Apple's first foldable iPhone will feature 12GB of RAM supplied by Samsung, with the latter set to begin DRAM shipments in the second quarter of this year in line with Apple's production schedule.


Korea-based media outlet The Bell reports that Samsung was able to negotiate a substantially higher price than previous memory contracts with Apple, owing to tightening global memory supply amid the AI server build-out.

The price of a 12GB LPDDR5X module, which is already used in the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro, has risen sharply from around $30 at the beginning of 2025 to roughly $70 at the start of this year.

Despite Apple's typical multi-vendor strategy, the company is said to be expanding the share of iPhone memory it sources from Samsung due to rapidly rising memory prices. Concentrating a much larger share of orders with Samsung should allow Apple to secure more predictable deliveries and potentially benefit from economies of scale, even as overall component costs rise.

That said, companies such as SK hynix and Micron are also believed to have secured DRAM purchase orders from Apple for its first foldable, though these are expected to enter the supply chain at a much later date.

Apple's book-style foldable will operate like a cross between an iPhone and an iPad, recent reports suggest. When closed, it will resemble a traditional slab-style iPhone, but when open, it will be closer to the size of the iPad mini. Rather than a tall design, Apple is using a wider design than its competitors, and it is expected to have a 4:3 aspect ratio.

The foldable iPhone or "iPhone Fold" is expected to launch in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
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The storage capacity options for Apple's upcoming book-style foldable iPhone have allegedly leaked, along with their approximate pricing.


According to the Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital, Apple will offer iPhone Fold storage capacities in the following three tiers:

• 256GB – ~$2,320


• 512GB – ~$2,610


• 1TB – ~$2,900

For context, Apple presently offers the iPhone 17 Pro in the same three storage options – 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB – with the iPhone 17 Pro Max offered in a fourth 2TB storage option costing $1,999. Note that the corresponding storage prices shown above are approximate USD conversions from Chinese yuan at the current exchange rate, and shouldn't be taken as reflective of the final price in the U.S. As such, consider them ballpark figures.

The starting price of the foldable iPhone could be nearly twice as much as the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and Apple could put it somewhere between $1,800 and $2,500, which is double what the iPhone 17 Pro costs. The latest rumors suggest it will be on the higher side of that estimate, and these approximate storage tier prices appear to bear that out.

Instant Digital has a good track record for Apple rumors and has provided some strikingly accurate information ahead of time, such as the imminent launch of 2023's Yellow iPhone 14, the frosted back glass of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.

Notably, for the iPhone 17 Pro, the leaker accurately reported the device's 256GB base storage configuration and its improved telephoto camera, as well as its improved battery life, thermal design, and display brightness, so it's worth taking these purported storage capacities seriously.

Apple is expected to launch its first foldable iPhone this September.
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Weekly MLB games are set to return to the Apple TV subscription service on Friday, March 27, Apple said today. The fifth Friday Night Baseball season will begin with the Los Angeles Angels facing off against the Houston Astros, followed by the Cleveland Guardians playing against the Seattle Mariners.


‌Apple TV‌ will air weekly MLB doubleheaders each Friday during the 25-week 2026 season. MLB fans in 60 countries and regions will be able to watch the games with enhanced production quality and expert commentary.

"'Friday Night Baseball' on Apple TV continues to elevate how fans experience the game," said Oliver Schusser, Apple's vice president of Apple Music, Apple TV, Sports, and Beats. "With cutting-edge production -- including the integration of iPhone to capture immersive new perspectives -- and a full season of marquee matchups available without local broadcast restrictions, we're delivering a modern, premium broadcast experience designed for fans everywhere."

Starting on the March 26 opening day, U.S. fans will also be able to watch the MLB Big Inning show each weeknight with live look-ins and in-game highlights, plus there is a full slate of MLB-related content coming to ‌Apple TV‌ like Countdown to First Pitch, MLB Daily Recap, and MLB This Week.

The full Friday Night Baseball schedule for the first half of the season can be found on Apple's website.

Friday Night Baseball is included for free with an ‌Apple TV‌ subscription, and no additional subscription package is required. ‌Apple TV‌ is priced at $12.99 per month.
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Apple today released iOS 16.7.15, iPadOS 16.7.15, iOS 15.8.7, and iPadOS 15.8.7, updates designed for older iPhones and iPads that are not able to run newer versions of iOS and iPadOS.


iPhone and iPad users can install the updates by opening up the Settings app, going to General, and selecting the Software Update option. Those with automatic updates turned on will see the new software installed automatically in the coming days.

According to Apple's release notes, the updates include important security fixes.

Apple has committed to providing security updates for iPhones for at least five years after launch, but often Apple provides security fixes for a much longer period of time. Earlier this year, the iPhone 5s got a new software update 13 years after it initially launched.

Update: Apple's security notes for iOS/iPadOS 15.8.7 and iOS/iPadOS 16.7.15 disclose that the fixes are related to the sophisticated Coruna exploit that was disclosed by Google last week. Apple says that while all of the issues were previously fixed in various iOS 16 and iOS 17 updates, today's releases bring the same fixes to older devices that can't update to iOS 17 or later.
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The upcoming foldable iPhone that Apple plans to debut this September will operate like a cross between an iPhone and an iPad, reports Bloomberg.


When the device is opened up, the UI will have an iPad-like layout that supports multitasking with two apps side-by-side. No iPhone to date has supported running multiple apps on the display at the same time, beyond simple picture-in-picture mode features.

Many apps will feature sidebars on the left of the display, and developers will be given tools to adapt their existing apps for the new interface.

