an apple announced a ton of new technology this week, from iPhone 17E new soon MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. So far, the affordable MacBook Neo is making the biggest splash. The 256GB model starts at $599, while the 512GB model costs $699.
But let’s be real. We are all talking about new colors. With silver, green, orange, and indigo on the table, we asked the CNET staff to see which shade wins the office beauty contest.
Silver came in last. It makes sense, since that’s Apple’s default color, and most of us want tech light. Despite the low ratings for standard silver, I’m sure the classic look will sell well. It’s predictable, but also fresh and new.
Among CNET’s staff, three other colors got more love, with citrus and indigo clearly leading the pack ahead of the competition.
From top to bottom, the MacBook Neo comes in green, silver, indigo or orange.
Managing Editor Josh Goldman said oranges were a favorite at the New York Apple event. But he himself is not a fan: “It’s green and yellow. I don’t care about it.”
Senior Copy Editor Sarah McDermott weighed in, calling oranges “the worst of all worlds.” McDermott chose fading, as did Goldman, who called it “subtle, changing from silver to pink, depending on the lighting.”
Editor-in-Chief Lori Grunin wasn’t a fan of orange, either: “Get your green out of my yellow. And, in colors, I like pink a lot, but I think all things pink are bad.” If Grunin were to buy a MacBook Neo, he would go with indigo.
The indigo color went ahead to get the most votes, and for good reason. It is a cool shade and reminds me a lot iPhone 17 Pro in blue.
Editor-in-Chief James Bricknell admitted that Neo’s orange color is “like an unripe lemon,” rather than a bright yellow, but he remained silent on his preference for oranges at their best in the building. He added, “Full disclosure, my iPad is also yellow. It’s just the funnest color Apple makes.”
Citrus is my favorite of the four as well, and Bricknell and I agreed that indigo is probably our second favorite. Although I’m not a big fan of pastels in general, I have to say that blush pink is a beautiful shade.
It is very clear that the Silver color is very bad.
In the end, indigo took the top spot, receiving 38% of the vote. Citrus was close behind, at 35%. Blush received a respectable 23% of the vote. And silver gained an average of 4% overall.
I, for one, miss the days of bright, bold colors. For years everything has been washed out and pastel-ified, as if the products wanted to be the LaCroix of colors.
I want the red Kool-Aid back. I was a big fan of the Product (Red) collection, and I’d like the new releases to include brighter, more saturated shades — and I’m not alone in that camp.
Social Media Manager Faith Chihil wants those infamous dynamic iBooks back. Goldman noted that the days of Apple’s plastic laptops and desktops may be done. Senior Writer Jeff Carlson chimed in, agreeing, “Yeah, but what about transparent aluminum? (What’s real now!).” Now that the idea.
Watch this: Apple Gets Right! Go with the MacBook Neo
You can pre-order everything Apple has announced currently, things are officially launched on March 11.
