News on the sidelines for the week of March 6 - 12

ASUS in shock over the MacBook Neo, the world's best flight simulator arrives on Apple Vision Pro, a keyboard change for the new MacBooks, the MacBook Neo is 8 times slower in storage speed than the new MacBook Pro, the iPhone 17e is faster than the MacBook Neo, and other exciting news on the sidelines…

The iPhone 18 Pro will not get a smaller dynamic island.

The iPhone 18 Pro may not feature a smaller Dynamic Aperture display, despite previous rumors, according to a reliable source. The phone will retain a similar design to its predecessor, with Face ID and the Dynamic Aperture remaining the same, postponing changes to the next generation. The main focus will be on a more powerful processor, the 2nm A20 Pro, a larger battery (over 5000 mAh), and a higher-resolution camera. Sources differ on this, but Apple is planning a complete overhaul, including a notch-less display, possibly as early as 2027.

iPhone 18 Pro prices are stable this year

The prices of the new iPhone 17e and MacBook Neo suggest that Apple plans to keep the prices of the iPhone 18 Pro models unchanged when they launch later this year, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo says Apple is taking advantage of the chaos in the global memory chip market by buying in bulk, absorbing higher component costs, and increasing its market share while competitors raise prices or lower specifications. Kuo confirmed this in January, and the new products' prices of $599 each today prove it.

In another report, analyst Jeff Pu echoed Kuo's predictions, stating that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will start at $1099 and $1199, respectively. Memory chip prices have recently surged due to strong demand from smart server companies, and while Apple negotiates quarterly to be flexible, it is still experiencing price volatility. Evidence of this is the removal of the 512GB option in Mac Studio last week, along with a price hike for the 256GB version from $1600 to $2000. 

The iPhone 18 Pro Max is slightly thicker and heavier. 

The iPhone 18 Pro Max will be slightly thicker than its predecessor, measuring 8.8mm instead of 8.75mm, and heavier by 240 grams, making it the heaviest since the iPhone 14 Pro Max, according to reliable Weibo sources such as Ice Universe and Instant Digital. This change may allow for a larger battery, between 5100 and 5200 mAh, compared to the previous 5088 mAh, according to Digital Chat Station, to provide longer battery life. The screen size will remain at 6.9 inches, and the device will likely feature a smaller Dynamic Aperture, a C2 modem, simplified camera controls, and an improved main camera with a variable aperture, with a launch expected later this year.

The MacBook Neo 2 may not have a touchscreen.

The second-generation MacBook Neo may not feature a touchscreen, despite previous expectations that it would compete with Chromebooks, according to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who accurately predicted the first generation would launch in late 2025 without a touchscreen. Now, Kuo says the 2027 version might also lack a touchscreen, while the first MacBook with a touchscreen is expected this year in a premium Pro model with OLED technology and a new design, possibly called the "MacBook Ultra." Apple launched the MacBook Neo today with a starting price of $599, with projected sales of 4.5-5 million units, an impressive figure for a single model.

The MacBook New gets the same battery power as the MacBook Pro and Air.

Apple has added the new MacBook Neo to its official documentation, stating that its battery can withstand 1000 full charge cycles (one cycle means using 100% of the charge, even if spread over several days), similar to most MacBook models since 2009, while older models were limited to 300 cycles. In practice, if you use a full charge daily, the battery could last for approximately three years or more with normal use, retaining 80% of its original capacity afterward (it won't suddenly stop working, but it will need replacing). The new device (starting at $599) features a 36.5 Wh battery that provides up to 16 hours of video playback or 11 hours of browsing, and comes with a one-year warranty and a $149 replacement service.

An ASUS executive says the MacBook Neo is a shock to the computer market.

At the earnings call, an ASUS executive acknowledged that the MacBook Neo is a major “shock” to the PC industry, especially given Apple’s previously high-end pricing. Nick Wu, ASUS’s CFO, said the device has limited specifications, such as 8GB of RAM, which might affect some applications, but reviews have shown it runs smoothly with 4K video in DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro, photo editing in Lightroom, and multiple tabs in Chrome.

Wu believes Apple designed the device more for enjoying content, similar to tablets, where the user experience differs from mainstream products due to hardware limitations. However, he emphasized that the industry is taking it seriously. Companies like Microsoft, Intel, and AMD are discussing how to compete and will release similar products, but it will take time to see the actual market impact once orders begin.

The iPhone 17e is faster than the MacBook Neo.

The iPhone 17e is equipped with the A19 chip, while the MacBook Neo has the A18 Pro. This difference allowed the iPhone to outperform in performance tests, achieving higher scores on Geekbench in both multi-core and single-core assessments, while GPU performance was similar for both devices. Both come with 8GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, and while this may seem low for a Mac, initial reviews indicate it's sufficient for basic daily use. The MacBook Neo is the first Mac to use an A-series processor instead of an M-series one, but its performance results show it's closer to an iPhone running macOS, raising questions about its ability to compete with a cheaper and more powerful iPhone.

The MacBook New is 8 times slower in storage speed compared to the new MacBook Pro.

Despite its flagship price of $599, the MacBook Neo's SSD read and write speeds are significantly slower—up to eight times slower than the new MacBook Pro M5 Max, according to The Verge's tests. The 256GB MacBook Neo reaches 1735MB/s read and 1684MB/s write, compared to 7049MB/s for the M5-powered MacBook Air and 13.6GB/17.8GB for the Pro. This means transferring a 100GB file could take a minute instead of 30 seconds or 8 seconds, and performance might suffer when the 8GB of RAM runs out. However, initial reviews confirm good performance for everyday use, and most buyers won't notice a difference.

Changes to the keyboard on the new MacBooks

Apple has introduced a subtle change to the keyboard layout of its new MacBook Air, Pro, and Neo models. The Tab, Caps Lock, Shift, Return, and Delete keys in the US English version now display glyphs instead of printed words, as in previous models. This change extends to countries like Canada and Australia, where the keyboard layout is used by default. "Mr. Macintosh" noticed this last week; it's a feature that has been common in Europe for some time, but it's new for the US English version.

The world's most powerful flight simulator arrives at Vision Pro

It will arrive X-Plane 12 programKnown as the world's best flight simulator, Apple Vision Pro will be coming to the Apple Vision Pro headset next month via the VisionOS 2.4 update, which supports NVIDIA CloudXR technology. This will enable wireless streaming of demanding PC games at 4K resolution and 120 frames per second from RTX servers. Real flight equipment, such as a joystick, can be connected, and ARKit technology will recognize and integrate it into the virtual cockpit for a realistic experience. The software is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux for $60, and a companion app will be available in the App Store this spring, with the update expected to be released in late March or April.

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