Apple ships the Mac with several built-in apps that are surprisingly feature-rich and fast. But over time, I found myself replacing a handful of them with third-party alternatives that simply did more.
I didn’t make these switches overnight. Each replacement solved a specific problem or added a feature I couldn’t live without. These are the Mac apps and tools I use instead of Apple’s stock apps.
With automatic mail categorization in Apple Mail, you can organize your emails and keep your personal inbox less cluttered. It’ll intelligently put all your newsletters, receipts and promotions into separate folders.
If you struggle keeping up with your inbox, this feature is a great way to make your email easier to understand at a glance.
Keep reading below or watch our quick video.
Apple plans to refresh the base-model MacBook Pro this fall with its new M6 processor, according to numerous rumors. The performance boost should make it more appealing to those who want a macOS laptop with more ports than a MacBook Air, but at a lower price than Pro models with Pro and Max chips.
Here’s what to expect from the first (and possibly only) M6 MacBook Pro.
August 7, 2006: Apple unleashes the first Mac Pro, a high-end desktop computer that completes the company’s transition from PowerPC to Intel processors.
Built for computation-heavy tasks like 3D rendering and professional audio and video editing, the quad-core, 64-bit Mac Pro serves as a replacement for the Power Mac G5 (from which it borrows its aluminum “cheese grater” design).
August 6, 1997: In one of the most famous moments in Apple history, Steve Jobs reveals a $150 million Microsoft investment that saved his company from ruin.
Although often presented as an inexplicable gesture of good faith on the part of Microsoft boss Bill Gates, the cash infusion into Apple actually benefits both companies.
Domain registration looks cheap right up until you’re five projects deep and every name renews in a different month at a rate you never agreed to. Registrars raise those prices whenever they want, and your card gets charged automatically while you’re not looking. But that doesn’t happen with Hostdeal domain names.
Skip that annoyance with this Hostdeal domain names lifetime subscription. It lets you lock down six domains for life with a single payment of just $29.99 (regularly $120).
Charging your iPhone to 100% won’t instantly fry your battery. But regularly keeping it at full charge for hours matters more than you might think.
The real culprit isn’t the charge itself — it’s how long your phone stays plugged in at maximum capacity. Apple’s built-in tools do help, but temperature and charging habits matter even more.
August 5, 1997: Apple gets into a standoff with Power Computing, a maker of Macintosh clones. A very public clash at the Macworld Expo in Boston marks the beginning of the end for Apple’s mid-1990s strategy of licensing the Mac operating system.
“If the [Mac] platform goes closed, it is over,” predicts Power Computing CEO Joel J. Kocher of Apple’s strategy. “[It’s] total destruction. The kiss of death.” Of course, things don’t turn out exactly like that for Apple…
A handful of small but real changes are coming to Apple’s next budget iPhone, with iPhone 18e rumors pointing to a new chip and a RAM configuration nobody expected. None of it amounts to a redesign – this is still a budget phone, just slightly better.
The extra memory is the most interesting shift, but it comes with a catch. Most other specs, including the screen and camera, look set to carry over largely unchanged from the iPhone 17e. Here’s everything reported so far, and how solid each claim actually is.
Apple kept the iPad’s Split View feature alongside the new multitasking stuff in iPadOS 26, despite what you might have read online. And setting it up is as easy as a couple of flicks of your finger.
Here’s how to keep using Split View on your iPad. Apple even made a video that demonstrates what to do.
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The Razer Travel Case Folio is a combination keyboard case/stand created for gamers who need a keyboard while they game on the go with an iPad, Steam Deck or even an iPhone. And it’s also useful when you need to get some work done on your tablet.
Put a Razer Joro or an Apple Magic Keyboard into the folio, then deploy its built-in kickstand and it’s ready to prop up your tablet, gaming handheld, etc. for fun or productivity.
I tested the new accessory with my mobile setup. Here’s what I found.
August 4, 2008: In an internal memo, Apple CEO Steve Jobs owns up to mistakes in launching MobileMe. He spins the company’s bungled cloud service rollout as a learning opportunity.
“It was a mistake to launch MobileMe at the same time as iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store,” Jobs writes in an email to Apple employees. “We all had more than enough to do, and MobileMe could have been delayed without consequence.”
