The mad lads at Apple did it. The MacBook Neo is a $599 value king. It comes in all sorts of fun colors, and doesn’t compromise much on build quality. I feel comfortable saying that this will be the most well built and solid feeling $599 laptop you’ll find. Of course, I haven’t had a chance to use the device yet given my very unknown status. But Apple is known for their build quality. And notably, the Neo is a full aluminum enclosure. No unapologetic plastic here. (Although the plastic MacBooks of yore were still nicely built)

The MacBook Neo runs on Apple’s A18 Pro SoC, featured previously on the iPhone 16 Pro, paired with 8GB of RAM. Look, it’s not winning any spec wars. It also features 256GB of storage at base, upgradeable to 512 for $699. The 512 model also supports TouchID on the keyboard, and is definitely worth the splurge. (Signed, a very happy MacBook Pro owner who loves TouchID). You’ll be staring at a 13 inch Liquid Retina (LCD for those not versed in Apple speak) display that tops out at 500 nits peak brightness. It’ll be perfect for indoor use, and you can probably use it outdoors comfortably as long as you aren’t directly in the sun. Interestingly, like the MacBook Air, the Neo is fanless. This means it’ll be completely silent, but if you push it hard it’ll likely throttle hard like the Air. In another odd twist, the track pad is not a Force Touch track pad. It still supports multi touch gestures. But it physically moves when depressed. The Neo also lacks a backlit keyboard. Which just feels a little bad since the backlit keyboards on the Air and Pro look really clean.

This MacBook is going to be immensely popular with students. Previously, if you wanted to join the MacBook party (specifically with a new MacBook) you were looking at an entry price of $999 with the MacBook Air. An amazing machine that was absolutely overpowered for the rigors of student life consisting of Safari, Word documents, and video watching. With the education discount the MacBook Neo can be had for $499. At that price, it’s a no brainer for the first year college student who statistically speaking is likely already an iPhone user (at least here in the US). There are absolutely cheaper, and potentially better specced laptops at a similar price point. But do they integrate with their phone? iMessage, AirDrop, and FaceTime are big pulls for younger people. And Macs do all that, and integrate seamlessly into their life. 

I’ve been harping on the student angle, and most of the media has been as well. Truly I think that’s their target demographic. But look at the title of the post and you’ll see what I believe will be a strong secondary market. Parents. Look like most in my generation I’ve become the family tech support. (Because I know how to use Google more than anything) Windows laptops have been big headaches for me in the past. Inevitably, my dad will pick out the cheapest model available and will get frustrated when things go wrong. Slow downs, blue screens, forgotten log in passwords oh I’ve dealt with it all. But here’s the thing. Again, in the US the iPhone dominates so chances are your parents (mine included) are already using an Apple device. Assuming you can teach your family how to use MacOS (which I’d be lying if I said it was effortless) this laptop will be the perfect device for them. They can do all their Facebook browsing, emailing, and whatever light tasks they do throughout the day. And you won’t have to worry about random slow downs, crashes, crappy battery life, or even forgotten log ins. An Apple account can be used to reset a Mac’s log in password. (Which has already come in handy with my dads Mac mini). MacOS has in my experience, never had any big slow downs or crashes. It’s a very stable operating system. Especially if all you’re doing is stuff in a web browser. And with Apple Silicon, battery life has never been an issue.

You know who this laptop isn’t for though? Anyone who has thought anything along the lines of “Is 8GB of RAM enough?” Or “Will the A18 Pro support my workflow?” Look, if you’re worrying about specs you should probably look up the line to the Air. Or if price is a concern, a refurbished Air. This is, for all intents and purposes, Apple’s response to Chromebooks. Cheap (enough) laptops for people who live in a browser. When you think of the Neo that way, the specs not only make sense. But honestly do more than is necessary. The A18 Pro is a very capable chip. Pair that with a larger chassis for heat dissipation and for the target customer performance shouldn’t be an issue. 

I suppose what I’m more curious about is how this will affect MacBook Air sales. MacBook Air has been the worlds best selling notebook (according to Apple). And it’s worth the premium you pay for it, it is a wonderful device. But it was also Apples cheapest laptop. And also went on sale, so people weren’t always paying $999 for a new one. With the Neo, the entry price has dropped dramatically. And many people shop on price when it comes to laptops. At $599 I think Apple may sell less Airs overall. But perhaps the lower price will attract new users onto the Mac, which could translate into more loyal customers who splurge on the more expensive MacBook next time. Perhaps the Air may receive some hardware improvements to further differentiate it from the Neo. The MacBook Pro has long been rumored to receive an OLED display. Maybe when that upgrade finally materializes the Air could be bestowed a Pro Motion display with higher brightness levels. Due to the fanless nature of the Air’s design. I don’t think we’ll see them add options for the Pro chips or anything that might further push the limited thermal performance of the Air. So my money is on a better display. Or hey, maybe a full redesign since the Neo looks pretty similar to the Air. (And we all know how Apple likes to visually distinguish their products)

At $599 the MacBook Neo is an absolute win in my book. It is going to be seen everywhere on college campuses. And you will for sure see them at your local coffee shop with people diligently typing away at their next blog post…Wait a minute… Anyways! I think this laptop is going to bring in many new Mac users. And that’s very exciting and good for the platform overall. Now if only I can convince my dad to buy one…