Apple has unveiled the brand new, entry-level MacBook Neo. No, it can’t dodge incoming like ‘Mr. Anderson’ in the Matrix, but it does start at $599…which is quite a bit less than previous Apple entry level notebooks. Appleinsider.com reports that The bottom line model is powered with an A18 Pro chip, the one used in the iPhone 16 Pro, and not a M-series Apple chip like the other MacBooks have. That said, the laptop is still able to perform about like the M1 chip…which powers the several year old MacBook Pro I wrote this on. The entry level machine also has only 256 gigs available (512 on the pricier model) and the base machine doesn’t have Touch ID either. For another $100, you get the 512 Gigs and Touch ID. The Neo strangely has a USB 3 and a USB 2 port…one on each side…so the one has a slower transfer rate. There is no Thunderbolt port. It does have a 13-inch display, and can drive one external monitor. You do get a FaceTime HD camera. The Neo can be preordered today and is available March 11th. It comes in Silver, Blush, Citrus, and Indigo. Again, the cheapie is $599, and for $100 more you get 512 gigs capacity and Touch ID. 

Motorola is set to roll out their Razr Fold before long…we don’t have a date yet, but now we have some specs and a price point. According to Mashable.com, The Fold has 3 50 MP cameras…a main, a telephoto, and an ultra wide. When open, there is a 32 MP internal selfie cam. You also get a 20 MP external selfie cam to use when it is closed. The outer display is 6.6 inches, and the opened display is 8.1 inches. That makes it even bigger than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold. It runs on Qualcomms most powerful chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, and runs moto ai, Motorola’s AI feature set. It can be had with up to a terabyte of storage and 16 gigs of RAM. The battery is a hefty 6000mAh. The Motorola Razr Fold is 4.6mm thick open, 9.9mm thick closed. It will be priced with a stylus in Europe at 1999 Euros. No separate price available yet. That’s $2327 with the smart stylus if the pricing holds in the US when it is released. 

A number of messaging platforms offer end-to end encryption now. Whether you’re talking Signal and WhatsApp, or the likes of Facebook Messenger, Google and Apple Messages…most want users to feel secure in using their apps. TechCrunch.com says that TikTok isn’t going to follow suit. The social media giant says end-to-end encryption would make users less safe, as it believes the technology would prevent police and safety teams from accessing messages when necessary. This seems like gobbledygook since with end-to-end encryption, only the sender and recipient of a direct message can view its contents. TikTok claims their DMs are still protected with standard encryption such as Gmail uses. This does mean that under specific circumstances, law enforcement can request to see messages. TikTok further claims this will protect younger users. 

Sony has flip-flopped and won’t be releasing first party games for PCs. Engadget.com reports that upcoming first party titles will stay PS5 exclusive. This is in contrast with Microsoft, which will launch first-party titles such as Fable and Forza Horizon 6 on Xbox, PC and PS5 at the same time later this year. It would see Sony return to a more Nintendo-like approach, with the latter famously (and extremely successfully) holding firm on console exclusivity for the likes of Mario, Zelda and Pokémon. Sony has reportedly had poor sales of PC 1st party games, so it won’t affect their income much…but could long term piss off gamers.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.