The ‌iPad‌ interface makes sense because the iPhone Fold is something of an iPhone and ‌iPad‌ hybrid. When closed, it will resemble a traditional slab-style iPhone, but when open, it will be closer to the size of the iPad mini. Rather than a tall design, Apple is using a wider design than its competitors, and it is expected to have a 4:3 aspect ratio.

A wider display will make the iPhone Fold more useful for side-by-side apps, video watching, and similar tasks that people are used to doing with an ‌iPad‌. When the iPhone Fold is closed, the outer display will look like a standard iPhone. It will display apps and it will have a hole-punch front-facing camera for selfies, but there isn't Face ID support. Instead, Apple is using a fingerprint sensor that's included in the power button. The camera area will still support Dynamic Island features for Live Activities and relevant notifications even though there's no TrueDepth system.

Apple did test a camera that was underneath the inner display, but it produced poor images compared to the hole punch version, so Apple opted for a visible camera. The rear area will have dual cameras, but no triple-lens camera system because of space constraints.

Though the iPhone Fold will have a display with some features that are also available on the ‌iPad‌, it will run iOS, not iPadOS. It will not support the full range of multitasking features that are available on the ‌iPad‌, and it won't run existing iPadOS apps.

Apple plans to price the iPhone Fold somewhere around $2,000, and it will be the most expensive iPhone in the 2026 lineup.
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Happy MacBook Neo launch day! Apple's $599 notebook is finally here, and we picked one up to take a look at the new machine and share some first impressions.


The ‌MacBook Neo‌ looks like a MacBook Air, but a little bit smaller. It comes in fun colors, including Citrus, Blush, and Indigo, plus a plain Silver shade. It's lightweight, has rounded corners, and it's an all-around nice machine, especially compared to bulkier Windows PCs. The display is as bright as the ‌MacBook Air‌ display at 500 nits, and it has nice vivid colors.

The base model comes with a 256GB SSD and no Touch ID button for the color-matched keyboard, but the higher-tier 512GB model priced at $699 does have ‌Touch ID‌.

Since this is a $599 MacBook, there are some compromises. You only get two USB-C ports and no Thunderbolt, plus no MagSafe or fast charging option. Only one of the USB-C ports is USB3, so you'll need to use that one if you want to connect an external display. It supports a 4K 60Hz display.

The trackpad isn't the same Force Touch trackpad you'll find on the ‌MacBook Air‌ or MacBook Pro, but it's just as usable with the exception of the pressure-based options. There is a physical click rather than the Haptic Force Touch click, but the entire button can click so you can press anywhere. The keyboard is identical to the keyboard of the ‌MacBook Air‌ in terms of feel.

Apple designed new speakers for the ‌MacBook Neo‌, and they're side-firing for the first time. Maximum sound is a little limited, but sound quality is otherwise decent for a laptop. The microphones for video calls are good at isolating out background noise, but the camera is limited to 1080p so it's not quite as good as the camera Apple uses for more expensive MacBook models.

In terms of performance, the ‌MacBook Neo‌ has an A18 Pro chip and it's limited to 8GB RAM, but that's plenty for simple tasks like browsing the web, watching videos, editing documents, and doing homework. In a quick test opening 54 pre-installed apps on the ‌MacBook Neo‌, it didn't struggle, and it was able to handle all of those apps without an issue.

We're going to do a deep dive into performance and battery life in the future once we've been able to spend more time with the ‌MacBook Neo‌, so make sure to keep an eye on the site for more videos.
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Following the release of his new book Apple: The First 50 Years, tech columnist David Pogue is hosting an Apple at 50: Five Decades of Thinking Different event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California tonight.


The event will be live streamed on YouTube for free, starting at 7 p.m. Pacific Time.

"From the early garage days of the 1970s, to the heyday of the Macintosh in the 1980s, to Apple's transformation in the 2000s with the iPhone, the program will explore how Apple repeatedly redefined itself while holding fast to a distinctive vision," the Computer History Museum said, in the YouTube stream's description.

The event will feature speakers from across multiple Apple eras, including:

• John Sculley: Apple's CEO from 1983 to 1993


• Chris Espinosa: Apple's longest-serving employee


• Avie Tevanian: Apple's former Chief Software Technology Officer


• Jon Rubinstein: Apple's former SVP of Hardware Engineering (appearing by video)

Pogue is a CBS Sunday Morning correspondent, and he spent many years writing about Apple and technology for The New York Times and Macworld.

In a social media post, Pogue said the event will also feature Ronald Wayne, the lesser-known third co-founder of Apple alongside Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. It is unclear if Wayne will be attending the event in person or if he will speak.

Wayne sold his 10% share of Apple back to Jobs and Wozniak just 12 days after the company was established in 1976, to avoid personal financial risk. His share of the company would be worth hundreds of billions of dollars today.

The live stream is below.


Pogue said there will be seven key Apple figures participating in the event, so there should be two others beyond the names listed above. Perhaps it is a surprise.

The Computer History Museum has an Apple at 50 page with a timeline of the company's history, old photos, interviews, rare prototypes, and more.

Pogue's book Apple: The First 50 Years is available in hardcover and digital formats.

In time for Apple's 50th anniversary on April 1, 2026, the 608-page book explores the first five decades of the company's history. Pogue interviewed 150 key people who shaped Apple into what it is today, including Wozniak, Sculley, former design chief Jony Ive, and others.

The book provides "new facts that correct the record":

In time for Apple's 50th anniversary, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent David Pogue tells the iconic company's entire life story: how it was born, nearly died, was born again under Steve Jobs, and became, under CEO Tim Cook, the most valuable company in the world. The book features full-color photos, new facts that correct the record and illuminate its subversive culture, and fresh interviews with the legendary figures who shaped Apple into what it is today.

