Apple has introduced a range of new products, including two devices priced at $599, as part of what CEO Tim Cook described as a “big week” of announcements aimed partly at budget-conscious buyers.
The new lineup was presented during hands-on media events in New York, London and Shanghai on Wednesday. The announcements include the new iPhone 17e, an entry-level laptop called MacBook Neo, updated iPad Air M4 tablets, refreshed monitors and upgraded chips for the company’s high-end laptops. Preorders for the devices began Wednesday.
The announcements come after the company reported record quarterly earnings driven by strong sales of the iPhone 17 series, although Apple has yet to roll out its previously promised artificial intelligence upgrades for Siri.
iPhone 17e
The iPhone 17e is designed for budget buyers and starts at $599 about $200 cheaper than the base iPhone 17. It uses the same A19 chip as the standard model and offers 256GB of storage, double the capacity of the previous 16e version.
The phone features a 48-megapixel camera and a C1X modem that supports faster cellular speeds. It also includes Apple’s Super Retina display, Ceramic Shield 2 protection and MagSafe charging with Qi2 support.
The device will be available in black, white and light pink.
iPad Air update
Apple also introduced an updated iPad Air powered by the M4 chip. While the higher-end iPad Pro uses the newer M5 chip, the Air still provides strong performance for everyday tasks such as streaming, browsing, email and video editing.
The company increased the tablet’s memory from 8GB to 12GB without raising the price. The 11-inch model starts at $599, while the 13-inch version starts at $799, both with 128GB of storage.
MacBook and chip upgrades
Apple upgraded its MacBook Pro laptops with new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips aimed at improving performance and battery efficiency.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro chip starts at $2,199, while the 16-inch model starts at $2,699. Both offer 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, along with support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
The new MacBook Neo, Apple’s most affordable laptop yet, features a 13-inch display, an A18 Pro chip, 256GB storage and two USB-C ports. The base model costs $599, while a 512GB version with Touch ID is priced at $699. Students and educators can get a $100 discount.
Apple also refreshed the MacBook Air with the base M5 chip and doubled storage to 512GB. The 13-inch model starts at $1,099 and the 15-inch version at $1,299.
New monitors
The company also launched two 27-inch 5K monitors the Studio Display and the higher-end Studio Display XDR. Both feature 5,120×2,880 resolution, 12-megapixel Center Stage cameras, six-speaker systems, two Thunderbolt 5 ports and two USB-C ports.
The Studio Display costs $1,599, while the advanced XDR version which includes mini-LED backlighting and a 120Hz refresh rate starts at $3,299.