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608 'MacBook' stories December 2010 - November 2015
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Originally released April 10, 2015 and last refreshed April 19, 2016, the all-new MacBook ($1,299 and up from the Apple Store) is the thinnest and lightest Mac laptop ever made. It’s also the first MacBook to be offered in four color options: classic silver, space gray, gold and rose gold.

Currently offered only with a 12″ screen, it represents the future of Apple laptops. Following a refresh in April 2016, it now includes a 2304×1440 (226ppi) Retina display, 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of SSD storage, coupled with ultra-low-power Intel Core M processors. The base model includes a 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M chip with an Intel HD Graphics 515 GPU; and upgraded models offer to 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m5 or 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core m7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz.

With a redesigned chassis that’s only slightly wider than the keyboard, the new MacBook’s 0.14″–0.52″ thickness was achieved in part by dropping all external connectivity ports save for a 3.5mm headphone port and a new reversible USB-C port, which can be used for power, data connectivity, and video output. Most of the MacBook’s connectivity is handled wirelessly with 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4 support. It promises 9-10 hours of battery life depending on how the computer is being used.

A redesigned Force Touch trackpad now can sense multiple levels of pressure rather than just one, using four pressure sensors and a haptic feedback pad to replicate the clickiness of a traditional trackpad. Additionally, the keyboard has been completely redesigned to retain the expected clicks, precision, and travel of conventional keys, while cutting their depth and width to fit the chassis. An ultra-thin top lid has only enough depth for a 640×480 FaceTime camera, a compromise for the smaller size.

Just like the first-generation MacBook Air, the new MacBook is aimed at users whose computing needs don’t demand incredible horsepower, yet benefit from a slim, light chassis with a really nice screen. Though you’ll do better in raw dollar terms and power by buying a comparably priced 13″ Retina MacBook Pro, you’ll have nearly twice the weight to carry around (2.03 pounds versus 3.48 pounds) and a larger footprint to manage. The choice of which is best for your needs will be highly personal.

Current Lineup:

  • MacBook (12-inch, Early 2016)

Related Guides:

 

Poll: Will iPad Pro replace your MacBook?

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 11 2015 - 8:58 am PT
38 Comments

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Will iPad Pro replace your MacBook? With the iPad Pro officially going on sale today, there is lots of discussion about what this means for the iPad category. Can it be a true Microsoft Surface competitor? Does the addition of official keyboard and stylus companion accessories from Apple mean the company has finally changed its stance on so-called hybrid laptop/tablet devices?

While the majority of reviews praised the bigger form factor, pen input with the new Apple Pencil, and benchmarks on par with some MacBook models, many reviewers pointed out iOS as the limiting factor in making the iPad Pro a PC replacement or hybrid competitor. But does it need to be?

Apple’s marketing message for the new iPad Pro is unmistakably clear. The company is romancing pro users (like Disney and Pixar animators) for the launch of the new device with most of its ads and marketing material focusing on content creation possibilities with the larger display and new Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. And companies like Adobe are taking full advantage by making sure there is a lot of pro software available at launch. 

But how will YOU be using the new iPad Pro? Will you attempt to replace your MacBook or other device in one way or another? Or will the larger iPad Pro simply complement your current lineup of devices and add new possibilities to your workflow? That’s the question we’re asking in today’s poll, and we’ll be continuing the discussion in the comments below. 
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Opinion: The humble MacBook Air is a secret workhorse

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Nov 11 2015 - 6:57 am PT
25 Comments

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I’ve long recommended the MacBook Air to friends who want something a little more capable than an iPad but don’t need their machine to do any heavy lifting. But recent experience has now led me to go rather further …

I’ve written at length about why I’m doggedly sticking to my four-year-old 17-inch MacBook Pro as my main machine. The tl;dr version is that I really like working on a large screen, and I also like having all my files on board when travelling – something I can do because I upgraded it to 2 x 1TB SSDs.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that it fell victim to the GPU problem that has afflicted a number of 2011-2013 MacBook Pros. The first symptoms were everything slowing to a crawl when connected to my 27-inch Thunderbolt display, followed by random crashes and then the characteristic graphics distortion that confirmed the logic board as the culprit.

