I Can Only Recommend Macbooks Now…

TL;DR

Apple's new $600 MacBook Neo offers aluminum build, 16-hour battery, and fanless performance, making it nearly impossible to recommend anything else at that price.

Key Points

• 1.MacBook Neo ($600): A16 chip, aluminum chassis, 500-nit Liquid Retina display, 1080p webcam, fanless design, 1.23kg, 36Wh battery needing only a 20W charger (included). Downsides: no keyboard backlight, USB-C only, Touch ID requires $100 upgrade to 512GB model.
• 2.MacBook Pro M5/M5 Pro/Max: 18 CPU cores, faster GPU and neural engine, Wi-Fi 7 via new N1 chip, Bluetooth 6, and Thunderbolt 5 on Pro/Max. Apple held pricing mostly steady despite global RAM shortages.
• 3.MacBook Air M5: $100 more than before but doubles base storage, adds faster SSD, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6. Less exciting next to the Neo's value.
• 4.Studio Display XDR: 5K miniLED at 120Hz, 2,300+ dimming zones, 1,000 nits SDR / 2,000 nits HDR peak, two Thunderbolt 5 ports — and ~$1,700 cheaper than the old Pro Display XDR.
• 5.iPhone 17e ($599): Same price as 16e but doubles storage, adds MagSafe, Ceramic Shield 2, A19 chip, and improved C1X modem. Loses ProMotion and the new center-stage front camera.
• 6.iPad Air: Same price, upgrades to M4 chip, C1X modem, N1 wireless chip, and jumps from 8GB to 12GB unified memory — a meaningful spec bump at no extra cost.