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This iPad stand does double-duty as 5-port hub [Review] ★★★★

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Satechi OntheGo Foldable Stand Hub with iPad Pro★★★★
Don't settle for an iPad stand or travel hub. Not when Satechi combined them.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Your iPad is fun and relaxing, but it can also be the heart of a compact workstation with the Satechi OntheGo Foldable Stand Hub. This holds up your tablet while simultaneously expanding its connectivity with five additional ports.

It’s so useful in the office, it’s easy to forget the accessory folds down so you can take it with you. Satechi says it’s made for creatives on the move.

I tested the stand+hub in my home office and when traveling. Here’s what I found.

New iPhone hacking tool puts hundreds of millions of devices at risk [Updated]

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DarkSword iPhone hacking tool
Don't let hackers take over your iPhone.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Update: The sophisticated DarkSword hacking technique that came to light last week — capable of silently taking over iPhones the moment a user visits an infected website — just got worse for Apple users running older software, TechCrunch reported Monday.

Someone leaked versions of DarkSword on code-sharing site GitHub. That means DarkSword attacks likely will increase — especially since iOS expertise is not required to deploy the technique.

“This is bad. They are way too easy to repurpose,” iVerify co-founder Matthias Frielingsdorf told TechCrunch. “I don’t think that can be contained anymore. So we need to expect criminals and others to start deploying this.”

Apple spokesperson Sarah O’Rourke reminded people that “keeping software up to date is the single most important thing you can do to maintain the security of your Apple products.” So if you haven’t updated to the latest iOS for your device, do so now.

If you think faster than you type, try this $50 Mac dictation app

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Person using Voibe dictation app on a Mac laptop
Get better dictation on your Mac with a lifetime subscription to Voibe.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The Voibe dictation app for Mac lets you talk instead of typing. It’s fast, efficient and works inside any Mac app. Plus, since it works offline, it’s totally private.

It’s a voice-first way to work across your Mac, without relying on cloud processing or extra apps. And right now, a lifetime subscription to Voibe costs just $49.99 (MSRP $149). And you can save even more using code MARCH15, which takes an extra 15% off almost everything in the Cult of Mac Deals store.

5 ways to get the best battery life on your MacBook

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MacBook Battery Life graphic
Whether you have a MacBook Neo, Air or Pro, this tips will give you the best battery life.
Photo: Apple

Every MacBook boasts industry-leading battery life. But everything comes to an end. It may take a full day or more, but MacBooks do eventually run out of charge. 

If you want to take your M5 Max MacBook Pro to the coffee shop to get work done, and you leave your power cable at home — even if you’re editing 8K ProRes video streams in Final Cut Pro — you still might be ordering breakfast, lunch and staying for dinner. 

Of course, that low battery warning always comes at the most inopportune time. With that in mind, there are a few tricks to get even more unplugged time with your MacBook. Keep reading or watch our quick video.

Price cut: $43 bundle preps you for major cybersecurity certifications

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Woman in front of multiple monitors, with overlay of The Ultimate 2026 Cybersecurity Certification Training courses
Secure lifetime access to six cybersecurity courses at a massive discount.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The Ultimate 2026 Cybersecurity Training Bundle preps you for certification exams for CompTIA and Microsoft. It gives you a foolproof way to study for key certifications and build real skills without paying for an expensive bootcamp or short-term courses over and over again.

It’s an affordable, accessible way to jump-start your IT career. And right now, it’s on sale for just $42.50 with code MARCH15 (regularly $199). Note: You also can use the MARCH15 code to save an extra 15% off many other items in the Cult of Mac Deals store through March 29.

Why now is the best time to buy a portable SSD

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SSD prices are on the rise.
SSD price hikes make now the right time to buy.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Anyone thinking about adding a portable SSD to their Mac or iPad would be wise to make that purchase soon. Prices for the external storage devices are already on the rise.

Why? For the same reason that Apple needed to raise prices for its newest MacBooks.

Apple sets June dates for WWDC26 and its next major software updates

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Apple's WWDC26 logo in white on a black background
The 2026 edition of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off June 8 at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.
Image: Apple

The annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC26) will take place June 8–12, according to an update Monday on the Apple Developer website — setting the stage for what promises to be one of the company’s most anticipated software events in years. The event will mark the arrival of iOS 27, macOS 27 and more.

Price cut: Rescue old logos and other artwork with Super Vectorizer Pro, just $17

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Woman creating vector artwork app Super Vectorizer Pro on her laptop
Gussy up those old image files the easy way.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

You can convert old images — think logos, clip art and scanned sketches — into clean vector graphics with Super Vectorizer Pro.

A lifetime license to the app, available for Mac and Windows, is on sale now for just $17 with code MARCH15 (MSRP $120).

