Apple has entered the budget laptop market with a clear strategy. The new MacBook Neo starts at $599 and signals Apple’s most aggressive push yet against Windows PCs and Chromebooks in the lower-cost category. For years Apple avoided selling a truly inexpensive Mac laptop, but the Neo changes that approach while still keeping the company’s typical design and software experience.
The new machine sits far below the $1,099 MacBook Air in price, which makes it the cheapest modern Mac laptop Apple has ever launched. Apple built the device with a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, an aluminum body, and a battery that lasts up to 16 hours. The company also offers four colors including citrus, silver, indigo, and blush, which signals that Apple wants the laptop to appeal to students and everyday buyers who usually shop for affordable Windows machines.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple internally describes the MacBook Neo as an “incredible value” device, a phrase that does not appear in the official press material but reflects unusually high expectations inside the company. Reports say Apple believes the Neo can reshape the lower-cost laptop category and bring many first-time buyers into the Mac ecosystem.
A Major Shift in Apple’s Laptop Strategy
Apple has long resisted launching a true entry-level Mac laptop. The company focused on premium machines while leaving the budget category to Windows PCs and Chromebooks. The MacBook Neo shows Apple now sees a larger opportunity in that segment.
John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, explained the idea behind the device.
“Built from the ground up to be more affordable for even more people, MacBook Neo is a laptop only Apple could create.”
Apple kept the familiar Mac design language while lowering the price. The laptop still uses a durable aluminum enclosure and weighs about 2.7 pounds, which keeps it in line with the portability people expect from a MacBook.
iPhone Chip Powers the New Mac
One of the biggest changes appears inside the machine. Apple runs the MacBook Neo on the A18 Pro chip, the same processor used in the iPhone 16 Pro lineup. This marks the first time Apple has placed an iPhone processor inside a Mac laptop.
The chip still delivers enough performance for daily computing tasks, including web browsing, document editing, video calls, and light photo editing. Apple says the system also runs AI workloads up to three times faster than competing PC laptops in this price range.
More specifications include:
- 13-inch Liquid Retina display with 500 nits brightness
- A18 Pro chip with a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU
- 8GB of memory
- 256GB base storage
- Up to 16 hours of battery life
- 1080p FaceTime HD camera
- Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6
- Two USB-C ports and a headphone jack
The laptop runs the same macOS system found on other Macs, which means it supports Mac apps and many iPhone apps as well.
A New Entry Point Into Apple’s Ecosystem
Apple clearly sees the MacBook Neo as a gateway device. The lower price opens the door for students, families, and organizations that previously relied on cheaper Windows laptops or Chromebooks.
Education buyers receive an additional discount that brings the starting price down to $499. Apple has also opened pre-orders, with the first deliveries and in-store availability scheduled for March 11.
If Apple succeeds, the MacBook Neo will bring a wave of new customers into its ecosystem and expand Mac adoption in a part of the laptop market where the company rarely competed before.
