Apple finally took the wraps off its long-rumored budget laptop. In simultaneous events in New York, London, and Shanghai, the company showed off the MacBook Neo, which runs on the Apple A18 Pro processor (2 performance cores, 6 efficiency cores, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine), previously used to run the iPhone 16 Pro.
With this cheaper machine, Apple is taking aim at Chromebook and low-end Windows users, as well as those who may have wanted a MacBook but felt the price was out of reach. This new system, while still made of aluminum, comes in a variety of colors. They’re the most vibrant colors on an Apple laptop since the iBook G3 in 1999.
The MacBook Neo features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2408 x 1506 resolution (500 nits maximum brightness), side-firing speakers with Dolby Atmos support, a multi-touch trackpad, a 1080p webcam, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There are two USB-C ports: one supports USB 2.0 (480 Mbps), while the other is USB 3.0 (up to 10 Gbps with DisplayPort support). Only one external monitor is supported.
It's a relatively light device, weighing just 2.7 pounds and measuring 0.5 inches thick. Apple says the MacBook Neo can last up to 16 hours on a single charge thanks to its 36.5 WHr battery.
Apple says that the MacBook Neo will start at $599 for the 256GB version and will be available in silver, indigo, blush, and citrus. The 512GB version will come with Touch ID and be priced at $699. Both versions ship with just 8GB of RAM and support Apple Intelligence, and there are no build-to-order options for additional RAM. So what you see is what you get.
Preorders go live today, and systems will ship on March 11.
We've already had some hands-on time with the MacBook Neo, and we must say, the aluminum chassis feels really nice — especially at this price point. The trackpad is Apple-typical smooth, but there is no haptic feedback like in more expensive MacBook models. In addition, the keyboard is not backlit, which we take for granted on today's laptops (although some features had to be left on the cutting-room floor to reach a starting price $500 below the new M5 MacBook Air).
The MacBook Neo is a surprise during the ongoing RAM shortage, with other laptop makers struggling to keep laptop prices under control. While many Chromebooks start lower than the Neo's $599 starting price point, there have been reports that disappearing margins could drive the cheap Windows laptop market into extinction by 2028.
This laptop could also serve as a gateway into Apple's greater ecosystem, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and, most importantly, subscription services like iCloud+ and Apple Creator Studio.
John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware engineering, said at the New York City experience that "life is better with a Mac," and that this computer would put it in the hands of more people. They may also become lifelong customers.
Updated March 4, 10:03 AM with context on the greater PC market and quote from John Ternus.
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