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X-Plane, which is advertised as being the "world's most advanced flight simulator," is coming to Apple's Vision Pro in the next month or so.


The upcoming visionOS 26.4 update adds support for NVIDIA's CloudXR 6.0 platform, and this will enable Vision Pro users to wirelessly stream immersive PC games from NVIDIA RTX-powered servers via Wi-Fi, including the flight simulator X-Plane 12. According to Justin Ryan, the simulator will stream at up to 4K at 120 FPS.

Vision Pro users will be able to connect their own flight simulation hardware for an immersive flying experience. If you have a physical yoke or throttle, Apple's augmented reality framework ARKit uses image detection to recognize them and place them inside your virtual cockpit, as shown in Ryan's demo below (via 9to5Mac).


X-Plane 12 is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux for $59.99, or as a DVD for $99.99. A companion app for visionOS will be available in the Vision Pro's App Store "later this spring," according to the announcement. visionOS 26.4 is currently in beta testing, and the update is expected to be released in late March or early April.
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Today is the launch day for all of Apple's newest products, including the M4 iPad Air, MacBook Neo, M5 MacBook Air, M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro, and iPhone 17e. Below, we've collected all of the offers and discounts you can get on these products at retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and more.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

M4 iPad Air

On Amazon you can get multiple cash discounts on the new M4 iPad Air, with up to $80 off the 11-inch M4 iPad Air and up to $100 off the 13-inch M4 iPad Air. All of these discounts have been automatically applied and do not require a coupon code or a Prime membership. Most models have an estimated delivery date of March 16.




The new iPad Air features the M4 chip, C1X modem, and N1 networking chip, which brings support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. In terms of design, the 2026 models are identical to the 2025 iPad Air tablets, with an edge-to-edge display, slim bezels, and aluminum chassis.

11-inch M4 iPad Air

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $559.00 ($40 off)


• 256GB Wi-Fi - $649.00 ($50 off)


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $839.00 ($60 off)


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,019.00 ($80 off)

13-inch M4 iPad Air

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $749.00 ($50 off)


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $1,019.00 ($80 off)


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,199.00 ($100 off)

MacBook Neo

If you order the new low-cost MacBook Neo at Best Buy, you'll get a free $25 Best Buy gift card after purchase. In order to get the deal, you need a My Best Buy Plus/Total membership, and then order any MacBook Neo model at Best Buy with a valid e-mail address. The e-gift card will be sent out after you receive the MacBook Neo, or after you pick it up in a Best Buy store.



Apple announced the MacBook Neo last week, and it's now the cheapest MacBook in the lineup starting at $599 and powered by the A18 Pro chip. Apple says it is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5, up to 3x faster for on-device AI workloads, and up to 2x faster for tasks like photo editing.

MacBook Air and MacBook Pro

You can get a $50 Best Buy gift card when ordering the M5 MacBook Air and a $100 gift card when ordering the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro. These offers require a My Best Buy Plus/Total membership.

In order to get these deals, you need to order one of the newest MacBooks at Best Buy with a valid e-mail address. The e-gift card will be sent out after you receive the eligible MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, or after you pick it up in a Best Buy store.




In regards to the upgrades, the MacBook Air features performance improvements thanks to the newest M5 chip, as well as Apple's custom N1 wireless chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity.

The new MacBook Pro includes M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which are up to 30 percent faster when compared to the M4 generation, and up to 2.5x faster than M1 Pro and M1 Max. In terms of design, both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro keep the same overall designs as previous generations.

M5 MacBook Air

• 13-inch M5 MacBook Air (512GB) - $1,099.00 + $50 gift card


• 13-inch M5 MacBook Air (16GB/1TB) - $1,299.00 + $50 gift card


• 15-inch M5 MacBook Air (512GB) - $1,299.00 + $50 gift card


• 15-inch M5 MacBook Air (24GB/1TB) - $1,699.00 + $50 gift card

M5 Pro/M5 Max MacBook Pro

• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Pro/1TB) - $2,199.00 + $100 gift card


• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Pro/2TB) - $2,799.00 + $100 gift card


• 16-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Pro/1TB) - $2,699.00 + $100 gift card


• 16-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Max/2TB) - $3,899.00 + $100 gift card

iPhone 17e

Apple's latest iPhone, the iPhone 17e, is now available to purchase, and as always you can find numerous offers on the newest Apple smartphone from cellular carriers. This includes savings from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

AT&T
At AT&T, you can get the iPhone 17e (256GB) for $5.99/month when you activate a new line or upgrade an existing line on one of AT&T's unlimited voice and data plan.



Specifically, you'll get up to $384.36 in bill credits on the 256GB iPhone 17e, or up to $404.36 in bill credits on the 512GB iPhone 17e. No trade-in is required for this deal.

Verizon
Verizon's deal has the iPhone 17e at no cost when you purchase the device on an Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus, or Unlimited Ultimate plan. You'll also need to add a new line on one of these plans, and this is for the 256GB iPhone 17e.



Once you qualify, you'll see the promo credit applied to your account over 36 months.

T-Mobile
At T-Mobile, you can also get the iPhone 17e at no cost, but you'll need to trade in an eligible device on the Experience More plan. Otherwise, you can get the same offer when trading in an eligible device and add a line on most other plans.



If you're purchasing for a family, you can get four iPhone 17e models at no cost and four new voice lines for $25/line per month. You'll need to trade in four eligible devices on the Essentials plan in order to get this deal.