The good news was that Apple would fix it free of charge under its Repair Extension Program. The bad news was that it would take a week, during which time my second Mac – a Mid 2013 11-inch MacBook Air usually used exclusively as a mobile writing device – would have to take over all its duties. I wondered how well it would cope … 
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Opinion: Why I hate cables but don’t have wireless charging on my iPhone 7 hit list

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Nov 9 2015 - 7:39 am PT
41 Comments

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When I wrote last week’s opinion piece on five hardware lessons Apple could learn from Android manufacturers, a few of you wondered why I hadn’t added wireless charging to the list.

Those who know me might be especially surprised. I hate cables, and indeed went to the trouble of having a bespoke desk made so that cables could be rendered almost invisible. I’ve also been known to favor hi-tech approaches over low-tech ones just because I’m a gadget guy, so why wasn’t I calling on Apple to introduce wireless charging … ? 
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These Mac, iPod, & Beats products are losing Apple repair support, moving to ‘obsolete’ status in December

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Oct 30 2015 - 3:17 pm PT
8 Comments

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As it does regularly with older products, Apple is about to move a bunch of Macs, iPods, and accessories to obsolete status, meaning the products will no longer be eligible for service or repair support through Apple retail stores or authorized third-party channels. So if you happen to have one of these products and need a hardware repair of some kind, you’ll have until early December to do so at an Apple Store or authorized service provider. 

The Macs getting the axe this time around include:
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9to5Toys Last Call: 12″ Retina MacBook $1,099, Portable 3TB HDD $100, Logitech Bluetooth Keyboard $20, more

Avatar for Oct 29 2015 - 9:11 am PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

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App Store Free App of the Week: rop mind-bending puzzle game ($1 value)

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12-inch MacBook w/ Retina display 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB: $1,099 shipped (Reg. $1,299)

13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB: $1,280 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

toshiba-canvio-connect-ii-3tb-external-usb-3-02-0-portable-hard-drive-blackToshiba Canvio Connect II 3TB Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drive $100 shipped (Orig. $170)

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Logitech K480 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard (refurb) $20 shipped (Orig. $50)

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PSA: Best Buy and others launch new Apple TV pre-orders, offer potential savings

The best accessories for the new Apple TV: MFi game controllers, keyboards, cables, more

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Target ad leak reveals planned Apple Watch discount for iPhone purchasers

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Giveaway: Polk Audio’s Omni Whole Home Music System – Soundbar w/ subwoofer and S2 Speaker ($880 value)

More new gear from today:

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Adobe Photoshop Elements 14 (Mac/PC) is on sale for Prime members: $40 shipped (Reg. $70+)

More deals still alive:

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Monoprice 15% off sitewide: MFi certified Lightning cables as low as $4, more

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A Dark Room — the best-selling iPhone/iPad RPG is now available for free (Reg. $1)

New products & more:

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The Altwork Station cures the standing desk blues with its reclining design

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Can a $99 Windows PC that connects to your iPad be any good?

Satechi’s new compact USB-C hub adds 3 USB ports + SD card slots to single-port MacBooks

Avatar for Zac Hall Oct 28 2015 - 12:17 pm PT
17 Comments

Satechi USB C hub

Update: Reviewed here.

We’ve already seen several crowdfunding campaigns for USB-C hubs to expand the capability of Apple’s 12-inch Retina MacBook, which features a single USB-C port for connecting accessories, and Satechi is joining the scene with its own USB-C hub available now.

Available in three color-matching aluminum finishes that fit Apple’s gold, silver, and space gray MacBooks, Satechi’s Type-C hub adds three USB 3.0 ports plus two SD card slots, both standard and Micro, to the USB-C-only Retina MacBook. This allows you to use standard USB cables and accessories like flash drives simultaneously with a single adapter. Satechi highlights its hub’s portable size, which appears to minimally extend the edge of the laptop with similar dimensions to an extra column of keys. 
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Apple now performing free repairs for ‘Staingate’ Retina MacBook screens with anti-reflective coating issues

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Oct 19 2015 - 2:36 am PT
28 Comments

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Earlier in the year, a small-but-not-insignificant number of Apple customers complained about screen issues with their new Retina MacBooks and Retina MacBook Pros, specifically cases where the anti-reflective display coating leaves marks and stains on the screen, ranging from small corner blobs to large patches.

