Apple launches $599 MacBook Neo today — and it might sell out fast
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| The Neo comes in citrus, blush, silver, and indigo. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable |
The MacBook Neo officially launches today, and as I noted in my MacBook Neo review, Apple is sure to sell a billion of these colorful laptops.
OK, maybe not a billion, but the point stands. The MacBook Neo is Apple's new budget MacBook, and it has an unbeatable price of $599 (or $499 with education pricing). Asus's co-CEO called its price a "shock" to the Windows laptop market, before throwing some obligatory shade its way.
Get a quick download on everything you need to know about the MacBook Neo on launch day.
What is the MacBook Neo?
The MacBook Neo is Apple's first true budget MacBook, and it brings premium MacBook features to the budget category. The Neo has all but one of the MacBook's signature features. It has an all-aluminum build, a Liquid Retina Display, macOS, and, of course, the Apple cool factor. (It's been a long time since I've been in college, but from what I hear, it's still a status symbol on campus.)
To keep the price low, the Neo is Apple's first MacBook without M-series silicon since 2020, and it instead uses the A18 Pro chip first introduced with the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Some critics have been dismissing the device as a "computer phone," but the reviews so far are nearly unanimous: It's a surprisingly capable laptop.
In my testing, it scored nearly identical to the legendary M1 MacBook Air on benchmark tests. For students, casual users, and non-super-users, it should be able to handle your daily workload with ease. I was able to create simple videos in Final Cut Pro and edit massive image files in bulk.
Crucially, it also comes in fun colors: citrus, blush, indigo, and silver. I recommend citrus and indigo, personally.
SEE ALSO:MacBook Neo review: I think Apple's going to sell millions of these
The MacBook Neo: Will it sell out?
Users were reporting low stock during the preorder period, but as of this writing, all four colors were available for order at Amazon. However, due to an ongoing global memory shortage, you never know when that might change.
The MacBook Neo costs $599, but a version with Touch ID and 512GB of SSD is also available for $699. Both versions have 8GB of RAM.
the white keyboard already worth the price
ReplyDeleteAsus is trying to reframe what this device actually represents, characterizing it as primarily a content consumption device, like a tablet. However, early market reception suggests people aren't accepting this limitation. This model signals that the economy is fucked, and that people really don't need that much to get shit done anymore.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteMy last good Windows laptops were a Toshiba one from 2008 and a Lenovo one from 2017. Both runned until their EOL time and even after that they could still run an Ubuntu variant (the Lenovo one still runs today). After that I started to use MacBooks because they just last longer with longer support, that's it.
Now with neo, from the same company that sells computer wheels more expensive than this new laptop, the reparability of this new laptop is pretty good, from what I've seen from the ifixit video, on par with what Lenovo used to do, so that's another big win.
Honestly, this is shaking the market and in a very good way because people are tired of eeeepc dumpster craps being sold at the same price, poor quality of materials, bad hinges and many cut corners being sold as premium. The fact that OEMs have to pay for Windows OS is a massive issue that Apple doesn't have and now with the all the spare hardware they have, they managed to release something affordable and pretty good. They are going to eat a big slice of the market and they know it.
Windows OEM, step up.
I still can’t believe it’s $599.
ReplyDelete8GB of RAM with no upgrade path is pretty grim even in the budget category
ReplyDeleteThrow my father on the pile. I was upgrading my Surface Book 2 YEARS ago and he bought it from me. Zero f**king support, he chucked it in a corner when the trackpad just magically failed and Microsoft was like “ummmmm”.
ReplyDeleteI just got a call saying he ordered one. Good stuff. I got an M3 Pro and I’m absolutely LOVING it.
It’s crazy that we’re living in a time where PC prices are skyrocketing and Apple’s prices are actually coming down. A 16GB 512SSD MacBook Air was $1599 three years ago. Today it’s $1099. Then there’s the Neo, a $600 MacOS machine. Sure it’s only 8GB RAM but 8GB on a Mac is really like 12GB RAM on a PC just due to how optimized Macs are. Apple is really killing it. I don’t know how but Apple has never been this much of a better option than Windows before
ReplyDeleteIt really didn't
ReplyDeleteI just got mine. I have a personal MacBook Pro that cost $2500 new three years ago. The Neo does 80% of what it does for 20% the price.
ReplyDeleteThe Neo also has some serious retro vibes. No notch, no obvious camera (it’s hidden), no Touch ID (on my base model). It looks like a movie prop from a 90s hacker movie (I’m thinking of Ethan Hunt’s MacBook in the 1996 Mission Impossible). What’s really nostalgic is putting that new Macintosh background on it that scrolls through the old Mac icons.
ReplyDeleteApple are the "good guys" now. What a time we live in.
Well if only others didnt all jump on the bandwagon and treat consumers like third rate citizens...
At least apple treats them as second rate
I worked in the PC industry for years and can confirm execs thought there wa no way possible that Apple will touch that price point. The sole focus was to figure out how to sell inferior win PCs at the Apple price point.
