Cult of Mac

November 8, 1984: After initial Mac sales prove disappointing, Apple CEO John Sculley dreams up the “Test Drive a Macintosh” marketing campaign to encourage people to give the revolutionary new computer a chance.

The promotional strategy advises people to drop into their local retailer and “borrow” a Macintosh for 24 hours. The idea is that, by the time potential customers need to return the Mac, they will have built up a bond with it — and realized they can’t live without one of Apple’s computers.

While 200,000 would-be customers take advantage of the offer, Apple dealers absolutely hate it.

The latest Windows 12 rumors indicate Microsoft won’t release its next big operating system update until late 2025. Rather than waiting for that to arrive, you can update your PC now the quick and easy way. Just buy a Windows 11 CD key on sale during CdkeySales’ Black Friday Sale.

During the sale, you can get great deals on upgrade-ready Microsoft productivity software like Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft Office. In fact, the CdkeySales Black Friday Sale slashes some prices by up to 91%. Savings include Windows 10 Pro for just $17.05 — with a free upgrade to Windows 11 Pro!

You can be excused if you don’t know off the top of your head how many external displays your MacBook supports. The number varies by model, processor version, and even whether the laptop is open or closed. Still, there’s a good chance it’s more than you think.

Now that notebooks with the new M4 family of processors are available, here’s an updated guide to how many external screens you can attach to your MacBook.

Need to power up your iPhone, MacBook Pro, Apple Watch, AirPods and more, all at once? You need a powerful charger with plenty of ports. And right now, we’ve got an amazing deal on a 220W GaN charging station with seven ports (five USB-C and two USB-A).

It’s great for home but small enough for travel, and it’s on sale for just $32.99.

Apple’s newest M4-equipped Macs — iMac, MacBook Pro and the redesigned Mac mini — reached store shelves Friday. Customers who placed preorders for delivery should receive their new computers today, too.

Apple announced its new Macs in the last week of October through press releases.

Want a capable Apple laptop at a super-affordable price? This sale from Cult of Mac Deals means you can land a refurbished M1 MacBook Air for only $514.99, just in time to tackle this year’s schoolwork.

That’s a crazy-good price. Apple’s refurbished store sells a similar model for $240 more!

Some early reviews of the M4 iMac touch on how much more colorful the new version of the desktop is. But other reviewers had more to say about the performance boost from the Apple M4 processor.

Read on for a range of thoughts from reviewers on the 2024 iMac with M4.

The smart home industry’s universal technology standard, Matter, will get a significant update that could make it easier for Apple users to integrate non-Apple devices into their smart home setups, according to a new report. The new Matter 1.4 update introduces several key improvements, some long-awaited — including enhanced multi-admin capabilities and expanded device support.

AirPods come with no obvious controls, so it’s easy to think you just stick them in your ears and start listening. But Apple’s wireless earbuds offer features that aren’t immediately obvious. We recently published six hidden tips and tricks for AirPods. Now here are a few more you might not know.

The latest group covers how to easily control your AirPods, how to find a lost one, and a simple way to extend their battery life.

Apple’s latest M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro refresh brings significant improvements to its professional laptop line, with reviewers praising the upgraded base model and impressive performance gains across the board. Here’s what the top tech publications are saying about the 2024 MacBook Pro with M4 chips.

“All the things that have made Apple silicon-based MacBook Pros great are still here, now powered by the impressively upgraded M4 chip,” noted Jason Snell on the Six Colors blog. “Apple has also sufficiently improved the base model to finally elevate it out of ‘Why does this exist?’ territory, boosted the device’s world-class display and seriously upgraded the built-in webcam. Not bad for a small update.”

If there were concerns that Apple overstepped by shrinking the 2024 Mac mini while also dropping in a super-fast processor, lay them to rest. Early M4 Mac mini reviews praise the redesign and rave about the performance boost that comes from Apple’s latest processors.

Here’s a roundup of comments on the tiny new macOS desktop.

November 7, 1997: Apple releases the Newton MessagePad 2100, the last and best iteration of the company’s early line of handheld devices.

Among its improvements over previous generations, the MessagePad 2100 packs expanded memory, enhanced speed and upgraded communications software. Nevertheless, the Newton’s fate is sealed. Apple CEO Steve Jobs, freshly returned to the company, will scrap the product line within months.

Concept designer Antonio De Rosa issued a slick new set of designs Thursday for what he’s calling “17 Pro Max: Thinnovation,” despite Apple’s legal department getting in his face a while back over some of his concepts looking “too real.” For the new one, he left out the word “iPhone” and used AI to help avoid copyright infringement, he said. And his passion for the work — and for Apple — outweighed his fear of retribution.

“Call me a fanboy, but I love these products and even the illusion to ‘work’ for any of those,” De Rosa told Cult of Mac. “It makes me feel happy. Maybe I can save them some headaches looking at my works; they could say ‘Naaa, this is ugly, let’s pass on [it].’ Who knows, maybe I’m helping to have less ugly phones.”

