After much speculation, Apple has officially introduced a new laptop, cheaper than ever before: the MacBook Neo.
With a starting price of £599, it is positioned significantly below the MacBook Air, which starts at £1,099, and directly challenges Windows 11 PC makers – including Microsoft, whose cheapest model, the Surface Laptop, costs £899.
The MacBook Neo comes with a 13-inch Liquid Retina display and is available in four vibrant colors: silver, indigo, "blush" pink, and "citrus" yellow - a nostalgic reference to the iMac G3, albeit without the transparent design of the past.
The base model includes 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, while the 512GB version retains the same amount of RAM. Only the 512GB variant includes Touch ID. Both versions have two USB-C ports, but lack the MagSafe port for magnetic charging. The headphone jack and 1080p camera remain part of the device.
One of the most talked-about features is the processor: The Neo is powered by the A18 Pro chip — the same one used in the iPhone 16 Pro. This is the first time Apple has used an A-series chip in a Mac, as until now these processors were reserved for the iPhone and iPad. The laptop runs macOS, not iPadOS, avoiding any confusion about the operating system.
Thanks to this chip, the Neo also supports Apple Intelligence features, something that even the company's cheapest iPad does not offer. At the same price as the iPad Air (£599), Apple creates a clear dilemma for consumers: a full laptop with a keyboard and macOS, or a tablet with a more powerful processor, but with the limitations of the platform itself.
The MacBook Neo is considered the spiritual successor to the 12-inch MacBook (2015–2019), known for its ultra-thin design but often criticized for poor performance. Apple promises up to 16 hours of battery life on a single charge – two hours less than the claimed battery life of the MacBook Air with the M5 chip, introduced earlier this week.
The new pricing structure creates a noticeable gap: £599 for the Neo, £1,099 for the Air and £1,699 for the base MacBook Pro. This positions the Neo as the most affordable entry into the Mac ecosystem.
Apple's head of hardware engineering, John Ternus, described the Neo as a laptop "that only Apple could create," highlighting its aluminum design, bright display, Apple silicon performance, all-day battery life, and full integration with macOS.
With this move, Apple is clearly targeting the mass market segment – and the competition in the Windows camp has reason to feel under pressure. /GazetaExpress/
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