Tech Brew Ride Home - The MacBook Neo

Episode Date: March 4, 2026

Apple unveils its Chromebook sort of competitor, the MacBook Neo. Anthropic might be the fastest growing startup in history. Polymarket will no longer let you bet on thermonuclear war. Sony will no longer plans to release its big single-player PlayStation 5 games on PC. Apple announces $599 MacBook Neo running A18 Pro chip — budget laptop features 16-hour battery and comes in fun colors (Tom's Hardware) MacBook Neo hands-on: Apple's $599 laptop feels shockingly great (Engadget) Anthropic’s Claude hits No. 1 on Apple’s top free apps list after Pentagon rejection (CNBC) Exclusive: Anthropic investors push to de-escalate Pentagon clash over AI safeguards, sources say (Reuters) Polymarket shelves nuclear detonation markets after outcry (CoinDesk) Sony Pulls Back From PlayStation Games on PC (Bloomberg) A Possible US Government iPhone-Hacking Toolkit Is Now in the Hands of Foreign Spies and Criminals (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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GoogleFi Wireless is not subject to data traffic deprioritization during times of high network usage. Welcome to the TechBrew Ride Home for Wednesday, March 4th, 2026. I'm Brian McCullough today. Apple unveils its Chromebook sort of competitor, the MacBook Neo. Anthropic might be the fastest growing startup in history. Polymarket will no longer let you bet on thermonuclear war, and Sony will no longer release its big single-player PlayStation 5 games on PC. Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. Apple has finally launched a low-end MacBook. It is the starting at $600. book Neo with a 13-inch liquid retina display, an A18 Pro Chip, side-firing speakers, a

1080P webcam, two USBC ports, and touch ID. Well, caveats on all of that. The baseline Neo at $600 gets you $256 gigabytes of storage and no touch ID. For $700, you get touch ID, and 512 gigabytes of storage, both available in citrus, silver, indigo, and blush colors. Also a on those two USBC ports. They come with different specs. One is USBC3 with up to 10 GBS transfer speeds, and the other is USBC2, limited to 480MBS transfer speeds. Quoting Tom's hardware.

With this cheaper machine, Apple is taking aim at Chromebook and low-end Windows users, as well as those who may have wanted a MacBook but felt the price was out of reach. This new system, while still made of aluminum, comes in a variety of colors. they're the most vibrant colors on an Apple laptop since the iBook G3 in 1999. It is a relatively light device weighing just 2.7 pounds and measuring half an inch thick. Apple says the MacBook Neo can last up to 16 hours on a single charge thanks to its 36.5 watt hour battery. Apple says that the MacBook Neo will start at $599 for the 256 gigabyte version

and will be available in silver, indigo, blush, and citrus. The 512-gibb version will come with Touch ID and be priced at $6.99. Both versions ship with just 8 gigabytes of RAM and support Apple Intelligence, and there are no build-to-order options for additional RAMs. So what you see is what you get. Pre-orders go live today, and systems will ship on March 11th. We've already had some hands-on time with the MacBook Neo, and we must say, the aluminum chassis feels really nice,

especially at this price point. The trackpad is Apple typical smooth. but there is no haptic feedback like in more expensive MacBook models. In addition, the keyboard is non-backlit, which we take for granted on today's laptops, although some features had to be left on the cutting room floor to reach a starting price $500 below the new M5 MacBook Air. The MacBook Neo is a surprise during the ongoing RAM shortage with other laptop makers struggling to keep laptop prices under control, while many Chromebooks start lower than the Neo's

599 starting price point. There have been reports that disappearing margins could drive the cheap Windows laptop market into extinction by as soon as 2028, end quote. Now, Devendra Hardwars' hands-on report with the Neo is a bit more measured. Quote, for a $599 system, the MacBook Neo doesn't look or feel like a budget machine. Its colorful aluminum case looks even more attractive than the MacBook Air and Pros, and at 2.7 pounds, the same as the air, it's easy to carry. I need to spend more time with its 13-inch screen, but at first glance, it looks pretty vibrant as well. In a direct comparison with a similarly priced HP laptop, the Neo looks far brighter and colorful. H.P.'s dim budget screen makes daytime photos look dull, whereas the Neo's screen captures

the essence of sunshine. Similarly, the Neo blew the HP laptop's speakers away while playing movie trailers. H.P.'s speakers sound terribly tinny and awful, not the sort of thing you'd ever want to use. The Neo's speakers made dialogue sound crisp and clear, and the rest of the trailers' audio sounded pretty detailed as well. There's certainly not as much depth as the MacBook Air and Pro's upward firing speakers, but the Neo's setup is certainly better than any budget PC I've heard. As for gaming, the MacBook Neo was able to play the upcoming Ocean Horn 3 smoothly, without any discernible slowdown or stutter. But again, it still looked better than any cheap PC I've come across.

