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- Wednesday March 11
- 06:07 pmMacBook Neo proves that it would be great if Apple let an iPhone or iPad be your Mac
The MacBook Neo proves that macOS can run on an iPhone processor. More than that, it shows how Apple now has all of the elements to make a device that's transformative in every sense.macOS doesn't work on iPad, but imagine if it did. Imagine only ever needing to carry around your iPhone, regardless of whether you were working with macOS or not. Imagine connecting your iPad to a Magic Keyboard, and firing up macOS.Either would be one single device that works like an iPhone in your hand, or an iPad on your lap, but a Mac when you connect it to the right input and output devices. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums06:04 pmHow the Apple Watch SE fixes the $599 MacBook Neo
Macworld How quickly things change. A couple of weeks ago, Apple was that out-of-touch company with the expensive products; now, following the launch of the MacBook Neo and iPhone 17e, it’s the Value Tech Warehouse. Gone are the days of Think Different and insanely great. Welcome to the era of pile ’em high, sell ’em cheap. Okay, that might not quite be true. It’s extraordinarily unlikely that Apple is pivoting to the budget market in any broad strategic sense, and the company will retain a keen interest in the high-margin premium market. Upsell opportunities will be found wherever possible. But it’s truer today than ever before that you can buy a complete bundle of decent Apple products at a manageable price. In fact, the entry-level models of the MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e, and Apple Watch SE 3 come in at a combined $1,447 if you buy direct from Apple, or less if you shop around. While that isn’t exactly an impulse purchase, it’s unprecedentedly affordable. Just make sure you don’t leave off the Apple Watch, which is key to the whole thing. First of all, the SE 3 is quite simply a brilliant smartwatch at a brilliant price. When we were rounding up Apple’s hits of 2025, I didn’t have any hesitation about the product I wanted to write about. A comfortable and unobtrusive design, always-on display, fast charging, excellent battery life, and on-device Siri… all this for just $249. In my review, I gave it 4.5 stars out of 5 and an Editors’ Choice badge, and I would recommend the device to anyone who’s curious about getting into smartwatches. It’s both good and relatively cheap. Apple Watch SE 3 Price When Reviewed: From $249 Best Prices Today: $239 at Amazon | $249.99 at Target | $269 at Walmart What I didn’t know at the time is how useful the Apple Watch SE would become just a couple of months later. The nice thing about the Apple Watch now is that it covers for one of the $599 MacBook Neo’s few pain points: its lack of Touch ID, which we placed at the top of our list of missing features. Biometric unlocking might seem like a small thing, but it both locks down your Mac and delivers serious convenience when multiplied by the number of times you wake up your Mac or log into a website. If you’ve had access to it before, managing without it is going to hurt. And if you haven’t, incorporating biometrics is an easy way to level up your day-to-day computing experience. Let me set the scene. You wake up in the morning and put on your Apple Watch. Do you need to use the passcode to unlock it? No! Just look at your iPhone, and Face ID will unlock both at once. Then you open your MacBook and prepare to begin work. Do you need to enter your password? No! The proximity of an unlocked, authenticated Apple Watch will do that for you. You’ve now got three devices unlocked without having to input a single password, and only one of them needed to have any biometric features. Multiply this by the number of unlocks per day, the number of days per month, the number of months per year… plus all the times you need to log into a website or want to buy something using Apple Pay (by double clicking your watch’s side button). It adds up. Now, in strict fairness, I should point out that the 512GB version of the MacBook Neo, which costs an extra $100, does get Touch ID, so the $249 Apple Watch isn’t actually saving you any money. But this isn’t a one-use product. It’s an excellent health and fitness product, a fashion accessory, and a convenient way to get notifications without taking out your phone. Once you start wearing one, you won’t want to take it off. Most of all, it works as part of a team. Biometrics are only the start: when you own the classic trio of Apple devices—iPhone, Apple Watch, MacBook—then you start to notice all kinds of neat interaction between them. This is what Apple is best at. Well, that and making cheap products, apparently.05:20 pmAnother PC maker sounds alarm as MacBook Neo shakes up industry
