*Apple is making a bold move into the budget laptop market with the MacBook Neo, designed to compete with Chromebooks. This marks Apple’s first major effort in over a decade to attract cost-conscious buyers.
Starting at $599, the MacBook Neo represents a major shift from the $999 entry point that has long defined Apple’s laptop lineup. “There is simply no other laptop like it,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, per CNBC.
While the MacBook Air and Pro are powered by Apple’s M-series chips, the Neo features the A18 Pro processor, the same silicon that drives Apple’s iPhone lineup. This choice allows Apple to keep the price low while still running the full macOS operating system. According to the company, the Neo outperforms comparable PC laptops on AI-related tasks by a factor of three.
iPhone 17e, iPad Air, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro…
And now, say hello to the all-new MacBook Neo!
We’re so excited to bring the magic of Mac to even more people around the world. pic.twitter.com/z2w4RmShRO
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 4, 2026
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The MacBook Neo weighs 2.7 pounds and features a 13-inch display capable of reaching 500 nits of brightness. Buyers can select from four colors — indigo, blush, citrus, and silver — and the base model includes 256 GB of storage, two USB-C ports, a headphone jack, and dual side-firing speakers. For $100 more, the upgraded configuration increases storage and adds Touch ID. Apple rates the battery life at up to 16 hours, with special pricing available for students and educators.
Here’s more from the company: “The integrated 5-core GPU brings graphics to life while playing action-packed games or exploring creative hobbies. And a 16-core Neural Engine supports fast on-device Apple Intelligence features and everyday AI tasks like summarizing notes in Bear or using the Clean Up tool in the Photos app, while ensuring user data stays private and secure. MacBook Neo is also fanless, so it runs completely silent.”
“We’re incredibly excited to introduce MacBook Neo, which delivers the magic of the Mac at a breakthrough price,” Ternus said.
“Built from the ground up to be more affordable for even more people, MacBook Neo is a laptop only Apple could create. It features a durable aluminum design in four beautiful colors; a brilliant Liquid Retina display; Apple silicon-powered performance; all-day battery life; a high-quality camera, mics, and speakers; a Magic Keyboard and Multi-Touch trackpad; and the intuitive and powerful features of macOS,” he added.
Preorders for the MacBook Neo began Wednesday ahead of a March 11 retail launch.
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