The predictions of a MacBook Air in 2027 could turn out to be optimistic, according to sources in the screen panel industry. Prices for the OLED display are high, and there’s reason to question demand for the new type of screen.

An OLED MacBook Pro is expected sooner, however.

As companies race to prevent data breaches and system vulnerabilities, aspiring cybersecurity experts need comprehensive training that covers a wide range of tools and techniques. It’s hard to learn hacking on your own, but the 2024 All-in-One Ethical Hacking Course Bundle will get you up to speed and prepare you for high-paying jobs.

Take these courses, and you will gain the practical skills you need for cybersecurity jobs. You’ll learn all about ethical hacking and receive the knowledge you need to land prestigious certifications. While it’s on sale, this bundle costs just $44.99 (regularly $719).

Despite nearing its first anniversary, the iPhone 15 was the world’s highest-selling smartphone in Q3 2024. The iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro occupied the second and third positions, respectively.

In total, four iPhones were among the best-selling smartphones in Q3 2024.

Apple reportedly will switch its servers that power Apple Intelligence to M4 chips next year. Currently, these servers use the M2 Ultra, the same chip found inside the Mac Pro and Mac Studio.

Apple is also reportedly in talks with Foxconn to manufacture AI servers to enhance the company’s AI processing capabilities.

Your walls might not be the color you think they are, even if you’re the one who painted them (and you still have the paint can in the garage). An RGB color sensor like the Nix Mini 3 can help you match the paint on your walls — or any color you see in real life.

The sad fact is, colors fade, especially if they’re exposed to sunlight. And it can be a real hassle when you need to patch a hole or cover a blemish. The classic paint swatch method proves time-consuming and puts a lot of pressure on you being able to compare the colors on two different types of material.

A modern solution is to use a smart RGB color sensor like the Nix Mini 3. This compact color sensor can identify colors on most surfaces, and right now you can get one for $79.99 (regularly $97).

In a market where premium displays often command premium prices, Asus just made waves with its new ProArt Display PA27JCV, launching at an eye-catching $799 price point. The 27-inch 5K monitor aims to challenge the status quo of high-end displays. But Mac users should weigh its advantages against its limitations.

“Build quality is what you’d expect; it’s plastic, it creaks and wobbles, but the panel is super bright and crisp,” said Cult of Mac writer D. Griffin Jones, who acquired the monitor and plans to review it soon.

Impressive screen at a low price

Asus ProArt PA27JCV 5K 27-inch display

$799.00

Pros:

• 5K Retina resolution
• Big 27-inch display
• Bright, vivid colors with P3 wide color

Cons:

• Creaky plastic body
• No built-in camera or speakers
• 60 Hz refresh rate

Buy from Amazon

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

01/03/2025 05:58 pm GMT

Mac keyboard shortcuts are a great way to speed yourself up when you’re using your computer. Mastering them means more time spent getting things done and less time spent moving your hands back and forth between keyboard and trackpad.

There are the basic Mac keyboard shortcuts like Command-C and Command-V for copy and paste; Command-B, Command-I and Command-U for bold, italics and underline; Command-Z and Shift-Command-Z for undo and redo. But for a lot of people, that’s where their knowledge ends.

You can do so much more than you may know. Here’s a guide to the best Mac keyboard shortcuts.

These days, folks who use their computer setups to work on media, especially video, tend to rely on some sort of studio controller to streamline workflow. Today’s MacBook Pro user and YouTube video maker takes advantage of one of the top products out there, Elgato Stream Deck. Now the company is on its newer MK.2 edition. The device gives you 15 customizable keys to control all sort of actions in your workflow, including launching apps, posting to social media, adjusting lights and audio, and more.

November 6, 2003: After porting iTunes to Windows, Apple sets a new record for digital music sales: a massive 1.5 million downloads in one week.

Bringing iTunes to PC users opens up a new, lucrative market for Apple. The record-breaking sales clock in at five times more than the 300,000 downloads that file-sharing service Napster (remember it?) achieved in its debut week. And 1.5 million is double the 600,000 iTunes downloads per week Apple reported selling to Mac users prior to the Windows release.

High-end and midrange iPads can make full use of an external display. Anyone who uses a second screen for their iPad needs to know how to tell iPadOS where the external display is positioned: left, right or above the tablet. However, it’s not that simple to find the setting that lets you adjust your iPad display arrangement.

Apple buried the necessary setting. Here’s how to find it.

Apple gave its MacBook Pro lineup an M4-focused refresh last week. From the outside, the new laptops might look the same as their M3 predecessors, but that’s not the case.

Look closely, and you’ll notice the M4 MacBook Pros come with subtle yet important upgrades. Read below to learn everything that’s changed between the M4 and M3 MacBook Pro family.

For anyone who works with PDFs regularly, AI-powered PDF editor Afirstsoft PDF might be the secret weapon you need. This tool brings AI right into your PDF management, and you can score lifetime access at a one-time price.

If you’re tired of digging through pages of dense content just to find the info you need, Afirstsoft PDF can save you serious time. Get lifetime access for just $49.99 (regularly $179).