We recently wrote about how $599 MacBook Neo could shake up the PC industry. Now more laptop makers are freaking out. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)05:15 pmTom’s Hardware: Apple’s MacBook Neo is ‘a budget-priced game-changer’
Apple's all-new MacBook Neo, its most affordable laptop ever, starts at just $599 (and $499 for education customers), bringing the full Mac… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.04:49 pmClaude AI and Code are experiencing log in issues and slow performance
Claude may have climbed up 40+ spots in the App Store this year, but the Anthropic’s AI chatbot is currently down. more…04:40 pmAltStore PAL update brings social web features and Liquid Glass design
How does AltStore compete with the App Store on discovery? It turns out embracing the Fediverse may be the answer. The first big AltStore PAL update since May brings new social web features and Liquid Glass design. more…04:36 pmWhatsApp launches preteen accounts, here’s how they work
WhatsApp has announced that preteens can now use its messaging platform via new parent-managed accounts that come with certain restrictions. Here are the details. more…04:21 pmApple's updated Studio Display vs Alogic Edge 5K : Big screens compared
The Alogic Edge 5K display delivers widescreen high resolution and impressive styling for Apple Studio Display money. Here's how the specs of two screens compare.Apple Studio Display [left], Alogic Edge 5k [right]Alogic has a fairly good pedigree when it comes to monitors. Its first monitor, the Alogic Clarity, was a more budget-focused and flexible counterpart to the Apple Studio Display when it first came out.A few years later, the Alogic Edge 5K is another attempt to attract the typical Apple Studio Display customer. This time, the screen is much larger and with impressive styling, while also raising the price closer to Apple's monitor. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums04:17 pmGet a pair of 5-foot Beats charging cables for just $21
Macworld Beats 60W USB-C 2-pack View Deal If you’re looking for some high-quality cables to recharge your gadgets faster, Beats is a surprisingly affordable option. Now that they’re 40 percent off, you can get a two-pack for $21 at Amazon, a near-impulse buy and the best price we’ve ever seen. These 60W cables are more than suitable to recharge your smartphone, tablet, or even some laptops. Since they support fast charging, they’re compatible with quite a range of USB-C devices, starting with all your favorite Apple gadgets and continuing with Android devices and more. The best part about these cables is that they’re durable, as they’re covered with braided nylon. This also helps because there’s virtually no chance for the tangle-fairies to come at night and tie them in a knot in whatever drawer you keep them. We’re not going to lie, it also helps that these cables come from Beats, which is basically Apple quality at a lower price. So grab a couple of these 5ft USB-C Beats cables while this 40 percent discount still stands.04:02 pmApple Arcade adds award-winning hits ‘DREDGE+,’ ‘Unpacking+,’ and ‘My Very Hungry Caterpillar+’ to its growing catalog | Mac Daily NewsApple Arcade adds award-winning hits ‘DREDGE+,’ ‘Unpacking+,’ and ‘My Very Hungry Caterpillar+’ to its growing catalog
Apple Arcade continues to expand its curated collection of over 200 family-friendly games, offering players uninterrupted gameplay with… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.03:45 pmDeals: AirPods 4 nearly 35% off, new Studio Display, 1TB M5 MacBook Pro $200 off, MacBook Air $320 off, more | 9 to 5 MacDeals: AirPods 4 nearly 35% off, new Studio Display, 1TB M5 MacBook Pro $200 off, MacBook Air $320 off, more
Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is starting with AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation at just shy of 35% off alongside M4 iPad Air launch day deals at up to $100 off and the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro 16GB/1TB at $200 off. The new MacBook lineup and Studio Displays have now released and we have launch day deals on those too – up to $100 credits on the new MacBooks right here and you’ll find the same on the new Studio Displays. We also have Apple’s 16GB/512GB M4 MacBook Air hitting one of the best prices ever at $320 off, the official Apple Ocean Band in Anchor Blue at 35% off, and the now live Anker’s 2026 Spring sale at up to 44% off. Everything awaits below. more…03:35 pm9to5Mac Daily: March 11, 2026 – MacBook Neo launch, ‘Ultra’ rumors