Several months later, Apple seems to have acknowledged the issue and launched a Quality Program to replace affected users’  hardware. The Staingate Facebook page now includes many reports of people successfully sending their MacBooks in for repair at Apple Stores. The existence of the program was first reported by MacRumors.


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Pixelmator for OS X updated with Photos app extension, Split View support and San Francisco UI

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Oct 15 2015 - 5:17 am PT
6 Comments

3. Pixelmator Photos Extension Retouching

Following the corresponding update to Pixelmator for iOS 9, the company has released the latest version of Pixelmator for the Mac ($29.99) with full support for El Capitan. This includes compatibility with changes to the OS as well as an overhaul in the Pixelmator user interface to feature San Fransisco, Apple’s new system font. The update, version 3.4, also includes official full-screen Split View support on El Capitan, so users can dock Pixelmator next to any other app on the system filling the display.

Perhaps most interestingly, the app now includes a Photos.app editing extension …


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Apple increases Mac prices in Malaysia, Norway, Brazil and New Zealand

Avatar for Chance Miller Oct 14 2015 - 8:24 pm PT
21 Comments

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Update: Apple has also increased the price of Macs in Australia by AUD $80-$200, depending on the model. Mexico and Thailand have seen similar price increases, as well.

The same week as it increased the price of apps in Australia, Indonesia and Sweden, Apple today has raised the prices of its Mac line in a handful of countries. The company has increased the prices of its MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, and Mac mini in Brazil, Norway, New Zealand, and Malaysia to account for the fluctuation of foreign currency against the United States dollar.


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9to5Toys Last Call: Apple Watch leather band $10, Shadowmatic for iOS free, Samsung 500GB SSD $150, more

Avatar for Oct 14 2015 - 9:14 am PT
2 Comments

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

retinaimac5k4k

Apple’s new 4K & 5K iMacs already seeing the first price cuts and tax-free options

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Cost-Effective Apple Watch Bands: Aukey 42mm Leather $10 Prime shipped (Reg. $20), more

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Apple is dishing out free downloads of the award-winning puzzle game Shadowmatic

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Storage: Samsung 500GB 2.5-inch Internal SSD $150 (Reg. $170), WD My Passport 2TB USB 3.0 Portable HDD $70 (Reg. $85)

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Apple Watch 42mm Stainless Steel Case w/ Black Sport Band: $520 shipped (Orig. $599)

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Apple 12-inch MacBook 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB from $1,190 or $1,150 w/ .edu (Reg. $1,299), more

13″ Retina MacBook Pro (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB: $1,280 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

More new gear from today:

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Games/Apps: NHL 16 (all platforms) $40, Until Dawn $40, Drop the Chicken free, more iOS freebies

More deals still alive:

Camabond 10ft Nylon Braided MFi Apple Certified Lightning Cables $11 Prime shipped, more

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1Password secure password manager for Mac: $30 (Reg. $50)

App Store Free App of the Week: Wake Alarm Clock ($4 value)

The Executive for iOS goes free for the first time as IGN’s Game of the Month ($5 value)

Tweetbot for Mac drops to $10 (Reg. $13)

New products & more:

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This is the Apple TV remote that Cupertino should’ve made…

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The BLOCKS modular smartwatch has flown past its Kickstarter goal in a just a few hours

Apple finally granted 2007 patent on Touch ID sensor in Macs (with hilariously old image)

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Oct 13 2015 - 6:06 am PT
14 Comments

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While Apple may have waited for the iPhone 5s before it introduced Touch ID, it’s been working on the technology since shortly after the launch of the original iPhone. A patent first filed in 2007 was finally granted today, and includes the use of a fingerprint sensor in laptops – though the drawing Apple used to illustrate the concept seemingly dates back even further than 2007!

A finger sensing apparatus may include a finger sensor including an integrated circuit (IC) substrate, an array of finger sensing elements on the IC substrate, and match circuitry on the IC substrate for performing final finger matching. […] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device in the form of a laptop computer including a finger sensor and enhanced security in accordance with the present invention.