If you're switching to T-Mobile, you'll get the iPhone 17e at no cost and you won't need to trade in any device for this one.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

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Apple is planning to launch a MacBook Air with an OLED display, but it won't come for several years after the MacBook Pro is updated with OLED screen technology.


We're not going to see an OLED ‌MacBook Air‌ until at least 2028, according to Bloomberg. Large, high-quality OLED displays are expensive, and it will take some time for the technology to come down in price enough that it can be used in Apple's midrange devices.

Apple brought OLED to the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models in 2024, introducing the first larger-sized OLED screens. The iPhone and Apple Watch have used OLED for years, but it is more complicated with bigger displays. Apple wants to transition its flagship Mac and iPad models to OLED, with OLED eventually used across all product lines.

OLED displays have better contrast than the LCD and mini-LED displays that Apple is using for current Macs, providing richer colors and deeper blacks. OLED also supports wider viewing angles and is often more power efficient because black pixels don't light up.

A ‌MacBook Pro‌ with a touchscreen OLED display is in development, and rumors suggest that we're going to get it as soon as late 2026, though Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today that we could be waiting until early 2027.

Kuo also said that we won't see an OLED ‌MacBook Air‌ until 2028 or 2029, so the ‌MacBook Air‌ will likely continue to use LCD display technology until then. It's possible Apple could do an interim mini-LED update, but there are no rumors suggesting that's the case yet.
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The Apple Studio Display and ‌Studio Display‌ XDR are equipped with A19 and A19 Pro chips, respectively, and each display has 128GB of internal NAND storage.


With A-series chips, the Studio Displays run an iOS-based operating system, which is what the internal storage space is used for. The A19 and A19 Pro handle camera processing for the Center Stage camera, color calibration, USB and Thunderbolt device management, spatial audio, and more.

Storage space is necessary for the existing software, downloading new firmware updates over time, and perhaps for diagnostics, but the storage is not used for user-facing features.

The prior-generation ‌Studio Display‌ had 64GB of storage, so the new displays have double the capacity. Apple likely found it more affordable to use existing NAND storage from its iPhone supply chain rather than to invest in smaller modules with less storage. Most of the 128GB is probably unnecessary.

Along with 128GB of storage, the ‌Studio Display‌ has 8GB RAM and the ‌Studio Display‌ XDR has 12GB RAM. The new displays launched today, and are now available for purchase from the online Apple Store and Apple retail locations.

(Thanks, Mr. Macintosh!)
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Apple and Samsung produced nearly the same number of smartphones in 2025, tying for the top position in global smartphone production, according to a new report from TrendForce.


Global smartphone production reached approximately 1.254 billion units in 2025, rising 2.5% year over year. The research firm says Apple and Samsung each produced nearly 240 million smartphones during the year, tying for the top position in global production.

TrendForce says the smartphone market in the first half of 2025 benefited from China's government subsidy programs, which stimulated demand, while the second half of the year was supported by the traditional seasonal peak driven by new flagship smartphone launches.

Apple's production increased significantly toward the end of the year following the launch of the iPhone 17 lineup. TrendForce said Apple's smartphone production rose more than 50% quarter over quarter in the fourth quarter of 2025, supported by strong shipments of the company's latest iPhone models.

The report adds that the ‌iPhone 17‌ series benefited from well-positioned retail pricing, which helped drive strong market performance. TrendForce suggests that if Apple adopts a more aggressive pricing strategy in 2026, it could help sustain both production and sales momentum.

Looking ahead, the broader smartphone industry is expected to face mounting cost pressures. TrendForce says surging memory prices are likely to significantly increase smartphone production costs in 2026. As a result, global smartphone output is projected to decline by at least 10% year over year to around 1.135 billion units.

According to the firm, smartphone manufacturers will face a difficult choice between raising retail prices to preserve margins or lowering device specifications to maintain shipment volumes, with the entry-level segment expected to be most affected by rising component costs.

Beyond Apple and Samsung, several other manufacturers ranked among the largest producers in 2025. Xiaomi (including Redmi and POCO) ranked third with production close to 170 million units, followed by OPPO (including OnePlus and Realme) with 143 million units.

Vivo placed fifth, while Transsion (the company behind TECNO, Infinix, and itel) ranked sixth after sharply cutting production late in the year due to inventory adjustments and demand concerns in emerging markets. Honor ranked seventh after accelerating production toward the end of 2025, while Lenovo (including Motorola) ranked eighth with roughly 61 million smartphones produced during the year.
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Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said the MacBook Pro will receive a "major upgrade" with an OLED display by early next year.


In a blog post, Kuo said the new MacBook Pro will be released between late 2026 and early 2027.

With an OLED display, the MacBook Pro would have better image quality compared to the current models with LCD displays and mini-LED backlighting. Advantages of OLED displays include more vivid colors, higher contrast ratio, and wider viewing angles, and they can be more power efficient depending on the content being displayed.

The next-generation MacBook Pro is expected to feature many other upgrades, including a thinner design, a touch screen, a Dynamic Island, and M6 Pro and M6 Max chips manufactured with TSMC's 2nm process. It has been rumored that Apple might even expand its C1X or C2 modem to the MacBook Pro for built-in cellular connectivity.

With all of these new features, higher prices are likely. For this reason, it was recently reported that the model with an OLED display might be a so-called "MacBook Ultra" that is positioned above the MacBook Pro in the lineup.

Kuo expects the MacBook Air to receive an OLED display as well, but not until 2028 or 2029.

Apple just released MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, but if you are interested in bigger upgrades, it might be best to wait. The last MacBook Pro redesign occurred in 2021, so these moments do not come along too often.
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Apple today announced three new games coming to Apple Arcade in April, along with several updates to existing titles on the service.