Note: You can use the MARCH15 code to save an extra 15% off many other items in the Cult of Mac Deals store through March 29.

Today in Apple history: Macintosh LC II is the Mac mini of its day

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The Macintosh LC II was more powerful and cheaper than its predecessor.
The Macintosh LC II was more powerful and cheaper than its predecessor.
Photo: Jonathan Zufi

March 23: Today in Apple history: Macintosh LC II launch March 23, 1992: The “headless” Macintosh LC II arrives, wooing value-oriented customers with a beguiling mix of updated internals and budget pricing.

Designed to take up minimal space underneath a monitor (sold separately), the Mac LC II is destined to become a hit. In retrospect, the entry-level machine is roughly analogous to today’s Mac mini.

Closeout deal: Get 4 AirTags at their best price ever

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AirTag deal
Keep track off all your stuff with an AirTag or four... at 39% off!
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Apple AirTag deal alert! Now that second-gen AirTags are here, the original model is on close-out. A four-pack of these essential Bluetooth trackers now costs a whopping 39% less than the list price on Amazon right now.

That means you can currently pick up an AirTags four-pack for , or $39 off. That’s $15 apiece — not the usual $29.

iPhone Air gains traction despite getting labeled a ‘flop’

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iPhone Air profile
iPhone Air attracts some buyers with its super-slim design.
Photo:

The iPhone Air accomplished one of the goals Apple surely had for it: It’s reportedly outselling the device it replaced — and by a wide margin. That said, the super-slim iPhone hasn’t exactly taken the world by storm.

Still, it’s far from the flop that some critics labeled it.

Galaxy S26 can now share files with iPhones using AirDrop

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Drop It My Way
AirDrop now works with Samsung's flagship Galaxy phone.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Following in Google’s footsteps, Samsung added AirDrop support to its newest flagship phones: the Galaxy S26 series. This enables iPhone and Galaxy S26 users to transfer files between devices seamlessly.

Top be clear, Google and Samsung enabled AirDrop support in Quick Share without Apple’s help. 

Get 3 years of piano lessons on your iPhone, iPad or Mac for just $60

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Person learning piano through the Flowkey piano lessons app opened on an iPad and sitting on a console piano.
Whether you're a total beginner or an accomplished piano player, this app can teach you a thing or two.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

You can turn your iPhone, iPad or Mac into a piano teacher with Flowkey’s interactive lessons, real-time feedback and song-first approach to learning.

Flowkey is designed to meet you where you are, whether you’ve never touched a keyboard or you already know your way around one. And it costs just $59.50 for three years with code MARCH15 (which also takes 15% off many other items in the Cult of Mac Deals store through March 29). A flesh-and-blood piano teacher might charge that much for a single lesson!

Today in Apple history: PowerCD paves the way toward a lucrative future

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The PowerCD Apple CD player offered a glimpse of the company's post-desktop game plan.
This CD player offered a glimpse of Apple's post-desktop game plan.
Photo: Jonathan Zufi

March 22: Today in Apple history: PowerCD launch March 22, 1993: Apple launches the PowerCD, the first device from the company that doesn’t require a computer to work.

A portable CD player that also works as an external CD drive for Macs, it offers a glimpse of the extremely lucrative path Apple will follow a decade later. However, the PowerCD itself will ultimately fail to take off.

AirPods Max 2 surprise and disappoint, plus OpenClaw! [Cult of Mac podcast No. 12]

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Image of AirPods Max 2, with the words,
Apple's new headphones seem awfully familiar ...
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The surprise release of AirPods Max 2 gives us plenty to talk about (including all the things Apple didn’t fix about the high-end headphones).

Plus, special guest Christina Warren (developer advocate at GitHub and co-host of the MacBreak Weekly podcast) joins us for a deep dive into one of Leander’s favorite topics — OpenClaw, the open-source AI agent that’s got everyone snapping up Mac minis, and the rise of agentic coding.

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

  • More on the MacBook Neo, including why every Mac owner should be thrilled that it comes with just 8GB of unified memory.
  • Griffin reviews the new Studio Display XDR and iPhone 17e.

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.

Score a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2021 for Mac for just $53

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A lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2021 for Mac.
Enjoy lifetime access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Stuck using an older version of Microsoft Office? This offer gets you a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home and Business 2021 for Mac for just $52.97 with code MARCH15. With a low one-time payment, you can bid farewell to Microsoft 365’s pesky recurring subscription fees. You’ll never need to pay again for Microsoft’s widely used software for work and school.

And if you need Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows, you can secure a lifetime license for even less: just $35.97 using the same code. (Note: You also can use code MARCH15 to save 15% on almost every item in the Cult of Mac Deals store through March 29.)