ReplyDeleteI personally love this move by Apple. They are about to make real inroads on software adoption by hitting more of the hardware price spectrum.
Reminds me of the Eee PCs that came out in the 2000s. Decent little machine that was pretty capable , esp once you attached a second screen and some extra storage.
ReplyDeleteThe Eee PC lead to the Chromebook. Will be interesting to see what the MacBook neo will lead to
well dang. I guess I can stop saying "all Apple products are overpriced" 😅
ReplyDeletestill gonna complain about the walled garden thing tho
specs?
ReplyDeleteI’m also surprised with that SOC power.
ReplyDeleteI was expecting high single thread scores, which comes from the architecture, but not that high. Same for the multicore score.
That’s an iPhone 16 chip leaving behind desktop high power chips.
This is brilliant on Apple’s part. Seems like an excellent machine for students who require just enough power for word processing, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, etc. Yet still want to reap the benefits of seamless integration between with their other Apple devices.
ReplyDeleteA slow phone processor with 8 gb ram at a price a little shy from good intel processor with 32GB ram
ReplyDeleteAnd it is supposed to be a competition.
If you say so.
Show me an intel windows laptop at $500-$600 range that matches that display, size and battery life. Also needs to match that “slow phone processor”. Ram is completely overblown for normal usage as Apple’s unified memory is pretty decent on their OS
DeleteIt has better single core performance than anything Intel or AMD fields. Close to M4. That matters a lot. It will feel extremely snappy (until RAM is exhausted, which admittedly is too soon) unlike cheap PCs
DeleteThis isn't a laptop for serious work. It's really just for people who need a web browser and not much else
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree that it’s not for serious work- that said I’m putting a Neo through its paces this weekend as a hobbyist sports photographer, and it’s been running my adobe apps really well so far. It’s definitely more than just a web browser
DeleteSo the large majority of users then.
DeleteAnd a status symbol logo for when they're out sipping their Starbucks
DeleteI also love that Steam is launching the Steam Machine this year. Soon I’ll be rid of Windows in my daily life for good.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI think they're really just shocked because Apple actually released a $600 MacBook that doesn't have the HP Hinges, Dell plastic, and Hitachi Deathstars as hard drives, and some Wi-Fi card found in the dumpster a decade ago.
The article does briefly mention ASUS being worried. To be honest... I've had some pretty solid $400 Asus laptops before. Things that lasted about a decade before breaking or being retired, that didn't overheat, and would come with a proper memory configuration. My gripe with ASUS was always with their driver software being absolutely atrocious (the ATK package).
The PC industry just has this bad tendency to not offer a solid product, and they spend too much time trying to spam out a million models. Then there's Microslop who lost their way after Windows 7.
Give credit where it’s due, this was a good move by them
ReplyDeleteAs far as Apple and the economy goes, this was quite disruptive.
ReplyDeleteThis is going to sell zillions.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing they will see in this is 8gb ram is sellable
ReplyDeleteThis is potentially industry destroying. Why would you get anything else now.
ReplyDeleteBecause 8GB RAM is useless for anything other than browsing... This is a low end iPhone disguised as a laptop.
DeleteI’m running Adobe Lightroom on it, and so far it’s been every bit as capable as my windows desktop
DeleteIt's not going to be doing any heavy lifting but if all you need is a web browser or standard business software (Office/accounting/etc) this thing will likely work very well. If it maintains Apple's laptop build quality then it's going to hold up drastically better under school/office use than anything else in that price range. Add in Window's absolute push into AI that a lot of people are uncomfortable with or some of the rumors about Windows 12 (being subscription based) and this becomes a great entry point into Apple ecosystem for people getting fed up with Windows that want to see if they can switch. I hope it does well and expands Apple's laptop marketshare if for no other reason then to make Microsoft suffer some kind of consequence for Windows previous and upcoming enshitification.
DeleteI get your point but you don't need new hardware to get away from Windows. Just install Linux on your existing laptop/desktop, as many many of us already have. It takes approximately 5 minutes to install (after downloading and copying to a USB drive). It's incredibly simple to switch.
DeletePersonally I'm still not ready to switch over to Linux, too many programs I use are Windows exclusive, though some work on Mac and if Microsoft keeps making things worse the Linux/Mac option is there as well. Far more people are likely to switch to Mac over Linux though as they're just going to want their work programs to run and afaik almost none of that works on Linux (and alternatives aren't always an option for business.)
DeleteFor business, most are tied into one of the big suites that are windows exclusive so I can see them sticking with windows. The new MacBook is not powerful enough for business use, so is very much aimed at personal use on the go, for light work. It's a good option for that use case, for those who like MacOS. I used a Macbook Pro as my company laptop for the last 6 years and still hate it now as much as I did 6 years ago 😄 My personal laptop and my desktop both run Linux Mint.
DeleteBecause apple is fucking predatory as hell
DeleteWouldn't be the first time. Remember how it changed the way it even changed the way Microsoft advertised its products on the shelf?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUXnJraKM3k
Old Microsoft software and boxes were the best, it’s all been downhill ever since
DeleteCan someone explain why this is better than just buying an older used laptop? The specs aren't that good, what's the point?