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Sponsored by CardPointers: The best way to maximize your credit card rewards. 9to5Mac Daily listeners can exclusively save 30% and get a $100 Savings Card. more…03:28 pmTwo indie greats and a legendary children's book app arrive on Apple Arcade in April
Apple is expanding its collection of Apple Arcade games with "Dredge+," "Unpacking+," and "My Very Hungry Caterpillar+" in April — two of which are App Store Award winners.Three new games join Apple Arcade in AprilWhile Apple may not be adding a ton of games in April, the three games coming next month are surprisingly varied. This time, we'll see the addition of a survival horror game, a zen puzzle game, and a game geared towards the preschool crowd. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums03:26 pmToday in Apple history: iPad 2 is the svelte sequel fans hoped for
On March 11, 2011, the iPad 2 launch date brought a thinner, more powerful tablet with massive advances over Apple's original tablet. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)03:22 pmMKBHD says MacBook Neo is Apple’s ‘most disruptive product’ in 10+ years
Today the MacBook Neo arrives in users’ hands, and in his review, MKBHD says it’s potentially “Apple’s most disruptive product” in the last 10+ years. more…03:14 pmSave up to $320 on M4, M5 MacBook Air laptops with March savings
Brand-new M5 and closeout M4 models are discounted today at Amazon and B&H, as the Apple retailers compete for your business with midweek deals.Save up to $320 on closeout M4 and new M5 MacBook Air models - Image credit: AppleToday's best MacBook Air deals deliver savings on a variety of models, from select M5 configurations that were officially released today to blowout M4 systems.You can jump straight to Amazon and B&H's MacBook sales, but we've also rounded up highlights below. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums03:08 pm‘Friday Night Baseball’ returns to Apple TV for its fifth season on March 27th
“Friday Night Baseball” — a weekly Major League Baseball (MLB) doubleheader on Apple TV — returns for its fifth season on Friday, March 27th… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.03:00 pmASUS Executive Says MacBook Neo is 'Shock' to PC Industry
ASUS says the MacBook Neo is a "shock" to the Windows PC ecosystem. "In the past, Apple's pricing situation has always been high, so for them to release a very budget-friendly product, this is obviously a shock to the entire industry," said ASUS co-CEO S.Y. Hsu in a Tuesday earnings call. While he expects PC makers to respond, rising AI-driven memory shortages could push hardware prices higher across the industry. PCMag reports: Hsu said he believes all the PC players -- including Microsoft, Intel, and AMD -- take the MacBook Neo threat seriously. "In fact, in the entire PC ecosystem, there have been a lot of discussions about how to compete with this product," he added, given that rumors about the MacBook Neo have been making the rounds for at least a year. Despite the competitive threat, Hsu argued that the MacBook Neo could have limited appeal. He pointed to the laptop's 8GB of "unified memory," or what amounts to its RAM, and how customers can't upgrade it. He also described the MacBook Neo as a "content consumption" device, similar to an iPad. "This is different from the use case of a mainstream notebook," which can handle more compute-intensive tasks, Hsu said. "How big of an impact [the MacBook Neo] will have on the PC industry will still require some time for us to observe," Hsu said while suggesting it might not gain traction among Windows PC users due to software differences. "Of course, the entire Windows PC ecosystem will push out products to compete against Apple," he added. Read more of this story at Slashdot.02:54 pmApple Invites widget just got a smart and useful improvement
Apple has released a new version of its Invites app, adding a smart and useful improvement to the iPhone app’s widget. Starting with today’s version 1.7 update, Apple Invites includes the option to let the countdown widget work with any upcoming event. more…02:50 pmMacBook Neo’s success is just getting started
Apple's first entry-level notebook is off to a strong start, and long-term MacBook Neo demand is predicted as well. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)