Apple March event latest: MacBook Neo confirmed – and you won’t believe the price
Apple's holding an event today, but it's not being live streamed - we'll bring you all the latest right here.
Apple is holding an event right now and I’m at the London leg – other events are happening simultaneously in New York City and Shanghai. The event isn’t being live streamed, so I’ll bring you the latest updates right here.
The 13in MacBook Neo has now been confirmed and comes in four new colors including a very cool citrus. It’s also available in silver, indigo and blush.
As rumored it uses Apple’s A18 Pro. But the best news is that it is definitely a budget laptop starting at $599/£599. I even thought it might be $799, so the price is a really good surprise, especially as the MacBook Air has just gone up in price. There will be a lot of people who previously couldn’t afford a Mac who will be very pleased today.
Here’s what you’ll get if you order one:
- CPU: A18 Pro
- Screen: 13in
- Storage: 256/512GB
- Battery life: up to 16 hours
- Camera: 1080p FaceTime HD
- Audio: side-firing Spatial Audio dual speakers
- Touch ID only on 512GB (+$100/£100 at $699/£699)
The MacBook Neo is up for pre-order now and will ship March 11, subject to availability.
There are no other products launching today but this week Apple has already revealed the iPhone 17e, iPad Air M4, MacBookAir M5 and new Studio Displays in addition to M5 Pro and Max MacBook Pros.
Original story continues below
The main thing that will launch is a cheaper MacBook, set to be called the MacBook Neo and priced either $699 or $799, using an iPhone-level processor, probably the A18 Pro. It also appears the laptop will offer 5G cellular connectivity. There should also be some bright colors.
If even a couple of brighter options ship, it would certainly be a noticeable shift for Apple’s laptops, which have mostly played it safe on colour. While Apple has been bolder elsewhere – such as with the iMac which is still available in multiple finishes – MacBooks have stayed comparatively muted.
It’s no surprise that the latest M5 MacBook Air is more highly priced than before, a reflection of rising prices generally but also a sign that Apple wants to differentiate the Air from the previous sub-$1000 price point because of the new model.
Aside from the Neo, it’s a bit of a mystery what Apple will announce at the event – the HomePod with Display appears to be cancelled or at least postponed until the renewed Siri appears. Could we get the long-awaited new Apple TV? We’ve previously heard how this model could be called the Apple TV Pro.
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
