MAM
Madchatter goes global with Worldcom PR pact
MUMBAI: From Bandra to Berlin Madchatter’s next brainstorm could be worldwide. Mumbai-based integrated communications agency Madchatter Brand Solutions has joined the Worldcom Public Relations Group, becoming part of a 40-country-strong alliance of over 80 independent PR firms. The move signals a strategic leap for the young firm as it gears up to build campaigns that are globally informed and locally resonant.
“This partnership is a huge milestone, especially at a time when regional boundaries are blurring fast,” said Madchatter founder and CEO Rachna Baruah. “It gives us access to a global brain trust of PR experts while ensuring that Indian narratives get the international spotlight they deserve.”
Worldcom, which vets every member through a rigorous operational and cultural compatibility check, says India remains a market of growing strategic significance. “Madchatter’s regional depth and forward-thinking approach are a strong value-add,” said Worldcom recruitment chair Bjorn Mogensen.
Founded with a focus on both Web2 and Web3 sectors, Madchatter has made a name for itself in storytelling across verticals like enterprise tech, fintech, real estate, wellness, crypto, and impact ventures. Its full-stack services include crisis comms, digital strategy, multilingual content, and policy-sensitive media training, a mix now poised to go global.
With this partnership, Madchatter will co-create multi-market campaigns, exchange real-time insights with international partners, and offer on-ground India expertise to global clients expanding into the subcontinent.
From local stories to global strategies, it’s chatter that now speaks many languages.
Brands
Apple bites back: the $599 MacBook Neo is the cheapest Mac ever made
The tech giant unveils a budget laptop that packs a punch — and a lot of cheek
CALIFORNIA: Apple has never been shy about charging a premium. So when Cupertino rolls out a MacBook at $599 (approx. Rs 55,000) , it’s worth sitting up straight.
The MacBook Neo, unveiled Tuesday, is Apple’s most affordable laptop to date — undercutting its own MacBook Air and taking a sharp swipe at the budget PC market in one fell swoop. It starts at $499 for students, which, for a machine with Apple silicon inside, is frankly a steal.
At the heart of the Neo is the A18 Pro chip — the same muscle that powers the latest iPhones. Apple claims it is up to 50 per cent faster for everyday tasks than a rival PC running Intel’s Core Ultra 5, and three times quicker on on-device AI workloads. Fanless and featherweight at 2.7 pounds, it runs silently and promises up to 16 hours of battery life. Try doing that on a Chromebook.
The 13-inch liquid retina display clocks in at 2408-by-1506 resolution with 500 nits of brightness and support for billion colours — sharper and brighter, Apple says, than most rivals in this price band. It comes dressed in four colours: blush, indigo, silver, and a zesty new citrus, with matching keyboard shades to boot.
Connectivity is modest — two USB-C ports, a headphone jack, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 6 — but this is a budget machine, not a pro workstation. The 1080p FaceTime camera, dual mics with directional beamforming, and Spatial Audio speakers round out a package that punches well above its weight class.
Apple senior vice-president of hardware engineering John Ternus alled it “a laptop only Apple could create.” That’s the kind of line that makes rivals wince — because, annoyingly, he might be right.
The Neo runs macOS Tahoe, with Apple Intelligence baked in for AI writing tools, live translation, and the sort of on-device smarts that keep user data away from the cloud. It also boasts 60 per cent recycled content — the highest of any Apple product — for those who like their bargains with a side of conscience.
For $599, Apple isn’t just selling a laptop. It’s selling an argument — that good design and real performance needn’t cost the earth. The PC industry had better have a decent comeback ready.