ReplyDeleteWould this be better than my 2020 MacBook Pro running Intel
ReplyDelete…I want one, still poor.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a cool little laptop for a nice price, love the keyboard feel too. So much of my work is remoting into this or that so for me it’s a good terminal and remote control machine. I do want to try Minecraft Java on it but I’m not expecting a huge view distance or anything
ReplyDeleteIt's Cad $799 for the base model...Not cheap.
ReplyDeleteoh look, another apple propaganda post
ReplyDeleteIf you like, but the Asus CEO was the one who said it. Not sure you could argue he's an Apple shill.
ReplyDeleteI was offered the opportunity to replace my Windows laptop from work with an M5 Pro. I've not used a Mac since the 80s - I'm absolutely in love with it... I don't doubt these neo's will be extremely usable and popular. I can't get over how polished the OS is.
ReplyDeleteThat also means I'm no longer in the windows ecosystem, as I use Mint on my gaming desktop, other than for at work (in IT, so can't get away from it, but thankfully Windows Server is a different beast).
I'd buy one just to fuck over M$.
ReplyDeleteWait for chip A19 pro with 12GB it will be best seller laptop of all tine
ReplyDeleteMy M1 with 16 gigs of Ram is running perfectly. If it had 8 gigs, I’d be having problems.
ReplyDeleteI can’t see buying this with only 8 gigs of Ram. I believe I’ll have to upgrade twice as fast, or sooner because of the low memory, and I will have saved nothing.
Honestly? Good, we don’t need no Microslop. Now Qualcomm can you implement full ACPI ffs. I need ARM Linux
ReplyDeleteThey should just release the OS for generic platforms. Hardware exclusivity is stupid. If MacOS was available for generic PCs, that would really screw over Microslop.
ReplyDeleteU can get a windows laptop for 200$ not sure what it’s threatening. For 599 u can get a pretty good windows laptop too. Its only good if u care about macOS or using apple products
ReplyDeleteApple’s gonna get macOS into a lot of homes with this. Smart play.
ReplyDeleteAlways exciting watching companies push boundaries in AI and connectivity
ReplyDeleteAt this point i don't care about soldered RAM so Macbook is really tempting, but i can't let go upgradable SSD because I'm the type of person that use their phone for up to 5 years and laptop for up to 10 years lol
ReplyDeleteWhile I use Linux, I am all for Macs eating into Windows marketshare.
ReplyDeleteÈ più potente il mio vecchio Nokia 3330 di quello schifoso notebook. Come si fa ad avere questi componenti nel 2026?
ReplyDeleteYes but it’s a Mac
ReplyDeleteThreatening Windows PC Market my ass
ReplyDeleteYou couldn't pay me 599 to buy an apple product
ReplyDeleteYou are the product. Somehow these 'tops are gonna follow the way of latest model luxury vehicles
ReplyDeleteIt's a solid move. It's a laptop that bridges the gap between tablet and the main macbook lineup. A $600 basic laptop running MacOS is a pretty good deal for those who only need it for basic browsing, schoolwork, and very basic gaming.
ReplyDeleteApple releasing a budget laptop is a bad sign for the economy
ReplyDeleteYou know how usually someone release something and tells his friends to tell the story? You release a movie, then you manufacture some “x had to lose so much weight to do the stunts”.
ReplyDeleteWithout even Apple’s impulse, everyone is saying the one thing “you can have MacBook experience without the Apple price tag”
If that laptop’s chip perf limits are any good, that thing is going to sell so fucking fast.
but does it have touchscreen, anyway i prefer what i am used to
ReplyDeleteI'm confused. My older phone has better specs than this. 8GB ram shared between cpu and gpu is just downright sad
ReplyDeleteWhy are you confused? The HP OmniBook 5 costs $550 and also has 8GB.
Deletelol threatening windows with a touchscreen notebook that runs phone apps and only runs one screen. Please.
ReplyDeleteEven Apple people don’t want this crap.
Unsure where you read touchscreen that runs iPhone apps and only runs one screen.
DeleteThis is not for Apple people. This is for those who always wanted Apple but found it too expensive. Now they find it closer to their budget, can do the basics, and well. That’s it.
If one can ask the question “does it have enough ram” it’s already not for them.
This is targeted at students, whom with student discount can bring it down to $499 aka the price of a notebook, except this one is an entry point into Apple’s ecosystem.
The limit to the iPhone processor inside must be tight as hell, but reviews so far are saying it’s good enough and priced without the Apple markup to it.
So all the “I really want an apple device but I’ll go refurbished, second hand, etc” who always cut short to other brands before MacBooks are in for a treat.
Neo looks like it’s about to sell a shit ton
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/04/macbook-neo-one-external-display/
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DeleteLOL nevermind, waste of time even saying that.
DeleteIt's beautiful, it has gorgeous colors that catch the eye, but... bro, $599!
ReplyDelete512 Silver for me. I am assuming someone will come out with a hard shell case for it so I’ll get a little crazy with that thing’s color instead.
