Back to school? Here's why to get an iPad.

For many, iPad Pro with Magic Trackpad > MacBook.

Author

Leander Kahney
August 09, 2023

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1996, he was baffled by the dozens of different Macs the company was selling.

Cupertino’s product lines had ballooned to dozens of offerings, and it wasn’t clear at all which model a customer should choose.

Jobs joked that customers needed a chart to figure it out.

Fast forward to today, and Apple’s offerings aren’t as confusing as 1996, but it can still be tricky to know which machine to buy.

Take our advice for buying a new computer for college. In fact, we don’t recommend a traditional laptop at all, but rather an iPad Pro paired with a Magic Keyboard. Here’s why.

Also in today’s newsletter:

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

College students, you don't need a MacBook Air

An iPad Pro with a Magic Trackpad and Pencil fits your needs much better than a laptop. It's more versatile and just as capable.

iOS 17 beta 5: All the new features and changes

Developer beta 5 brings several small but important changes to iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, including a major tweak to Live Voicemail.

Why the dream of Apple buying Disney won’t die

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A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team

Save big on the mouse most Mac owners prefer and other Logitech gear

Whether you need a mechanical keyboard, an iPad case or a gaming headset, the peripherals giant is offering up to $50 off orders.

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Sea monsters and cats collide in Razer's updated line of Kraken Kitty wired and Bluetooth gaming headsets.

Apple’s sweetheart deal with TSMC isn’t as sweet as we thought

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A message from Icons8

Design tool for Mac: Lunacy explored

Lunacy by Icons8 emerges as a game-changing design app for Mac, bringing a fresh approach and innovative tools to the landscape.

A high-quality, EDC band for your Apple Watch [Reviews] ★★★★☆

Mifa makes a hardy velcro EDC watch band for every model of Apple Watch. The nylon is sturdy, the velcro is strong and the stitched leather is high-quality.

XuperCable’s 3 retractable connectors quick-charge your gear [Review] ★★★½☆

Mobfree's new XuperCable may look odd with its tentacles snaking out, but it will juice up your USB-C, Lightning and micro USB gadgets.

Apple comedy series ‘Still Up’ follows young insomniacs in love

Get ready to dive into the romantic hijinks of a pair of sleepyheads. Comedy series “Still Up” will debut on Apple TV+ in September.

Today in Apple history: Apple becomes world's most valuable company

On August 9, 2011, Apple briefly overtook ExxonMobil to become the world's most valuable company. Many Apple market cap milestones followed.

Mac Studio drives wild 4-monitor formation with Bat-Signal [Setups]

A big ol' smart TV beams the Bat-Signal over three small screens. And even Batman couldn't find a mechanical keyboard this cheap.

Tweetz o’ the day

One more thing ...

❝

Tim Cook came out of procurement, which is just the right background for what we needed. I realized that he and I saw things exactly the same way. I had visited a lot of just-in-time factories in Japan, and I’d built one for the Mac and at NeXT. I knew what I wanted, and I met Tim, and he wanted the same.

— Steve Jobs, 2011.

Today’s poll

Have Apple's product lines become muddled?

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Results from yesterday’s poll: What did you think of Apple's "think different" ad campaign?

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