The Analog Inspiration Behind the Juicy Colors of Apple’s Newest Computer

mars 05, 2026

Thursday, March 05, 2026

Ever since Apple CEO Tim Cook said back in early 2026 that "…innovations never seen before" would be coming to the global brand, Apple-watchers have been playing guessing games. Yesterday, the company finally unveiled their latest product: A super-light MacBook dubbed the Neo, which costs just $599. The best part are the colors: The Apple Design Studio was inspired by their own collections of paper notebooks to create indigo, blush, and citrus—slightly iridescent versions of blue, pink and yellow. (I want to be part of the naming committee next time.) For keyboard diehards like me, this is a good portable option, with the bonus of inspiring hues. Writer's block be gone.

—Elisa Lipsky-Karasz, head of editorial content

What Is the Analog Inspiration Behind the Juicy Colors of Apple's Newest Computer?

Apple launches a brand-new laptop computer, dubbed the Neo, that costs only $599 and has a surprising IRL inspiration story.

'90s nostalgia is trending harder than ever at the moment, and that extends to tech. Back in 1998, Apple founder Steve Jobs and legendary designer Jony Ive introduced the iMac G3 in a sheer turquoise, changing desks everywhere forever. (The original—dubbed Bondi Blue—was soon joined by a series of fruit-inspired colors. Think Strawberry and Lime. Eventually this became Indigo, Ruby, and Sage, and so on.)

At the time, Jobs said: "It looks like it's from another planet. A good planet. A planet with better designers." Now, those curvacious desktops have disappeared in favor of monitors and sleek laptops. But the colors are back to center stage: today, Apple is launching a brand new MacBook model, dubbed the Neo, in four distinct shades. And it's inspired by something tangible: a collection of notebooks gathered by the Apple design studio. Indigo is back again, a denim-inspired hue, along with a blush, silver and a soft citrus yellow. The curves of the device's aluminum case riffs on Jobs and Ive's original rounded look that has become an Apple signature. Yet this time, for design fiends, the colors extend across the entire computer, including the keyboards.

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