The patent also covers use in desktop computers, aka the iMac today, embedding the sensor into the keyboard … 
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9to5Toys Lunch Break: iTunes Gift Cards 20% off, 12-inch MacBook from $1,150, 1Password for Mac $30, more

Avatar for Trevor Daugherty Oct 12 2015 - 9:14 am PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

apple-watch

itunes-gift-card-discount

iTunes Gift Cards 20% off w/ email delivery via PayPal: $100 for $80, $50 for $40, $25 for $20

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Apple 12-inch MacBook 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB from $1,190 or $1,150 w/ .edu (Reg. $1,299), more

13″ Retina MacBook Pro (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB: $1,280 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

1password-sale-01

1Password secure password manager for Mac: $30 (Reg. $50)

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Daily Deals: Microsoft Universal Mobile Keyboard $40, Lifeproof FRĒ Power Waterproof Battery Case for iPhone 6 $100, more

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App Store Free App of the Week: Wake Alarm Clock ($4 value)

The Executive for iOS goes free for the first time as IGN’s Game of the Month ($5 value)

More new gear from today:

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Amazon Gold Box – Crucial & Lexar storage up to 65% off: Solid-State Drives 1TB $270, 500GB $140, 250GB $64, more

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/653579389062512640 align=’center’]

More deals still alive:

 

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USB-C roundup: Aukey 3-Port USB Hub w/ Gigabit Ethernet $17, Aukey USB Adapter $7, more

New products & more:

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The new Light digital camera uses 16 lenses (!!!) to craft the perfect picture

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This clothes-folding washing machine brings first-world laziness to defcon zero

Twelve South’s new BookArc for MacBook sports chamfered edges, fits all current MacBooks

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz Oct 7 2015 - 8:54 am PT
4 Comments

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Twelve South’s family of BookArc stands for MacBooks are perhaps its best-known products, having debuted alongside the company back in 2009. Today, BookArc received a substantial redesign in the form of BookArc for MacBook ($50), which now is sized to properly support every current-generation MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro from 11.6″ to 15″. Interchangeable silicone inserts promise that the new BookArc “will be the perfect home for your current (and future) MacBook for years to come.”

The new BookArc is made from bead-blasted silver aluminum that matches the looks of most MacBooks, with a polished chamfered edge mimicking the design cue Apple introduced in iPhones, iPads, and iPods. While the “arc” shape remains the same as before, cradling the bottom of your MacBook, the cable pass-throughs have been shrunk and flattened. BookArc for MacBook is available now, and the wooden version BookArc Mod will continue to be sold for a $10 premium, while the MacBook Air-specific BookArc sells for $10 less.

Updated: We’ve just added hands-on impressions below…


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Apple releases OS X El Capitan, featuring full-screen Split View, new Notes, revamped Spotlight Search, Safari 9 and more

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Sep 30 2015 - 10:41 am PT
75 Comments

Screen Shot 2015-09-30 at 12.24.07

Apple has officially released OS X El Capitan for the Mac, adding some new improvements as well as bringing parity with changes in iOS 9, released two weeks ago. OS X El Capitan (version 10.11), can be installed on any Mac that runs OS X Yosemite: simply download the free update from the Mac App Store. The release does not feature anything radically new — like the major visual overhaul that came last year — but there are new features as well as a strong focus on overall performance and stability improvements.

Here’s what’s new in Apple’s latest version of the Mac operating system …


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Does this ultra-lightweight, gold-colored, wedge-shaped laptop design look familiar to anyone?

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Sep 29 2015 - 7:28 am PT
14 Comments

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LG has just announced an innovative new ultrabook. The LG Gram weighs a touch over two pounds, is available in a champagne gold color, has a wedge-shaped profile and is equipped with a black chiclet keyboard.

LG has a long history of developing innovative consumer electronics products and has applied that expertise, along with its laptop success in other markets, to the LG gram series in the U.S.,” said David VanderWaal, vice president of marketing, LG Electronics USA.

It does, though, come up a little short in the OS department: it runs Windows.

Such innovation does, of course, have a long history.