The three new games heading to ‌Apple Arcade‌ next month are as follows:

• DREDGE+: A complete edition of the award-winning fishing adventure where players explore eerie archipelagos, dredge the ocean floor for hidden treasures, and uncover mysteries lurking beneath the waves. The ‌Apple Arcade‌ version includes all previously released downloadable content, including The Pale Reach, The Iron Rig, and Blackstone Key, along with a custom rod.


• Unpacking+: A relaxing puzzle game centered on unpacking belongings and arranging them in a new home. As players organize items across different rooms, they gradually piece together the story of the life they are unpacking.


• My Very Hungry Caterpillar+: An interactive experience based on Eric Carle's beloved children's character where players care for their own caterpillar, feeding and playing with it as it grows and eventually transforms into a butterfly.

All of the new games will be available on April 2, 2026. Two ‌Apple Arcade‌ titles are also set to receive updates in the coming weeks:

• Disney SpellStruck: A Star Wars crossover arriving March 19 adds Adventure Mode levels inspired by Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back and introduces Darth Vader and Lando Calrissian as playable characters.


• Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop: A new game mode called Puyo Puyo Garden arrives April 9 to celebrate the franchise's 35th anniversary, allowing players to grow and battle their own unique Puyo.

‌Apple Arcade‌ is a subscription service that provides access to hundreds of games across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. All of the games are free of ads and in-app purchases, and the service continues to expand its catalog of more than 200 titles.

In the U.S., ‌Apple Arcade‌ costs $6.99 per month, and it is also bundled with other Apple services in all Apple One plans. ‌Apple Arcade‌ can be accessed through the App Store and the Apple Games app.
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With the latest version of the Apple Invites app on the iPhone, released today, the app's Home Screen widget has received a small but useful enhancement.


In August, the app gained a Home Screen widget that counts down the days until an upcoming event, but you had to choose a specific event. Starting today, though, a new "Next Upcoming" option can automatically refresh the widget with your next closest event as they pass by. You can still set a specific event manually if you prefer.

The update also contains bug fixes and performance improvements.

Released in February 2025, the Apple Invites app makes it easy to invite people to events, such as birthday parties and baby showers. First, you create an event invitation, which can include a description, a custom background, and even a shared photo album. Then, you can generate a link to the event that you can share with invited guests.

The ability to create an event in the app is limited to iCloud+ subscribers, but anyone who receives an event link can RSVP for free. In the U.S., the cheapest iCloud+ plan with 50GB of storage currently costs 99 cents per month.

Apple Invites is available on the iPhone, and on the web at iCloud.com/invites. Guests can RSVP in the iPhone app, or on the web from any device.
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Amazon today has the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation for $119.99, down from $179.00. This is a solid second-best price on the AirPods 4 with ANC, and the best price we've tracked so far in 2026.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Amazon currently provides a March 16 delivery date for free shipping on the AirPods 4, and Prime members should see faster estimates with same-day delivery in many locations. As of writing, we're only tracking this deal at Amazon.



Amazon also has the AirPods 4 base model for $99.00, down from $129.00, which is another second-best price. Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

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Starting today, the seven new Apple products that were announced last week are available at Apple Stores and beginning to arrive to customers.


The colorful MacBook Neo and all of the other new products are on display at most Apple Store locations around the world starting today. Apple Stores have inventory of the new products for both walk-in customers and Apple Store pickup, but availability varies, so make sure to see if your local store has stock via Apple's online store.

• From the MacRumors Forums: MacBook Neo Pre-Order and Delivery Thread

The other six products include an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, a new Studio Display, and a higher-end Studio Display XDR.

iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the iPhone 16e, but it gains Apple's A19 chip, MagSafe for magnetic wireless charging and magnetic accessories, Apple's second-generation C1X modem for faster 5G, and a doubled 256GB of base storage. In the U.S., the iPhone 17e starts at $599, just like the iPhone 16e did.

The new iPad Air's key upgrades include Apple's M4 chip, an increased 12GB of RAM, Apple's N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, and the C1X modem in cellular models.

The MacBook Air received a faster M5 chip, and a doubled 512GB of base storage, but the starting price increased from $999 to $1,099 as a result of a 256GB configuration being dropped. With the N1 chip, the MacBook Air now has Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and it now comes with Apple's 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max.

The higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models finally received M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, plus up to twice as fast SSD speeds and a doubled 1TB of base storage. Battery life has increased slightly across all of the models, and the N1 chip extends to the MacBook Pro line now for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support.

The regular Studio Display gained Thunderbolt 5 support and improved speakers, and the camera now supports Desk View. There is also an all-new, higher-end Studio Display XDR that gained all of those benefits, plus bigger improvements such as a 120Hz refresh rate, mini-LED backlighting, increased brightness, and more.

The colorful new MacBook Neo starts at just $599 in the United States, and at an even lower $499 for college students. Available in Blush, Citrus, Indigo, and Silver, the MacBook Neo is powered by the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone, and it is equipped with a 13-inch display, up to 512GB of storage, and a non-configurable 8GB of RAM.

To learn about these new products, read our coverage of Apple's announcements:

• Apple Announces iPhone 17e With A19 Chip, MagSafe, and More


• Apple Unveils iPad Air With M4 Chip, Increased RAM, Wi-Fi 7, and More


• Apple Announces MacBook Air With M5 Chip and 512GB Base Storage


• Apple Unveils MacBook Pro Featuring M5 Pro and M5 Max Chips


• Apple Updates Studio Display With Thunderbolt 5 and More


• Apple Introduces All-New Studio Display XDR: 120Hz, Mini-LED, and More


• Apple Announces $599 'MacBook Neo' With A18 Pro Chip

Last week, Apple also released new color options for a variety of accessories, including iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands, and the Crossbody Strap.
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Apple's refreshed Studio Display arrives alongside the all-new ‌Studio Display‌ XDR, which replaces the previous Pro Display XDR. The ‌Studio Display‌ XDR is more than twice the price of the ‌Studio Display‌, so which should you choose?


