Introduction
Welcome back to another episode of TJ's Technology Tuesday. What is it all about? Digital 4 Productivity. And what are we covering today?
Apple held a small event last week on Wednesday for influencers and media professionals, but from Monday through Wednesday they announced a whole range of new products.
Apple Introduced the New MacBook Neo
As always, here is my assessment for business users — which of these devices are particularly interesting. Let's take a look at the Apple website, and what you can see there as something new is the MacBook Neo. For the business segment, this is probably a less relevant device, but for those of you who have school-age children or students who need their first computer, this is it — and you can get it starting at, I believe, 599 euros, with the larger variant at 799. So if you look at "pre-order," you'll see the prices right away. You can get it with either 512 or 256 GB. If I choose 256, let me first pick a colour — it comes in Indigo, Dark Blue, Silver, Pink, or a vivid Citrus Yellow. Once I've chosen a colour and selected 256 GB, we're at 699 euros. Let me pick something a bit more to my taste — still 699. And if I go for 799, I get 512 GB storage capacity and also Touch ID, which is not included in the cheaper model. So with 256 GB there's a lock icon; only the 512 GB variant includes Touch ID.
The whole thing has 8 GB of RAM, which will make professionals raise an eyebrow at first — but firstly, it is a device aimed at students as an entry-level product, not really at power users. And when Apple made the transition from Intel to Apple Silicon, there were always big debates: Apple Silicon devices have so much less RAM. The truth is, they also need significantly less RAM, so you could say that an Apple device with 8 GB of RAM is roughly equivalent to a Windows device with a comfortable 24 GB — roughly speaking, as a guideline. So it is a device for students, as a secondary device, as long as you don't need more than 512 GB of storage. That is the first product they presented.
The New iPhone E Was Introduced
What else did they present? Besides the MacBook Neo: the iPhone E, the successor. And I'll say it bluntly: no one needs more iPhone than this. If I look at it now, you can get it starting at 699 euros. It has Ceramic Shield for better scratch protection. It has a camera just like the slim iPhone, for instance. But it packs a 48-megapixel camera, USB-C, and 256 GB in the base configuration — so it is far from a weak device; it is actually a very, very capable device. It also has MagSafe, supporting up to 15 watts. The previous ER model only supported up to 7.5 watts, so charging is significantly faster. Those are always the relevant details. Let's look at the other side — you can see it there as well.
Yes, 6.1-inch display — perfectly reasonable. And what's always interesting: you can compare iPhones side by side. Let's do that — I'll pick the 17E, the 17, and the 17 Pro, for example. I own the 17 Pro. I used to always go for the Max as well, but now I just have the Pro because it's the right size for me — I didn't want such a huge device because I often can't operate it with one hand when I'm pulling my board trolley behind me.
You can see the different colour options available. Not everyone likes orange, not everyone likes lavender or light pink, but you can get all of them in a sensible white as well, if that's what you prefer. I have mine in white, for instance. And then you can see: there is quite a difference between paying 699, 949, or 1,299 euros. You do notice a clear distinction. The display on the 17E is slightly smaller, but whether you have 6.1 or 6.3 inches — sorry, that is not a huge difference. ProMotion is noticeable to a degree — they say the refresh rate is a bit higher. But honestly, this is complaining at the highest level.
The Action button is on both. What the E lacks is the Camera button. And I have to be honest — I underestimated that button, because I do use that Camera button on the side quite often to launch the camera directly. You could do it with the Action button as well, though. So you don't need to pay 250 or 300 euros more for that. Both have Ceramic Shield 2, also with that high impact resistance. The E has the same processor as the regular 17, so you won't notice any difference there. I have one fewer core — but you won't notice that either. In the end, chips that didn't pass quality control with a failed core always go into the lower-tier models. They are the same chips; it is just that during final inspection, one core was found not to be working properly, and those chips are then used in the lower segments.
Yes, the battery life is slightly shorter. And I have a 12-megapixel front camera instead of an 18-megapixel one — but honestly, you won't notice a huge difference there either. So it is perfectly sufficient. I can take 24-megapixel photos on it. And I can film 4K at 60 frames per second. The Pro can do 120 fps, but in practice I almost always film Full HD at 30 fps — more than enough.
