Валентин Шнайдер Gadgets 12 March 2026, 10:18

Apple officially launches MacBook Neo: it's the cheapest laptop in the line

Apple officially launched the MacBook Neo on March 11 for $599. The new model is the cheapest laptop in the MacBook line.

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Apple officially launches MacBook Neo: it's the cheapest laptop in the line

Apple officially launched the MacBook Neo on March 11 for $599. The new model is the cheapest laptop in the MacBook line.

According to PCMag, the MacBook Neo has a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, an A18 Pro chip, up to 16 hours of battery life, 8 GB of combined memory, and a 256 GB or 512 GB SSD. Apple positions the new product as a solution for education, office work, and everyday tasks.

In fact, this is Apple’s attempt to enter a price segment where the company has previously been almost completely absent from the laptop category. For a brand that has traditionally kept the MacBook in a much more expensive range, starting at $599 was a noticeable change in strategy. Against this background, the PC market has already begun to discuss how to react to the new model.

PCMag quotes Asus co-CEO SY Hsu as calling the MacBook Neo a «shock» to the PC industry, but he suggested that the model is primarily designed for basic usage scenarios, rather than the more complex workloads typically expected from full-fledged all-purpose laptops.

Another factor that continues to put pressure on PC manufacturers is the memory situation. PCMag notes that the AI boom is causing a shortage of components in the market, which is making it difficult to produce affordable laptops and could affect prices in the coming years. In such conditions, the MacBook Neo has a chance to become an important tool for Apple in the fight for a new mass audience.

Apple introduced the MacBook Neo on March 4, 2026, and the model officially went on sale on March 11. This is the company’s first MacBook to receive the A18 Pro chip instead of the M-series processor. This decision allowed Apple to lower the starting price to $599 and launch the most budget MacBook in its history.

Previously, dev.ua wrote about how Apple completed the update of the MacBook Pro line: the 14- and 16-inch models received M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and the base drives were increased to 1–2 TB. The company also claims up to a two-fold increase in SSD speed compared to the previous generation.