Apple announced their brand new MacBook Neo earlier this month on March 4, releasing it a little over a week later on March 13. They promoted the laptop’s “stunning 13-inch Liquid Retina display, the power of Apple silicon, and all-day battery life,” and the four color options, Silver, Citrus, Blush and Indigo. Prices start at $599 or $499 for students, making the Neo Apple’s most affordable laptop ever.
This lower price attracts a completely new audience to Apple, making the Neo much more accessible than previous iterations of the MacBook. The price is in large part due to the fact the Neo is powered by Apple’s A18 pro chip, which is the same chip that can be found in the iPhone 16 Pro. Other ways Apple was able to cut costs with the Neo include a mechanical trackpad, a more simple keyboard that isn’t back-lit, fewer ports, and a non-upgradeable 8 GB of RAM.
Some consumers worry over the Neo’s efficiency compared to other MacBooks, however, according to Apple Insider, the Neo is “not designed to be a powerhouse system, not by any stretch of the imagination.” The main goal of the Neo is just to be able to perform simple, everyday tasks, which it is able to do very well.
Others have also complained about the Neo’s limited storage. In Luke Larsen’s review of the MacBook Neo for Wired, he explained, “At idle on the MacBook Neo, I noticed in the Activity Monitor that the system takes around 4 GB just to run the operating system with no applications open. That is a recipe for disaster.” After this realization, Larsen tested out how far he could push the Neo’s RAM by opening around 20 Safari tabs, streaming multiple YouTube videos, opening a few apps, and starting a FaceTime call. When things began to “really slow down,” Larsen concluded, “That’s going to be more than the average person is purposefully using, but using the MacBook Neo means being more mindful of what’s open in a way that you never have to do with a MacBook Air.”
However, not everyone seems that bothered by the RAM capabilities of the Neo, at least not when considering the price. In Michael Burkhardt’s review of the Neo, he mentions this customer concern, and responds to it by saying, “…sure, I’m not going to pretend like that’s plentiful. It is a limit. That said, I’m also not going to pretend like that somehow makes it a bad value at $499 for students.”
Despite the Neo’s limitations, there is no doubt that its price makes it very appealing for the casual consumer, and especially for students. Senior Joseph Silber is considering getting one saying, “It does everything you need and much more efficiently than any Windows laptop at the same price point.” The MacBook Neo opens the door for many people who are looking for a budget laptop that makes the most out of the low price.