Apple Intelligence is also on board — quite interesting. So I can do everything the same. And I have USB-C 2. The Pro has USB-C 3, but that's mainly relevant if you're connecting external drives to shoot video directly in RAW format. For everything else, wireless works just as well, and you can get it with 256 or 512 GB. The Pro also comes with one terabyte, even if you're not great at deleting files.
The most important features are the same. The smaller one does not have a Dynamic Island — I initially said the same about the Camera button: who needs it? But actually, I do find the Dynamic Island quite handy sometimes, being able to tap into it during navigation and switch to the podcast app while driving, for instance. I quite like that. But still — it is not quite as bright at 800 nits, though that is still good in terms of maximum brightness. Dimensions: 146.7 vs 149.6 mm — so it is a bit shorter than the regular one, the width is the same, and it is slightly slimmer than the regular iPhone.
Let's go to the side view — you can see it's a bit slimmer and feels a bit lighter too, though not quite as light as the small one. So if I look at what my father got, we're at 6.9 inches there. And when I look at the camera, I have the Center Stage front camera, which regardless of how I hold it, is a bit more capable. Yes, I have a few more camera options there, but honestly, it's more than enough in most cases. And if we look at the thickness — both have USB-C. So even if you get the iPhone R, the slim one, you can still get it with up to one terabyte in terms of capacity. But it starts at nearly double the price, so you definitely want to think about that. It of course has Dynamic Island, it of course has 120 Hz — double the refresh rate. It is a stunning device, I have to say honestly. I recently held one in my hands — my father just got one, and he, at 84 years old, usually has a newer iPhone than I do. Wonderful. If I look at it: it is only 5.64 mm thick compared to 7.8, and it weighs 165 g — but that's only a 5-gram difference. Of course the other one is truly a wonderful, beautiful piece of tech — a bit like those first iPhones and iPods. So much for phones. What else was announced?
Highlights of the New iPad Air
A new iPad was also announced — specifically a new iPad Air. As you can always see when you visit the relevant pages, in this case under iPad, you'll notice: iPad Air is new. The only thing they changed is essentially the processor — now the M4. So if you've been thinking "I still have an older iPad Air," keep in mind that the Air was once described as being as slim as the MacBook Air. These days it has become somewhat of a step between the standard model and the Pro — what you could call the hand-me-down shelf of the Pros. Everything that used to go into the Pros a few years ago now ends up in the Air devices.
I would generally recommend looking at the secondary market — refurbished devices. Personally, I bought a 12.9-inch (or 13-inch) iPad Pro from Rebuy. It was completely new out of the box, with zero charge cycles. So that is a perfectly valid option, especially if you haven't bought an iPad in quite a while.
Of course, if you have M1 or M2, you won't notice any difference — same as with the Pros. There is now a Pro with the M5 processor. I think only the true hardcore users will notice any difference. I personally got the M4 at the time because with iOS 26, when you're rendering videos, the rendering doesn't abort anymore when you receive a FaceTime call, for instance. That's a great feature — but who actually renders 4K videos on this thing? Even I do that only rarely.
What Other Devices Did Apple Announce?
What else was shown? We've covered phones, we've covered the iPad Air. What was also shown is a display — actually two displays. If you go to Mac on the Apple website, you'll see under Macs that new displays were announced: the Studio Display and the Studio Display XDR, both in two variants. It's a bit of a shame they only come in 27 inches and not larger. And importantly: if you're going for the larger, more powerful display in particular, be careful — it can only be connected to Macs with at least an M4 processor, because these use Thunderbolt 5. For example, I have an M1 MacBook Pro. I can connect four external displays to it without any problem, but I cannot connect the new Apple display. So watch out for that. You need at least an M4 processor.
