Seriously, Apple — why can’t we get the MacBook Neo and iPhone 17e in the same color?

The MacBook Neo and iPhone 17e are cut from the same cloth. Both devices were announced at the same event on March 4, both represent the entry point into their respective product ecosystems, and both — remarkably — start at just $599 / £599 / AU$999.

We also know that iPhones work seamlessly with MacBooks, a fact that Apple’s typically glossy launch video for the Neo sought to remind audiences: “Best of all, Neo works like magic with your iPhone. You can start a chat on your Neo and continue on your iPhone. Or copy from one and paste straight to the other. You can even use your iPhone without holding your iPhone.” You get the idea — MacBook and iPhone: better together.

The MacBook Neo and iPhone 17e are the fun younger siblings of the best iPhones and best MacBooks, so my question to Apple is: why didn’t you make these two affordable, fun-loving devices available in the same colors?!

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In Apple’s world, more color typically equals greater affordability (remember the iPhone 5C?), and the company did at least soften the appeal of the iPhone 17e by offering it in — ahem — a rather lovely Soft Pink (the plain Black and White colors of the iPhone 16e also make a return).

The MacBook Neo, meanwhile, is available in Silver, Blush, Citrus, and Indigo. Three of those colors are exclusive to the Neo range, but none are similarly available on the iPhone 17e.

Bearing in mind that both products share a target market of cost-conscious (dare I say younger?) buyers, wouldn’t it have made sense for consumers to be able to pair their Citrus MacBook Neo with a Citrus iPhone 17e? Or pick up an Indigo version of both devices? Admittedly, Blush is a slightly darker shade of Soft Pink, and Silver is a slightly darker shade of White — but that’s about as close as you’ll get to a uniform MacBook Neo/iPhone 17e combo.

I am, of course, being facetious; this is a minor gripe with what was an otherwise formidable product launch from Apple. College students can now pick up a new iPhone and a MacBook for a combined $1,098 / £1,098 / AU$1748 — that just hasn’t been possible before, and it should worry the likes of Acer and Samsung, who have remained relatively unbothered by Apple at the lower end of the laptop market.

But Apple has really stepped up its color game in the past 12 months (Cosmic Orange and Mist Blue are all-timers), and it would be nice to have the option of picking up its two new budget-friendly buddies in the same exact shade. Apple is the king of uniform tech, after all. Here’s hoping for a Citrus iPhone 18…

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Axel is TechRadar’s Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.

Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.