Tim Cook — on X (gross) — with some news:
Mac just had its best launch week ever for first-time Mac customers. We love seeing the enthusiasm!
Category: Apple
The Missing iMac Special Edition
Inside the MacBook Neo
I’m putting my thoughts together for a review of the MacBook Neo, but I think a huge part of this laptop’s story is its repairability. Unlike Apple’s other products, the Neo is put together with screws only — no adhesive. Some of these screws are pentalobes, but if you’re taking apart a computer, you’re probably the kind of person to have that sort of bit on hand, or are willing to get one.
A Collection of Lil Finder 5K Wallpapers
I was just going about my day then James Thomson of PCalc and other fine applications dropped these images on me and said I could share them.
They are all 5K, so they’re ready to go; just click to open up the full-res image.
This would have been sick on an iMac G3.
3D Print Your Own Lil Finder
After a week of tinkering with design files and babysitting my 3D printer, I have an adorable new coworker. The final print took 20 hours, but I’m enamored with the results:
I was thrilled to collaborate with Basic Apple Guy on bringing Lil Finder to life. We both hope the Mac community enjoys this project.
If you want to print your own, I’ve uploaded a .3mf file here.
I ran mine on my Bambu P2S, with some fuzzy skin to give the final version a softer finish. On my example, the bright blue is Bambu’s Cyan PLA; the darker color is Overture’s Gray Blue PLA+. You may need to do some adjusting to get things dialed in for your setup.
Mac Pro Wheels on Sale⇢
Huge news for Apple’s biggest computer: the $699 Mac Pro Wheels Kit can be picked up for $199 on Woot for the next 13 hours or until they are sold out.
They go for about $300 a set on eBay these days and are a great place to stash AirTags.
More on Lil Finder⇢
All I know about Lil Finder Guy is that it’s freakin’ adorable, assuming it means me no harm. And instead of doing literally anything productive or tending to my adult responsibilities like bills, taxes, or work, I have spent my weekend tumbling down the rabbit hole trying to build a life for this mysterious little creature despite knowing next to nothing about it.
Google Gemini (aka the next Siri) has been helpful in modeling out the rest of its body from the single TikTok post. From there, I started generating what Lil Finder Guy might look like working, angry, running, jumping, laughing, and more. Of course, this is all abstraction stacked on abstraction at this point. I do not know if Lil Finder Guy can laugh, what it finds funny, or whether its short, knee-less legs are even capable of jumping.
What’s in a (Super) Name⇢
In the midst of the whirlwind of news this week, Apple renamed its CPU cores. At Six Colors, Jason Snell has the details:
Here’s what happened:
Apple renamed its most powerful CPU cores, which had previously been called performance cores. As of the M5 Pro and Max, those cores are now called “super cores.”
Surprise! Since those cores also shipped in the M5 MacBook Pro, M5 iPad Pro, and M5 Vision Pro, they have all been retroactively renamed as super cores. I am writing this very story on a device that sports four super cores, but I didn’t even know that until I heard the news early Tuesday morning.
Apple is on TikTok, Posting Unhinged Videos About the MacBook Neo⇢
There are a handful of fun videos on Apple’s page, but these citrus ones are fun:
@apple i love limes
pop pop pop pop
hello?
Then there’s this little Finder character, as pointed out by Basic Apple Guy:
I can’t find any information about him beyond the fact that he appeared in Apple’s “Matcha Break with MacBook Neo” livestream on TikTok on Wednesday. I also haven’t been able to track down the video itself. The first post I found mentioning it came from user m2macmini on Twitter.
At $599, Is the MacBook Neo the One?
After years of rumors, Apple has finally taken the wraps off its new entry-level notebook. In some ways, the MacBook Neo is exactly what we expected, but in others, it’s not. I’ve been excited about this rumor for a long time, since it’s been a while Apple has done anything new and unusual in the Mac line.
The Neo certainly checks both of those boxes.
What’s in a Name?
I think everyone was betting the company would use the “MacBook” name for a third time, but instead we’ve all got to contend with “MacBook Neo.” I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it either, and I assume it will fade into the background like many other of Apple’s weird product names.1
The Technical Differences Between the MacBook Neo and MacBook Air
With a price point of $599 (or $499 for students!) Apple had to make some cuts when designing the MacBook Neo.
The Neo’s screen is 13 inches, a full half inch smaller than that of the $1099 MacBook Air’s, but the rest of the dimensions are closer than I would have thought:
| Model: | Weight: | Thickness: | Width: | Depth: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neo | 2.7 pounds | .50 inch | 11.71 inches | 8.12 inches |
| 13-inch Air | 2.7 pounds | .44 inch | 11.97 inches | 8.46 inches |
Here’s a list of what else separates the MacBook Neo from the Air:
Apple Announces an Updated Studio Display... Family?!
For the first time since the Cinema Displays went away in 2005, Apple has more than one display for sale with the same family name. Meet the 2026 Studio Display lineup:
Yes, those are two different products, but they both feature 27-inch, 5K displays in the same enclosure as the previous Studio Display.
Starting at $1599, the new Studio Display is a slight upgrade to the 2022 model. Apple:
The new Studio Display features a 12MP Center Stage camera, now with improved image quality and support for Desk View; a studio-quality three-microphone array; and an immersive six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio. It also now includes powerful Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, providing more downstream connectivity for high-speed accessories or daisy-chaining displays.