As just mentioned, the MacBook Pro in the M5 variant was already available recently, but it is now also available with Pro and Max chip options — the versions with two or four processors combined. These were not previously available with Pro and Max. And in addition to that, this processor technology is now also architecturally different. It is significantly more powerful. But if you already have Apple Silicon — at least M1 — very few people will need an upgrade. I have a five-year-old MacBook Pro 16-inch M Max. It doesn't break a sweat when I do live streams. That said, my consistent recommendation is: when there are major milestones — like the shift from Intel to Apple Silicon — strike then and go top of the line. And here I would specifically recommend waiting for the M6. The M6 will probably come in autumn, possibly spring. Let's assume autumn. And that will be a step beyond the M5. It's still in the same chassis, same design. The experts believe that if we're lucky, it may even come with a touch display — and potentially a new chassis design, a full redesign.
So if you still have an Intel-based MacBook and you genuinely need more power, go ahead and upgrade now — but even an M2 or M3, or indeed an M1, will do the job. Importantly: go for 64 GB of RAM minimum; below that doesn't really make sense if you need serious performance. RAM cannot be substituted by anything except more RAM. As for myself — I'll continue using my current system into its sixth year and I'm still happy with it. Those who want the M6 can wait. With these devices you can easily skip five or six generations. People always say Macs are expensive — but if you look at total cost of ownership, I typically use Macs at least twice as long as Windows machines, which effectively halves the price. That relativises the cost massively. And not to mention that you can also run Windows on a Mac via Parallels, whereas on a Windows machine you cannot run macOS. So: MacBook Pro. And for those who are not in a hurry — wait for the M6 generation.
Alongside the Pro, an updated MacBook Air was also announced with the new processor. So the MacBook Air is now even more capable with the M5. For those saying they can now connect two external displays — that was already possible from the M3 or M4. Fanless design, slightly more compact. My wife loves it because it is very portable. She has the 13-inch model, which is much easier to travel with. However, if you do live streaming — where you need real power for live encoding — always go with a Pro. Never use an Air for live streaming. I just recently watched a professional live stream featuring I think 10 or 12 Ecamm Live professionals, and they were very clear: anything, but not the Air. If you're using the device for presentations and standard business work, though, it is perfectly fine.
The Pro still of course has an HDMI port, which the Air does not. But honestly, I often end up needing an extra adapter with my MacBook Pro anyway to connect a clicker. Funnily enough, external projectors also work better with an external adapter. So the onboard HDMI port is not as big an advantage as I always used to think.
On the subject of the Neo once more: the Neo has two ports. On the left side it has two USB-C ports. Important to know: of those two USB-C ports, one is USB 3 and the other is only USB 2. That does make a difference in terms of speed. There is a headphone jack and nothing else. No MagSafe — just those two ports. But of course it is also considerably more affordable as a result.
So, what have we covered? We had the Macs with their device updates, the two new displays, the iPad with the iPad Air, and the iPhone with the 17E.
Conclusion
That is all from the new announcements Apple presented last week.
In my view, nothing revolutionary — but as always, a solid evolution. And with the Neo in particular, Apple is offering a genuinely great device for school children as their first computer with full functionality, and with the iPhone a truly excellent price-to-performance ratio. Because not everyone always needs the biggest Pro, especially when — as I sometimes experience — you're equipping large sales organisations. When you're outfitting 1,400 field sales staff with an iPhone 17E versus the 17 Pro Max, you need to sell quite a few more bottles of Coca-Cola to make that back.
In that spirit — productivity in technology is always beyond the hype, and I am very happy to accompany you as a personality coach and leader in that journey.
Yours, Thorsten Jekel.
Key Takeaways
- Apple announced several new products within a single week: MacBook Neo, iPhone 17E, iPad Air (M4), new displays, and updated MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models.
- The MacBook Neo is an affordable entry-level device (from 699 euros) with 8 GB of RAM, well suited for students — but not for business power users.
- The iPhone 17E offers a 48-megapixel camera, MagSafe at up to 15 watts, USB-C, 256 GB storage, and Apple Intelligence for 699 euros — an outstanding price-to-performance ratio.
- Compared to the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro, the 17E lacks the Camera button and Dynamic Island; for most users, however, these differences are barely noticeable.
- The new iPad Air gets the M4 processor; those who already own M1 or M2 will notice no meaningful difference — buying refurbished on the secondary market is the better option.
