MAM
Nothing’s pink phone tease sparks viral buzz
Tech firm Nothing India blends nostalgia with innovation in cheeky Rooh Afza campaign for upcoming Phone 4a launch.
MUMBAI: Nothing’s stirring the pot or rather, mixing up a rosy elixir with a campaign that’s got Bengaluru abuzz and social media fizzing like a summer sherbet. In a clever nod to India’s beloved pink-hued Rooh Afza drink, the London-based tech upstart Nothing has splashed its Bengaluru flagship store in Indiranagar with graffiti proclaiming “I love Rooh Afza” in vibrant pink spray paint. What first looked like cheeky vandalism to passers-by has turned out to be a masterful marketing ploy, teasing a fresh pink colour variant for the Nothing Phone 4a, set to debut on 5 March alongside the Phone 4a Pro.
Launched on 25 February, the campaign taps into cultural nostalgia, with Nothing’s India handle posting gems like “I don’t usually be poppin’ bottles but when I do it’s Rooh Afza.” It’s the brand’s first foray into pink across its smartphone lineup, positioning the shade as “expressive and optimistic” rather than just another hue. The move has sparked online chatter, from amused locals filming the store window to comments ranging from “paid collaboration” to playful jabs like “now Rooh Afza may write Nothing on their bottles.”
Nothing isn’t stopping at graffiti; activations have popped up across stores, including in London, blending street art with tech hype. As whispers of vandalism gave way to viral reels, one Instagram post clocked thousands of views in hours, the stunt has cleverly woven tradition into modern gadgetry, proving that sometimes, a splash of pink is all it takes to refresh a launch.
With the global rollout on 5 March at 10:30 GMT, expect the Phone 4a to shake up the mid-range market, pink variant and all. Whether it’s a hit or just fizzy fun, Nothing’s campaign shows how a dash of local flavour can turn heads in a crowded tech scene.
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.
