Michael Burkhardt

In 2020, Apple surprised a lot of people by re-entering a neglected segment of the smartphone market: small phones. With iPhone 12 mini, Apple did something fairly special, by squeezing all of the same technologies of the iPhone 12 into a 5.4-inch form factor. Unfortunately, it didn’t live for too long, but thanks to a recent lineup change, a new window might’ve opened for its resurgence.

MacBooks are great computers, but there’s a number of different varieties to think about. Between last gen hardware and all of the current models available now, it can feel like there’s a lot of options. Today, we’ll be breaking down which MacBook is right for you, depending on your budget and what you need it for.

At next week’s ‘Awe Dropping’ Apple Event, Apple will release the iPhone 17 lineup. One of the most noteworthy models this year will be an entirely new one: the iPhone 17 Air. It’s going to be an ultra-thin iPhone, and it’s set to replace the iPhone 16 Plus entirely. That being said, will this third attempt at making a fourth iPhone model actually pan out this time?

As a techie, it’s easy to get caught up in the trap of buying the most expensive devices with the most features. And, for the most part, it’s still a problem. That said, I recently made the decision to switch to Apple’s cheapest iPad, the budget model with an A16 chip. I’m pleasantly surprised with how incredibly useful it truly is – while costing less than a third of an iPad Pro.

Apple is reportedly launching its own AI smart glasses next year, per a Bloomberg report. While Apple is very much so late to the category, I do think there are a number of great value adds Apple could bring to the table – which I’ll be outlining here.

A while ago, Apple used to include a software feature with macOS on older iMac models. It was called Target Display Mode, and it allowed you to turn an iMac into an external display once your iMac was too dated to be a usable computer. The company got rid of it with the introduction of the 5K iMac due to technical limitations at the time – though said limitations no longer pose a challenge.

There have been a plethora of varying rumors for Apple’s next generation spatial computer. Is Apple prioritizing a cheaper model, or going all out with a second generation Pro model? We’ll summarize all of the Vision headset rumors here today.

Apple is likely going to introduce a new Apple Watch SE at its Awe Dropping event in just over a week. While we’ve been referring to this device as Apple Watch SE 3 for quite some time now, we’re yet to ask: will it actually be called that?

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

If you’re someone who invests, things can easily become messy, and you can end up with a wide variety of brokerage accounts for varying purposes. Profit makes tracking everything a whole lot easier, bringing everything together in one cohesive and beautifully designed interface for iOS and macOS. It doesn’t require account syncing, and runs entirely privately.

A few years ago, Apple used to have a much simpler iPad keyboard lineup. It just offered a Smart Keyboard for each of their iPad models, and they all essentially served as the same product. Nowadays, after the introduction of trackpad support in iPadOS and the Magic Keyboard, everything is unnecessarily convoluted – with each iPad model having a slightly different Magic Keyboard and varying features.

While the keyboard lineup is a mess, that’s not what I take issue with right now – it’s the fact that we’ve lost the Smart Keyboard Folio, which in hindsight was an incredible offering.

Last October, Apple announced the M4 MacBook Pro. On the surface, it looks like yet another MacBook Pro spec bump. However, there are a number of key features that make it worth upgrading to, even if you already have an older 14″ MacBook Pro.

Apple has three standalone Mac desktops – the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Mac Pro isn’t exactly worth talking about, so we’ll focus on the former two.

While these computers are typically priced quite far apart ($599 vs $1999), the Mac Studio is a bit older – and Amazon has an incredible deal on the one generation old M2 Max model. We’ll be comparing the two, and showing you which computer is the best bang for your buck at this price point.

Apple has long offered a refurbished store on its website, where it sells recent generation products at a pretty sizable discount. Unlike other refurbished offerings, Apple guarantees a replaced outer shell, battery, and glass – ensuring no wear and tear. You also get a 1 year Apple warranty and the ability to add AppleCare if you’d like.

That sounds great, but is it actually worth it? Well, it depends. We’ll be delving into Apple refurbished listings, and comparing it to other offerings on the market.

School is about to start back up for a lot of people, and with how integral technology is to the classroom, having a good computer is always important. If you’re looking to pick up a new Apple device for school or college, I’ll be going over the best picks right here.

AirPods Max have had a bit of a disappointing history. After much anticipation, they finally released at the tail end of 2020. Some fans were disappointed with the high price tag and rather heavy aluminum and steel design, and have been looking forward to a revamp ever since.

Despite being refreshed last year, it was merely just a USB-C port swap and new colors. The headphones still lack in features compared to Apple’s newer AirPods Pro 2, and that likely won’t be changing.

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Most people want to eat healthier, but knowing where to start can always be a challenge. Grano aims to bridge that gap, by allowing you to easily scan barcodes of foods you’re buying, and creating a unique scoring system based on your dietary goals – allowing you to find the foods you need, before you even purchase them.

Last month, we heard some news from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo about Apple entering a new segment of the laptop market. The company is reportedly working on a new MacBook at a lower starting price point than the MacBook Air, and it’ll apparently pack the A18 Pro chip found in iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

While a cheaper MacBook is certainly a welcome add, the question truly stands: will Apple do it properly, or will it serve as another decoy model?

The iPad Air hasn’t been a particularly interesting product for a number of years. Apple redesigned it in 2020 with the fourth generation model, and since then – it’s just been spec bumps and small feature upgrades. However, I think the next refresh could be a great opportunity to introduce a large feature upgrade: Face ID.