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Make your MacBook chime like an iPhone when you plug it in to charge

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Sep 7 2015 - 6:05 am PT
14 Comments

iOS 7 battery charging dead

The iPhone and iPad have made a cute little chime noise when plugged it into charge since their inception, but the Mac has no such noise as it uses the MagSafe light indicators to show charging status. This changed with the new 12-inch Retina MacBook which doesn’t have MagSafe so it uses the iOS chime sound to indicate charging. By default, this noise is simply disabled for other Macs …


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Apple applies for patent for fuel cell system that could power a MacBook “for days or even weeks”

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Sep 3 2015 - 8:17 am PT
7 Comments

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has today published a patent application from Apple for a fuel cell system designed to allow a MacBook to operate without external power “for days or even weeks.” The patent was published shortly after a British company rumored to be working with Apple managed to fit a fuel cell battery into an iPhone 6, powering it for a week at a time. We first reported on that project last summer.

While the patent refers only to a ‘portable computing device,’ both the text and diagrams specifically reference MagSafe, giving a clear indication that a MacBook is the device in question (even if Apple may be moving away from the system) … 
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Apple stock opens below $100 as whole market suffers losses over China growth doubts

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Aug 24 2015 - 7:08 am PT
6 Comments

Screen Shot 2015-08-24 at 14.59.19

$AAPL stock has opened below $100 in the first minutes of trading, erasing any gains since October 2014. Apple’s stock officially opened at $95.12 but has corrected slightly upwards since to circa $101. The fall in share price saw Apple’s market capitalization lose about $60 billion dollars in value today. Although any fall in price is bad news for the company, the 7% fall should not be taken at face value.

The whole market is down with losses across the board: the S&P saw a 5% overall fall — the largest one-day drop for four years. Technology stocks are being affected as much as any other sector. Twitter, Alibaba, Tesla and Netflix all saw falls in the double digits.


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Boot Camp now supports 64-bit Windows 10 on a wide range of Macs dating back to 2012

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Aug 13 2015 - 4:01 am PT
16 Comments

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Apple has announced in a support document that Boot Camp now supports 64-bit versions of Windows 10 on a wide range of Macs dating back to 2012. The updated version of Boot Camp is currently rolling out to Yosemite users – if you haven’t yet received it, it should show up when you use the Mac App Store to check for updates.

Apple gives instructions for performing both a new install and an upgrade from earlier versions of Windows.

Supported Macs are:

  • MacBook Air from Mid 2012
  • MacBook Pro from Mid 2012
  • MacBook Pro with Retina display from Mid 2012
  • iMac from Late 2012
  • Mac mini from Late 2012
  • Mac Pro Late 2013
  • 12-inch MacBook

USB-C is supported on the 12-inch MacBook, in addition to the standard ports which are supported on all compatible models.

Back in March, Apple discontinued Boot Camp support for Windows 7 on the latest MacBook models, requiring Windows 8 and up.

Photo: Jacek Kalużny

Opinion: No, Force Touch isn’t going to be iPhone 6S’s signature feature

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz Aug 11 2015 - 9:15 am PT
50 Comments

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Every time Apple is expected to release an S-series iPhone — the 3GS, the 4S, the 5s, and now the 6S — pundits rush to discount the value of each anticipated new feature, claiming that it won’t be enough to boost iPhone sales. Yet historically, every prediction of iPhone sales peaks or declines has been wrong: each iPhone, whether a big “tick” or small “tock” on Apple’s upgrade schedule, has outsold its predecessors. Even without form factor or screen changes, speed sold the iPhone 3GS, Siri boosted the 4S, and Touch ID and camera improvements helped the 5s. (In S years, improved distribution, new color options, and price and capacity tweaks have made a big difference, too.)

This week, analysts and pundits have co-opted my colleague Mark Gurman’s scoop that Force Touch on the iPhone 6S will be used for shortcuts across iOS, suggesting that Force Touch isn’t going to be exciting enough to make people upgrade. That’s true, but also so obvious as to be ridiculous: Apple certainly won’t pitch a pressure-sensitive screen as the iPhone 6S’s marquee new feature. Force Touch debuted in the Apple Watch, but it’s not even mentioned on the first Apple Watch page on Apple.com, instead showing up in the fifth paragraph of the “Technology” page. It’s similarly found only paragraphs down on the page of the 12″ MacBook where it made its Mac debut.