If you want to know the fastest and easiest way to send someone photos, videos, files and so, so much more, you should know how to AirDrop. There’s no need to send an iMessage — Apple’s slick AirDrop feature will immediately send and open the content on someone else’s iPhone (or other Apple device). There’s no middle step.
AirDrop works iPhone-to-iPhone, iPhone-to-Mac, iPhone-to-iPad, Vision Pro-to-Mac — any combination and permutation of two Apple devices. And, if your friend has a Google Pixel 10, you can AirDrop with them, too!
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about how to take advantage of AirDrop.
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When fraudsters targeted an elderly relative of mine last year, they scammed her out of thousands of dollars. We tried to stop them, without much success. But then we scrubbed her personal data from the internet using a service called Incogni.
Surprisingly, using this affordable data removal service made all the difference. Here’s how I stopped my relative from getting scammed.
August 3, 2009: Google CEO Eric Schmidt resigns from Apple’s board of directors amidst increasing competition between the two companies.
The root of the problem? The growing feud over Android’s encroachment on iOS as the two smartphone platforms battle for dominance.
★★★★☆
The Chargeasap Miko solves the biggest problem with tiny iPhone chargers: remembering to carry them in the first place.
Chargeasap calls it the world’s smallest 30W GaN charger, but the device’s dimunitive size isn’t its only strong point. The Miko packs several thoughtful design touches that help it stand out from the competition. Here’s how the tiny charger performs in real life.
August 2, 1993: Apple launches the Newton MessagePad, the first product in the company’s line of handheld personal digital assistants. While it will become the most unfairly maligned product in Apple history, the Newton is a revolutionary device.
It predates Apple’s push toward app-based mobile devices 14 years later with the iPhone. And, while often dismissed as a failure, the Newton ranks near the top of the list of Apple’s most influential creations.
Apple’s smallest desktop could get an unusual processor upgrade this fall. The 2026 Mac mini is reportedly moving to the basic M6 processor, but not the M6 Pro as would be expected.
Here’s everything the rumor mill says about Apple’s next Mac mini.
August 1, 1989: Apple gives the Macintosh SE a storage bump, courtesy of the new SuperDrive in the new Mac SE FDHD. The high-density floppy disks the SuperDrive uses offer an astonishing (for the time) 1.4MB of storage.
In terms of portable storage, it’s a big step up for most Mac owners. The HD floppy disks compare very favorably to the 400KB single-sided double-density (SSDD) disks and 800KB double-sided double-density (DDSD) disks in use at the time.
After using Macs for years, I’ve come across several macOS features that most people overlook or quickly dismiss. But these incredibly useful Mac features have become an integral part of my daily workflow. They help me manage files, navigate my Mac more efficiently, breeze through repetitive text and more.
Even if you have been using macOS for years, chances are you are not using all of its features. And these should become part of your Mac repertoire.
Traveling is a lot easier if you can keep track of your stuff with AirTags in your luggage. Placing one in your bag lets you make sure it’s with you all the way along your journey. And if the worst happens, an AirTag can help you quickly find a lost item.
Read on for my tips on traveling with AirTags.
July 31, 2012: The Daily, the world’s first iPad-only newspaper, lays off almost a third of its staff, signaling the demise of a bold publishing experiment.
The deep cuts — The Daily fires 50 of its 170 employees — affect mainly sports and editorial page staffers, although some production and design employees get the ax, too. The ominous move comes as News Corp places the iPad app “on watch” due to disappointing readership numbers.
iPadOS 27 continues Apple’s commitment to improving the iPad’s software. This time, another feature from macOS finds its way to Apple’s tablets, making them easier to use. And I love it.
Last year, Apple brought the macOS menu bar over to iPad. This year, iPadOS 27 makes it genuinely useful. It’s changed the way I use my iPad.
July 30, 1979: Apple engineers begin work on the Lisa computer, the company’s first machine to come with a graphical user interface and mouse.
Incorporating technology that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs saw at Xerox PARC, the Lisa looks like a surefire hit. Things don’t turn out exactly like that, however.
★★★★☆
I have a case for my iPhone, a power bank, a wireless charger … plenty of other accessories. But when I heard about one gizmo, I literally laughed out loud. The idea was so ridiculous that I had to get it so I could relentlessly mock it on Cult of Mac.
The joke’s on me: Turns out I love it.
What is it? A USB-C fan. Sounds stupid, right? All it does is blow cool air in my face while I use my iPhone or iPad, but now I use it all the time. Here’s why.