Apple’s first iPhone with the Lightning port, the iPhone 5, is now obsolete. The phone launched over a decade ago, in 2012.
Back then, the iPhone 5 stood out for its revamped design and larger 4-inch display.
Surfshark VPN keeps you safe anywhere you go online, on an unlimited number of devices. This virtual private network can help you avoid hackers, trackers and regional restrictions.
Operating securely on the web is essential in the modern world. And right now, you can get a three-year subscription to Surfshark VPN for just $67.20 with code VPN20. That’s a massive discount off the regular price of $430.
The new Serafim S3 Universal Mobile Game Controller is an Apple MFi-certified accessory that aims to bring console-level gaming to iPhone users with Hall effect magnet-based joysticks and more, the company said Monday. Priced at $89.99, S3 is available now on Amazon and the Serafim website.
March 16, 2012: Apple introduces the third-generation iPad, its first tablet to come with a Retina display. Marketed as simply “the new iPad,” it’s widely known as the “iPad 3.”
“The new iPad redefines the category Apple created less than two years ago, delivering the most amazing experience people have ever had with technology,” says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, in a press release. “The new iPad now has the highest resolution display ever seen on a mobile device with 3.1 million pixels, delivering razor sharp text and unbelievable detail in photos and videos.”
Boasting that beautiful screen and Apple’s then-swanky A5X chip with a quad-core graphics processor, the third-gen iPad quickly becomes a big success. Disappointingly for customers, it will only hang around until October 2012. That’s the shortest lifespan of any iOS product in history, at just seven months.
Apple TV’s blockbuster racing drama, F1: The Movie, capped a record-breaking run with Academy Award gold Sunday night. The hit popcorn flick, which stars Brad Pitt, won the Oscar for best sound.
AirPods Max 2, the second generation of Apple’s premium over-ear headphones, brings significant upgrades to active noise cancellation and sound quality, as well as a suite of intelligent new features, including Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence, the company said Monday.
“With the incredible performance of H2, AirPods Max are upgraded with up to 1.5x more effective ANC for the ultimate all-day listening experience,” said Eric Treski, Apple’s director of Audio Product Marketing. “The sound quality is remarkably clean, rich, and acoustically detailed — and when combined with capabilities like Personalized Spatial Audio, AirPods Max 2 deliver a profoundly immersive experience.”
★★★★☆
The iPhone 17e may be a subtle upgrade, but it’s a slight change that makes all the difference. Now with MagSafe, the budget smartphone doesn’t suffer much in the way of compromises. Storage capacity is doubled, making the base model an exceptional choice; the blistering A19 chip is even faster than its predecessor.
Although the lack of a Dynamic Island makes it feel like an older phone than it really is, unless you really care about photography or giant screens, there’s not a lot that seems missing. It’s just as gorgeous as before and still highly practical.
Here’s my full review.
March 15, 2004: The iTunes Music Store hits a crucial milestone, having sold an astonishing 50 million songs in less than a year. The achievement cements Apple’s place at the center of the rapidly changing music business — at least for the moment.
“Crossing 50 million songs is a major milestone for iTunes and the emerging digital music era,” Apple CEO Steve Jobs says in a statement. “With over 50 million songs already downloaded and an additional 2.5 million songs being downloaded every week, it’s increasingly difficult to imagine others ever catching up with iTunes.”
There’s bad news for anyone who harbors hope that Apple will realize that Liquid Glass was a huge mistake and remove it from iOS 27. The glossy, transparent design enjoys broad support inside Apple, according to a report published Sunday. And users like it, too.
That said, the company continues to add tweaks to Liquid Glass that let users tone down the controversial look. Plus, a possible new setting might let users control exactly how transparent the UI gets.
★★★★★
Apple’s new flagship desktop display, the Studio Display XDR, is what you get out of a blender when you combine a mini-LED with the high adaptive refresh rate of a MacBook Pro and the 27-inch 5K screen size of the regular Studio Display.
It’s a brilliant combination. Starting at $3,299, it’s significantly cheaper — and unfortunately a little smaller — than the Pro Display XDR, the $5,000-plus monitor it replaces. However, it supersedes its high-end predecessor in all other specs. Apple made incredibly smart choices about what to include and what to cut.
Ironically, now the $1,599 regular Studio Display is the bunk product in Apple’s monitor lineup. It misses out on the Studio Display XDR’s top new feature — 120 Hz Adaptive Sync. And it’s about twice as expensive as competing monitors from Asus, BenQ and ViewSonic.
Now, the Studio Display XDR stands in a class of its own. And for, like, half as much money as Apple’s previous top monitor.
Whether you want to get the most out of your travels, spruce up your resume or simply expand your skills, learning a new language is an excellent way to level up. One of the easiest methods for doing that — and for fitting learning seamlessly into your schedule — is with a convenient language app such as Babbel. And you can get it for less with this limited-time Babbel language app deal.
For a limited time, you can secure lifetime access to Babbel for just $159 (regularly $646.20) with code LEARN from Cult of Mac Deals.