ReplyDeleteJust pre-ordered. Went for the blush because even as a guy I'm sick of black/white/silver for everything. Even the blue, my lavender iphone is wearing a blue case. Boring!
ReplyDeleteKind of annoyed I'm having to get it shipped to my house. Why can't I choose to pick up from the Apple store? I don't need help logging in to my account, I just need the delivery driver to not throw it at my house.
ps - I'm a pc guy who's sick of microslop. Other than my iphone, this is my first real dip into the mac ecosystem. That should say something about where this thing could find a footing outside of moms and students.
The yellow is genius but should first see it live.
ReplyDeleteWe don’t know what mix the ordered but ether way I find it encouraging that the colors are the ones that backing up.
ReplyDeleteHaving longer wait times doesn’t necessarily means it sold me. It could have sold the least, but Apple may have estimated sales wrong and still made too few of one
ReplyDeleteYeah, but that won’t fit in the MacBook chassis
ReplyDeleteCitrus is the obvious correct choice.
ReplyDeleteBlush is a gorgeous colour, no wonder it's selling out so fast!
ReplyDeleteIf I order online as a pick up from the store can I trade a different color in store next Wednesday? I want blush but it’s out of stock lol
ReplyDeletePinky has sold out. The logical conclusion that they should make from this is to never make any pink products ever again. And absolutely never a pro product, we wouldn’t want those to sell.
ReplyDeleteMy wife & I have been living the “iPad pro as laptop replacement” life for a bit, but are at the point where we’ve been thinking about getting a shared computer.
ReplyDeleteWe were both incredibly interested in this at the price point, but I’m having second thoughts on if we should just spend the extra $$ for an M4 air (probably refurbished)
Our use cases would be: Content streaming (mostly Netflix/hbo max/etc. and sports), document keeping (resumes, CVs, etc), some light blogging (that I currently do on my iPad) and some even lighter gaming (maybe the Sims, if we can find it).
To the experts among you, I ask: Would the Neo fit our needs or should we bump up to the air?
The main thing is that the Neo would fit your needs, but given that you’re going to share the computer it’s hard to overstate how much easier it is to do it when all you need to do to change the user is to put your fingerprint. Therefore you can’t just go out with the regular Neo but with the upgraded one.
DeleteThe question is then what is the price difference between the refurbished Air and the new Neo. Given the other niceties of the air such as a keyboard with backlight and a stronger processor, it would take a significant price difference to make the Neo better value.
Assuming popularity based on delivery dates is dumb. Production levels are likely different across all colorways.
ReplyDeleteSo, I'm not selling my M1 Then.
ReplyDeleteBlush is the typical pink thing that always sells in droves to the girlier part of the consumer base, so I'm not surprised it's selling like hotcakes.
ReplyDeleteThese kind of articles are useless because there’s no way you can infer which one is selling out unless you know the starting inventory level for each color. This is only accurate if each color had the same starting number in inventory. But neutral colors like silver almost always sell more so Apple would have likely made more of that color than the others, which is why estimated date hasn’t slipped. It doesn’t mean silver is selling poorly, it may just mean Apple was prepared for demand on a specific color
ReplyDeleteThey definitely show demand.
DeleteWhen the iPhone air released it was basically DOA considering it was still on 3 - 5 days shipping while all other models sold out. It showed it was not popular at all.
That’s possible. It’s also possible that whoever works inventory management at Apple made a lot of iPhone Airs because they thought it would be popular, but they were wrong. I’ve worked retail at a corporate level before and there are people in charge of estimating how many of each SKU the company needs on hand based on estimated demand. Sometimes those people get it wrong. I don’t know that‘s what happened here, but neither does anyone else except Apple, thus my problem with the article.
DeleteI mean, if it's unavailable to order, you can infer that it's selling out.
DeleteBut you are right that it doesn't necessarily mean that it's selling better than other colors.
Estimated delivery date now in Canada for the base model in blush is March 18-25. I should’ve grabbed it yesterday when delivery was still next week 🙁
ReplyDeleteInteresting that people are going for the upgraded ones more. I really want one of these, but honestly my 5 year old Macbook Pro is not showing its age at all, and at 5 years old it can be my "throw around" Macbook even though it was top of the line.
ReplyDeleteWe don’t know that most people are going for those because we don’t know how many of each they made. They could have made 300k 256GB models and only 50k 512GB ones.
DeleteThat's a very fair point.
DeleteI think the people preordering are going for the upgraded ones but once bulk purchases from schools get involved the base ones will sell more.
Delete512gb model is the way to go simply for Touch ID.
ReplyDeleteSeems like a scummy move to incentivize higher purchase. You dont need 512gb for such a weak device where most of your work is browsing or web apps. I have m5 mbp 512gb with cyberpunk(150gb) and still have suffeicient space. Touch ID is just luxury, you can just use a simple 4 letter password as lockscreen for fast logins.
Delete256/no Touch ID is for education institution and industry bulk-buys. All individual purchases should be 512/TouchID.