Both ‌Studio Display‌ models offer a wide range of the same core features and are designed to provide a very similar overall experience for everyday use. They share the same aluminum enclosure, identical 27-inch 5K resolution with a high pixel density of 218 ppi, and many of Apple's built-in workstation features such as the 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, studio-quality microphones, and six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio. Both displays also include Thunderbolt connectivity, along with options like nano-texture glass and VESA mounting for different workstation setups. As a result, the two displays are much more alike than their price difference might initially suggest. The shared features include:

• Design


• 27-inch display size


• 5120 by 2880 pixels


• 218 ppi


• P3 wide color gamut


• True Tone


• Anti-reflective coating


• Nano-texture glass option


• 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View


• Studio‑quality three‑mic array


• Six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio


• One upstream Thunderbolt 5 port for connecting to a Mac and charging


• One downstream Thunderbolt 5 port for high-speed accessories or daisy-chaining additional displays


• Two USB-C ports for accessories and charging


• VESA mount adapter option

Despite these similarities, there are still several key differences that separate the two displays and explain the substantial jump in price. Most of these distinctions relate to the underlying display technology and performance capabilities of the ‌Studio Display‌ XDR, which introduces a more advanced mini-LED panel, higher brightness levels for both SDR and HDR content, and a faster refresh rate with Adaptive Sync. It also offers additional professional-focused capabilities such as expanded color support and a more powerful chip. In total, there are 10 major differences between the two monitors:

‌Studio Display‌ (2026)	‌Studio Display‌ XDR (2026)
Apple A19 chip	Apple A19 Pro chip
LCD panel	Mini-LED panel
60Hz refresh rate	120Hz refresh rate
	Adaptive Sync
	2,304 dimming zones
600 nits brightness	1,000 nits brightness (SDR)
	2,000 nits peak HDR brightness
	Adobe RGB wide color gamut
Tilt-adjustable stand included Tilt- and height-adjustable stand option	Tilt- and height-adjustable stand included
$1,599 (Tilt-adjustable stand) $1,999 (Tilt- and height-adjustable stand option)	$3,299

The standard ‌Studio Display‌ is the better choice for most users. It offers the same 27-inch 5K resolution, design, camera, speakers, and Thunderbolt connectivity as the ‌Studio Display‌ XDR, making it an excellent general-purpose display for everyday Mac use. For tasks such as productivity, software development, office work, and most creative projects, the 5K Retina, 600-nit panel with P3 wide color provides more than enough brightness and accuracy. It is also substantially more affordable, starting at $1,599, which makes it far easier to justify as a monitor for Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro users.

The ‌Studio Display‌ is still well suited to photographers, designers, and video editors working primarily in standard dynamic range (SDR). Its high pixel density and wide color support allow images and graphics to appear extremely sharp and vibrant, while the built-in camera, microphones, and six-speaker system make it ideal for video calls and general-purpose workstation setups. In many workflows, especially those focused on web content, software development, or SDR video production, the additional technologies offered by the ‌Studio Display‌ XDR provide few practical advantages.

The ‌Studio Display‌ XDR is aimed at far more specialized professional workflows. Its mini-LED backlight with more than 2,000 local dimming zones enables dramatically higher contrast and brightness, reaching up to 1,000 nits in SDR and 2,000 nits for HDR content. It also supports a 120Hz refresh rate with Adaptive Sync and adds broader color support, including Adobe RGB, which is important for certain print and professional imaging workflows.

These capabilities make the display particularly valuable for HDR video editing, color grading, 3D rendering, and other production environments where accurate brightness, contrast, and color reproduction are critical. As a result, the ‌Studio Display‌ XDR is primarily intended for high-end creative professionals who rely on reference-grade display performance, just like the Pro Display XDR it replaced.

Some prosumers and enthusiasts who are happy to spend more for a more capable product may also gravitate toward the ‌Studio Display‌ XDR simply to obtain the most advanced panel Apple offers. Its 120Hz refresh rate, higher brightness, and mini-LED backlight make it much closer to the display technology used in the ‌MacBook Pro‌, allowing content to appear more consistent with the built-in Liquid Retina XDR display.

Users who are accustomed to ProMotion and high dynamic range on a ‌MacBook Pro‌ may prefer the smoother motion and greater contrast of the XDR model, even if their work does not require it. For these buyers, the additional cost may be easier to justify as a way to achieve a more premium and future-proof desktop setup that aligns with Apple's highest-end Mac hardware.

For everyone else, the ‌Studio Display‌ remains the more sensible option. The two displays share most of the same everyday features and design, but the XDR model's advanced panel technology significantly increases the price. Unless your work directly requires HDR, extremely high brightness, or specialized color spaces, the standard ‌Studio Display‌ delivers a nearly identical day-to-day experience at roughly half the cost.
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Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models may not have a smaller Dynamic Island after all, despite rumors suggesting that it would see a reduction in size this year, according to a known leaker.