It's a shame Apple didn't include a MagSafe charging port, but hey, at least the headphone jack is still around. And for many people, two USBC ports should be plenty. The downsides to the MacBook Neo became more apparent as I used it. Its keyboard feels a bit flimsy. It's almost reminiscent of the old-school butterfly keyboards, though I'm told its mechanism is based on the end. airs. Apple has also color matched the Neo's keys to its cases color, though we've noticed that

doesn't look as bold in person as it does in Apple's render. And while the Neo's touchpad feels smooth and responsive, it lacks the sturdiness from the company's more expensive haptic touchpads. Apple deserves credit for making a mechanical trackpad that can be clicked anywhere, though, as most budget PC trackpads are only clickable along their lower thirds. The starting specs are another issue. For 599, the MacBook Neo comes with 8 gigabytes of RAM and 256 gigabytes of storage. Bumping up to 699 gets you 512 gigabytes of storage and a touch ID button, but you're still stuck with 8 gigabytes of RAM. For a basic productivity machine, I suppose 8 gigabytes of RAM can work, but when coupled with the slower performance of the A18 Pro mobile chip, it's unclear if the MacBook Neo will hold up over time. At the very least, the MacBook Neo serves an important

role as Apple's cheapest laptop. It's an inexpensive way to bring people into the world of macOS, and it could be a great option for schools that want something a bit more sturdy than your average Chromebook, end quote. Sources say Anthropic recently passed $19 billion in annual run rate revenue up from $9 billion at the end of 2025, and that number only a few weeks ago was a mere $14 billion. Let me run those numbers by you again. last year, Anthropics' annualized revenue run rate was $1 billion. By June, it had quadrupled to $4 billion. In December, it had roughly more than doubled to $8 to $10 billion, and just last month, February, it was up to $14 billion. It is now, again, reportedly,

$19. billion. So Anthropic has added $6 billion in annualized revenue in the last month alone. That would be quite simply the fastest growing software business of all time. and maybe putting the software tag on that is a bit limiting. Quoting Alex Heath. At the same time, Dario Amadai's fallout with the Department of War has done what even hiring the co-founder of Instagram could not achieve. It has pushed clawed to the top of the iOS and Google Play app stores for the first time. It turns out that in an age of tech CEOs kissing the ring, people like it when a business

leader stands up for something. I've never seen such a combination of technical and moral, at least pretext. perceived superiority from a tech company since the heyday of Apple, end quote. And quoting CNBC. Anthropics clawed artificial intelligence assistant just jumped to the number one slot on Apple's chart of top U.S. free apps late on Saturday, a day after the Trump administration sought to block government agency's adoption of the startup's technology. The rise in popularity suggests that Anthropic is benefiting from its presence in news headlines,

stemming from its refusal to have its models used for mass domestic surveillance or for fully autonomous weapons. Anthropics' count of free users have increased by over 60% just since January, with daily sign-ups tripling since November breaking an all-time record every day this week, a spokesperson said in an email, its paying subscribers have more than doubled this year the spokesperson said, end quote. And quoting Reuters, some Anthropic investors are racing to contain the fallout from the AI Research Labs dispute with the Pentagon, seven people familiar with the matter said

for fear that an ongoing spat could devastate the company's business. In recent days, CEO Dario Amo Dai has discussed the matter with some of Anthropics' major investors and partners, including Amazon's CEO Andy Jassy, two of the people said. Venture capital firms, including Lightspeed and Iconic, have also been in contact with Anthropic executives, two sources said, some investors are also reaching out to their contacts in the Trump administration in hopes of tamping down the tensions, two sources said. The discussions focus on avoiding a ban of Anthropics AI from all Pentagon contractors, the people said. Anthropic and the Pentagon are continuing some talks in the meantime. One of the people said Reuters was unable to determine