DeleteI’ve been thinking of this for sometime and because I have an Apple Watch I can use that to unlock the MBN instead of typing my password.
DeleteThe caveat to that is apparently Safari does not support autofill password via Apple Watch authorization, though other browsers do.
I’m hoping a future version of Safari will allow for password autofill via Apple Watch authorization.
For this reason I got a 256 model preordered as my burner Mac replacing my 86% battery health m1 iPad Pro that I am getting $395 CAD for on trade in.
"Safari does not support autofill password via Apple Watch authorization, though other browsers do."
DeleteYou're joking.
I don't have it set up with LastPass because I assumed it was a Safari limitation - how on earth does Apple of all companies not have that workflow set up for their own hardware?
My experience with AW for unlocking Mac has also been quite hit and miss.
DeleteMost of the time I have to use touch ID to unlock Mac anyhow. Same with iPhone. It’s a great concept, just wish it worked more consistently or actually defaulted to it.
Since i got my M4 and it’s the first computer I’ve ever had with a fingerprint reader. I use it all the time to authenticate everything. I always had my apple watch on my but I don’t think it’s been unlocking my Mac maybe it’s not enabled.
DeleteMy MBP will say "unlocking with Apple Watch" but not actually do anything
DeleteI ordered a 512 Silver for pick up at the store, but I just know I’m gonna fall in love with the blush when I see it. 😭
ReplyDeleteWear sunglasses to distort the colors when you go to pick up yours
DeleteI expected way better battery life from a phone chip, but I guess they either cheaped out on battery or prioritized weight, or both. Underwhelming, but still a decent offering. I might consider it once my current laptop dies on me.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I hate the colors.
Edit: apparently touch ID is only available on the 512GB version, so the actual price is $700.
$599 for a MacBook is an interesting proposition... ($499 for students...) for the last couple of years Apple dipped their toes semi-officially with old M1 Airs on Walmart but this is something else.
ReplyDeleteIf this performs decently, it could put real pressure on the $500-$700 Windows laptop market, where build quality and battery life are often the first things manufacturers cut.
Google's upcoming AluminiumOS devices (ALOS) may feel the heat from this. If they are on par with their Plus-branded devices, they'll be in the same price bracket as the Neo.
DeleteGoogle should still be able to carry the K-12 education market with their strong admin software, but if the $250 devices they buy today end up in the $500 region, schools will just hang on to the current ones as long as they can.
The Gartner stat buried at the end is the real story. Sub-$500 laptops potentially going extinct by 2028 because AI data centers are eating all the memory supply means the people who most need affordable computers are about to get priced out entirely. Apple entering this segment right now, whatever their margins look like, is at least applying some pressure in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteOnly 8gb unified RAM is a bit of a disappointment, Apple could have used 12 or 16gb with this phone SoC.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Gartner, the low end market is dead, so maybe 8gb will be the norm again for the entry level. Thanks to AI companies we're regressing in tech as they hoard all the RAM.
8GB of RAM is disappointing and may not be enough for the target audience of this (students and low-end users) with RAM usage being as bad as it is in 2026. Maybe a limitation from the phone SoC, I don't think an iPhone has had more than 8GB until last year's models and the A18 Pro is from the year before's models.
ReplyDeleteThe price is right though, with the current prices of RAM and Storage (and the Apple tax) I was expecting it to start $100 higher. It'll be interesting to see how it performs in real world scenarios.
512GB is fine for home office and schoolwork but 8GB is a deal killer though DDR5 prices would probably make it like $200 more.
ReplyDeletePeople run more than an office program, even lowest end laptops nowadays can multi-task. An office program, Teams, Chrome, a music app like Spotify and 8GB of RAM is easily gone.
ReplyDeleteHowever I find it amusing some refuse to come to terms with reality, it isn't just Gartner warning of the PC market imploding thanks to the AI tech bros hoarding RAM. The entry level market is essentially dead when cost of RAM and SSD in a system can exceed the whole cost of an entry level or mid range PC. 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD is probably going to be the new entry level unfortunately, meanwhile companies are also selling hardware as a subscription service.
Nobody is impressed by the doom and gloom strawman you keep rolling out.
DeleteMaybe, and here is a wild idea, you shouldn't try to use teams, chrome, office, and a music app all the time on a budget browsing device? Or get a different device that better suits your needs, like the Mac mini?
"Nobody" meaning you, but you're welcome to keep your head in the sand where it's still 2024.
DeleteThe reality is things are f#$%ed and are only going to get worse, the only ones I see laugh at this like it's "doom and gloom" are either AI corp shills or are shareholders of any company involved in the AI bubble.
I don't why I shouldn't be able to run applications simultaneously with a modern day laptop, the only thing holding back a laptop like this would be RAM. A 3-4 old used office laptop for $200-300 with 16GB RAM could do all of the same things this laptop gimped by 8GB of RAM could.
The Mac mini is a completely different market, someone is either going to buy a laptop or a desktop, most average consumers don't buy both.
Or people who point out you don't understand how inflation works, constantly conflate inflation with surge pricing, or are actively delusional on the price of hardware.
