Apple unveils MacBook Neo at $599, ships to customers March 11

Apple introduced the MacBook Neo, a $599 entry-level laptop that the company bills as its most affordable Mac, and opened preorders on March 4 ahead of shipments that begin March 11. The company positions the machine as a mainstream and student-oriented option that brings Apple design and software into a lower price tier.

Apple calls the MacBook Neo "MacBook Neo is Apple’s most affordable laptop ever." The machine uses an A-series processor rather than Apple’s M-series silicon, making it the first production Mac to run an A-series chip. Apple says the A18 Pro chip in the Neo "is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5, up to 3x faster for on-device AI workloads," a performance claim the company supplied in promotional materials.

The Neo ships with macOS Tahoe and Apple's suite of built-in apps and Apple Intelligence features, and comes in four colors: blush, indigo, silver, and citrus. Apple lists a U.S. starting price of $599, with an education price of $499 for eligible buyers. Early configuration details around the launch show a base model with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, non-configurable; a $100 step-up reportedly doubles storage to 512GB and adds Touch ID. Apple also promotes trade-in credit options for upgrades.

Hardware details published with the launch frame the Neo as a compact 13-inch laptop with a Liquid Retina display and an aluminum chassis. The A18 Pro is described as a 6-core CPU with a 5-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine in early technical summaries. The machine includes an upgraded webcam and side-firing speakers that support Dolby Atmos playback, and Apple claims all-day battery life without listing a precise hour figure in the headline announcement.

Some aspects of the Neo’s hardware remain unclear in public materials. Early listings differ on the charging connector: one set of launch specifications lists a MagSafe charging port in addition to two USB-C ports and a headphone jack, while another description states "You’ll need to use one of those ports for charging, as there’s no MagSafe connector on this MacBook." Apple’s press excerpt does not enumerate ports, leaving the discrepancy unresolved until the full technical spec sheet is posted.

The Neo represents a strategic shift for Apple, bringing iPhone-class silicon into its laptop line and lowering the entry price for the Mac ecosystem. The move places a $599 Mac into a competitive segment crowded with Windows laptops priced between $500 and $1,000, and it revives Apple’s direct push at budget-conscious buyers after earlier low-cost M1 MacBook Air sales through big-box retailers.

Apple will accept preorders through its online store and the Apple Store app in 30 countries and regions, and the MacBook Neo will appear in Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Resellers beginning March 11. Retailers are also listing the new laptop for preorder and offering launch promotions, and more definitive technical specifications should appear on Apple’s product pages as units approach shipping.