While the world is at war, Apple was preoccupied with other things. In one of its busiest product weeks in recent memory, the company quietly dropped five new devices spanning iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The headliners are the iPhone 17e, Apple's most affordable iPhone 17-family device, and the all-new MacBook Neo, the cheapest Mac money can buy. Rounding out the week are refreshed MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models on M5 chips, and a faster iPad Air with M4.1.
Here's a lowdown on all the things Apple announced this week:
1. MacBook Neo: Apple's most affordable Mac ever
Starts at Rs. 69,900
The week's biggest headline was also its most unexpected. Apple unveiled the MacBook Neo, an all-new laptop that delivers the magic of the Mac at a breakthrough price. Powered by the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone 16 Pro series and paired with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, it becomes the most affordable MacBook in Apple's current lineup. Its price starts at Rs. 69,900, significantly lower compared to the MacBook Air that starts at Rs. 1,19,900. The 512GB variant with Touch ID is priced at Rs. 79,900. It comes in four colours: blush, indigo, silver, and citrus, and ships with macOS Tahoe and Apple Intelligence.
2. iPhone 17e: The affordable iPhone
Starts at Rs. 64,900
Apple announced iPhone 17e, an affordable addition to the iPhone 17 lineup, powered by the latest-generation A19 chip and featuring C1X - Apple's latest cellular modem, which is up to 2x faster than its predecessor. Apple has launched the iPhone 17e in India starting at Rs. 64,900 for the 256GB storage model, with a 512GB version available for Rs. 84,900. Key upgrades include a 48-megapixel Fusion camera, MagSafe support, and Ceramic Shield 2 for 3x better scratch resistance. It is available in black, white, and a new soft pink.
3. iPad Air with M4: Brings more power at the same price tag
Starts at Rs. 64,900
With M4, iPad Air is said to be up to 30 percent faster than iPad Air with M3, and up to 2.3x faster than iPad Air with M1, while retaining the same starting price for the 11-inch model. In India, the 11-inch Wi-Fi variant starts at Rs. 64,900, while the 13-inch Wi-Fi model starts at Rs. 84,900. The upgrade also bumps unified memory to 12GB and adds Wi-Fi 7 support via Apple's N1 chip.
4. MacBook Air with M5: Light and fast
Starts at Rs. 1,19,900
Apple announced the new MacBook Air with M5 chip this week. M5 features a faster CPU and next-generation GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each core. MacBook Air now comes standard with double the starting storage at 512GB with faster SSD technology, and is configurable up to 4TB. The 13-inch variant starts at Rs. 1,19,900 and the 15-inch variant starts at Rs. 1,44,900. Both sizes are available in sky blue, midnight, starlight, and silver.
5. MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max: For professionals
Starts at Rs. 2,49,900
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at Rs. 2,49,900; the 14-inch with M5 Max starts at Rs. 3,99,900. The 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro is priced at Rs. 2,99,900, and the 16-inch with M5 Max starts at Rs. 4,29,900. The laptops come standard with increased starting storage - 1TB for the M5 Pro and 2TB for the M5 Max - with SSD speeds up to twice as fast, reaching up to 14.5GB/s. The new MacBook Pro also includes the N1 wireless chip with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, plus up to 24 hours of battery life and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity.
All five products are available for pre-order now, with sales beginning March 11 across Apple India's website and authorised retailers.