DeleteClaiming everything is broken forever and it will never get better, despite that never being true historically, is histronic doom and gloom.
"I don't why I shouldn't be able to run applications simultaneously with a modern day laptop, the only thing holding back a laptop like this would be RAM. A 3-4 old used office laptop for $200-300 with 16GB RAM could do all of the same things this laptop gimped by 8GB of RAM could."
Budget hardware has always been about making sacrifices. $500 laptops 15 years ago could barely open Google mail without choking on fumes. This MacBook is far better today then those old ones were.
Even now, most cheapo windows laptops in this category are borderline unusable. If you are comfortable buying used hardware, that is great, but most people this is marketing towards are not tech savvy. If they don't have someone to prep this stuff for them, they won't know what to buy, hence why this hardware has a reason to exist.
"The Mac mini is a completely different market, someone is either going to buy a laptop or a desktop, most average consumers don't buy both.
The market we are discussing here is " people that need a cheap PC". If you need a really cheap new PC that can run multiple memory heavy programs at once, the Mac mini is a more viable option. If you desire portability, then the MacBook exists. If you want both, you'll have to splurge a little more to have both. Mobility has always come at a premium.
You're mixing a few different issues together and drawing a pretty dramatic conclusion from it.
DeleteFirst, 8 GB of RAM isn't "easily gone" just because you open Teams, Chrome, Spotify, and an Office app. Modern operating systems aggressively cache and compress memory, and when necessary they page inactive data to fast SSD storage. On current machines, especially ones with fast unified memory architectures, this workload is still perfectly workable for the majority of users.
Second, the idea that the entry level PC market is “dead” because RAM and SSD costs exceed the cost of a system doesn’t really match reality. OEMs buy components at massive scale and price systems accordingly. If RAM and SSD prices spike, vendors simply adjust configurations or margins. That’s been happening for decades without killing the entry level segment.
Third, AI workloads hoarding RAM isn’t a factor for the average consumer machine. Local AI models that actually need large amounts of RAM are mostly used by enthusiasts and developers. Mainstream systems are still designed around everyday workloads like browsing, video calls, media, and office software.
The market still clearly supports entry level machines. They continue to sell in huge volumes in education, corporate fleets, and consumer retail. If anything, efficiency improvements in modern chips mean those systems are more usable than they were years ago.
It's ok to argue that vendors should offer higher base specs, but saying the entire entry level market is collapsing because of RAM prices or AI is a bit of a stretch.
SSD's in Macs are soldered down, swapping to the SSD too often will degrade the NAND, IMO that's not great for a new laptop in 2026 to be constantly caching applications. Apple wouldn't lose out much here from upping RAM to 12GB and adding a memory controller for an extra USB 3.0 port.
DeleteWhich means prices adjusted well out of the range of the average consumer, $1,000 is quite high when wages haven't kept up with inflation, let alone shrinkflation seen in everything else.
The great AI RAM hoard is an issue for the average consumer, especially when W10 extended support is EOL after 2026. The average consumer isn't going to the trouble of workarounds to put W11 on an unsupported system.
Education and corporate environments can't not buy new systems, however entry level won't be entry level anymore when it's in midrange price territory which will affect the consumer market the most. Apple making a "budget" laptop is clearly in response to the market wanting more affordable laptops.
I never said anything about CPU efficiency, usability doesn't mean a whole lot when 8GB is going to be the limiting factor, 8GB is very much planned obsolescence so Apple can sell customers a better Mac laptop later on.
There are plenty of sources saying the entire tech market is going to face rough times, it isn't much of a stretch to estimate that the entry level market could collapse or become irrelevant to the consumer market.
Again, you are SEVERELY overestimating what the people buying these kinds of computers would be doing with their systems. They aren't compiling code, editing videos, composing music, or anything close to what you and I would consider computationally stressful. Hell, the most stressful thing that someone buying a system like this would be doing is playing a damn YouTube video!
DeleteAt most, they would be using Facetime, editing a spreadsheet or other document, browsing the damn Internet. None of which would be anywhere close to requiring the use of the swap file.
And as for browsing the web, most users on the Mac use Safari which is extremely memory optimized—it's nothing at all like the absolute RAM pig that is Google Chrome.
And as I mentioned before, there's Memory Compression that compresses unused pages in memory with compression ratios nearing 50%. What does that mean? It means that 8 GBs of RAM may very well be like having 12 GBs of RAM.
You do realize that MacOS is nothing at all like the absolute RAM pig that is Windows. Right?
Run along now...
Education and corporate buyers aren’t some artificial life support keeping the entry level market alive. They buy in huge numbers specifically because entry level systems are affordable and adequate for the job. If “entry level” laptops were suddenly midrange priced across the industry, those organizations would be the first ones pushing back or switching vendors. That clearly isn’t happening.
DeleteCalling 8 GB “planned obsolescence” is also a stretch. Planned obsolescence would mean the machine becomes unusable quickly by design. Meanwhile there are tons of 8 GB systems from years ago still doing email, Office, browsing, and video calls without issue. Entry level hardware being entry level isn’t a conspiracy, it just means it’s designed for basic workloads.
