple genres that you can plow through in just 12 minutes!

These book summaries let you absorb big ideas and key concepts from bestsellers at a rapid pace. And for a limited time, you can get lifetime access to 12min for just $34.99 (regularly $362.97).

The Zagg Desk Mat with Wireless Charging keeps your iPhone and other gear juiced up while also acting as a nonslip workspace, mousepad and stylus holder.

I put one in my home office and tested it with my iPhone and other accessories. Here’s how it went.

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 that debuted in iOS 17.3, and — more importantly — why you should do it now.

The new Elgato Neo range of devices — condenser microphone, webcam, LED key light, capture card and stream deck — simplifies video calls, content creation and video streaming for newbies, the company said Thursday. The gear also looks good doing it, with a unified white design across all five devices.

All the Neo products are compatible with iPad, making them an excellent choice for creators who use their tablets for content creation.

April 18, 1996: Apple unveils a massive $15 million promotional tie-in for the Mission: Impossible movie starring Tom Cruise.

Designed to promote the PowerBook, which Cruise uses in the spy flick, the marketing campaign comes at a particularly bad time. Attempting to climb back into the black after reporting its largest quarterly loss ever, Apple is in the middle of trying to perform its very own impossible mission. And that’s just the start of the problems.

The long wait for easy access to AirPlay in hotel rooms is over. Sort of. Apple announced Thursday that a hotel chain is supporting the feature that allows iPhone and iPad users to wirelessly stream content to hotel TVs.

It’s a limited rollout, so travelers are left hoping there’ll be wider adoption.

The first third-party app marketplace, AltStore PAL, launched in the European Union on Wednesday. The App Store alternative comes from Riley Testut, the developer who got his Delta retro-game emulator into the iPhone App Store on the same day.

A radio might feel old-fashioned, but it’s still a great way to stay connected with the world without needing an internet connection. A good multiband radio can play music riding the airwaves from other countries or tune into emergency broadcasts when the power goes out and the internet goes dark.

The Eton Elite Executive may be small, but it’s a great radio to have on hand. And right now, this leather-clad beauty is on sale for 40% off.

Apple said Wednesday it has tripled its use of clean energy since 2020, among other benchmarks of progress toward its goal to reach carbon neutrality across its supply chain by 2030. And on Thursday, the iPhone giant released its full 2024 Environmental Progress Report.

“Clean energy and water are foundational to healthy communities and essential building blocks for a responsible business,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives.

“We’re racing toward our ambitious Apple 2030 climate goal while taking on the long-term work to transform electrical grids and restore watersheds to build a cleaner future for all.”

UPDATE: Ahead of Earth Day on April 22, on Thursday Apple released its much more detailed 2024 Environmental Progress Report, laying out its progress on environmental initiatives related to Apple 2030. For example, the iPhone giant said its greenhouse gas emissions are down 55% since 2015.

The 2025 iPhone 17 Plus could sport a smaller screen than previous Plus models. This could make the phone more compact and fit better in Apple’s lineup.

Apple currently uses a 6.7-inch OLED panel on the iPhone 15 Plus. This is the same display size as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, albeit the latter uses a superior 120Hz panel.

The Nintendo Switch is a great on-the-go gaming experience, yet the standard Joy-Con controllers can leave a lot to be desired. Fortunately, you don’t need to continue gaming with the stock controller. This RGB Nintendo Switch controller can light up your gaming with extra flair and turbo buttons.

While these controllers typically cost $42, you can now grab them for only $30.99.

The new Delta retro game emulator is now on the iPhone App Store. Not only can it handle ROMs originally for the classic Game Boy handheld console, but it also emulates NES, SNES, Nintendo 64 and Nintendo DS.

It’s a launch that fans of classic games have long awaited.

Apple TV+ renewed its hit alternative-history sci-fi show For All Mankind Wednesday for a fifth season. And, while it was at it, it threw in a whole new spinoff series! For All Mankind spinoff Star City will delve further into secrets of the Soviet space program.

A recent report that the Apple M4 Mac processor will launch this fall — only a year after the debut of the M3 — met with some surprise and skepticism. But it shouldn’t have — Apple’s goal to refresh the chip line every year is ambitious but achievable.

Just because Intel can’t bring out new generations of its processors annually doesn’t mean Apple and TSMC can’t.