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SAVE UP TO $1,100: Sign up for a T-Mobile plan and get a free iPhone 17e with no trade-in required. T-Mobile is also offering any model of the iPhone 17 or iPad Air for free with an Experience More plan and an eligible trade-in. Pre-orders go live on March 4.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Get a free iPhone 17e   Pre-order Here

It's an exciting week in the Apple ecosphere. We have a fresh iPhone to swoon over and an iPad Air with the M4 chip (finally). Sure, the iPhone 17e is the brand's new budget-friendly phone option, but the price of $599 can still feel like a bit much. If you'd rather not dish out the funds for new Apple devices, T-Mobile has some nice deals in store.

T-Mobile pre-orders for the new iPhone and iPad Air go live tomorrow, March 4 and the carrier is offering various free deals to those who sign up for T-Mobile service. Snag a free iPhone 17e by signing up for almost any T-Mobile plan for 24 months. You can also get a free iPhone 17 Pro when trading in an eligible phone and signing up for an Experience Beyond plan. For all free Apple deals, T-Mobile will charge taxes and a $35 device connection fee.

SEE ALSO: Apple expects high demand from its March 4 releases

Who's not in the mood to get something for free? If you're already on the T-Mobile network or have plans to switch, you might as well take advantage of these free iPhone offers. Apple just launched the new iPhone 17e which is the brand's fresh budget phone and the first to come with MagSafe abilities. The new phone officially launches on March 11, but pre-orders start tomorrow, March 4.

Starting with 256GB of storage, the iPhone 17e comes with a price tag of $599. That's a major upgrade from the 128GB storage the iPhone 16e started at. It's even more impressive considering the iPhone 16e also started at $599.

If you're interested in pre-ordering the new iPhone 17e or iPad Air tomorrow, be sure to check out the benefits of T-Mobile's free deal. You might be in for some serious savings.

Apple's MacBook Neo is the sort of device that's sure to cause ripples in the market: An elegant, colorful laptop with a surprisingly low starting price for Apple standards: $599 ($499 for educators and students).

Before you splurge, however, you need to take a close look at MacBook Neo's specs.

For example, MacBook Neo runs on Apple's A18 Pro chip, the chip powering Apple's iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, which came out in 2024. Not only that, it's running a slightly less powerful version of said chip, with one less GPU core (five vs. six).

A phone chip inside a computer, you may ask, what kind of travesty is this? Well, it's easy to forget just how powerful Apple's mobile chip are; just consider that Apple's current iPad is running on an even older A16 Pro chip. You definitely shouldn't expect M-chip level performance, though.

Touch ID is optional. Credit: Apple

The amount of storage memory is reasonable for the price; 256GB for starters and 512GB if you pay a hundred bucks extra. But the amount of RAM you get in the MacBook Neo is fixed at 8GB; no upgrades are available.

Oh, and if you haven't noticed, Touch ID is optional; you need to pay $100 extra to get it.

SEE ALSO: Apple announces new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR — preorders now live

The caveat here, of course, is that the MacBook Neo only just launched, and we don't know how it performs in the real world. We don't know how well it'll run demanding software such as Logic Pro or Final Cut Pro, for example, or whether it can handle graphically intensive games at high resolutions. Apple is extremely good at optimizing software to run on its own hardware, so the results might be surprising, but if you're the kind of user that simply has to have more RAM, you might have to step up and get a MacBook Air.

On the flip side, some of the MacBook Neo's specs are really good for the price. This includes the 13-inch LED display with a 2,408x1,506 pixel resolution, and two USB-C ports, one of which supports connecting a 4K external display while running the device's own display at the same time.

As for the 36.5-watt-hour battery that provides up to 11 hours of wireless browsing and up to 16 hours of video streaming, it's also a pretty big step down from the 13-inch MacBook Air, which comes with a 53.8-watt-hour battery.

SEE ALSO: Apple just announced the new M4 iPad Air, coming March 4 for $599

We'll have to spend some more time with the MacBook Neo to give it a full verdict. It's a lot cheaper than other Apple MacBook computers (MacBook Air starts at $1,099), but also very different in many regards. It'll take some testing to see how well, and for how long, it can handle demanding tasks.

Your smart home going down can be a real pain. There may be automations you rely on daily that suddenly no longer work. If there's a power outage, your smart home doesn't have to give up the ghost.

Preorder the new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR Pre-order the Studio Display Studio Display $1,599 at Amazon Pre-Order Here Pre-order the Studio Display XDR Studio Display XDR $3,299 at Amazon Pre-Order Here Pre-order at Apple Studio Dispaly & Studio Display XDR Starting at $1,599 Pre-Order Here

A day before its "Special Experience" event, Apple announced a new line of premium Studio Display monitors. In a press release, the company dropped details on both the Studio Display and an all-new Studio Display XDR.