Apple releasing a cheaper model also isn’t some signal that the entry level market is collapsing. Companies introduce lower priced products all the time to reach more buyers. Apple has done it with the iPhone SE, base iPads, and Mac mini for years. Expanding your market isn’t the same thing as responding to an industry apocalypse.
And citing vague “sources” that say the tech market might have rough periods doesn’t really prove anything. The PC market has always been cyclical. Shipments go up, shipments go down, refresh cycles happen, and the sky somehow never falls.
Predicting the collapse of the entry level market because some laptops ship with 8 GB of RAM sounds dramatic, but it doesn’t really match how the industry or the hardware actually works.
I’d go into your other nonsensical comments too, but @trparky already covered most of that. You should probably read up on how Apple systems actually manage memory before jumping to conclusions, rather than just defaulting to hating Apple because… it’s Apple.
Exactly. Hell, if we look at iOS and how often it beats high-end Android devices that often have double or even triple the amount of RAM, that should tell you something.
DeletePeople may hate on Apple and many times rightfully so, but this ain't one of those times. Apple is legendary in optimizing their hardware and software to an inch of its life.
In Canada it is $799 & $1k with the 1 available option . Sorry that is too expensive!!
ReplyDeleteRemember, MacOS does do memory compression with compression ratios close to 50% so…
ReplyDeleteOne person said on YouTube that having 8 GBs is almost like having 12 GBs. And then there’s how MacOS isn’t a RAM pig like Windows is.
This is a Mac Chromebook to compete in the education market because the iPad has been losing ground for years.
ReplyDeleteThey will also sell one to the public if you want a Chromebook Mac rather than a laptop.
For those people it’s great. For those complaining about specs, buy something else, this isn’t for you.
The processor I am sure will be absolutely fine for normal office use. 8GB is pretty tight but MacOS is a lot more memory efficient than Windows so will be ok for light multitasking.
ReplyDeleteWhat is just pure enshittification for the purpose of an upsell though is having one of your two ports stuck at USB 2.0 in 2026 (the other is only 10Gbps as well). That is just pure stinginess.
I didn't expect Thunderbolt, but offering two USB 3.1 ports would have cost Apple nothing extra, and would have meant you didn't need to worry about which port you plugged a USB stick or basic hub into to avoid throttling.
So it's subsidized to get them hooked into the Apple ecosystem... Sad that people sell themselves out to save a few bucks
ReplyDeleteA few bucks? Have you seen the memory prices out there? This thing is a d*mn bargain compared to that.
DeleteOrdered, arrives next week, I'm away for work so won't get to play with it until the weekend.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to play with MacOS for years, I've been in the market for something I can have next to the sofa that's good enough for my needs, I was planning on getting another iPad (my current iPad is from 2012 and totally useless these days), but this is £1 more expensive over an entry level iPad and has an A18 pro instead of an A16, and runs actual MacOS.
So this little laptop is actually, really good, incredibly impressed for the money. Kinda makes Windows laptops at the same price range look like a silly purchase to me.
DeleteThis is my first foray into MacOS, I've owned iPod's, iPhones, iPad's, Apple Watches, but never touched Mac's, always seemed overly expensive, But the Neo? What an awesome little laptop.
The low-end of the PC laptop market has always been a pathetic excuse for a product category.
DeleteFor years, “budget laptop” has really meant “barely functional compromise.”
Shitty screens with dull colors and brightness levels that struggle against a cloudy day.
Chassis that creak, flex, and feel like they were engineered to lose a fight with basic physics. Cheap plastic hinges included which are often the first thing to fail.
One RAM slot, if you're lucky... thus locking the system into single-channel memory and permanently kneecapping performance.
Keyboards that feel like typing on a damp sponge.
Touchpads that range from mediocre to actively hostile.
Enough preinstalled bloatware to make you wonder if the OEM is being paid by the megabyte. And if you think a clean Windows install fixes that mess, think again.
Storage that technically qualifies as an SSD but performs like it’s apologizing for existing. If you're lucky, you'll get a DRAM-less QLC drive. If not, an eMMC.
CPUs like Celerons and Pentium Silvers that struggle with the radical concept of multitasking.
Wi-Fi chips so weak they lose signal if someone figuratively walks between you and the access point.
Speakers with the acoustic presence of a phone in a coffee mug. You can forget about bass.
I could keep going, but you get the idea.
For decades the Windows OEM ecosystem treated the low end as a dumping ground for the cheapest parts they could source.
Then along comes the MacBook Neo, casually demonstrating what a budget notebook looks like when someone actually cares about the product.
Not perfect. Not high-end. Just… competent.
Which, apparently, was too much to ask for all these years.
I am so old I remember when all the "pundits" told us that netbooks were going to take over. Apple laughed at that saying no one wanted a screen that small for their laptop. And now? The MacBook Neo is basically Apple's version of a netbook.