Citing recent supply chain information, the leaker known as "Digital Chat Station" claims that the ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro models may reuse some of their predecessor's molds and chassis designs. Face ID and the ‌Dynamic Island‌ will remain "largely unchanged," with plans to implement under-display ‌Face ID‌ and shrink the size of the ‌Dynamic Island‌ apparently now delayed to the following generation. Instead, the main upgrades will be the 2nm A20 Pro, a 5,000mAh+ battery, and improved large-aperture camera hardware.

There has been considerable disagreement between reliable sources on the ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro's ‌Dynamic Island‌. Over the past year, there have been mixed rumors about whether the ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro models will continue to feature a ‌Dynamic Island‌ or have a hole punch camera with under screen Face ID and no ‌Dynamic Island‌.

In January, things seemed to become clearer when Weibo leaker "Instant Digital," "ShrimpApplePro," and DSCC's Ross Young supported the rumor of a narrower ‌Dynamic Island‌. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman then independently reported that the device would have a smaller Dynamic Island.

Thus the latest rumor from "Digital Chat Station" seems to go against the grain, but it is not out of the question. We heard the same rumors about a smaller iPhone 17 Pro ‌Dynamic Island‌ last year, but the ‌Dynamic Island‌ ultimately ended up being the same size.

In the long term, Apple apparently wants to create an iPhone that's a slab of glass with no cutouts, and we may see that with the 20th anniversary iPhone in 2027. The ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max are expected to launch in the fall of 2026.
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TikTok and Apple today announced that Apple Music subscribers will be able to listen to full-length songs on Apple Music without leaving the TikTok app.


When a TikTok user comes across a song they love while browsing their "For You" page, they will be able to tap a "Play Full Song" button to open up an Apple Music player in the app and listen to the song in its entirety. From there, Apple Music subscribers can continue listening to a personalized stream of recommended songs.

The feature is built with Apple's MusicKit, and music artists will be paid for streams as usual.

TikTok and Apple are also introducing "Listening Party," a new feature that is "designed to bring artists and fans together around music."

"Listening Party creates a shared environment where fans can listen to songs from their favorite artists in real time, interact with each other, and engage directly with the artist during the session," says TikTok. "It offers a new, more social way to experience music while deepening the connection between artists and their communities."

"Play Full Song" and "Listening Party" are rolling out worldwide over the coming weeks, so make sure to keep the TikTok app updated on your iPhone.
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It's Apple pre-order week, and we're already tracking solid discounts across every new product that was announced this week. This includes free Best Buy gift cards when ordering the new MacBook Neo, Air, and Pro, plus the first cash discounts on M4 iPad Air on Amazon.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Pre-Order Discounts

• What's the deal? Save on pre-orders for iPhone 17e, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook Neo, and iPad Air


• Where can I get it? Amazon, Best Buy, and more


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Pre-orders are live on all of Apple's newest products, including the MacBook Neo, M5 MacBook Air, M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro, iPhone 17e, and M4 iPad Air. You'll find free gift cards when pre-ordering select products at Best Buy, while Amazon has straight cash discounts on numerous M4 iPad Air tablets.

AirPods

• What's the deal? Take $60 off AirPods 4 with ANC


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Amazon this week is back with a notable discount on the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, available for $119.00, down from $179.00.

Apple Watch Series 11

• What's the deal? Take $100 off Apple Watch Series 11


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Amazon this week has all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with $100 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. We first started tracking the return of these deals about a week ago, but this sale has now expanded with many more options on both 42mm and 46mm GPS models.

AirTag

• What's the deal? Take $35 off AirTag gen 1


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Apple's first-generation AirTag 4-Pack has dropped to $64.00 this week on Amazon, down from the original price of $99.00. Free shipping options have a delivery estimate around March 11, while Prime members should be able to get it delivered a few days sooner.


If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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This article, "Best Apple Deals of the Week: First Discounts Hit All of Apple's New Products, Including MacBook Neo and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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What a week for Apple news! Across Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week, Apple unveiled a total of seven new products, including low-cost iPhone and MacBook options, new displays, and refreshes for the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iPad Air.


Check out our recap with links to all of our coverage from the three days, and read on below for details on each of the new products!

Top Stories

Apple Announces $599 'MacBook Neo' With A18 Pro Chip

Apple's budget MacBook is finally here, with Apple itself leaking the computer's "MacBook Neo" name a day ahead of the official announcement.


The ‌MacBook Neo‌ is the first consumer Mac to be powered by an iPhone chip: the A18 Pro that debuted in 2024's iPhone 16 Pro models. Apple says it is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5, up to 3× faster for on-device AI workloads, and up to 2× faster for tasks like photo editing.

The ‌MacBook Neo‌ comes in four fun colors and features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2408-by-1506 resolution, 500 nits of brightness, and an anti-reflective coating. The display does not have a notch, instead featuring uniform, iPad-style bezels.

The $599 price tag does result in some compromises compared to more expensive Mac laptops, but the MacBook Neo is likely to be a hit with students, those new to Mac, and others shopping on a budget who are just looking for basic capabilities.

Apple Announces iPhone 17e With A19 Chip, MagSafe, and More

Apple this week announced the iPhone 17e, featuring the A19 chip, MagSafe connectivity, faster charging, and more.


The ‌iPhone 17e‌ contains the A19 chip introduced in iPhone 17, featuring a 6-core CPU and a 4-core GPU that make it up to 2× faster than the iPhone 11 that many prospective buyers may be upgrading from. The new 16-core Neural Engine is optimized for large generative models, and the ‌iPhone 17e‌ contains Apple's latest-generation C1X modem from the iPhone Air, delivering up to 2× faster cellular performance than the ‌iPhone‌ 16e.

The iPhone 17e starts at $599 and comes in black, white, and a new soft pink color.