The new Studio Display starts at $1,599, while the Studio Display XDR starts at $3,299. Both can be pre-ordered starting Wednesday, March 4, with availability starting on March 11.

Studio Displays are premium monitors designed for creative professionals such as video editors and 3D artists. Apple says the more advanced Studio Display XDR features the "world’s best pro display," and it has a 27-inch 5K mini-LED backlight display.

Introducing the new Studio Displays Credit: Apple

The Studio Display features a 12MP Center Stage camera, improved image quality, a three-microphone setup, and a six-speaker sound system with spatial audio.

“Apple has led the industry in delivering the world’s most advanced displays for pros to do their life’s best work, and today we do that once again with the introduction of the new Studio Display family,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, in a press release.

The Studio Display needs to be connected to a MacBook or Mac Mini. Credit: Apple

The new XDR is an even more premium offering with a 27-inch 5K Retina XDR display. Apple noted it had a 120Hz refresh rate, making it more responsive to content in motion.

Ternus called the Studio Display XDR "a huge leap forward for XDR technology," dubbing it the best in the world. In addition to its 120Hz refresh rate, it also has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits for HDR content and more than 2,000 local dimming zones.

The new Studio Display XDR is designed for professional editors, developers, and designers. Credit: Apple

The new Studio Display line is just one of many big announcements from Apple this week. The tech giant has already dropped the details on its new, budget-friendly iPhone and new M4 iPad Air, for instance.

The budget MacBook is here. Today, Apple announced the all-new MacBook Neo during "special Apple experiences" in New York, London, and Shanghai. The 13-inch laptop comes in four fun colors and starts at just $599 (or $499 for students), making it $500 cheaper than the MacBook Air. It tees up fierce competition for Chromebooks and entry-level Windows laptops — a new frontier for Apple.

Preorders for the MacBook Neo opened Wednesday, March 4, ahead of its formal launch on March 11. The new iPhone 17e, M4 iPad Air, M5 MacBook Airs, upgraded MacBook Pros, and Studio Displays, which Apple unveiled earlier this week, are also now up for preorder. The company is reportedly anticipating high demand for this wave of new devices.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $599 at Amazon
  Pre-order Here

The MacBook Neo marks Apple's first dedicated entry in the low-cost laptop space. It replaces the M1 MacBook Air that Apple started selling through Walmart for $699 in March 2024, then eventually discounted to $649. That model has been out of stock in new condition since early 2026, fueling reports of the MacBook Neo's arrival.

Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

Speaking of: The MacBook Neo's announcement comes after months of spec leaks and rumors, which were pretty much spot-on. Here's everything we know about it so far.

MacBook Neo specs Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

The MacBook Neo has an aluminum design and runs on an A18 Pro chip, the same processor powering the iPhone 16 Pro. (It's the first MacBook with an iPhone chip.) In a press release, Apple said it "can fly through everyday tasks, from browsing the web and streaming content, to editing photos, exploring creative hobbies, or using AI capabilities across apps." The company claimed it's 50 percent faster in everyday tasks and up to three times faster running local AI workloads compared to bestselling Windows laptops with the latest Intel Core Ultra 5 chip.

Here's a closer look at the MacBook Neo's spec sheet. It's only available in two configurations: one with 256GB of storage, and another with 512GB of storage and Touch ID.

• Processor: A18 Pro chip with 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU

• Memory: 8GB RAM

• Storage: 256GB to 512GB SSD

• Display: 13-inch 2,408 x 1,506 Liquid Retina display with 500 nits of brightness, 60Hz refresh rate, and an anti-reflective coating

• Battery life: Up to 16 hours

• Webcam: 1080p camera

• Ports: Two USB-C ports and a headphone jack

• Connectivity: WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 6

• Audio: Dual side speakers with Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio support

• Keyboard: Magic Keyboard with optional Touch ID

• Colors: Silver, indigo, blush, and citrus

• Weight: 2.7 pounds

Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth is on the ground at Apple's "special experience" in New York, where Apple is showcasing the MacBook Neo for the first time. Stay tuned for his initial hands-on impressions.

For now, the new MacBook Neo is available for preorder now at Amazon and Apple starting at $599; it will be released on March 11.

PREORDER NOW: As of March 4, the iPad Air with M4 chip is now available for preorder. Models starts at $599 and ship by March 11. Plus, save $40 on the new iPad Air when you preorder at Walmart for $559.

