Apple unveils the $599+ MacBook Neo, with a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, an A18 Pro chip, side-firing speakers, a 1080p webcam, two USB-C ports, and Touch ID

Apple debuts a new entry-level MacBook at just the right time — Apple finally took the wraps off its long-rumored budget laptop.

Tom's Hardware 2026-03-04

Discussion

@maguay Matthew Guay on x
MacBook Neo at $599 looks like a steal and almost is ... except it's capped at 8GB ram.
@basicappleguy Basic Apple Guy on x
Cute MacBook Neo debut on Apple's mobile homepage. [video]
@michael_billig Michael Billig on x
MacBook Neo in Canadian dollars with education pricing (anyone can get education discount). Equivalent to $495 USD. No-brainer for anyone looking for a basic laptop. Chromebook has just been killed. [image]
@graysonsgraphic @graysonsgraphic on x
FIRST MACBOOK NEO PURCHASE [image]
@alexkehr Alex Kehr on x
this animation when scrolling down the MacBook Neo landing page is great [video]
@markdkelly75 Mark Kelly on x
The new MacBook Neo gives me netbook vibes 🤔 [image]
@codybrown @codybrown on x
Apple so close to nailing the new MacBook Neo novelty color. If it was a bit more neon, I would love it. [image]
@aaronp613 Aaron on x
The MacBook Neo with the education discount is $499 What an insane deal [image]
@juanbuis Juan on x
the macbook neo website is *stunning* that font, that color... we're SO back [video]
@aaronp613 Aaron on x
MacBook Neo starts at 256GB storage and no Touch-ID for $599 or 512GB storage with Touch-ID for $699 [image]
@mweinbach Max Weinbach on x
MacBook Neo is real! It uses A18 Pro, comes in 4 colors, and starts at $599 for 256GB. The 512GB is a little more, but comes with TouchID It runs the same macOS as normal, so Xcode, Final Cut Pro, etc all work no problem. And education pricing (not student discount) is $499
@asymco Horace Dediu on x
MacBook Neo is: A18 Pro chip, $599, four colors. A watershed event. First Mac with a mobile processor and the end of the disruptive arc of mobile computing. From Motorola to Intel to Apple silicon M, now personal computing is an accessory to mobile computing. A sharp punctuation
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
16 hours of battery. Indigo, blush, citrus and silver color options. Pre-order today, March 11 availability.
@lanceulanoff Lance Ulanoff on x
OMG, it's the MacBook Neo! [image]
@stevemoser Steve Moser on x
The Macbook Neo wallpaper spells “MAC”. Why not Neo? [image]
@nicnguyen Nic Nguyen on x
MacBook neo, Apple's new $599 laptop. Column/vid coming soon... [video]
@snazzylabs Quinn Nelson on x
I was wrong, and boy, am I glad! MacBook Neo starts at $599 (as I had predicted in my video a couple weeks ago, only to un-convince myself lol). This thing is gonna sell like hotcakes.
@stephenrobles Stephen Robles on x
MacBook Neo is real! Starts at $599 and comes in real colors. More details soon... [image]
@cad_diabolo @cad_diabolo on x
unveiling the new $599 Macbook Neo powered by A18 Pro chip - 13-inch Liquid Retina display - TouchID support - two USB-C ports and a headphone jack - 1080p webcam - side-firing speakers - Battery ~ 16 hour [image]
@chancehmiller Chance Miller on x
MacBook Neo “Life is just better with a Mac” [video]
@avstorm Andreas Storm on x
Apple introduced the new MacBook Neo [video]
@engadget @engadget on x
Ternus comes back out quickly to thank everyone for coming and ushers everyone into the other room, where people can check out the new MacBook Neo. Everyone here gasped when the price was revealed. For context, that's the same price as the iPhone 17e and the iPad Air M4, both
@piercemcdonnel Pierce McDonnell on x
Apple just released MacBook Neo. $599. A18 Pro chip, side-firing speakers, 13-inch screen. Wow. [video]
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
Not an overstatement: smartest thing Apple has done in years.
@worthusing @worthusing on x
The new MacBook Neo blush. [image]
@engadget @engadget on x
“Best of all, Neo works like magic with your iPhone,” per the video. It's not surprising — this is how iPhones and Macs work. That about sums up the new MacBook Neo's specs and the video is ending. The big deal though, is the price: $599.
@engadget @engadget on x
It has a multi-touch trackpad and Signature keyboard. There's TouchID support via a sensor on the top right of the keyboard as well. Along the left edge are two USB-C ports and a headphone jack. The webcam is 1080p, and there are side-firing speakers that support spatial audio [i…
