Apple just pulled off something amazing. The company has introduced a brand new laptop called MacBook Neo, and the starting price is only $599! That number alone changes the conversation around entry-level laptops.
For years, people shopping on a budget were usually pushed toward plastic Windows machines with questionable build quality and mediocre performance. Apple rarely played in that space. With MacBook Neo, that seems to be changing.
At a glance, the laptop still looks and feels like a Mac. It uses a full aluminum enclosure and weighs just 2.7 pounds, making it easy to toss into a backpack. Apple is offering four colors too… blush, indigo, silver, and citrus. The colors even extend to the keyboard and wallpapers, which is a fun touch.
Up front is a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2408-by-1506 resolution and brightness up to 500 nits. Apple says the panel supports 1 billion colors. That is pretty impressive considering the price point. The screen also gets an anti-reflective coating, which should make it easier to use in bright environments.
Inside the laptop is the A18 Pro chip. If that name sounds familiar, it is because Apple uses the same silicon family in its iPhone lineup. Apple says the chip makes MacBook Neo up to 50 percent faster for everyday tasks like browsing the web compared to a popular Intel Core Ultra 5-based Windows laptop.
The company is also leaning heavily into AI performance. Apple claims MacBook Neo can be up to three times faster when handling on-device AI workloads such as photo effects or advanced editing tools. Whether you care about those features probably depends on how much you buy into the current AI hype cycle.
Like some other Apple silicon Macs, MacBook Neo is fanless, meaning it runs completely silent. Battery life is rated at up to 16 hours on a single charge, which should easily cover a full day of work or school.
Apple also packed in the usual hardware touches people expect from a Mac. There is a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones with beamforming to reduce background noise, and side-firing speakers with support for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. The laptop includes the familiar Magic Keyboard and a large Multi-Touch trackpad as well.
Connectivity is fairly straightforward. MacBook Neo offers two USB-C ports, both of which can be used for charging. One of those ports also supports an external display. There is also a headphone jack, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 6.
One thing potential buyers should be aware of involves Touch ID. The base MacBook Neo configuration with 256GB of storage does not include the fingerprint sensor. To get Touch ID for quick logins and Apple Pay authentication, buyers must upgrade to the 512GB storage model.
The laptop runs macOS Tahoe, which brings Apple Intelligence features and built-in apps like Safari, Messages, and Photos. Apple is also continuing to lean into integration with the iPhone. Features like Handoff, Universal Clipboard, and iPhone Mirroring allow users to move tasks between devices easily.
Apple is also highlighting environmental improvements. MacBook Neo contains about 60 percent recycled materials and uses 90 percent recycled aluminum in the enclosure. The company says the manufacturing process for the chassis uses about 50 percent less aluminum compared to traditional machining.
Still, all of that is secondary to the price.
At $599 (or $499 for education buyers) MacBook Neo becomes Apple’s most affordable laptop ever. That alone could shake up the budget laptop market.
A lot of people buying sub-$700 laptops today end up with inexpensive Windows machines that feel disposable after a few years. If Apple can deliver a well-built Mac with solid performance at roughly the same price, many shoppers may start asking why they should bother with those machines in the first place.
MacBook Neo is available for preorder now, and it will begin arriving to customers on March 11. If Apple nailed the balance between price, performance, and build quality, this could end up being one of the most interesting Mac launches in a long time.
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