Episode 062: First thoughts on MacBook Neo, including advantages, compromises, and how it fits into the Apple ecosystem. Fernando and Jeff argue that the MacBook Neo could be the best budget laptop of all time.

9to5Mac Overtime is a weekly video-first podcast exploring fun and interesting observations in the Apple ecosystem, featuring 9to5Mac’s Fernando Silva & Jeff Benjamin. Subscribe to Overtime via Apple Podcasts and our YouTube channel for more.

more…

I have been on the search for a thin MagSafe battery for years. I’ve tested dozens of these battery packs, and some have been fantastic, but they all share the same compromise, which is bulk. This year’s iPhone Air made me want a thin MagSafe battery solution even more. So when I saw that BMX released their SolidSafe Air, with a 5,000 mAh capacity and a thickness of less than 6.8mm, I knew I needed to give this one a shot. After spending a little over a week with it, here is what you need to know.

more…

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage, and protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

Apple Business Manager (and Apple School Manager) is the source of truth for Apple device management. If a device isn’t in ABM, it doesn’t really exist for your fleet is concerned. While the web portal has improved over the years, it is still a web portal. It generally takes me longer to log in, approve 2FA, etc., than it does to actually search. This is why I was excited to come across ABMate recently.

more…

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

Discuss this article in our forums

Welcome to 9to5Mac’s top stories of the week, where we recap the biggest news in the Apple world every Saturday. This week, we have all of Apple’s announcements, including the MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e, and more. Plus, our usual slate of new podcast episodes, opinion pieces, and much more. Read on for all of this week’s top stories.

more…

Following early tests of the M4 iPad Air, the M5 Max chip, and the MacBook Neo, the first purported tests of the iPhone 17e’s A19 chip are now up on Geekbench. Here’s how it did.

more…

Apple researchers ran an A/B test to measure how AI-generated relevance labels would affect App Store search rankings and app downloads. Here’s what they found.

more…

We’re giving away Apple’s latest MacBook Pro to one lucky reader this month courtesy of our friends at BenQ to celebrate the company’s MA series of monitors for Mac. The winner will also receive the new BenQ 27″ 4K Nano Gloss Monitor for MacBook! Head below to enter the giveaway and learn more about the new monitors.

more…

Apple has updated its leadership page to reflect several recent changes to its executive team. Here’s what changed.

more…

Apple TV keeps proving itself a destination for sci-fi fans, and now two of the streamer’s beloved hits have inspired spinoff series that are coming.

more…

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

Discuss this article in our forums

Built by a group of ex-Apple employees who co-created SwiftUI, Bitrig now lets you build iPhone apps right from your Mac through prompts. Here are the details.

more…

MacBook Neo is an exciting addition to Apple’s product lineup, and even though the product isn’t meant for high-end Mac users, it should still prove good news for future models of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

more…

Molly Anderson, Apple’s Industrial Design Leader, discusses the process behind creating the MacBook Neo in a new interview today.

more…

Air purifiers are one of my favorite HomeKit accessories. Even though I live in an area with pretty decent air quality, I keep them running in our home to help clean the air for my family, especially in the spring. The problem is that most of them look like medical equipment. I love the Smartmi E1, and it effectively ends the era of ugly appliances. It is hands-down the best-looking HomeKit/Apple Home air purifier on the market.

more…

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

Discuss this article in our forums

The arrival of the M5 MacBook Air means that Apple once again has two laptops with the standard M5 chip inside. Apple first put the plain M5 chip inside a laptop with the 14-inch MacBook Pro.

Both machines occupy the “under $2000” space in Apple’s laptop lineup. Here’s how the two MacBooks with the same chip compare.

more…

iOS 26 adds a lot to the Messages app, like new group chat features, spam prevention tools, and more. Joining those improvements, Messages also got a big AI upgrade in iOS 26 for an essential feature: search.

more…

Does Parallels virtualization software work with MacBook Neo? The short answer for now is that the company isn’t sure yet. The official line as of March 5 is that support has not actually been confirmed yet:

more…

Silo season 3 is expected to premiere later this year, but the show just got a big season 4 update too.

more…

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's concentrated week of announcements that saw the introduction of 10 new products.



The most significant announcement of the week was the MacBook Neo, an all-new entry-level Apple laptop that starts at $599. The ‌MacBook Neo‌ is designed to compete with lower-cost Windows laptops and Chromebooks, while expanding the Mac lineup with a substantially more affordable option.

Unlike every other Apple silicon Mac, the ‌MacBook Neo‌ is powered by the A18 Pro chip originally developed for the iPhone 16 Pro, making it the first Mac to use an iPhone-class processor instead of an M-series chip.

