It’s no secret that the Windows budget-market segment has been stagnating for years. While premium machines kept getting thinner, lighter, and faster, the affordable segment was stuck with five to seven year old technology and minor updates. 

Intel, it seems, wants to change that. In a recent Talking Tech interview, the company detailed how Project Firefly plans to drastically overhaul the budget laptop segment by creating a whole new ecosystem of laptops. 

What exactly is Project Firefly?

At the heart of the project is Wildcat Lake, a chip Intel custom-built for everyday users. It packs two P-cores for snappy performance and four LP E-cores for longer battery life, along with a small NPU and right-sized graphics that can handle smooth video playback and light gaming at 720p. Intel also went with a single-tile design and a cheaper six-layer motherboard to keep costs in check.

But a chip alone doesn’t make a laptop, and that’s where Firefly is different. It’s a reference design program that hands laptop makers a ready-made recipe, complete with the right chassis, screen, and form factor. The prototype Intel showed off is just 12.9mm thin, features a sturdy metal body , and comes in a lovely lavender color that the company calls its Intel color.

Instead of using the usual PC components, Intel raided the phone world, borrowing memory and audio chips from an ecosystem that’s far bigger and cheaper than the PC one. It even bundled its chip and phone memory into one neat package that laptop makers can pop straight into their designs, saving them a ton of time and effort.

Can it take on the MacBook Neo?

Intel never names Apple’s budget MacBook directly, and in the interview, the company insisted Firefly isn’t a response to any particular competitor. That said, Intel openly admitted it admires what Apple has built and wants to bring similar experiences to the broadest user base possible.

While Intel won’t say it out loud, the message is hidden in the subtext. It took the launch of MacBook Neo to wake up Windows manufacturers and push them to start taking the mainstream market more seriously, and for this reason alone, MacBook Neo has served its purpose. 

And if Firefly delivers, you won’t have to spend premium money to get a laptop that feels premium, and that’s a win for all of us.

Apple’s rumored MacBook Ultra is shaping up to be one of the most significant Mac redesigns in years, and a fresh industry report suggests it could land sooner than anyone expected. Research firm Omdia has released a new study on OLED adoption in laptops, and buried inside it are some very specific details about Apple‘s next MacBook.

What screen sizes will the MacBook Ultra come in?

According to the report, Samsung Display will begin supplying OLED panels for Apple’s new MacBook series as early as July 2026, with the devices expected to launch in Q3 2026. That almost certainly means a September debut, likely alongside the iPhone 18 series and the foldable iPhone Ultra.

The Omdia report points to two screen sizes for the MacBook Ultra: 14.3 inches and 16.3 inches. The current MacBook Pro comes in 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch configurations, so the slight size bump likely comes from slimmer bezels and a redesigned chassis.

What makes the OLED display so different?

Apple is not using the same OLED technology found in most laptops or even its own iPhone displays. According to Omdia’s Jerry Kang, the MacBook Ultra will use a hybrid OLED architecture based on oxide TFT and RGB tandem OLED technology.

This combination has never been used in a laptop before, but it’s similar to the display technology already found in the iPad Pro. It is specifically designed to consume less power than both LTPO and single-layer RGB OLEDs. That matters because the MacBook Ultra is also rumored to be significantly thinner than the current MacBook Pro.

Apple would need a major efficiency jump to maintain the battery life its laptops are known for. This new display tech is reportedly how it plans to pull that off. The MacBook Ultra is also expected to be a new tier in Apple’s lineup, sitting above the current MacBook Pro rather than replacing it.

By the end of 2026, Apple could have its MacBook lineup running from the entry-level Neo all the way up to the Ultra, covering more ground than ever before.

Nearly three months after its debut, Apple’s MacBook Neo is emerging as an early success story, helping the Cupertino company reach new customers and challenging long-held assumptions about who buys a Mac.

