Apple has been introducing new products this week including new monitors, a new lower cost phone, an updated iPad Air and updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro computers. Each of these are welcome updates with better technology, and better specs, for example more storage as the default in the MacBook Air, all at the same or in the case of the Studio Display XDR, a much better if still very high price. The XDR did shrink from 32 to 27 inches (and dropped from 6k to 5k image) maintaining its excellent image and pixel per inch specification. All of this has been announced in a press release as for the most part they are updates of existing products. There are invite only “hands on” experiences scheduled to take place simultaneously in several location in the world today March 4th 2026.

Also today, Apple introduced something totally new before that Wednesday “experience “, a new laptop called the MacBook Neo, starting at $599. The Neo is the first modern MacBook to run an A series chip (phone) rather than an M series (Mac and iPad) which had been used in all Macs in the last 5 years. The A18 chip in the MacBook Neo is faster than the M1 in the original MacBook Air in most circumstances and is more than fast enough for a laptop.

The Neo has a 13” screen and 2 usb c ports for charging and data. It is slightly thicker than the Air, and roughly a half inch smaller in the other dimensions. The screen is the same brightness as a MacBook Air, but has an RGB color gamut rather than P3, which means it has less ability to reproduce subtle colors, and it doesn’t adjust the screen to the lighting in the room as the MacBook Air does. All reasonable coast cutting choices to hit the price point.

This is not the rebirth of the 12” MacBook that many had hoped for. There are curious cost cutting choices in the MacBook Neo. The base model (there are two versions) has 256 gb storage, the other has 512 gb. The $599 model does not have Touch ID, whereas the $699 model does. That $100 difference buys you more storage and touch ID. The omission of Touch ID is understandable for cost savings, and I’ll be recommending anyone who asks to spend the extra $100 to get that and the extra storage. Trust me. Both versions have only one memory option which is 8gb. An odd choice given that Apple just recently advertised that their entire line now had a minimum of 16gb of memory. Maybe this was a decision based on the increased RAM costs due to AI server farms buying up the market. My personal experience was that 8 gb didn’t work well for my use case, but I regularly run 5-6 applications simultaneously while podcasting and the 8gb limit was causing me problems. (The apps I run are: Zoom, Audio Hijack, Safari, Messages, and Callsheet). If you run a browser, or watch Youtube videos, and do regular word processing or spreadsheet work, 8gb is fine.

Both models have two USB C ports which are not Thunderbolt compatible which is not surprising, what is surprising is that one of them is USB 3 speed and the other is USB 2 speed, I regularly use a USB based card reader for moving images from compact flash type B cards, I know I’d forever be using the slower port and wondering why it was so slow. I believe Apple created a situation where a poor user experience my occur regularly and something that will be changed in subsequent updates. USB 2 was introduced in 2000, 26 years ago, while USB 3 (this appears to be 3.1 with 10 gb/s) was introduced in 2013. I can’t imagine the cost difference was significant in any way. A new computer with a 26 year old technology that has been updated 5-6 times in the intervening years is just a bad idea. There should be 2 USB 3.1 ports on this computer. 

A mechanical touch pad in front of the non backlit keys is another place where savings were made. Not backlighting the keys is probably a big savings and makes sense on the lower end of the product line. The touch pad has been haptic (it does not really move at all), on the MacBook line since 2015. So, once again Apple has chosen a decade or more older technology for the MacBook Neo. To be honest most people won’t notice, and the touchpad will probably be just fine. The reason for the change in 2015 was to make the system more durable with no moving parts in the touch pad. This is a regression, but unlike the USB 2 port, the Screen and the camera, this is the previous generation of the technology, not several generations behind.

The MacBook Neo has a 1080p front facing camera for video meetings. This is a BIG step down from the rest of the MacBook line where 12 megapixel cameras are now the norm. I am a bit surprised that this is not at the least a 4k camera which is the previous generation baseline. Again, an area where cost savings were perhaps over shooting the last technology leap for one a decade or more older. Apple was late to upgrade from 1080p compared to most PC laptops, and going back to that standard in 2026, seems like a marketing decision for diversification of the product line more than cost savings. Even in an entry level product, Apple buyers expect a premium experience relative to the PC options available. The enclosure and build quality will certainly reinforce the premium feel of the Neo, but the USB 2 port and the lower resolution camera seem like poor choices. Time will tell.

The MacBook Neo comes in four colors, the obligatory silver and black (not apple’s names) and alternately yellow and pink. It has 16 hours of battery compared to 18 for the MacBook Air which starts at $999. The Neo is a great buy for an Apple Laptop with Apple build quality and workmanship. For much of the population the Neo is the perfect laptop, though I would strongly suggest getting the 512gb model for $699.

I think it is also telling to think about rumored products that were not introduced this week. Items that can be directly tied to the lack of a shipping AI solution from Apple. The rumored home hub went unmentioned, as did new HomePod’s, Smart home switches, cameras, or sensors. Also no mention of a new AppleTV device. As I said, each of these items can be tied to the lack of an AI functioning at the level Apple expects.

Lest you think that there have been no advances in AI for apple, check out spotlight in the newest version of MacOS. Spotlight is the system search and launch system. Press and hold the command key ⌘, and tap the space bar. From there you can type the first few letters of anything you are looking for on your Mac. Try launching an app type PA and pages will be an option. Type TA to find your last year’s tax pdf. It works well and fast, which has not always done. And Spotlight has learned a few new tricks in MacOS 26.4 (beta available now). After launching Spotlight, type command ⌘, and the number 4. You will get a list of clipboard items. This allows you to copy three of four items and then call up the list and paste each of the items you copied. It is no longer a copy (or cut) and paste systole exclusively. You can copy, copy, copy and paste, paste, paste! This is handy in many situations, so much so that clipboard managers with a clipboard history are popular add-ons from the App Store. Many of the apps offer more functionality so if you use these, there is no reason to quit. But, the next time you are working on a friend’s computer and need a clipboard history, it is nice to know it is built in. One more reason to upgrade to MacOS 26 even if you do not like the Liquid Glass look feel and function.