'We wanted something that felt fun and friendly, and fresh, and felt like it really suited the spirit of this product': Apple exec on why their new budget laptop is called MacBook Neo

Apple MacBook Neo. The name sounded ridiculous to me at first, but then I hadn't seen the colorful, classic, and affordable budget laptop in person. What I didn't know is that it's very likely the look, which includes colors like Citrus and Blush playfully bleeding all the way onto the keyboard, that is probably at least partially responsible for the Neo name.

Think about it: "Neo" is one letter short of "Neon," and these colors, especially Citrus and Blush, have the boldness of neon lights.

It turns out, though, that the gemination for the name (though many were considered) is fairly transparent. "We wanted something that felt fun and friendly, and fresh, and felt like it really suited the spirit of this product," Colleen Novielli, Director, Mac Product Marketing at Apple, told me shortly after the launch event.