Apple shipped 1.1 million MacBook Neo units in the quarter ended March, according to data from market intelligence provider IDC, shared with TechCrunch, ahead of the recent MacBook Air (M5) and MacBook Pro (M5) launches. Those MacBooks shipped over 900,000 and 550,000 units, respectively, in their debut quarters.

The figure is notable because the Neo was available for only about three weeks during the quarter after going on sale in mid-March, said Navkendar Singh, associate vice president at IDC, adding that shipments began to spike from early April.

Introduced in early March with a starting price of $599, roughly 45% below the entry-level MacBook Air, the MacBook Neo was designed to make the Mac more accessible to a broader set of buyers. The laptop retains much of the look and feel of Apple’s premium notebooks, including an aluminum chassis and a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, while making some compromises to reach the lower price point, including using an A18 Pro chip instead of an M-series processor and offering 8GB of memory in the base model.

So far, the market appears to be responding to Apple’s strategy. Demand for the Neo, Singh said, has exceeded expectations in several countries, including India, where retailers have struggled to secure enough inventory.

Of the MacBook Neo units shipped globally during the March quarter, 44% were shipped to the U.S., per IDC. India, meanwhile, accounted for close to 18,000 shipments despite the laptop being available for only a few weeks during the period.

The MacBook Neo starts at ₹69,900 (about $733) in India, compared with ₹119,900 (around $1,260) for the entry-level MacBook Air.

“Rising prices of Windows notebooks and attractive pricing of the Neo have led to its very high demand,” Singh told TechCrunch.

The Neo’s popularity could also reshape Apple’s strategy in markets such as India, where older MacBook models such as the M1, M2, and M3 Air have historically been important volume drivers when sold at discounted prices during sales events, according to IDC senior market analyst Bharath Shenoy.

“We need to see how that pans out going ahead due to Neo’s rising popularity,” Singh said.

Speaking during Apple’s April earnings call, CEO Tim Cook said customer response to the MacBook Neo had been “off the charts” and acknowledged that the company was facing supply constraints following the launch. Cook also said Apple had set a March-quarter record for customers new to the Mac, partly driven by the Neo.

Counterpoint Research sees the significance of the Neo extending beyond its early sales. The laptop is helping Apple expand beyond its traditional customer base by attracting first-time Mac buyers and competing in lower-priced notebook segments where Macs have historically had little presence, said David Naranjo, associate director at the research firm.

He added that the Neo could eventually help Apple increase its share of the $400-$699 notebook market from about 2% to around 15%.

“Although it is still early, the MacBook Neo launch stands out as one of Apple’s most strategically important recent Mac releases, especially as the wider PC market deals with rising memory costs and ‘shrinkflation,’ while Apple is expanding its reach,” Naranjo told TechCrunch.

IDC’s Singh believes the opportunity extends beyond first-time buyers. Apple, he said, is targeting the Neo at a much broader audience than previous Mac models, a strategy that could help the company gain share in consumer and small-business laptop segments.

The MacBook Neo’s early success is already prompting competitors to respond. Dell this week unveiled a new XPS 13, starting at $699, aimed at the same segment, and said the MacBook Neo’s arrival had demonstrated strong demand for premium-quality laptops at more accessible prices.

That said, the launch-quarter figures may tell only part of the story, with Singh forecasting a “very big spike” in Neo shipments in the current quarter as Apple works through supply constraints and expands availability.

Apple did not respond to a request for comments.

Asus has a new Zenbook 14 announced at Computex 2026 with the kind of color range most AI laptops still avoid. Arctic Blue, Komodo Coral, and Zabriskie Beige give this 14-inch ultraportable a livelier hook than another argument about neural processors.

The refreshed Zenbook 14 wraps those finishes around a 1.1kg Ceraluminum and metal chassis. It also checks the premium laptop boxes, with Copilot+ PC support, OLED display options, and processor choices spanning Intel, AMD, and Snapdragon. For a MacBook Neo rival, though, one unanswered detail matters most, price.

Why do the colors stand out

Most AI PCs still look built to disappear in an office supply closet. The Zenbook 14 pushes the other way, using softer nature-inspired finishes to feel less anonymous.

