Apple launches $599 MacBook Neo in push for lower-cost laptop

Apple has announced a new entry-level laptop, the MacBook Neo, starting at $599 in the US, as it seeks to bring its Mac line-up to a lower price point.

The company said the 13-inch device would be available to pre-order from Wednesday, with sales beginning on 11 March in Apple stores and through authorised resellers in 30 countries and regions, including the US. Apple said an education price would start at $499.

Unveiled at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, the MacBook Neo has an aluminium enclosure and will be sold in four colours: blush, indigo, silver and citrus. Apple said the machine weighs 2.7lb.

Apple said the laptop uses a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2408-by-1506 resolution, 500 nits of brightness and support for 1bn colours, alongside an anti-reflective coating.

The MacBook Neo is powered by the A18 Pro chip, and Apple said it is designed for everyday tasks such as web browsing, document creation, photo editing and streaming. The company claimed it is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks such as web browsing than “the bestselling PC” using an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor, and up to three times faster for on-device AI workloads. Apple said the comparisons were based on its own tests carried out in January and February using preproduction MacBook Neo systems and production PC systems.

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John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice-president of hardware engineering, said the MacBook Neo was “built from the ground up to be more affordable for even more people”, adding that it combined “Apple silicon-powered performance” with “all-day battery life”.

Apple said the MacBook Neo delivers up to 16 hours of battery life on a single charge and is fanless, meaning it runs without an internal cooling fan. The company said the device includes a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones with directional beamforming and side-firing speakers supporting Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos.

For connectivity, Apple said the laptop includes two USB-C ports, a headphone jack, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6. The company said external display support is available through the left USB-C port.

The MacBook Neo will ship with macOS Tahoe, which Apple described as tightly integrated with its services and devices, including Continuity features that link Macs and iPhones. Apple also highlighted Apple Intelligence features built into the operating system, which it said would support on-device tasks such as writing assistance and live translation, depending on language and region.

Apple said the MacBook Neo was its “lowest-carbon MacBook” to date and contained 60% recycled content, including 90% recycled aluminium overall and 100% recycled cobalt in the battery. The company said packaging would be fibre-based and recyclable.