The machine features a rounded, colorful design available in Silver, Indigo, Blush, and Citrus finishes, with matching keyboards and wallpapers that give it a more playful appearance than Apple's existing notebooks. At 2.7 pounds, it weighs the same as a MacBook Air.

It offers a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with uniform, iPad-style bezels rather than a notch, a Magic Keyboard, a mechanical trackpad, two USB-C ports, 8GB of memory, a headphone jack, a 1080p camera, dual mics, dual speakers with Spatial Audio, and a battery life rated for up to 16 hours.

Apple also updated several existing devices with modest specification improvements. The iPhone 17e retains the same design and price as the iPhone 16e but adds the A19 chip, MagSafe support, Apple's second-generation C1X modem, and 256GB of base storage.

The 11- and 13-inch iPad Air gained the M4 chip, 12GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 7 support via Apple's N1 wireless chip, and the same C1X modem in cellular models. Meanwhile, the 13- and 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ were upgraded with the M5 chip and a higher base storage capacity of 512GB, though the removal of the 256GB option increased the starting price to $1,099.

At the high end of the Mac lineup, Apple refreshed the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, introducing a "Fusion Architecture" that bonds two 3nm dies together into a single processor. These models also gained faster SSD speeds, higher base storage, and Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 via the N1 chip. Battery life increased slightly across the lineup, while GPU cores now include dedicated Neural Accelerators intended to improve AI workloads.

Apple also expanded its display lineup with a new Studio Display XDR model, replacing the Pro Display XDR. The new model offers a 27-inch 5K mini-LED panel with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR brightness up to 2,000 nits, and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. The standard ‌Studio Display‌ was updated at the same time with two Thunderbolt 5 ports, improved speakers, and a camera that now supports Desk View, but retains its 60Hz panel and 600-nit brightness.

All of the newly announced devices became available to pre-order on Wednesday, March 4, with the entire lineup scheduled to launch and begin arriving to customers on Wednesday, March 11. The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.



You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or other podcast apps. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your player.



If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion about what we expected from Apple's announcements this week to see what we got right and wrong.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kayci Lacob, Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also email us at podcast@macrumors.com or head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.
This article, "The MacRumors Show: Apple Announces MacBook Neo and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple finally unveiled the long-awaited entry-level MacBook, the MacBook Neo – and it was certainly worth the wait. The shiny new machine hit the most optimistic of price estimates, with a starting price of just $599.

There’s little doubt that the Neo will cannibalize some sales of the MacBook Air. Although it certainly involves compromises, it will be the right choice for many. However, my suspicion is that it will actually end up cannibalizing even more iPad sales …

more…

Amid its introduction of 10 new devices this week, Apple discontinued over a dozen of its products dating back to 2019.


Apple this week announced the iPhone 17e, refreshed iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, two new Studio Display models, and the all-new MacBook Neo. Simultaneously, these 15 products were removed from Apple's lineup to make way for the new additions:

• iPhone 16e with A18 (2025)


• 11-inch ‌iPad Air‌ with M3 (2025)


• 13-inch ‌iPad Air‌ with M3 (2025)


• 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ with M4 (2025)


• 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ with M4 (2025)


• 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with M5 and 512GB storage (2025)


• 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with M4 Pro (2024)


• 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with M4 Pro (2024)


• 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with M4 Max (2024)


• 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with M4 Max (2024)


• Mac Studio with M3 Ultra and 512GB memory (2025)


• ‌Studio Display‌ with A13 Bionic (2022)


• Pro Display XDR (2019)


• Pro Stand for Pro Display XDR (2019)


• Pro Display XDR VESA Mount Adapter (2019)

Many of these devices are already seeing substantial discounts with third-party retailers. All of the newly announced devices became available to pre-order on Wednesday, March 4, with the entire lineup scheduled to launch and begin arriving to customers on Wednesday, March 11.
This article, "Apple Discontinued These 15 Products This Week" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Today’s 9to5Mac Lunch Break is headlined by the first cash deal on the most affordable new M4 iPad Air (or as low as $249 with trade), as well as a chance to land the M4 MacBook Air with the same RAM/storage specs as new M5 model at $200 less. Those offers join the ongoing M5 Pro MacBook Pro and MacBook Neo pre-order deals as well as all Apple Watch Series 11 models at $100 off, the best price yet on this Blue/Bright Blue Apple Trail Loop at 35% off, and a solid deal on Apple’s latest Neon Green Ocean Band. Everything awaits below.

more…