[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee] Apple has unveiled a string of new products, from the iPhone 17e to the budget "MacBook Neo", sharply expanding its hardware lineup. Key elements include strengthening the M5 chip-based Mac lineup aimed at artificial intelligence use and the launch of the MacBook Neo starting at $599.

On March 4 local time, IT outlet TechCrunch introduced a roundup of Apple's new product lineup.

First, Apple released the "budget iPhone" iPhone 17e for $599 (about 990,000 won). The iPhone 17e increases base-model storage to 256GB and uses an A19 chip. It supports MagSafe and Qi2 for wireless charging of up to 15W and has a 48-megapixel camera. It also includes Apple's latest-generation cellular modem, the C1X, which is up to twice as fast as the previous model, and it highlighted improved battery performance through better power efficiency. It comes in black, white and soft pink.

The iPad Air has been updated with a new model using an M4 chip. The 11-inch model is priced at $599 and the 13-inch model at $799 (about 1.17 million won). Features include more memory and an enhanced Neural Engine to boost AI performance. It has an 8-core CPU, a 9-core GPU and 12GB unified memory, up 50 percent from the previous model, and memory bandwidth has been expanded to up to 120 gigabytes per second. It comes in four colors: blue, purple, starlight and space gray. Storage options are 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.

In the laptop lineup, the M5 MacBook Air and M5 MacBook Pro took center stage. The MacBook Pro uses the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips and boosts performance for intensive AI workloads by up to four times versus the previous M4. Storage starts at 1TB on M5 Pro models and 2TB on M5 Max models. Battery life is up to 24 hours, and it supports charging to 50 percent in 30 minutes when using a USB-C adapter of 96W or higher. It also includes Thunderbolt 5 and a six-speaker sound system. Prices start at $2,199 (about 3.23 million won) for the 14-inch M5 Pro model and $2,699 (about 3.96 million won) for the 16-inch M5 Pro model, while M5 Max models start at $3,599 (about 5.29 million won) for 14 inches and $3,899 (about 5.72 million won) for 16 inches.

The M5 MacBook Air put AI work and portability up front. Battery life lasts up to 18 hours, and it includes a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, a three-microphone array, and support for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. It keeps two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a MagSafe charging port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Prices start at $1,099 (about 1.61 million won) for the 13-inch model and $1,299 (about 1.90 million won) for the 15-inch model, and base storage has been expanded to 512GB. It comes in four colors: sky blue, midnight, starlight and silver.

The highlight of the announcement is the "MacBook Neo". Apple unveiled the 13-inch budget laptop MacBook Neo starting at $599, targeting the Chromebook market. The MacBook Neo uses an A18 Pro chip rather than an M5 and includes a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones and speakers with spatial audio support. Battery life lasts up to 16 hours on a single charge, and two USB-C ports support charging and connectivity. The base model has 256GB of storage, while the $699 (about 1.03 million won) model offers 512GB and Touch ID. It comes in four colors: silver, blushy, citrus and indigo.

The display (monitor) lineup has also been updated. New versions of the Studio Display ($1,599, about 2.35 million won) and Studio Display XDR ($3,299, about 4.84 million won) are both 27-inch products that support a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera and Desk View. They are designed to allow accessory connections and daisy chaining of up to four displays via a Thunderbolt 5 port. The Studio Display has 5K Retina specifications with 600 nits brightness and the P3 color gamut. The Studio Display XDR highlights a mini LED backlight, more than 2,000 local dimming zones, up to 2,000 nits peak HDR brightness, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and Adobe RGB support.

Apple also unveiled the design direction for the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. It said it improved performance efficiency by bundling the CPU, GPU, media engine, unified memory controller, Neural Engine and Thunderbolt 5 based on "Fusion Architecture". Both chips use an 18-core CPU. The M5 Pro supports up to 64GB unified memory with 307GB per second bandwidth, while the M5 Max supports up to 128GB with 614GB per second bandwidth.

Apple also added new "spring color" options to accessories such as iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands, aiming to spur replacement demand across its product lineup. The new lineup unveiled this week is characterized by a broad expansion of price points and use cases, from the MacBook Pro for high-performance AI workloads to the MacBook Neo positioned as a Chromebook alternative.