Cult of Mac

This week, with special guest Christina Warren: The surprise drop of AirPods Max 2, a deep dive on OpenClaw and agentic coding, and our final thoughts after a full week with the Studio Display XDR, MacBook Neo and iPhone 17e!
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Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]
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The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.
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AirPods Max 2 pack AI-powered listening and stronger noise cancellationH2-chip-powered AirPods Max 2 enhance sound quality and noise cancellation and bring new features like Adaptive Audio and Live Translation.

The MacBook Neo is the fantastic new Mac for the massesThis will be a lot of people’s first Mac, and they’ll be very happy. A hands-on review of the MacBook Neo leaves us highly impressed.

The Studio Display XDR is the final boss of all Mac displaysApple’s new flagship desktop display, the Studio Display XDR stands high in a class of its own. And for, like, half as much money.

The iPhone 17e, now a solid budget phone with minimal compromiseThe iPhone 17e is a slight upgrade that makes all the difference. Now with MagSafe, it doesn’t have many compromises.

This week: We go hands-on with the new Studio Display XDR, MacBook Neo and iPhone 17e! Also: The Neo has everyone freaking out, bad news about the M6 MacBook Pro and new emoji coming in iOS 26.4.
Watch this episode on YouTube
Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]
Sponsors:
The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.
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Hands-on with the Studio Display XDR, MacBook Neo and iPhone 17e
Another PC maker sounds alarm as MacBook Neo shakes up industryWe recently wrote about how $599 MacBook Neo could shake up the PC industry. Now more laptop makers are freaking out.

MacBook Ultra rumored as Apple’s most expensive laptop yetApple’s next big MacBook Pro refresh could bring an OLED touchscreen, but it may also come with a higher price tag and an "Ultra" moniker.

iOS 26.4 beta 4 gives us first look at Apple’s new emojiApple continues testing iOS 26.4 with the release of beta 4, with the new build adding eight new emojis and renaming a new feature.

Listener QuestionWho should buy a MacBook Neo?

Leander speaks to David Pogue, renowned author and technology journalist, about his new book, Apple: The First 50 Years.
Watch this interview on YouTube
Links:
Buy Apple: The First 50 YearsBookshop.org
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

Macintosh Portable
PowerBook 100 series
The Apple Car
PowerBook Duo
iMac G3
The Death of Mac OS 9
Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs

This week: Our reactions to Apple’s mad week of announcements — the good and bad from the iPhone 17e, the iPad Air, the incredible M5 MacBooks, the shocking new Studio Displays, and the all-new MacBook Neo. Plus, we’ll grade our predictions from last week!
Watch this episode on YouTube
Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]
Sponsors:
The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.
Links:
A18 Pro-powered MacBook Neo brings power at lowest price everThe new MacBook Neo, powered by an A18 Pro chip, is Apple’s most affordable laptop ever, at $599 — just $499 for education.

MacBook Pros with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips deliver major performance leapApple's newest M5 Pro and M5 Max-equipped MacBook Pros arrive, delivering unrivaled performance and additional storage.
M5 Pro and M5 Max ‘super cores’ supercharge new Macs

Studio Display XDR arrives with mini-LED backlighting and 5K clarityIntroducing the Studio Display XDR: Apple's new premium monitor for professionals with mini-LED backlighting and Thunderbolt 5.

iPhone 17e doubles built-in storage, adds MagSafeThe new iPhone 17e includes improvements — like double the starting storage capacity — that make it an even better value.

M5 MacBook Air ramps up speed, storage and connectivityWith M5 MacBook Air's launch, Apple's top-selling laptop gains speed, storage and improved wireless networking without any design changes.

4 key upgrades make new M4 iPad Air a beastThe new M4 iPad Air features a faster processor, more RAM, new Apple wireless chips and other enhancements to Apple's midrange tablet.

March 2026 PredictionsCongratulations to the two listeners who scored 7 points: Damian, and now four-time winner Michael Dennis.

This week, with special guest Casey Liss: Thanks to the success of Cosmic Orange, new colors are coming to iPhone 18 Pro, but they’re a bit WTF, the super clever way the first touchscreen Macs will work, exciting changes in iOS 26.4 beta 2, an even weirder keyboard setup than last week’s, plus our predictions for next week’s Apple announcements!
Watch this episode on YouTube
Send us a text with comments, questions, feedback or a video to play on the show: [email protected]
Submit your answers to the March 2026 prediction game
Sponsors:
The Cult of Mac Today and Weekender newsletters. Cult of Mac Today is a rundown of the top daily news, plus reviews and how-tos, with commentary by Leander himself. And the Weekender is an easy-to-digest roundup of the week’s top stories. Sign up at newsletters.cultofmac.com.
Links:
iPhone 18 Pro may double down on bold colorsApple reportedly plans a deep red finish for the iPhone 18 Pro, following the strong response to cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro.

New interface will be key to touchscreen Macs’ successBuilding a touchscreen into the MacBook Pro will require changes to macOS 27. We just got the first hints of the needed modifications.

iOS 26.4 beta 2: All the new features and changesApple continues testing iOS 26.4 with the release of beta 2, and the update brings more than just minor tweaks.

Callsheet: Find Cast & CrewCallsheet is the best way to quickly look up information about the cast and crew in TV and movies. It respects your time, doesn't try to sell you stuff you don't need, and is designed to answer your questions quickly and easily.

15 coolest (and weirdest) keyboards in Mac setupsWe picked out the 15 coolest (and weirdest) keyboards for Mac setups, including ergonomic wonders and highly customizable options for gamers.
Keeping it weird with a ‘dual-display laptop’ and an ortholinear keyboard

March 2026 PredictionsFor the first time in 2026 (and on the new Cult of Mac podcast) we will lay down our predictions for Apple’s not-an-Event event.
Submit your responses here

Aftershow: Accidental Transportation PodcastThird-gen Ford Ranger / Mazda B-series
BMW 3 Series (E90)
BMW i4
Second-gen Range Rover
Volvo XC90
Third-gen Toyota Prius
Ford F-150 Lightning