Entertainment
Apple debuts $599 MacBook Neo to challenge Chromebooks, Windows PCs
Apple on Wednesday unveiled the MacBook Neo, a lower-priced addition to its laptop lineup starting at $599, as it looks to broaden its reach in a price-sensitive PC market while rivals face tighter supply of memory chips.
A lower-priced laptop marks one of Apple’s most aggressive entry points into the PC market in years. The new MacBook will be powered by the A18 Pro chip, the same processor that debuted in the company’s iPhone 16 Pro models in 2024.
At $599, it is far cheaper in both nominal and inflation-adjusted terms than Apple’s previous non-Pro, non-Air MacBook, which debuted in May 2006 at $1,099 — roughly $1,750 in today’s dollars.
The new MacBook is not Apple’s first foray into the price point. The company made a special $699 MacBook Air specially for Walmart using its M1 chip, which originally debuted in 2020, after retiring other models with that chip.
The new MacBook aims squarely at users of Google-powered Chromebooks and lower-end Windows devices, where Microsoft’s own efforts to shift to more battery-life-friendly chips made with technology from Arm have failed to ignite a sales boom.
Its foray into the mid-range PC segment could help Apple broaden its reach among students and first-time buyers.
In the midst of a global memory chip crunch, the new MacBook also comes with only 8 gigabytes of unified memory, half of the 16 gigabytes in the M4-based MacBook and less than the 12 gigabytes in the iPhone 17 Pro.
Global PC and smartphone markets remain highly price sensitive after several quarters of uneven demand, and hardware makers continue to navigate fluctuating component costs, particularly for memory chips.
Apple this week launched its $599 iPhone 17e with higher base storage and refreshed its MacBook Air and Pro lineup with new M5 chips and standard configurations with larger memory, as it looks to defend market share in competitive smartphone and softening PC markets, strained by rising memory costs.
Entertainment
Britney Spears contacted by people close to her after DUI arrest
Britney Spears has spoken to both her mother and her two sons following her DUI arrest earlier this week, with those closest to her now rallying around the singer in the aftermath of what sources describe as an deeply emotional night.
According to TMZ, Lynne Spears called her daughter as soon as she heard about the arrest, with the conversation between the two described as “positive” and “hopeful.”
Britney also spoke to her sons Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19, after being released from jail on Thursday morning, though she has not yet seen any family members in person.
The outreach comes at a particularly raw moment.
Spears was pulled over near the Borchard Road off-ramp in Newbury Park, Ventura County, at around 9:28 p.m. on Wednesday after officers reportedly observed her driving her black BMW “erratically at a high rate of speed.”
She was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol, and an insider told Page Six that officers also found an unknown substance inside her car at the time.
Her chemical test results remain pending and the investigation is ongoing. She was released at 6:07 a.m. Thursday.
Sources paint a picture of a woman who was visibly distressed throughout the process.
Spears was “crying and very tearful” while being booked, according to Page Six.
“She was incredibly emotional,” a source told the outlet. “It’s been a very hard couple of months.” The same insider said Spears “felt ashamed and embarrassed” and is “very sorry” for what happened.
“She doesn’t want to let anyone down, including her fans. The last thing she wants is to be judged publicly all over again.”
Her manager, Cade Hudson, was blunt in his public statement, calling the incident “completely inexcusable” while expressing hope that it might mark a turning point.
Entertainment
Maisie Peters surprises fans in Australia with Ed Sheeran
Maisie Peters gave her Melbourne audience an unexpected treat on Wednesday night when Ed Sheeran walked out on stage to join her for a surprise duet, a moment that clearly meant a great deal to both of them.
Sheeran, 35, appeared at Peters’ show on 4th March during her Before the Bloom Tour in Australia, performing his 2017 hit Castle on the Hill alongside the 25-year-old singer.
Peters shared a clip of the performance on Instagram, captioning it with heartfelt warmth. “Thank you @teddysphotos for singing the best song ever with me at my show in melbourne tonight,” she wrote.
“Still remember watching you play this one all 60 something gigs we did together, and it was so magical getting to join you on it for one. The best to ever do it.”
Sheeran is currently in Australia as part of his own Loop Tour, which will next take him to the Dominican Republic on 9th May before wrapping up in November.
Peters, meanwhile, is gearing up for a busy year.
Her third studio album, Florescence, is due for release in May, following her 2023 sophomore record The Good Witch.
Entertainment
Savannah Guthrie visits “Today” studio, says she intends to return to show
Savannah Guthrie stopped by the “Today” show studio to see colleagues on Thursday, NBC News said in a statement shared with CBS News. It was the first time Guthrie had been in the studio since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, disappeared over a month ago.
NBC said that Guthrie plans to eventually return to “Today.” The network did not specify when that might happen.
“Savannah Guthrie stopped by the studio this morning to be with and thank her TODAY colleagues,” the company said. “While she plans to return to the show on air, she remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home.”
During her visit to Studio 1A, Guthrie embraced staff and crew, according to “Today.” She reportedly thanked her colleagues for “caring about my mom as much as I do,” the show said.
“I wanted you to know that I’m still standing, and I still have hope, and I’m still me,” she said. “And I don’t know what version of me that will be, but it will be.”
Courtesy NBC/Today/Handout via Reuters
“I have every intention of coming back,” Guthrie also said, according to the show. “I don’t know how to come back, but I don’t know how not to. You’re my family. And I would like to try.”
Guthrie’s last appearance on “Today” was January 30, 2026, two days before Nancy was reported missing. Guthrie has spent most of the past month with her siblings and their families in Arizona, where her mother and sister live.
Law enforcement have said they believe the 84-year-old was taken from her Tucson home overnight in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. No suspects or motive have been publicly identified. Law enforcement is continuing to analyze forensic and digital evidence related to the case.
Guthrie has shared search updates on her social media and recently said that while the family understands they may not find Nancy alive, they “still believe in a miracle.” Guthrie has offered a $1 million reward for information about her mother’s disappearance.
Possession of Nancy Guthrie’s home was recently returned to her family, and the FBI moved its command post from Tucson to Phoenix. A law enforcement source told CBS News the investigation was still continuing at full speed and that the move would allow for law enforcement to operate more efficiently for the long-term.
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