Apple announces MacBook Neo, its first budget laptop in more than a decade

For years, the cheapest way to get into the Mac lineup was a $999 laptop. On Wednesday, Apple cut that price almost in half.

The company introduced the MacBook Neo, a colorful and lightweight laptop that runs on a chip similar to that in an iPhone.

The launch caps a three-day hardware blitz that has already seen updates to the iPhone 17e, iPad Air, and the entire MacBook Pro line.

Starting at $599, the MacBook Neo is Apple’s first dedicated budget Mac in more than a decade, and its clearest attempt yet to challenge Google Chromebooks and entry-level Windows machines dominating classrooms and first-time buyer markets.

“There is simply no other laptop like it,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, in a statement.

The laptop features a 13-inch display, a lightweight metal body, and a colorful finish that gives it a more affordable and consumer-friendly look than the rest of Apple’s laptop lineup.

The MacBook Neo will be available for pre-order on Wednesday and will be available starting March 11. Apple said it offers up to 16 hours of battery life and comes in indigo, blush, citrus and silver, with two side-mounted speakers.

Apple’s low-cost MacBook was already an open secret when it was released.

On Tuesday, Apple briefly posted a regulatory filing for the device, model A3404, on its EU compliance page before removing it, effectively confirming what had already been widely expected: a lower-cost MacBook was coming.

Unlike the MacBook Air and Pro, which are powered by Apple’s M-series processors, the Neo uses the A18 Pro chip, the same family of silicon that powers the iPhone. That gives Apple room to dramatically lower the price, even if it comes with less processing power than the rest of the Mac line.

Throughout the week, Apple has been releasing faster chips, more memory, and Apple Intelligence has gone deeper into its lineup, including lower-cost devices. The Neo brings that same focus to a part of the market that Apple has mostly ceded for years: students, budget-conscious households, and the many iPhone users who have never owned a Mac.

Mac revenue fell nearly 7% to $8.39 billion in the Christmas quarter, missing analyst expectations of about $9 billion in sales. The pressure comes at the same time that Apple is raising prices on the rest of its laptop lineup.

On Tuesday, MacBook Air prices rose $100, with the 13-inch M5 model now starting at $1,099, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Max rose $400 to $3,899.