ReplyDeleteSome good points and some bad points. A USB-C 2.0 port. You've got to be kidding!! Both should be USB 3.0 at the least!!! AND only two USB ports. I s'pose that's OKish. Only coming in 8GB RAM is not great with a choice for 16GB RAM not available sucks. Will it run OK with 8GB RAM???? Choice for 256GB SSD (you're kidding) or 512 GB (this should be the absolute minimum) is at least available. It's still not quite cheap enough (AU$899) to battle with chromebooks.
ReplyDeleteThe original MacBook Air with the M1 chip only came standard with 8 GB of RAM and history has proven that Apple's unified memory incorporated with Apple Silicon designed chips handled applications "just fine" four years ago. (Don't forget that the A18 Pro chipset CPU cores are far superior to the M1 CPU cores.)
DeleteFor its intended demographic user base, this laptop will do "just fine" as well, IMO.
This is good, but not good enough to people like myself to switch from old Apple Intel hardware laptops with Linux to come back. Try harder. 16 hour batter is not what we are looking for. I can live with 2-4 hours as most of time I will be next to power socket and I need 2-4 only on the go. Also A18 begs question of applications support.... especially for someone who already uses iPad with Bluetooth or USB-C keyboard.
ReplyDeleteSo, it's a $600 iPad with a keyboard.
ReplyDeleteI could live with all the other compromises. But only 8 GB RAM is a dealbreaker for me when a SINGLE browser tab can consume a gigabyte.
ReplyDeleteNever really tracked this because I’ve always specced machines with a lot of RAM for other reasons but if this is true it’s a sad sad state of modern web design and software in general. It wasn’t that long ago that a gb or two was the total memory in a machine.
DeletePoorly coded pages with half a dozen video ads that cover the content that you actually want to read will consume resources quite quickly. There are news site that I rarely visit now simply because they take forever to load, and when they do, it’s a crapshoot if they even render correctly while they bring my machine to a crawl.
DeleteContinuous scroll can hog resources, too.
https://mastodon.social/@BasicAppleGuy/116183944651496131
ReplyDeleteDo we know anything else about this little Finder guy other than it briefly appearing in a livestream for the Neo?
I saw another comment saying Mark Gurman referenced an anthropomorphic Finder character being the next representation of Siri somewhere too.
There are browser extensions to automatically close inactive tabs or replace them with a placeholder 😉
ReplyDeleteSo, when can we expect the embargo on reviews to be lifted?
ReplyDeleteWaiting for the Neo 2 or 3 with 16/32GB RAM, and backlit keys FTW
ReplyDeleteIt’s insane how hungry people are for the cheapest things nowadays. It seems like nobody wants to spend money on quality products anymore. Everything has to be as cheap as possible, no matter how it was manufactured or under what conditions. And the moment something is cheap, people swarm to it like flies to ****.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed any "eco" concerns go out the window quick.
DeleteLots of "who cares how long it lasts, it's cheap! .. I'll just toss it and buy another!"
Neo is manufactured under different conditions from the rest of the Apple hardware?
DeleteI dunno, the Pro Max versions of the iPhone have been amongst the best selling models I think. But I can understand not spending more than necessary, in particular with the continued monetary pressure that most people are under. Apple (unwittingly perhaps?) has tapped into this development, first with the iPhone 17, the first base model in a long while to offer proper value, and now with the Neo.
DeleteSpeaking for myself, my phone is the one device that I go overkill on.
DeleteNo. Its not.
DeleteYou and i have money to spend where 100$ or more to get a better machine is nothing to lose sweet over.
Thats not the case for a lot of people.
I have gone from a new iPhone 3G to an 6S as new, after that I went all-out on a 11 Pro Max and the past two have been "handed up" two year old models from my youngest daughter in the form of an 13 Pro Max and 15 Pro Max. Both really fine phones for daily use. The MBP on the other hand ... well that is where the money goes nowadays (currently an M4 Max 14 64GB/2TB). A really expensive machine, but worth every penny for me.
DeleteIt seems like a nice little machine in my eyes. Sure I wouldn’t replace my M4 Air with this, but I’m tempted to get one to gift my partner on her birthday in May to replace her ageing 2014 or 2015 MacBook Pro. I’ve tried open core patcher, but it has a few bugs with that specific MacBook Pro such as hibernation not working right.
ReplyDeleteShe doesn’t need much more than using a browser and the odd word or excel file. So this would fit like a glove.
Ah the dreaded price discussion on this page.
ReplyDeleteSo I’m torn because the low price entry is nice to see, but I just can’t get over the lack of Touch ID on the base model.
To get Touch ID the price gets this to $700. A savvy consumer will be able to pick up a mint condition M4 MBA for about the same price ($740 three months after launch) and have a much better experience for a $40 premium.
No need to even be savvy or hunt around.
DeleteYou can get a basically new one, with a new warranty (refurb from Apple) right now.
These 👇 are wildly better computers and uses of $750 if one can swing it.
Screenshot 2026-03-06 at 13.09.21.png
The $740 refurb is 16/256; $840 gets you 16/512.
DeleteBut you can't get it in Citrus... 🤣
Delete