5 fantastic Mac accessories

When Apple's gear falls short, other companies step up.

Author

Lewis Wallace
April 14, 2025

The Mac? A killer computer.

Apple's Mac accessories? Not exactly killing it.

As much as we all love the Mac, Apple's mice, keyboards and other computer accessories often leave a lot to be desired.

Take, for instance, the mouse. It's a crucial input device. But has Apple ever made a really great one?

Sure, Apple made the mouse popular when it introduced the Macintosh in 1984. But even that mouse was a boxy ergonomic disaster. Subsequent Apple mice also failed on multiple levels.

Remember the iMac’s “hockey puck” mouse? We called it “one of the most infamous pieces of bad design in Apple’s history” in our roundup of Cupertino’s accessory design crimes.

Steve Jobs reportedly hated the idea of a multi-button mouse. But anyone who has ever used one of Logitech's high-end mice knows that multiple buttons and a good ergonomic design can make a world of difference when it comes to productivity and comfort.

Cult of Mac contributor Rajesh Pandey knows this for sure. And it's not just Apple’s mice that leave him cold. Read his roundup of five third-party Mac accessories he can't live without for some great product recommendations.

Also in today’s newsletter:

  • Are President Donald Trump's on-again, off-again iPhone tariffs driving you batty? Tim Cook must be spitting bullets.

  • This is bizarre. Apple TV+ canceled gamer comedy Mythic Quest — and now plans to update season four’s cliffhanger finale to provide some closure. Fans aren’t thrilled.

  • iPadOS 19 might make the iPad work more like a Mac. (That tune sure sounds familiar.)

  • Cult of Mac Deals has a limited supply of refurbished M2 Mac minis for just $359.99. When this computer came out two years ago, our review called it “the best value in the entire computer industry, point blank.” And that was when it cost $700!

  • Recipe websites — with their SEO-driven garbage content that answers important questions like, “What is bacon?” — make me crazy. That’s why I’m excited about the new Apple News+ Food section. Our post (with a short video) will show you where to find it and how to use it.

— Lewis Wallace, managing editor

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One more thing ...

❝

We have been very lucky to have brought a few revolutionary user interfaces to the market in our time. First was the mouse. The second was the click wheel. And now, we’re going to bring multi-touch to the market. And each of these revolutionary interfaces has made possible a revolutionary product — the Mac, the iPod and now the iPhone.

— Steve Jobs, 2007.

Today’s poll

What's your favorite Mac accessory?

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Results from Friday’s poll: Will generative AI actually improve Siri?

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