If you’re looking to kick off the new year with a new MacBook, now’s a fantastic time to buy. In recent years, Macs have become more and more affordable – largely in part because of Apple’s transition to Apple Silicon. These MacBooks are also more capable than ever.

Apple’s latest macOS Tahoe update also dropped support for practically all Intel Macs (with some small exceptions). If you’d like to stay on the latest and greatest Apple software, nows a fitting time to upgrade.

Keep up with all of the latest MacBook deals on 9to5Toys.

At MacBook and iPad Pro users.

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 looking for a fresh set of wallpapers for your iPhone or iPad, Radiance is a great app to check out. It has a nice feeling interface, and it’s completely free of ads.

Anker is back at it again with a new 20,100mAh power bank, under its Anker Prime brand. This power bank has three ports, offers up to 220W of output, and comes in a pretty compact package. It’s available for purchase on Amazon for $149.

Water leaks and water damage are one of my biggest fears as a homeowner. With hardwood floors throughout my house, even a small water leak could turn into a massive repair bill and a huge inconvenience to get them repaired. A slow drip from a sink can quickly cause thousands of dollars (or tens of thousands) in damage to your floors and cabinets. If I had to choose one smart home category that actually gives me peace of mind, it would be the ones that prevent disasters. In 2026, the water leak sensor is still the most critical piece of hardware in my HomeKit setup.

Apple surprised us all on Tuesday with an all new subscription offering for creative professionals, with the launch of Apple Creator Studio. In all honesty, it seems like a great value. After reading through all of the details though, I can already think of some easy improvements Apple could make.

I have been an Apple Watch Ultra user since its release in September 2022. Over the years, I have owned the regular Ultra and currently own the Ultra 2 in Black Titanium, and I have worn it nearly every single day. I wanted the Ultra for the little things: a better battery, a larger display, and better build materials. I just wanted to see what Apple could do with its “best” Apple Watch. After using it for nearly four years, I can confidently say that this is the best Apple Watch Apple has ever made, but it’s also an Apple Watch that I just don’t need. Let me explain.

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

If you have managed Macs with remote work for any length of time, you know the specific sense of issue that comes with having to restart. You have a long wait for the screen-sharing part to come back online. The problem isn’t the network. The problem boils down to FileVault. When a modern Mac reboots, it shows a pre-boot macOS login screen that is not yet fully connected to the network or has not yet loaded the full OS. It is encrypted, secure, and completely unreachable until someone physically types a password. For IT folks managing a fleet of devices in various locations, this is a nightmare. Twocanoes Software has a tool called Password Utility that finally fixes this annoyance, and for $10 a year, it belongs on every Apple Silicon Mac you manage remotely. I found this tool because I recently had this issue with a Mac I manage so I went searching for a solution.

Welcome to 9to5Mac’s top stories of the week, where we recap the biggest news in the Apple world every Saturday. This week, we have Apple’s new Creator Studio subscription, Apple’s deal with Google for Gemini, and iPhone Fold specs. Plus, our usual slate of new podcast episodes, opinion pieces, and much more. Read on for all of this week’s top stories.

With a new tool called Mobile Apps by Replit, users can describe their idea, let Replit do its thing, and then scan a QR code to test the app on their iPhones. Here are the details.

Apple celebrated today the reopening of its Sainte-Catherine store, where it more than doubled its footprint after being relocated to a revived historic building in downtown Montreal. Here’s a closer look.

Apple is gearing up for one of the most anticipated halftime performances in a while, for a wide variety of reasons. Watch the trailer below.

Apple and New Jersey consumer protection officials have settled a state investigation that found repeated pricing and refund policy violations in Apple stores. Here are the details.

Apple is testing a new design for App Store search ads on iPhone. Some users on iOS 26.3 are noticing that the blue background around sponsored results is no longer shown, blurring the line between what paid ad results look like and the real search results that follow.

This means the only differentiator between organic results and the promoted ad is the presence of the small ‘Ad’ banner next to the app icon. Right now, it appears to be in some kind of A/B test phase.

The VSCO app is adding yet another AI-based feature to help photographers with their workflows: prompt-based image editing. Here’s how it works.

After a tumultuous relationship with Goldman Sachs, Apple reached a deal with JPMorgan Chase to take over Apple Card.

I have a lot of questions about what this means for Apple Card. I’ve laid some of them out below so we can speculate together…

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Stuff: Stuff helps you get everything out of your head and into a simple, elegant system—closing open loops and reducing mental stress. Use code 9TO5 at checkout for 50% off your first year.

OpenAI has announced several important changes to ChatGPT. First, the company says it is rolling out its more affordable ChatGPT Go plan in the United States for $8 per month. OpenAI also confirmed it will soon start testing ads in ChatGPT …

Our Friday edition 9to5Toys Lunch Break is ready and waiting below starting off with a giant $699 price drop on this M4 iPad Pro model over at Amazon. We have also highlighted up to $200 in savings on Apple’s most affordable current-generation Mac releases for folks looking towards a less pricey upgrade for 2026 starting at $499. From there, the black Apple Watch Ultra 2 with Milanese Loop is live with hundreds in savings, AirPods Max is nearly $100 off, select Apple Studio Displays are up to $237 off, we have loads of charging gear deals, and more waiting below. 

The first rumors about what to expect from this year’s iOS 27 update are here. The update will reportedly bring a focus on stability improvements and bug fixes, with some big new Apple Intelligence features sprinkled in. Here’s everything we know so far about new iOS 27 features, the update’s release date, and more.

Apple’s Always On Display has been fairly consistent since it debuted on iPhone 14 Pro. With iOS 26, Apple quietly changed how it works in a way that may not be obvious.

9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

In this episode, I sit down with Jaron Bradley, author and Director at Jamf Threat Labs, to briefly explore the evolution of Apple security and threats over the last decade. In particular we discuss, the reason for infostealer’s historic breakout as one of the most popular forms of malware and how AI is being used in the hands of attackers (and defenders too). Jaron also shares his 2026 threat outlook.

Apple is widely expected to release a major overhaul of the MacBook Pro later this year or in early 2027. Among the many changes expected with this refresh is new OLED display technology.

A new rumor today indicates that Apple’s partner Samsung Display has kicked off mass production of the OLED screen destined for the new MacBook Pro ahead of schedule.

In the space of one week, we have seen the transformation of our expectations for the new Siri. Instead of having to wait for Apple to catch up with OpenAI and Google, we now need only to wait for the company to tweak the existing Gemini models.

While that is indeed a dramatic turnaround, we still shouldn’t expect overnight miracles from the new Siri whenever it does now launch …