Today in Apple history: Apple TV makes its big-screen debut

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20140902_apple-tv_0061-780x520
Apple TV did not become an instant smash hit.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

March 21: Today in Apple history: Apple launches the Apple TV March 21, 2007: Apple launches the Apple TV, a gleaming-white set-top box with a remote control, for bringing iTunes media to the living room.

Unfortunately, the device lacks key features needed to make it a killer entertainment system. It’s something of a missed opportunity for Apple.

Price drop: Unlock 40+ top AIs for life: Compare ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini for just $68

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ChatPlayground AI promotional image with text
Access multiple AI apps with a lifetime subscription to ChatPlayground AI.
Image: Cult of Mac Deals

ChatPlayground AI gives you easy access to more than 40 of the top AI models across 25 apps, all in one place — and all for one low price. It includes big names like ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Llama, Perplexity and Gemini, and it lets you send one prompt to multiple AIs simultaneously.

That means you can compare results to find the right AI tool for the job at hand, without jumping from one AI app to another. If you’re a heavy AI user, it will save you time as well as money. Normally $619, a lifetime subscription to ChatPlayground AI’s Unlimited plan is on sale now for only $67.15 with code MARCH15.

How to block ads (and other distracting things) on iPhone for free

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Image of an iPhone showing the Hide Distracting Items feature used to remove ads from web pages, along with the words,
Simplify the web, one annoyance at a time.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Safari’s Hide Distracting Items feature lets you remove ads from your iPhone, along with other elements on the page that irritate you. It doesn’t require an ad blocker or a paid extension — Apple built it right into the browser in iOS 18.

Hide Distracting Items is not an ad blocker per se. But if pop-ups and other items with no obvious close button pester you, Hide Distracting Items can come to the rescue. Here’s how to use it — keep reading or watch our video.

MacBook Neo draws record number of new buyers to macOS

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Tim Cook is excited about MacBook Neo
Tim Cook is excited about MacBook Neo.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

CEO Tim Cook says Apple just had its “best launch week ever for first-time Mac customers.” That means the MacBook Neo is doing exactly what it was designed to do: bring in people who have never owned a Mac before.

The first entry-level macOS notebook launched on March 11, and Apple can’t keep up with demand. Orders placed today come with wait times of several weeks.

Never lose a show: This app saves your favorite streams for offline viewing

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Photo of Keeprix streaming downloader open on a laptop on a desk.
All-in-one streaming video downloader Keeprix makes it easy to watch offline.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Streaming is great until you want to watch something offline, save a show before it disappears, or avoid the limits most platforms put on downloads — that’s when you need a streaming downloader like Keeprix.

It works with Netflix, YouTube and other major streaming services, letting you save the videos you care about so you can watch them whenever you want. That means no dealing with ads, expiration timers or unreliable Wi-Fi. And a lifetime subscription to Keeprix is on sale for $95.99 (regularly $159.99).

Today in Apple history: Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh lands with a thud

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Photo of the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh, which launched on March 20, 1997.
The Twentieth Anniversary Mac offered a glimpse of the future.
Photo: Apple

March 20: Today in Apple history: Twentieth Anniversary Mac lands with a thud March 20, 1997: Apple launches its Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh, a futuristic, special-edition Mac that’s ahead of its time in every way. Not part of any established Mac line, it brings a look (and a price!) unlike anything else available — and Apple delivers them to buyers in a limo!

And yet the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh promptly bombs. Today, it’s a collector’s piece.

MacBook Neo costs far less than entry-level PCs over time

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MacBook Neo real cost makes 'budget PCs' look overpriced
Think long term, and the MacBook Neo costs far less than you might realize.
AI image: Apple/ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

An analyst’s report shows Apple’s new MacBook Neo is even more affordable than it first appears. The total cost of ownership is about half that of comparable Windows PCs.

It may sound counterintuitive at first — how can a $599 Mac be half the cost of a $599 PC? — but the analyst showed that the typical lifespan of a Mac is so much longer than that of a Windows PC that the Apple model costs much less over time.

All-in-1 brilliance: Top 7 iMac setups

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top 7 iMac setups
This M4 iMac setup packs great audio gear, too.
Photo: [email protected]

The iMac has always occupied a special place in Apple’s lineup — a beautifully integrated all-in-one desktop computer that bundles a 4.5K Retina display, camera, speakers and microphone into a single elegant slab of aluminium with color-matched accessories.

Yet despite the machine’s considerable visual appeal, iMac setups are a surprisingly rare sight in Cult of Mac‘s long-running Setups section. I noted in March 2025 that, out of 616 Setups articles written over more than four years at that time, only 11 featured an iMac as the centrepiece. That’s partly due to the fact that Apple desktop sales. They made up just 14% of Mac sales in 2024, while MacBooks accounted for a whopping 86%.