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: Griffin goes on a buying spree, snapping up a Studio Display XDR, an iPhone 17e and not one but two MacBook Neos. He shares his hands-on experience with the latest Apple gear, and Leander’s got plenty of questions!
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:
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.
March 14, 1994: Apple introduces the Power Macintosh 7100, a midrange Mac that will become memorable for two reasons.
The first is that it is among the first Macs to use new PowerPC processors. The second is that it results in Apple getting taken to court by astronomer Carl Sagan — not once but twice.
★★★★☆
The MacBook Neo exceeds all expectations and defies all logic. It’s a $599 computer that’s not slow. The cheap laptop sports a light aluminum unibody with exceptional fit and finish, along with a gorgeous, bright Retina display. It runs on an iPhone chip, yet it’s incredibly fast with unbelievable battery life.
The name itself, Neo, reminds you that this is not a computer made out of spare parts. It’s a bespoke industrial design with a brand-new display and feature set. That feature set excludes things that longtime members of the cult consider quintessential Mac features — a backlit keyboard, an ambient light sensor and a MagSafe connection.
Nonetheless, the MacBook Neo will be a lot of people’s first exposure to the Mac. I wanted to know what their experience will be like — and I think they’ll be very happy.
In iOS 26, the awesome new Spatial Scenes feature lets you convert an ordinary 2D photo to a 3D scene that moves in your hand. It doesn’t have to be a recent picture or one taken with a special camera, either. You can try out Apple’s new 3D effect on any decent photo, even if it’s from 20 years ago.
You can play with Spatial Scenes in the Photos app, converting images and seeing how the effect works. But the best part is that you can set one as your iPhone’s Lock Screen wallpaper, and see it every time you unlock your phone. It even works with the excellent Photo Shuffle feature, so you’ll keep getting new ones to gawk at.
Check out the GIFs below that show how Spatial Scenes work, or watch our hands-on demo video.
In the wake of the very successful launch of the MacBook Neo, Apple should now turn its attention to a desktop version: Let’s call it the Mac Neo. With an A-series processor and 8GB of RAM, this could cost as little as $399.
A macOS desktop at this price could put Macs in the hands of millions who can’t afford one now. It also might expand Apple’s share of the global computer market to heights the company could previously only dream of.
March 13, 1997: With Apple preparing to cut thousands of jobs, CNN reports that “the coffin door is closing” on Cupertino. Apple is doomed! Doomed!
Knowing what happened in the years following, we guess this could technically be considered “fake news.”
MacBook Pro has long been the centerpiece of ambitious, eye-catching workstations. Whether it’s a sleek M4 Pro model driving a pair of 5K touchscreen displays or a still-going-strong M1 Max powering an audiophile-grade sound system, Apple’s flagship laptop has the chops to anchor setups that would make any pro proud. Here are the Top 15 MacBook Pro setups from Cult of Mac’s archive.
The MacBook Neo is possibly Apple’s most repairable MacBook ever. A teardown shows the affordable laptop packs modular components, making repair easy.
Unlike its existing MacBooks, Apple appears to have opted for a simpler internal architecture that makes accessing and replacing the internals easier.
Google is giving Google Maps navigation its biggest upgrade in a decade. Thanks to deep Gemini integration, the way you use Google Maps will forever change with this update.
At the center of the update is a new Immersive Navigation view, which replaces the traditional map with a vivid, interactive 3D experience.
★★★★☆
When my iPhone battery needs a quick boost, the Twelve South PowerCapsule is ready to keep it going for the rest of the day. It conveniently clings to the handset magnetically so no cable is needed.
As a bonus, the accessory looks great. It closely matches the look of my iPhone 17. And it fits easily in a pocket.
I tested the PowerCapsule in my home and on the go. Here’s how it stands up in real-world use.
March 12, 2010: Apple passes Walmart and investment firm Berkshire Hathaway in value to take third place in market capitalization among publicly listed U.S. companies. The Apple market cap soars past $200 billion, fueled by intense excitement over the first-generation iPad.
Things look good for the company as it guns for powerhouses ExxonMobil and Microsoft.
Apple marks a remarkable milestone this April 1 — 50 years since Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne founded the company in a California garage on that date in 1976. To commemorate it, Apple said Thursday it will plan a series of global celebrations. And CEO Tim Cook published a personal letter on apple.com. It looks back on five decades of innovation while expressing gratitude to the billions of people who have made Apple what it is today.
“Thinking different has always been at the heart of Apple,” Cook said. “It’s what has driven us to create products that empower people to express themselves, to connect and to create something wonderful.”
★★★★☆
The 11-inch Apple M1 iPad Air (5th generation) I used for the past few years was a great device — fast, light, capable and well-integrated into the Apple ecosystem. Yet after just a couple days with the 13-inch iPad Air powered by Apple’s M4 chip, I can say this trade-in for an upgrade isn’t just incremental. It’s the kind of shift that quietly changes the way I use a device.
Despite the severe DRAM and NAND shortages, Apple will supposedly keep the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro’s price unchanged. The company wants to use current chaos to its advantage and increase its market share.
The memory shortages have already forced several smartphone and PC makers to raise prices.