With the notable exception of the iPad mini 3, Apple never releases new devices with only one new feature to hook customers. Even a month before it’s announced, it’s a virtual certainty that the iPhone 6S will arrive with camera improvements and faster processors, most likely a new color option, and Force Touch as one of many small but nice additions. So long as Apple gets distribution and international pricing right, the iPhone 6S is going to do just fine…


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How-To: Swap Your iMac, Mac mini or MacBook CD/DVD drive for a super-fast SSD

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz Aug 10 2015 - 11:41 am PT
22 Comments

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When I wrote a series of How-To guides showing how easy it was to swap old Mac hard disks for new solid state drives (SSDs), I focused on raw upgrades — slow mechanical drives for fast chip-based ones. The reason was simple: put an SSD in your Mac instead of the old hard disk, and you’ll be blown away by the speed increases. But as several readers have noted, there is another way to add an SSD to your Mac: you can keep your old hard drive, and instead replace the Mac’s CD/DVD optical drive, also known as a SuperDrive.

Swapping a SuperDrive for an SSD has a mix of pros and cons. It’s typically a little easier and less expensive to replace the SuperDrive than a stock hard drive, and you’ll always wind up with more internal storage than you started with. But you also lose CD/DVD reading and writing abilities — things fewer people care about these days — and you’ll need to set up your Mac to properly take advantage of the SSD. Read on for the details…


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How-To: Bring Marie Kondo’s “life-changing” tidying up magic to your Apple products

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz Aug 4 2015 - 9:32 am PT
7 Comments
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Like many other people right now, I’m in the midst of watching my house transform as a direct result of Marie Kondo’s best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. As the title suggests, the book powerfully explains how to properly keep any room tidy, in the process helping you resolve lingering issues in your life. Thanks to positive press, strong word of mouth, and surprisingly tangible results, Tidying Up is rapidly taking minimalism mainstream, bucking an age-old trend towards hoarding untold quantities of stuff and leaving it scattered around one’s living and working spaces.

As a long-time minimalist, it’s refreshing to see decluttering catching on. But Kondo’s KonMari system — keep only those items that “spark joy” and are actually being used, discarding everything else — has created a problem for tech-savvy readers. No matter how necessary they’ve become in our lives, Apple device chargers don’t “spark joy.” In Kondo terminology, their cables are untidy; particularly if you’ve purchased inexpensive third-party options, they’re not particularly nice to look at.

I knew this was a problem when my wife, inspired by Tidying Up, nearly tossed out the multi-iPad charger our family has used for years. Yes, the charger was creating visual clutter, but we needed it — or something better — to keep everyone’s iPads working. My hunt to find minimalist solutions to our daily charging needs inspired this article. Below, I’ll run through a few options that will help you tidy up your iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch, and Mac spaces, so you (and/or your significant other) can achieve minimalism without giving up your favorite devices…


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Use Bushel to manage + deploy business iOS devices from anywhere, for free (+ win an iPad Mini 3)

Avatar for Sponsored Post Aug 3 2015 - 9:01 am PT
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Update: Our winner has been announced! Congrats!

Congratulations to Jaime Marin—the winner of the Bushel Challenge! Jaime manages Apple devices for a mid-sized produce company that specializes in providing quality fruits and vegetables for their customers, 365 days of the year.  They’ve been able to utilize features from Bushel such as Wi-Fi configuration, app deployment, password policies, and more to streamline work processes for the team.

Thanks to all who participated in the Bushel Challenge—we hope you had a little fun along the way! While there’s only one lucky winner, everyone who participated can still manage up to three devices for free, for life. If you missed the Challenge, head on over to Bushel to learn more and get started for free today.

If you need to deploy iOS or OS X devices to your employees or organization, having cloud access to setup, deploy, and manage your fleet these days seems like a no-brainer. That’s why our go-to recommendation is Bushel, a super easy-to-use and slick web-based app that offers cloud access to deploying and managing Apple devices. The perfect supplement to Apple in the workspace, Bushel — created by JAMF Software — is a few steps ahead of the game. In this article, we walk you through how to use Bushel (which is free for up to 3 devices) to manage your fleet of Apple devices.

In special collaboration with 9to5Mac, Bushel is also offering a challenge to businesses: Try out Bushel and get entered to win free Bushel for life, as well as a free iOS device for your company.
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