Episode
184: Apple Experience Recap: $599 MacBook Neo Announced!
- Podcast
- The MacRumors Show
- Published
- Mar 6, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3800
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://audioboom.com/posts/8870643
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Summary
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 sta…