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
$599. A18 Pro chip, side-firing speakers, 13-inch screen.
@engadget @engadget on x
John Ternus is on stage recapping everything Apple announced this week, starting with the iPhone 17e and the new iPad Air with M4. He just announced the new MacBook Neo and we're watching a video detail its features now. It has a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, for instance. [imag…
@chancehmiller Chance Miller on x
#AppleLaunch [video]
@parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on x
I can't believe they finally do an on-stage keynote and don't stream it?!
@mkbhd Marques Brownlee on x
[image]
@parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on x
I love the name MacBook Neo. I think establishing it as something new and unusual is better than saying ‘hey we brought the MacBook back after it had lost its meaning’
@danny.page Danny Page on bluesky
www.apple.com/macbook-neo/... Only 8GB ram, but otherwise this is a very good baseline laptop. A very easy recommendation for the price. [embedded post]
@daniloc.xyz @daniloc.xyz on bluesky
unironically: thank god. I cannot tell you how many seniors I work with who are wasting exactly this much money on TERRIBLE windows PCs, and whose lives would be improved if they simply had a Mac [embedded post]
@snazzylabs Quinn Nelson on x
MacBook Neo is the first laptop since 2018 in Apple's lineup without a Force Touch trackpad.
@raywongy Ray Wong on x
More hands-on with the $599 MacBook Neo [video]
@raywongy Ray Wong on x
Blush MacBook Neo. 16 hours of battery life. A18 Pro chip. Two USB-C ports [image]
@zacbowden Zac Bowden on x
MacBook Neo being $599 really is the nightmare scenario for Windows OEMs. If I were Microsoft and had any ambitions of keeping Windows relevant in the eyes of consumers, I'd be asking “now what?” https://www.windowscentral.com/ ...
@ernestwongbwm Ernest Wong on x
$599 Macbook Neo is a category killer Every kid is going to want this to replace their Chromebook at school.
@mbrkhrdt Michael Burkhardt on x
iPad Air being $599 without a keyboard when the MacBook Neo is the same price is certainly something
@dylanmcd8 Dylan on x
$599... that makes the Neo everything I wanted. Yes some of the omissions are disappointing but I cannot complain at $599. And $499 for edu!!
@mweinbach Max Weinbach on x
I think the education pricing at $499 for MacBook Neo is the craziest part It's easily the best value for students hands down
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Apple rolled out the $599 MacBook Neo in its biggest push yet into low-end laptops, aiming to challenge Windows PCs and Chromebooks for budget-minded shoppers. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
r/technology r on reddit
Apple Launches $599 MacBook Neo, Threatening Windows PC Market
@stevemoser Steve Moser on x
Looks like the MacBook Neo uses a binned A18 Pro Chip as the iPhone 16 Pro has a 6-core GPU and the MacBook Neo has a 5-core GPU. [image]
@tomwarren.co.uk Tom Warren on bluesky
Apple just launched a $599 MacBook Neo. This colorful entry-level MacBook is powered by the same A18 Pro chip that launched 2 years ago in the iPhone 16. The 13-inch Neo only comes with 8GB of RAM that you can't upgrade 😬 www.theverge.com/tech/886496/ ...
@nathievr @nathievr on x
Apple Vision Neo next? 👀
@caro_milanesi Carolina Milanesi on x
Apple is always very intentional with naming conventions and here they clearly show they learned not to use a name that implies cheaper, a lesser than. This is a new segment. A new way to experience MacOS
@tim_cook Tim Cook on x
iPhone 17e, iPad Air, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro... And now, say hello to the all-new MacBook Neo! We're so excited to bring the magic of Mac to even more people around the world. [video]
@benbajarin Ben Bajarin on x
Apple finally did what I had hoped in bring a budget friendly Mac to market. This single move was always my Mac share growth thesis so it will be interesting to see how consumers react. $599 starting, $699 with more storage and a fingerprint sensor, and $499 for all students.
@neilcybart Neil Cybart on x
Considering how Apple held in-person events this morning (for Neo), I think we can say Neo got its own launch event - sort of.
@neilcybart Neil Cybart on x
One thing about the MacBook Neo video that jumps out at me is how often Apple simply says “Neo” instead of “MacBook Neo.” There were also a few “your Neo” mentions. The strategy doesn't work with “Pro” as it's too generic. “Air” doesn't work either. Apple looking to own “Neo.”
