Apple released new firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 this week. The new version, 8B39, offers bug fixes for these in-ear headphones.

Last year, Apple finally explained exactly how to update your AirPods firmware. The process can happen automatically, in the background, but there is a way to speed things up. It’s a good idea to manually check that you’re running the latest version, which brings bug fixes and sometimes great new features.

Read on for more details, and find all current AirPods firmware versions, along with instructions for getting the AirPods update as quickly as possible.

QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2024 for Mac helps small businesses track expenses, send invoices and manage finances more easily. And for a limited time, you can get a one-year license for just $85 with code MARCH15.

The Windows version of this popular accounting software costs even less. And you can use that same discount code to save 15% off a wide range of items throughout the Cult of Mac Deals store through March 29. (Just enter code MARCH15 at checkout to see if the discount applies.)

Finding good AI tools isn’t the problem. Even the free version of ChatGPT can do a lot. The real frustration is that if you want good results for generating copy, creating images, transcribing text and doing a myriad of other AI tasks, you often need a whole pile of subscriptions, and those costs add up. The alternative is to get an all-in-one tool that brings top AI models together in one interface. Enter 1minAI.

The major benefits of 1minAI are organizational and financial. It gives you access to ChatGPT, Gemini Pro, Llama, Mistral AI and more. So you get all your AI tools in one place, and you don’t need to pay for a subscription to each one separately. For a limited time, you can get a lifetime sub to 1minAI for just $34 with code MARCH15. (You can use that same discount code to save an additional 15% on many items in the Cult of Mac Deals store through March 29.)

Apple officially pulled the plug on the Mac Pro on Thursday, scrubbing its most expensive desktop computer from its website. Links that used to go to the top-end machine now redirect to the overall Mac page.

Quietly killing the machine brings an ignominious end to the $6,999 computer that Apple had not updated in years.

Apple is planning a major shift for Siri in iOS 27, opening the voice assistant up to multiple third-party AI services, not just ChatGPT, according to a report published Thursday.

If true, this means iPhone users will be able to route Siri requests to different AI models, such as Google’s Gemini or Anthropic’s Claude, depending on their preference.

Apple’s newly announced AirPods Max 2 are already seeing their first price cut, with some colors of the premium headphones selling for $20 off their $549 retail price just a day after preorders opened.

The modest discount comes as retailers begin competing for early adopters, a familiar pattern for high-end Apple accessories following launch. While the savings are relatively small, there’s no reason to pay more than necessary.

All over the world, Apple enjoys spending its milestone 50th anniversary month in the company of the artists and fans who have made the last five decades extraordinary, the company said recently of its worldwide birthday parties.

The festivities began on March 13 when Grammy Award-winning artist Alicia Keys took to the iconic steps of Apple Grand Central in New York City. Celebrations also rolled in China and South Korea, then London and Sydney, Australia. We’ve added new photos, below. 

March 26, 2010: Apple pays up to settle a trademark dispute with Japanese multinational Fujitsu over the name “iPad” in the United States.

It comes two months after Apple CEO Steve Jobs first showed off the iPad, and around a week before the tablet will land in stores. As it happens, it’s not the first time Apple battled over the name for one of its new products.

Four new companies will join Apple’s American Manufacturing Program (AMP), the iPhone giant said Thursday. It adds them to a growing roster of U.S.-based manufacturing partners as part of its $600 billion, four-year commitment to U.S. manufacturing. 

“At Apple, we believe in the power of American innovation and manufacturing, and we’re proud to partner with even more companies to produce critical components and cutting-edge materials for our products right here in the U.S.,” said CEO Tim Cook.

Samsung has been using a 200MP primary camera on its flagship Galaxy phones for a while now. Apple may supposedly join the list in 2027, as it is reportedly evaluating such a sensor for future use. 

Several upcoming flagship Android phones from Chinese brands due to launch this year will adopt a 200MP primary camera.

The Mac Pro, which Cupertino quietly discontinued Thursday, always occupied a rarefied tier in the Apple universe — a machine for serious professionals, well-heeled enthusiasts and the kind of person who actually needs 96GB of RAM.

Whether it’s the iconic cylindrical “trash can” from 2013, the stainless-steel-handled cheesegraters of the early 2000s, or the current M2 Ultra tower that started at $7,000 and climbed past $12,000 with upgrades, the Mac Pro commands attention wherever it appears. Feast your eyes on the top nine Mac Pro setups from Cult of Mac‘s archives.

CopyElement gives Elementor users more than 4,000 ready-to-use website components and templates. You can copy and paste them into WordPress to quickly and easily build (or upgrade) your site.

It’s a remarkable tool for making your website look exactly how you want. And for a limited time, you can secure lifetime access to CopyElement for just $59.99 (MSRP $599).

With the right scanning app, your iPhone or iPad can scan documents with vivid clarity. There’s no need for a printer-size scanner — you just need your Apple gear. A great example of such an app, iScanner is now on sale for only $22.08 with code MARCH15 (regularly $199.90).

Note: That same code, MARCH15, takes an extra 15% off almost everything in the Cult of Mac Deals store through March 29.