what such talks entailed. U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Anthropic to help the government phase out its AI systems. During talks with Anthropic executives, investors have reiterated their support for the San Francisco-based AI lab while also expressing their desire to find a solution with the Pentagon, the seven people said. Some investors told Reuters they were frustrated that CEO Amo Dai antagonized rather than cultivated Pentagon officials. It's an ego and diplomacy problem, one of the people briefed on the matter said. At this point, some investors said Amadai cannot be seen as capitulating to the administration without alienating a core group of employees and consumers who have flocked to Anthropic because of its stance. Amo Dai, who did not respond to a

request for comments, said, Anthropic cannot, quote, in good conscience, accede to their request. While speaking to investors late Tuesday, Amadai said the company would, quote, continue to work to figure out a solution with the DOW. The investors taking a stance on Pentagon talks are focused on helping Anthropic avoid being designated a supply chain risk by the U.S. government, which, if implemented, could deliver a severe blow to the startup. fast-growing sales to business customers, end quote. Indeed, Reuters was reporting that big defense contractor Lockheed Martin plans to follow the U.S. DoD's anthropic ban. Lawyers who specialize in tech and contracting laws say defense contractors would likely be quick to comply with the DOD's

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weapon could detonate by specific dates, have circulated on polymarket for years and historically have resolved to know. But renewed attention to the contracts comes as prediction markets face criticism after a trader reportedly made more than $400,000 betting on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's ouster shortly before the U.S. operation that led to his capture, raising questions about whether insiders could exploit the platforms to trade on the outbreak of war, such as the start of this current conflict with Iran and other military actions. Historical trading suggests the contract's occasionally priced meaningful risk. A polymarket contract in 2023 at one point implied roughly a 19% chance that a nuclear weapon would detonate before the end of the year,

according to platform data. A later market expiring in June 2025 traded near 12%. The markets also attracted significant trading activity. The 2025 contract alone recorded more than 1.7 million in volume, while the 2023 version drew nearly $700,000 in wagers. All of this comes as U.S. regulators consider how to oversee prediction markets. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission proposed rules in 2024 that would bar exchanges it regulates from listing event contracts tied to war, terrorism, assassination, or other activities deemed contrary to the public interest. Chairman Mike Selig said the commission plans to issue clearer guidance on prediction markets in the near future, end quote. So this is a sensitive topic, obviously, so I want to stress that I am very much playing

devil's advocate here. But let's assume prediction markets are, you know, predictive, useful at predicting things. I get it. You don't want contracts out on things like assassinations because it would give people incentive to make those markets come in, as it were. And sure, a similar risk would be in play here, and that would be very, very, very. bad if people were incentivized to kick off wars, especially nuclear ones. But if these markets are predictive, I would maybe want them as a tool to know if the risk of the worst possible thing ever happening was rising. Again, take that in the spirit it's intended. Sources say Sony no longer plans to release its biggest single-player PlayStation 5 games on PC,

a major strategy shift that suggests it is returning to console exclusivity. Quoting Bloomberg, online games such as Marathon and Marvel Tokon will still be released across multiple platforms, but single-player titles such as last year's samurai hit Ghost of Yotai and the upcoming action game Saros will remain exclusive to PlayStation 5, said the people who asked not to be identified because they weren't authorized to talk publicly about the company's strategy. There are likely a few reasons behind this shift.

One is that several recent PlayStation games have not sold well on PC. A faction within PlayStation has also expressed concern that releasing their games on PC risks damaging the console's brand and will hurt sales of the PlayStation 5 and its successors, according to the people familiar with Sony's inner workings. For decades, Sony's tactic for selling PlayStation was to keep tent pole franchises exclusive to its own consoles. In 2020, it pivoted and began bringing games to personal computers via Steam. Since then, the company has put most of its biggest franchises on PC,

such as God of War and The Last of Us. But the strategy has been muddled and confused for many players. Most PC releases arrived months or years after the games came to PlayStation. The cadence was never consistent, and the announcements appeared to be haphazard. The company also upset PC players by asking them to create PlayStation Network accounts to access many of the games. Now, Sony is looking to take a more straightforward approach, going back to console exclusives. Sony's two rivals in the console space have taken different paths. Nintendo has released almost all of its games solely on its own Switch hardware, while Microsoft has turned into a multi-platform publisher releasing everything on PC and many games on PlayStation. Another factor

behind Sony's pivot may be Microsoft's Next Xbox, which is rumored to use Windows and be capable of playing PC games. Some executives at PlayStation may not be thrilled at the prospect of one of the company's flagship games like God of War running on the next. Xbox console, end quote. Nothing more for you today. Talk to you tomorrow. Ambition comes in all shapes and sizes. At First Citizens Bank, we roll with your goals

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