@zollotech Aaron Zollo on x
This is probably the best Apple Product video in a long time. The MacBook Neo video is simple, has great design and the animations are so good. https://www.youtube.com/...
@lukemiani Luke Miani on x
I'm really not sold on ‘neo’ as a new naming scheme ngl
@lukemiani Luke Miani on x
I fear we have entered the ‘Apple becomes value king’ stage of capitalism
r/hardware r on reddit
Say hello to MacBook Neo
r/mac r on reddit
Say hello to MacBook Neo
@zacbowden Zac Bowden on x
You can acquire an entire Apple ecosystem for $1,925 now. iPhone 17e - $599 MacBook Neo - $599 iPad - $349 Apple Watch SE 3 - $249 AirPods - $129
@vadimyuryev Vadim Yuryev on x
This is the most insane part. Chromebooks and budget windows laptop CANNOT compete.
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
the MacBook Neo should be a giant wake up call for Microsoft to improve Windows 11. Apple's MacBooks have always largely been premium devices, but the $599 Neo is firmly in the core part of the Windows OEM market. This is a red alert for Microsoft, Lenovo, Dell, HP, and others [i…
@durvidimel David ImeI on x
That $499 education discount is gonna sell an insane amount of college laptops [image]
@rjonesy Ryan Jones on x
😎 He was right. Literally one choice. [image]
@sdw Sebastiaan de With on x
I vividly remember getting my first MacBook and how much it inspired me to become a designer. Really cool to think about how many people who will get to know the Mac with MacBook Neo!
@stevemoser Steve Moser on x
Another small way the MacBook Neo was decontented besides slow ports: it doesn't have a Force Touch trackpad. [image]
@joannastern Joanna Stern on x
Corrected original tweet: Apple says it WILL match the color of UI on shipping units. [image]
@joannastern Joanna Stern on x
MacBook Neo. $599. SO Apple to match the menu color on these demo units to color of laptop. Although they tell me it won't ship that way. You'd have to do customize on your own via Settings. [image]
@mrwhosetheboss Arun Maini on x
This new $599 MacBook Neo is STUPIDLY good value for money: -Still made of aluminium (feels VERY solid) -13 inch Display that still looks great -Powered by A18 Pro chip (but still feels fast) -16 hour battery life -No TouchID on base model -No keyboard backlighting (this one [ima…
@aaronp613 Aaron on x
I wonder what the internet's reaction would have been today if the MacBook Neo name wasn't leaked by MacRumors yesterday
@chancehmiller Chance Miller on x
Here's MacBook Neo, which starts at $599 ... or an absolutely bonkers $499 for education. [image]
@aaronp613 Aaron on x
The pink MacBook Neo is going to be a best seller, I can already tell [image]
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
MacBook Neo is the *exact* same weight as MacBook Air (2.7 lbs)...
@9to5mac @9to5mac on x
MacBook Neo in the flesh #AppleLaunch [video]
@steipete Peter Steinberger on x
The new MacBook Neo has 8GB unified memory? Rough.
@benbajarin Ben Bajarin on x
A main reason why the 8gb of RAM won't be an issue for the type of workloads/web browsing, etc., folks in this price band do regularly.
@mweinbach Max Weinbach on x
On the 8GB MacBook Neo, Apple has some of the best swap on any machine. It's where it offloads the data from memory into flash storage and back so you don't fill your ram. Apple's swap on macOS and Apple silicon is best in industry because of their storage speed + software
@mweinbach Max Weinbach on x
This is what I've been trying to explain for the past few months when the rumors started You can't easily change the memory amount on A18 Pro. It's physically combined into a single package, not a chip on a board. They could have swapped it, but negates the cost/volume benefits
@highyieldyt @highyieldyt on x
In ST, the A18 Pro should outperform the M1 and even the M2 due to more IPC + higher clk speeds. So the MBN should feel more “snappy” than a M1/M2 MBA.
@highyieldyt @highyieldyt on x
The new @Apple MacBook Neo is powered by the A18 Pro, a mobile chip that is packaged using TSMC InFO-PoP. The DRAM sits on top of the SoC, it's a single, closed packaged. That's why the MBN comes with the same amount of 8GB DRAM as the iPhone 16 Pro. Same chip, same package. [ima…
@snazzylabs Quinn Nelson on x