Where to preorder iPad Air (M4) Apple Apple iPad Air (M4, WiFi) From $599 Pre-Order Here Best Buy Apple iPad Air (M4, WiFi) From $599 Pre-Order Here Walmart Apple iPad Air (M4, WiFi) From $559 (Save $40) Pre-Order Here Verizon Apple iPad Air (M4, WiFi + Cellular) From $749.99 Pre-Order Here T-Mobile Apple iPad Air (M4, WiFi + Cellular) From $749.99 Pre-Order Here AT&T Apple iPad Air (M4, WiFi + Cellular) From $749.99 Pre-Order Here

A big upgrade is coming to our favorite iPad. The iPad Air, Apple's best blend of performance and price, now comes with the M4 chip. This announcement comes ahead of a "special Apple experience" scheduled for 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 4. Apple CEO Tim Cook teased the experience on social media, and he also referred to a Monday, March 2 announcement.

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We now know the Monday announcement was the new iPad Air with M4 chip and iPhone 17e. Previously, the iPad came with the M3 chip, making it a well-rounded device with the potential to compete with any laptop. So, are you ready to preorder the new tablet? Here's how.

When can you preorder the new iPad Air M4?

The iPad Air with M4 chip is available for preorder as of Wednesday, March 4 at 6:15 a.m. PT. Preorders are available at Apple, Best Buy, Walmart, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Air (M4) Starts at $599 Pre-order Here When does the new iPad Air M4 tablet arrive?

While preorders for the new iPad Air are live, the device will be available beginning Wednesday, March 11. Luckily, that means you just have to wait one week between preorder and pickup.

What's the new price for the iPad Air with M4 chip?

With a new device, especially one receiving an upgrade like the iPad Air with M4 chip, you'd expect an increase in the starting price. However, Apple is continuing its trend of maintaining its devices' starting prices even with a new generation.

The iPad Air with M4 chip starts at $599, the same price as the current iPad Air with M3 chip.

Remember when cord-cutting and canceling cable were all about saving money? It's no secret that streaming services just keep getting more expensive. Sling TV started at $20 per month and now costs double that, and YouTube TV launched at $35 but slowly ballooned to over $80. Last spring, I canceled my service and went a different route that only cost me around $40 for the entire year.

If you run a Pi-Hole server, you probably, like me, have experienced downtime when updating or rebooting the server. To fix this, I started running two Pi-Hole instances. Here's how I did it, and how I keep them in sync, too.

Whether you're a beginner or a hardened Bash-writing veteran, there's always room for picking up new tips. Some of the best ones take only moments to learn but are so transformative that they change your entire approach. I have four that will unscramble your Bash spaghetti into a well-formatted work of art.

National Vehicle Safety Recalls week is March 2nd through the 8th here in the United States, raising awareness of the importance of checking for open recalls on our vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) organizes the campaign, which coincides with the spring-cleaning season, but it's good practice to check for recalls on your car year-round.

Magnetic USB-C cables (the kind that use a dongle to connect) sound like the perfect convenience hack for ultra-fast wired charging, especially if you're not on the wireless charging bandwagon or if we're talking about a device that doesn't support it, like a laptop.

There was a time when saving a computer program sounded like a modem arguing with a fax machine. Before floppy drives were crunching and grinding away in our homes, the humble cassette was an affordable and effective way to sell, store, and record data.

One of the easiest ways to up your Linux terminal game without memorizing a ton of commands is just to start using TUIs. These are the ones I keep on virtually all day long while I work on my Linux computers.

Affordable luxury SUVs often promise premium style and features, but many fall short when it comes to long-term value and everyday usability. In 2026, one compact luxury SUV manages to deliver upscale design, advanced technology, and strong efficiency without carrying the high ownership costs usually associated with the segment. The Lexus UX stands out as the smartest choice for buyers who want true luxury at an attainable price.

Smart switches aren't only for controlling lights. These switches can control anything your prior wall switch could, and that means you can have much more fun with a smart switch than you might expect.

TL;DR: Preorders of Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Draft Night are $86.99 at Amazon ahead of the March 6, 2026 release.

Opens in a new window Credit: Magic: The Gathering Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Draft Night $86.99 at Amazon
$119.99 Save $33 Get Deal

If you’ve been eyeing Wizards’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover but didn’t want to commit to a full trading card booster box buy-in, this is the perfect time to jump on a preorder before it releases this week. As of March 4, Amazon has cut the Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Draft Night box to $86.99, down from the $119.99 list price.

Amazon’s listing also notes the "pre-order price guarantee," so if it dips again before launch on March 6, you’ll get the lowest price.

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Not only is this price only eight cents above the TCGplayer market price, it's also the lowest price we've ever seen on Amazon — as confirmed by price tracker camelcamelcamel. 

This is a self-contained kit for a Pick-Two Draft for four players, which keeps things moving faster than a traditional draft and works especially well for kitchen-table nights where you want the fun part (building and battling) to start sooner.

