Apple, via Newsroom, in the capper to this “big week”:

Apple today unveiled MacBook Neo, an all-new laptop that delivers the magic of the Mac at a breakthrough price, making it even more accessible to millions of people around the world. MacBook Neo starts with a beautiful Apple design, featuring a durable aluminum enclosure in an array of gorgeous colors — blush, indigo, silver, and a fresh new citrus. Its stunning 13-inch Liquid Retina display brings websites, photos, videos, and apps to life with high resolution and brightness, and support for 1 billion colors. Powered by A18 Pro, MacBook Neo can fly through everyday tasks, from browsing the web and streaming content, to editing photos, exploring creative hobbies, or using AI capabilities across apps. In fact, it’s up to 50 percent faster for everyday tasks like web browsing, and up to 3x faster when running on-device AI workloads like applying advanced effects to photos, compared to the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5. Providing up to 16 hours of battery life, MacBook Neo allows users to go all day on a single charge. A 1080p FaceTime HD camera and dual mics make it easy to look and sound great, and the dual side-firing speakers with Spatial Audio deliver crisp, immersive sound. MacBook Neo also features Apple’s renowned Magic Keyboard for comfortable and precise typing, and a large Multi-Touch trackpad with support for intuitive gestures, enabling smooth and precise control. […]

And starting at just $599 and $499 for education, MacBook Neo is Apple’s most affordable laptop ever, providing an unprecedented combination of quality and value. MacBook Neo is available to pre-order starting today, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 11.

Apple has been describing the performance of its A-series SoCs as “desktop-class” since the release of the A7 iPhone 5s, back in 2013. Apple silicon was such a leap forward in performance—especially the M-class—it was clear that eventually they’d become powerful enough that even baseline computers would be plenty fast for most people and could satisfice for a half-a-decade or more without feeling slow. When that day arrived, it would finally be feasible to use older chips to power less expensive but fast-enough computers.

We’ve been anticipating a “low-cost” MacBook since at least 2023, and one with an A-series chip since mid-2025—a real “laptop for the rest of us.” When the M4 MacBook Air dropped to $850 for Amazon Prime Day last July, I thought that was a steal. I figured $800 would be as low as Apple would be willing to go for its “low cost” laptop. Under $800 seemed improbable. Under $600 was laughably impossible.

Well, Apple went and did it. They built the seemingly impossible: a sub-$600 laptop which—despite its limitations and compromises—is a perfectly calibrated, entry-level computer that’s worthy of being called “MacBook.”

It’s going to sell like gangbusters.

Of the aforementioned limitations and compromises (compiled by Stephen Hackett at 512 Pixels), the 8GB of memory (a limitation of the A18 Pro) and the missing MagSafe are the most glaring, but the people who will find this laptop most compelling will not notice or care. It’s such a capable computer, it may cannibalize MacBook Air sales. It may even convince folks in the market for an iPad as their “light work” computer to instead consider MacBook Neo. (The A16 iPad with 256GB storage plus Magic Keyboard Folio costs $698 and is slower, with an 11-inch screen, and doesn’t support Apple Intelligence.)

Had the MacBook Neo been available when I was buying my M2 MacBook Air, I might have bought the Neo. I can only hope Apple eventually introduces a smaller, lighter MacBook Neo 12-inch.

A few random thoughts:

• The MacBook Neo intro video is an absolute delight. It’s kinetic and playful, and the animations feel grounded and physical. It’s magical. I adore it. (I also enjoyed the reveal on Apple’s home page).
• Apple made intentional compromises to get it down to $600: a 1080p camera, two USB-C ports (one USB 3, one USB 2), 256GB storage, no Touch ID. All reasonable choices.
• There are just two (non-color) configuration options: 256GB or 512GB of storage. That’s it.
• Now that a Mac has an iPhone chip, the iPad has M-series chips, and considering you can already run iOS apps on the Mac, how long before Apple lets you choose which operating system to install? I think I’d enjoy running macOS on my 13-inch iPad Pro, and iOS on MacBook Neo would make for a simplified computing experience.
• I was hoping with MacBook “Neo” Apple would make a Matrix reference. Alas. (Having a second USB-C meant this doesn’t come with “The One” port. But the announcement did make me go Whoa.)
• In the section on Mac and iPhone being “Better Together” is this shot through my heart: “… even use iPhone as a hotspot for your Mac.” C’mon give us cellular Macs, you cowards!

Further reading:

• John Gruber at Daring Fireball (“$599. Not a piece of junk.”).
• Jason Snell at Six Colors (“In short, that A18 CPU core is fast.”).
• Joe Osborne at PC Mag (“This Is 2026's Breakout Budget Laptop […] Apple nailed it.”).
• Stephen Hackett at 512 Pixels (“This is a Mac made for the masses, not the power user.” and which headline makes the necessary The Matrix reference).