The MacBook Neo is basically the Walmart M1 MacBook Air. But new. Their specs are a bit different: Neo has a better webcam, display, CPU/NPU. M1 Air had a better GPU, battery, a Force Touch trackpad. Both had 8GB memory. Both had 256GB storage. Both were $599.
@geerlingguy Jeff Geerling on x
MacBook Neo looks like a great low-spec Mac—but limitations abound. Most egregious is the two USB-C ports, as reported by MacRumors, are USB 3.0 (10 Gbps), and USB 2.0 (480 Mbps). Both support charging, but only the USB 3.0 port supports DisplayPort! https://www.macrumors.com/...
@film_girl Christina Warren on x
hey apple, please offer these hello stickers in the store alongside my white apple stickers! the people need stickers on the teen laptops! [image]
@film_girl Christina Warren on x
HAPPY PINK MACBOOK DAY TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE!
@joannastern Joanna Stern on x
Courage. [image]
@scobleizer Robert Scoble on x
My license plates on my Tesla: “NEO FAN.” Can this win back some of the education market that went Google Chromebook? (Which are usually less than $500 and are the standard in Silicon Valley high schools). Who will buy one to run an @openclaw? :-)
@bryfitz Brian Fitzgerald on x
I'm going to VERY interested in what @nicnguyen finds when she can go hands-on with this machine. A $600 or $700 Mac just makes me feel like I would have regret. If it works TOO well, it raises the Q of why the higher end ones cost so much. https://www.wsj.com/...
@mitchellh Mitchell Hashimoto on x
Daydreaming about an entry MacBook Neo as a thin client for local LLMs and dev work on a maxed future Mac Studio. Apple is creating the best value hardware for local AI and it's amazing to think of consequences of that.
@mweinbach Max Weinbach on x
One of the most impressive parts is the Apple Silicon transition on macOS is what made this possible Without that integration years ago, this price, performance, and experience wouldn't be possible
@gregjoz Greg Joswiak on x
MacBook Neo is new, exciting, original, and HERE! With a beautiful aluminum design, 13-inch Liquid Retina display, 16 hours of battery life, and the power of Apple silicon, you'll fly through everyday tasks. It'll be love at first Mac. [video]
@cartidise Noah Cat on x
Apple promotional images are wild The girl is wearing AirPods Max which cost the same as the MacBook Neo she's using [image]
@joannastern Joanna Stern on x
MacBook Neo. $599. SO Apple to match the menu color on these demo units to color of laptop. [image]
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Hands on with the MacBook Neo, new iPhone 17e, new MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Studio Displays https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@benbajarin Ben Bajarin on x
In case folks need the context, the majority of consumer PCs sold annually (~120-140M depending on the year) are in the sub $700-800 price tier. 95% or more Windows-based. In markets outside US price tier is under $600. This is where Apple is targeting Macbook Neo.
@devindra Devindra Hardawar on bluesky
Here's my hands on with the MacBook Neo, it feels great! But 8GB RAM/256GB storage is going to be hard to live with www.engadget.com/computing/la...
@thomasfuchs.at @thomasfuchs.at on bluesky
Rejoice, Apple has a managed to ship two different types of USB-C as well as two different types of Thunderbolt 5 — www.macrumors.com/2026/03/04/ m... [embedded post]
@girlwiththemostcake.com Shannon on bluesky
Tempted to get one for my daughter (pink!), but 8gb RAM and an IPad processor feels unwise when I can spend a touch more and get a MacBook Air M4. [embedded post]
@stevesi Steven Sinofsky on x
What Apple consistently proves over decades is that they build products with specifications based on their strategy and what they believe consumers will value at point of sale. The fact that much of phones/PCs simply march all specs on the calendar of supply chain components
@samsheffer Sam Sheffer on x
Apple is smart to mention the Neo's compatibility with iPhone us tech nerds know how well the ecosystem works Apple is speaking to students that have an iPhone and may get the Neo as their first laptop (for school, etc) [image]
@quinnypig.com Corey Quinn on bluesky
“We kept the keyboard shitty so you'd know it was a Macbook.” [embedded post]

Chronicles

Apple unveils the $599+ MacBook Neo, with a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, an A18 Pro chip, side-firing speakers, a 1080p webcam, two USB-C ports, and Touch ID

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