Here is everything you get in the Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Draft Night: 

• 12 TMNT Play Boosters (14 cards each), with typical Play Booster collation that can include 1–5 rares or higher, plus a guaranteed traditional foil of any rarity in each booster

• 1 TMNT Collector Booster (15 cards) as the winner’s crown — featuring multiple foils and 5 cards rare or higher, with a borderless signature Kevin Eastman headliner card showing up in under 1% of boosters

• 90 land cards, so your group isn’t scrounging through deck boxes before the first pick

If you want to pull even more rare cards from TMNT’s MTG expansion, you can also buy the Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Collector Booster Box under market price at Walmart. Alternatively, the MTG Final Fantasy three-pack is now $7 off.

Setting up a Jellyfin server is no small task. While I love my setup now, there are several regrets I have about the way I first installed my Jellyfin server.

Ever uploaded a photo to remove the background and wondered where it is stored, and what will happen to it later on? Online background remover tools are convenient to use, but convenience often trades against control. So, instead of uploading your photos to strangers’ servers, let’s build a background remover that runs entirely on your own computer.

SAVE OVER $15: As of March 4, the Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant (71426) is down to $41.99 at Amazon. That's $18 off its list price of $59.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant (71426) $41.99 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $18   Get Deal

Mario Day — otherwise known as MAR10 Day, since it lands on March 10 — is coming up, and Amazon already has some nice discounts for Nintendo fans to make a move on. The Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant set (71426) is one that caught our eye at the retailer, as it's currently on sale for $41.99.

The Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant set usually etails for $59.99, so this deal gives you a chance to grab it for $18 less. If you're an adult Lego fan, this 540-piece set looks like a fantastic project to piece together, especially ahead of Mario Day.

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The Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant set comes together to create the Piranha Plant in a green pipe, complete with two coins. The plant's head, mouth, stalk, and leaves are all posable, which makes for fun detailing once you put it on display. And even though the box says it's recommended for those ages 18 and over, a younger fan that's interested can tackle this set with help.

Don't miss out on this great chance to save on the Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant set (71426) at Amazon. Alternatively, if you're wondering what new releases Lego has dropped so far this year, have a look at our breakdown of the best new Lego sets.

Despite all the hubbub about dating app fatigue, new apps still pop up to compete with the household names. In order to duke it out with the likes of Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge, these startups must try something new — even if it's technically not. 

One example is the dating app Cerca, which is about to turn a year old. Taking its name from the Spanish word for "near," Cerca aims to connect mutual friends. At a time when the major apps are trying to increase shareholder value and shove in AI features, focusing on human connection is a novel idea. (Almost.)

SEE ALSO: The 11 best dating apps for women who want real connections in 2026 What is Cerca?

Cerca is a dating app you might not have heard of yet, but it's already gotten the media treatment, from college newspapers to the New York Times. Launched in March 2025, according to an article in Business Insider, Cerca seeks to combine mutual friends with privacy.

The tagline? "Date Mutuals, Not Strangers." 

But what's old is new again on Cerca. The "friends of friends" tactic was originally what Hinge was built on. Back in 2014, founder Justin McLeod (who recently left Hinge to start an AI dating service, Overtone), told Bloomberg, "We're introducing you to people through your friends like you would in real life when you go to house parties and dinners and weddings and the kind of places that you forge great relationships."

SEE ALSO: App fatigue is real. I tested the best dating apps of 2026 to find the ones that really work.

While Hinge eventually moved away from this model, this ethos makes sense for a new app. People are increasingly frustrated with major apps. If you scroll the dating side of TikTok, you'll see users quick to bemoan "The Apps" to their selfie camera. Last year, several daters expressed this sentiment, telling Mashable they wanted to meet potential partners in person. 

Meanwhile, major apps are rapidly implementing AI-based features. In the last year alone, Hinge has introduced Convo Starters, Tinder's AI personas, and Bumble announced AI-driven Profile Guidance and AI Photo Feedback features last week. 

It's not all AI, though, and it seems at least Tinder has picked up on the "mutual friends" angle. Tinder's latest CEO, Spencer Rascoff, said last year he wanted to move away from its hookup reputation to attract Gen Z users. Soon after, Tinder introduced Double Date, a feature to swipe with your friend.

How Cerca works

Cerca works differently from Tinder and other apps, however. According to its website, you first create your profile and sync your contacts. (Your contacts aren't notified that you're joining yet another dating app, thankfully.) Then, Circa only surfaces matches with a first or second-degree connection — aka, friends of friends. 

You're then free to "like" profiles, but the likes remain anonymous until both people have liked each other. As is written on Cerca's website, "We prioritize trust and safety — that's why we only pair you with mutuals. No unsolicited messages or catfishing. Because when it comes to dating, you deserve privacy, context, and confidence in who you're talking to."

As of this publication, Cerca has an average of 4.4 out of 5 rating on Apple's App Store, based on 1,300 ratings. It touts 170,000 singles — a far cry from Tinder's 50 million monthly users, but if you're sick of the biggest dating apps in the game yet don't want to totally throw your luck to bars and clubs, there are newer apps like Cerca.