Apple has launched the MacBook Neo, a budget-oriented laptop starting at $599 that marks the company's first serious push into the entry-level PC market, competing directly with mainstream Windows machines and Google Chromebooks at a price point Apple has never previously targeted.
An educational discount brings the starting price down to $499, sharpening the competitive threat to established PC manufacturers.
The move has already rattled rivals. Asus chief financial officer Nick Wu said on an earnings call that the Neo and its aggressive pricing were a shock to the entire market, a candid acknowledgement that PC makers had not anticipated Apple entering the lower end of the laptop market.
The Neo is powered by the A18 Pro, the chip Apple uses in its iPhone and iPad lineups, rather than the M-series processors found in its higher-end Mac range.
It ships with 8GB of RAM and a choice of 256GB or 512GB of storage, with Touch ID fingerprint authentication reserved for the more expensive 512GB configuration.
The 13-inch display runs at a resolution of 2408 x 1506 pixels and sits inside an aluminium chassis that also houses a 1080p webcam, a multi-touch trackpad and a colour-matched Magic Keyboard.
Connectivity is modest by Mac standards: the Neo offers two USB-C ports, one running at the faster USB 3 standard and one at USB 2, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack and side-firing speakers with spatial audio support.
Notably absent are Thunderbolt, which enables high-speed data transfer and external display support on Apple's pricier laptops, and MagSafe, the company's magnetic charging connector.
The hardware choices appear deliberate cost decisions rather than oversights, and have been offset by an unusual distinction for an Apple product: iFixit, the repair and teardown specialist, declared the Neo Apple's most repairable MacBook in 14 years, citing modular components and a simpler internal construction that makes replacement and user modification more accessible.
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Early reviews suggest the machine handles everyday tasks and web browsing comfortably, though photographers working in Adobe Lightroom Classic encountered slow performance when processing RAW image files.
Video editing in Final Cut Pro, Apple's own software, produced more respectable results in testing, and hobbyist communities have already begun sharing guides for storage upgrades and other modifications online.
The recap
- Apple released the MacBook Neo as a low-cost laptop.
- Starting price $599, $499 with educational discount available.
- Best Buy offered a $25 e-gift card on preorders.