- Apple announced two new displays (Studio Display & Studio Display XDR, both 27-inch); they require at least an M4 processor due to Thunderbolt 5.
- The MacBook Pro is now available with M5 Pro and M5 Max; those who already have Apple Silicon (M1 or later) should wait for the M6 generation, expected in autumn.
- The MacBook Air with M5 is sufficient for standard business tasks and presentations; for professional live streaming, always choose a MacBook Pro.
- Thorsten Jekel recommends at least 64 GB of RAM when buying a Mac — RAM cannot be substituted, and Macs' longer lifespan often makes them cheaper than Windows devices in total cost of ownership.
- Overall, the new announcements represent a solid evolution rather than a revolution — with the MacBook Neo and iPhone 17E, Apple offers attractive devices for budget-conscious buyers and large enterprises with many field staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the new Apple MacBook Neo designed for?
According to Thorsten Jekel, the MacBook Neo is primarily aimed at students as an entry-level device. It is available from 699 euros, has 8 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage — making it less suited for business power users.
How much does the iPhone 17E cost and what does it include?
The iPhone 17E costs 699 euros and comes with a 48-megapixel camera, a 6.1-inch display, USB-C, MagSafe charging at up to 15 watts, 256 GB of storage, and Apple Intelligence. It is far from a weak device and offers an excellent price-to-performance ratio.
What does the iPhone 17E lack compared to the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro?
The iPhone 17E does not have a Camera button or Dynamic Island. Its maximum brightness is slightly lower at 800 nits and battery life is shorter than the regular 17 or 17 Pro — but according to Thorsten Jekel, most users will barely notice these differences.
Is it worth buying the new iPad Air with the M4 processor?
If you already own an iPad Air with M1 or M2, Thorsten Jekel says you will notice no meaningful difference. His recommendation: buy a used device on the secondary market (e.g. Rebuy). A new purchase only makes sense if your current iPad is several generations old.
Which new Apple displays were announced and who can use them?
Apple announced the Studio Display and the Studio Display XDR, both in 27 inches. Because these displays use Thunderbolt 5, they can only be connected to Macs with at least an M4 processor. Owners of older Mac models, such as M1, cannot use these new displays.
Should you buy a MacBook Pro with M5 now or wait for the M6?
Thorsten Jekel recommends waiting for the M6 generation, expected in autumn. The M6 is anticipated to bring a new chassis design, possibly even a touch display. However, if you still have an Intel-based MacBook and urgently need more performance, upgrading now makes sense.
How much RAM should a new MacBook have as a minimum?
Thorsten Jekel recommends at least 64 GB of RAM for power users. His reasoning: RAM cannot be substituted by anything except more RAM. For less demanding tasks less may suffice, but in professional use you should not go below 64 GB.
Can you use a MacBook Air for live streaming?
For professional live streaming, Thorsten Jekel says you should always use a MacBook Pro — never a MacBook Air. The Air is excellent for standard business tasks, presentations, and mobile use, but live encoding demands the full processing power of the Pro model.
Are Macs really more expensive than Windows devices when you consider total cost of ownership?
According to Thorsten Jekel, Macs are often cheaper than Windows devices in terms of total cost of ownership, because you typically use them at least twice as long. Additionally, you can run Windows on a Mac via Parallels, whereas macOS cannot run on a Windows machine.
How does Thorsten Jekel assess Apple's new announcements overall?
Thorsten Jekel describes Apple's new announcements as a solid evolution, not a revolution. He highlights the MacBook Neo as an attractive entry-level device for students, and the iPhone 17E as a cost-effective device with an excellent price-to-performance ratio — also for companies with large field sales teams.
Tools & Resources Mentioned
- iPad Overview on digital4productivity.de – tips and recommendations around the iPad
- Apple.com – official product pages for MacBook Neo, iPhone 17E, iPad Air, Studio Display, MacBook Pro/Air
- Rebuy – secondary market platform for refurbished Apple devices, explicitly mentioned by Thorsten Jekel
- AI Overview on digital4productivity.de – further information on Apple Intelligence and AI topics