Apple Unveils MacBook Pro Featuring M5 Pro and M5 Max Chips With New Fusion Architecture

Turning back to the Mac side of things, this week saw Apple announce new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models featuring M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, both built on a new Fusion Architecture that bonds two third-generation 3nm dies into a single chip using advanced packaging.


The Fusion Architecture is a first for Apple silicon, since previous chips used a single-die design. The two bonded dies house the CPU, GPU, Media Engine, Neural Engine, unified memory controller, and Thunderbolt 5 capabilities together.

The new MacBook Pro models also get memory and storage improvements, Apple's N1 networking chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support, and more.

Apple Introduces All-New Studio Display XDR: 120Hz, Mini-LED, and More

Alongside the new Mac laptops, Apple introduced not just one but two new external displays: a minor revision of the Studio Display and a higher-end Studio Display XDR that replaces the Pro Display XDR.


Both new displays measure in at 27 inches and 5K resolution, but the Studio Display XDR features mini-LED backlighting with 120Hz refresh rate and Adaptive Sync, among other upgrades.

The Studio Display is priced starting at $1,599, while the Studio Display XDR starts at $3,299.

Apple Unveils iPad Air With M4 Chip, Increased RAM, Wi-Fi 7, and More

Apple's tablet lineup also got an update this week thanks to a new iPad Air, with key upgrades including Apple's M4 chip for faster performance, an increased 12GB of RAM, Apple's N1 wireless networking chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, and Apple's custom C1X modem in cellular models.


The new iPad Air has the same overall design as the previous-generation model, which was equipped with the M3 chip, 8GB of RAM, and Wi-Fi 6E support.

The new iPad Air is available in the same blue, purple, starlight, and space gray colors as the previous generation, and it still starts at $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model.

Apple Announces MacBook Air With M5 Chip and 512GB Base Storage

Last but not least is the MacBook Air, which was refreshed this week with the M5 chip and a higher base SSD capacity.


The M5 chip in the ‌MacBook Air‌ features a 10-core CPU, with what Apple calls the world's fastest CPU cores. It offers configurations with up to 10 GPU cores with Neural Accelerators in each core, delivering up to 4× faster performance for AI tasks than the ‌MacBook Air‌ with the M4 chip.

Starting prices for the MacBook Air‌ have increased by $100 to $1,099 for the 13-inch model and $1,299 for the 15-inch model, but that also gets you double the amount of base storage at 512GB as the previous generation. The SSD also has 2× faster read and write performance compared to the previous generation.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!
This article, "Top Stories: MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e, Studio Display XDR, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The first benchmarks for the iPhone 17e surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database today, offering a closer look at the A19 chip's performance.


For multi-core CPU performance, the highest score the iPhone 17e achieved so far is 9,241. As expected, this is nearly identical to the standard iPhone 17 model with the A19 chip, which has an average multi-core score of 9,249.

There is one tiny catch, as the iPhone 17e has a 4-core GPU, whereas the iPhone 17 has a 5-core GPU. With one fewer GPU core, the iPhone 17e obviously has slightly lower graphics performance, with the device achieving Metal scores of around 31,000 to 31,500 in early Geekbench results, compared to around 37,000 for the iPhone 17.

In our view, most customers are unlikely to notice a significant difference in graphics performance between the iPhone 17e and iPhone 17.

The previous-generation iPhone 16e with an A18 chip also has a 4-core GPU.

The table below provides a comparison of multi-core CPU scores for some iPhones.

iPhone Model	Multi-Core CPU Score
iPhone 17 Pro (A19 Pro)	9,805
iPhone 17 (A19)	9,249
iPhone 17e (A19)	9,241
iPhone 16 Pro (A18 Pro)	8,625
iPhone 16e (A18)	7,977
iPhone 15 Pro (A17 Pro)	7,199

iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the iPhone 16e, but it gains Apple's A19 chip, MagSafe for magnetic wireless charging and magnetic accessories, Apple's second-generation C1X modem for faster 5G, and a doubled 256GB of base storage. In the U.S., the iPhone 17e starts at $599, just like the iPhone 16e did.

iPhone 17e pre-orders began March 4, and the device launches March 11.
This article, "iPhone 17e Benchmarks Reveal A19 Chip Performance With a Tiny Catch" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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While the MacBook Neo starts at just $599, or an even lower $499 for college students, Apple has insisted that it did not make any design compromises.


"It's undeniably a MacBook, we're certainly not making any compromises on the design and that's really important," said Apple's vice president of industrial design Molly Anderson, in an interview with architecture and design publication Dezeen.

Anderson added that "it was important" for the MacBook Neo "to be quintessentially a MacBook."

Chiefly, the MacBook Neo is made from aluminum, not plastic.

"It wasn't just a redesign, it was starting from the beginning, and we're not using cheaper materials, it's incredible aluminium," she said.

Available in fun colors like Blush and Citrus, the MacBook Neo is meant to be distinguished from the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, according to Anderson.

"It was important to make it feel part of the family, but with its own personality," she said.

Even though the MacBook Neo is designed with premium materials, Apple did have to make compromises in other areas. For example, the MacBook Neo has only 8GB of RAM, and a Touch ID button is limited to the $699 model. Plus, there is no MagSafe, one of the USB-C ports is limited to USB 2 speeds of just 480 MB/s, and the keys are not backlit.

Despite its limitations, the MacBook Neo will likely be a hit with students and customers who need a Mac mainly for everyday tasks, like web browsing and document editing. Pre-orders began on March 4, ahead of a March 11 launch.
This article, "Apple on MacBook Neo Design: 'We're Certainly Not Making Any Compromises'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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