Asus lists a ceramic-style Ceraluminum lid, a metal body, a 16:10 OLED display, full I/O, a larger touchpad, and an easy-lift hinge. The tone-on-tone color treatment extends across the lid, logo, chassis, and keyboard, not just the top cover.

The Apple comparison is hard to avoid, but Asus has a cleaner lane than chasing the MacBook Air. Apple has restraint, while Asus is offering range. That advantage only holds if the Zenbook 14 lands at a price that makes the design feel like a bonus instead of a luxury tax.

How useful is the AI hardware

The Snapdragon version uses a Snapdragon X processor with a 45 TOPS NPU, while the broader lineup can reach up to 50 TOPS depending on configuration. That puts the machine in Copilot+ PC territory and gives it enough hardware for on-device AI features.

Battery life is the more useful everyday claim. Asus lists more than 21 hours of use, fast charging, and an all-in-one adapter, which matter more in a backpack than broad promises about smarter workflows.

The OLED display helps, too. Asus lists a 16:10 panel with an 88% screen-to-body ratio on the Qualcomm model, aiming the machine at people who want a compact laptop without giving up a premium screen.

Will Asus get the price right

The Zenbook 14 doesn’t need to beat the MacBook Air at being a MacBook Air. It needs to feel different, stay light, last long, and come in low enough that the bolder design feels like a smart buy.

Asus hasn’t provided the most important buyer detail yet. There’s no confirmed price in the supplied information, and availability isn’t pinned down beyond the broader Computex announcement. That makes any MacBook Neo-tier comparison more hope than verdict for now.

A 1.1kg OLED laptop with real color options, Copilot+ PC hardware, and long battery claims has a clear lane if Asus avoids premium-for-premium’s-sake pricing. Watch for regional pricing, configuration splits, and whether every color comes to major markets.

Apple’s MacBook Pro has had a comfortable run as the default laptop for creative professionals. Video editors, photographers, 3D artists, and developers all converged on the device, both because of the performance and the exceptional connectivity and continuity with iPhones. 

Dell thinks it has finally built something that changes that calculus. Announced at Computex 2026, the XPS 16 Creator Edition is Dell’s first laptop built around Nvidia’s new RTX Spark superchip.

This is the NVIDIA RTX Spark Superchip. A new beginning for personal computers.

Designed for creators, AI developers, and gamers, RTX Spark brings over 30 years of NVIDIA innovation to slim Windows laptops and small, ultra-efficient desktop PCs. pic.twitter.com/RmcamHTS4z

— NVIDIA RTX Spark (@NVIDIARTXSpark) June 1, 2026

What does the XPS 16 Creator Edition actually offer?

The RTX Spark architecture at its core combines a high-performance Nvidia GPU with an efficient CPU. It also supports up to 128GB of unified memory, the same approach that made Apple silicon so effective for creative workflows. 

For video editors specifically, Dell says this translates to smoother playback on 4:2:2 4K timelines, along with faster export times. For 3D artists, they should experience improved responsiveness when working across complex, multi-layered scenes. Developers working with AI-assisted tools get reduced reliance on cloud processing.

The XPS 16 Creator Edition comes with a tandem OLED panel with True Black HDR 600 certification, the same underlying technology that has made recent OLED laptops genuinely useful for outdoor usage and color-accurate professional work.

Does it finally fix the port problem?

Yes, and this deserves more credit than you’d think. The XPS 16 Creator Edition ships with a built-in SD card reader and an HDMI port, two ports that photographers and videographers have long had to add via dongles on competing premium laptops. Clearly, Dell isn’t being subtle about who it’s targeting. 

Pricing and a launch date have not been confirmed, but even so, most RTX Spark laptops are expected to arrive in fall 2026.

Dell’s previous attempts at the creative professional market were hamstrung by the same problem every Windows laptop maker faced: Apple’s unified memory architecture. RTX Spark’s unified memory approach removes that structural disadvantage for good.