When it released watchOS 26.4 on Tuesday, Apple fixed an annoying recent addition to the Workout app. After you update, you can tap on the big fat workout type icon to start recording a workout quickly and easily.

It’s a small thing, but when you’re dealing with a screen the size of the Apple Watch — and especially when you’re outside in the bright sun, getting ready to jump into a workout — the bigger the tap target, the better.

March 25, 1993: Apple executive Gaston Bastiaens bets a journalist that the eagerly anticipated Newton MessagePad will ship before summer ends. The prize? Bastiaens’ well-stocked personal wine cellar, worth thousands of dollars.

The bet takes place at the CeBit trade show in Hanover, Germany. Bastiaens’ outburst comes in response to a reporter’s needling. The gamble not only gives the Newton a release timetable, but also a price target: less than $1,000.

Apple rolled out what it calls the biggest update to Analytics tool in the App Store Connect app since the tool launched in 2018, according to a new update Wednesday. It gives app developers a significantly more powerful set of instruments to track how their apps and games perform. And, crucially, how well they can make money, the iPhone giant said.

But not everyone’s thrilled with it so far.

If your Mac feels slower or more cluttered than it used to, the Dr.Buho Mac Utility Lifetime Bundle gives you the tools you need to clean, organize and optimize your computer — without digging into the Settings app.

Cult of Mac Deals usually sells this all-in-one Mac utility bundle for a one-time payment of just $29.99 (MSRP $241.96). But with code MARCH15, you can drop the price to just $25.50. BTW, you can use that same discount code to save an additional 15% on many items in the Cult of Mac Deals store through March 29.

Your MacBook will now warn you when you plug in a slow charger. Apple quietly introduced this feature in macOS Tahoe 26.4.

The “Slow Charger” warning can help you quickly identify underpowered adapters that could slow down charging or affect your MacBook’s performance during use.

Apple plans a top-to-bottom revamp of Siri in iOS 27 that turns the beleaguered voice assistant into an AI chatbot at the heart of iPhones, Macs and iPads, according to a new report.

Apple might even launch a standalone Siri app that, like competing apps from ChatGPT and Google Gemini, serves as a central hub for all the user’s interactions with the AI assistant.

Continue reading

iPad aficionados should be excited that John Ternus could someday take over as Apple CEO. As the head of hardware engineering, he’s been a sort of cheerleader for Apple’s tablet, including urging the company to develop new capabilities that push the iPad beyond being just a big iPhone.

If Ternus becomes Apple CEO — he’s apparently the frontrunner for the position — he’d have the authority to ensure the iPad fulfills its enormous potential.

macOS Tahoe 26.4, which Apple released Tuesday, brings several noticeable improvements and changes to the Mac’s operating system. While not a massive overhaul, this is exactly the kind of point update Tahoe needs right now. 

Let’s take a look at what’s new in macOS Tahoe 26.4.

iOS 26.4, which Apple released Tuesday, brings a bunch of great new features to your iPhone.

It adds eight all-new emoji — a couple that I’ll definitely start using often (in addition to a few weird ones, as always). Apple Music also receives several excellent new features, like concert listings coming up in your area, in addition to a refined user interface. And the Apple Podcasts app gets a big video upgrade. 

Those come in addition to tons of other interface tweaks and a fix for a typing bug that has been annoying iPhone users. Here are all the new features you can look forward to in iOS 26.4.

Update: Apple confirmed its plan to sell ads in Apple Maps when it announced the upcoming launch of Apple Business on Tuesday.

“Beginning this summer in the U.S. and Canada, businesses will have a new way to be discovered by using Apple Business to create ads on Maps,” the company said in a press release. “Ads on Maps will appear when users search in Maps, and can appear at the top of a user’s search results based on relevance, as well as at the top of a new Suggested Places experience in Maps, which will display recommendations based on what’s trending nearby, the user’s recent searches, and more. Ads will be clearly marked to ensure transparency for Maps users.”

Apple’s website says ads in Apple Maps are “coming soon.”

Previously: Apple’s getting ready to roll out advertising in its Maps application as part of a broader effort to grow its already substantial services revenue, according to a new report Monday. An announcement about plans to bring ads to Maps could come as early as this month.

Apple is expanding its push into workplace services with the introduction of Apple Business, a new platform designed to give companies a single place to manage devices, communicate with customers, and grow their presence across Apple’s ecosystem.

Announced Tuesday, Apple Business bundles tools that have traditionally been spread across multiple services. The platform includes device management features for iPhones, iPads and Macs, along with business email, customer communication tools, and new ways for companies to appear in apps like Apple Maps.

“Apple Business is a significant leap forward in our decades-long commitment to helping companies of all sizes leverage the power of Apple products and services to run and grow,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of enterprise and education marketing, in a press release. “We’ve unified Apple’s strongest business offerings into one simple, secure platform, delivering key features for organizations in every stage and sector, including built-in device management, collaboration tools, and additional ways to reach new customers.”

March 24, 1997: The Newton MessagePad 2000 brings major upgrades to Apple’s PDA line, including a far better display and a much faster processor.

The best MessagePad yet by a wide margin, it quickly becomes a critical and commercial success. But it won’t be enough to save the doomed product line.