Everyone has a different definition of what a perfect or dream desk setup for them would be. Some people need five external displays; some only need one. Other people need a mechanical keyboard, while others find the clickiness distracting. I have even seen people consider just a laptop on the move as their ideal setup, while others need a dedicated office space. So I wanted to share some of my ideal desk setup accessories that I have recently added that have helped create my personal perfect M4 Mac mini and M4 iPad Pro desk setup. Be sure to leave links to your favorite accessories in the comments!

According to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, Apple is once again considering monetizing its Maps app with search ads. The company already does this with its News and Stocks apps. The goal is to boost its in-house advertising business.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is ramping up development on a Studio Display replacement. The company initially debuted this monitor in 2022 and has left it untouched since. There isn’t much word on what’ll be new with this Studio Display refresh, but it’ll apparently be a companion to the upcoming M5 MacBook Pros.

For me, one of the biggest issues with making the switch from a MacBook to a Mac mini was the display aspect of it. MacBooks all have fairly great displays, especially on the MacBook Pro. However, finding a good display that pairs nicely with a Mac desktop always feels like a little bit of a challenge.

You either have to go with Apple’s expensive options, or compromise significantly on the experience with a third party. Some common compromises include poor brightness, a lack of USB-C, or a lack of macOS integration. While the BenQ MA270U certainly isn’t a Studio Display replacement, it performs excellently in all of the qualities that matter to me.

Chargeasap is launching a Kickstarter campaign for a brand new kind of powerbank. Flash Pro Ultra is the world’s first 275W portable battery that uses an OLED screen for displaying charging status. It supports charging up to six devices simultaneously including a power-hungry MacBook Pro, and it uses the latest Qi2 wireless charging for the MagSafe experience. Read on to learn how you can be one of the first to get your hands on Flash Pro Ultra.

With Apple Intelligence requiring an M1 chip or newer, it’s never been a better time to buy your first MacBook, or upgrade an older MacBook you’re still holding on to. MacBooks are more affordable than ever in the Apple Silicon era, with the cheapest options starting below $700. Presidents Day deals make it a better time than ever to buy a new MacBook without blowing your bank account.

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.

Due Tomorrow is a students ultimate homework companion. It helps you manage your assignments, keep track of everything with reminders and calendar integration, and includes a neat little AI chatbot that provides pointers for your assignments.

Apple Vision Pro only just turned a year old, and it may be about to get its biggest update yet — no new hardware required.

Yesterday morning, Hector Martin resigned from his position as project lead of Asahi Linux. This was a community effort that kicked off shortly after the Mac transition to Apple Silicon begun, in early 2021. After a ton of effort, the team finally released an alpha build of Asahi Linux for M1 and M2 Macs in early 2022. The project was going well.

However, because of burnout and an uphill battle with the Linux community, including Linus Torvalds himself, Hector Martin decided to resign. The project should ideally continue on without him.

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I became a Mac user towards the end of the PowerPC era. When the switch to Intel was made, virtualization became a key use case for people looking to bridge the gap with macOS and Windows native apps. Over the last two decades, the use cases for virtualization have changed and evolved, but it’s still a key part of many workflows. When Apple switched to its own chips (Apple Silicon) in 2020, virtualization moved right along with it, but it was challenging with x86 virtualization. Technology progress is undefeated, though, as x86 emulation is now available in beta for macOS.

In the category of disappointing but not surprising, Mark Gurman reports for Bloomberg that the upgraded version of Siri may not be fully ready for iOS 18.4 when it arrives soon.

Gentler Streak, one of the most popular fitness and wellness apps for Apple devices, has just been updated again. This time, the latest version of the app adds multiple new widgets with different health metrics, so that users can get an overview of their health right from their Home Screen.

Imagine you’re on your way to dinner, walking down a decently busy street during the day. You’re using your new iPhone 16 Pro for directions before, out of nowhere, a masked individual on an e-bike whips around to your side and snatches your Desert Titanium baby and zooms off. All in seconds. This sounds like a one-off insane situation, but this is precisely what happened to Dimitar Stanimiroff last week in London, England. And he’s not alone…

The most recent statistics say a phone is stolen on average every 6 minutes in London, or about 64,000 annually. It’s so common that the City of London Police deployed special task forces to snuff out these gangs and even had to publish a blog post explaining how to protect your mobile device in public.

Over the years, Apple has made impressive strides in implementing anti-theft measures like Activation Lock and inadvertent “parts pairing” rules. These features and others are meant to deter thieves and minimize situations like Stanimiroff’s. Is it enough?

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Sophia Tung and Zac Hall discuss the evolution of tech news sources, the challenges of launching new tech verticals, and the need for an AI news platform. They explore the impact of professional audio equipment on podcasting, audience engagement, and diverse tech interests. The conversation touches on podcasting’s future, T-Mobile and Starlink’s collaboration, and innovative changes in connectivity. They discuss satellite internet, van life, Elon Musk’s bid for OpenAI, upcoming OpenAI models, AI user experience, personal stories, cultural reflections, self-driving cars, and pop culture predictions.

Netflix has taken a break from raising prices to confirm that it didn’t mean to support that Apple TV feature everyone has wanted for years.

Apple wrapped up its iOS 18.3 beta cycle weeks ago, and normally new betas would have arrived already. But we’re still waiting for iOS 18.4 beta 1. Fortunately, the wait should be over soon.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has confirmed that Apple will launch a new product on Wednesday, February 19. The most likely release is the much-anticipated iPhone SE 4, but there are a few other possibilities. Here’s everything you need to know.

For years, the smart home conversation has revolved around making things easier and more convenient around the home. We’ve focused on products that let us turn on lights with our voice, unlock our door with our iPhone, or set the control temperature without getting up the couch. As awesome as those things are, I’d like to see a new generation of HomeKit focused on home maintenance. I recently picked up Ting, and while it doesn’t support HomeKit, it’s giving me so many ideas on how I’d like to see the smart home of the future evolve.

Apple is expected to replace the iPhone SE 3 next week with a new affordably-priced model that has several upgrades. Those upgrades, including Apple Intelligence support, are expected to make the next iPhone much more popular than previous entry-level iPhones.