MacBook Neo Starts at Just $499 for Students

[progx]

You looked at the iPad Air lately? its gotta be the worst value Apple product out right now for its features and hardware. $1200 for 13" 256GB storage and Magic Keyboard

So the M-series chipset is a worse value…?

 

[deathcab]

Wow, this has the potential to be a homerun & extremely high volume product line for Apple. This machine is going to be more than capable to handle the workflow of probably ~95%+ of the population (and won't cannibalize the base that truly needs / wants pro level machines).

Assuming the quality of the build is as expected, this is shockingly well done here by Apple.

 

[progx]

Yes, but the M1 that flew off Walmart shelves for the past 3 years at prices betwixt $500 and $600 was a plain Jane 256/8gb model. This is the replacement for that. Not for anyone who was considering a 16GB Air.

Exactly. Apple saw the appetite for a low cost laptop with the MBA M1 model. This will be a nice upgrade for those people, or first time Mac users.

Apple knows how to anchor product lines. The average Neo customer doesn't care about RAM one bit. Crossing the $1000 price point is psychological for many people. Being under $500 (for EDU) also is.

If I want the item, I know how much it is, I will go out and buy it. Every shopper is different, especially when it comes to PCs, most people know they will spend to get what they want. It depends do they want to dispense with the currency of time over convenience.

 

[Yr Blues]

The Neo is the only notch-free Mac now. Other than the ram, it's a perfect budget model.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

What a value. It makes the iPad mini pricing look ridiculous.

The iPad mini is the more desirable device, so it would be expected to cost more. Not more desirable to macOS users, no, but as iPads are reported by analysts to sell 2 to 3 times more a year than Macs, anything iPad is going to be in higher demand than anything Mac.

 

[apparatchik]

iPad Minis fit perfectly in a doctor's white lab coat pocket on their thigh. In the medical field, Mini pricing is a steal of a deal and they have cellular options for paging anywhere. Hospital chains buy them by the pallet. When you're paying $3 million for an MRI machine, $600 for a doctor/nurse tablet is nothing.

Also in aviation, many airlines now have the paper documentation on digital, iPad accesible form now.

 

[darthbane2k]

Bought my daughter an iPad Air last fall for her birthday, she wanted it for school. She has struggled to use it as productivity device, Might ask if she wants me to trade it in for this. This would suit her better. She doesn't do any serious computing, but just needs something for high school.

 

[vanishing]

$499 for a Mac carved out of aluminium with amazingly robust OS.

Well, Tahoe

 

[Blackstick]

Bought my daughter an iPad Air last fall for her birthday, she wanted it for school. She has struggled to use it as productivity device, Might ask if she wants me to trade it in for this. This would suit her better. She doesn't do any serious computing, but just needs something for high school.

Does her district not issue every student a Chromebook? State of Ohio does and we're pathetic in most other respects. My kids don't use textbooks whatsoever, all digital materials.

 

[GlamCheese666]

This will definitely be in demand come July/August and even Nov/December

 

[JPack]

$499 for a Mac carved out of aluminium with amazingly robust OS.

Or... Whatever you have for that price at best buy. No comparison out of the door. And them you factor in the expected lifetime of a Mac vs typical $500 pc/chromebook...

*the chassis is forged for Neo

 

[Tim Jobs the 2nd]

What a value. It makes the iPad mini pricing look ridiculous.

That’s what I was thinking. Same price as the mini.

 

[Tim Jobs the 2nd]

So the M-series chipset is a worse value…?

FYI The A18 Pro is basically an M4 in single core performance. Multi core it’s more like an M1 but those doing tasks requiring more power shouldn’t be buying a Neo anyway.

 

[HVDynamo]

The yellow one is the only one that's fun.

It would be legendary if it could have 16GB or ram. But we live in our times.
That's the only reason it's not the new M1, and M1 will always be legendary.
You were also able to upgrade the M1 to 16GB.

Eagerly waiting for tests.

I get that value is king with this product, but I think it really needed to at least hit 12GB. 8GB is just so brutal. I get that it may be on the edge of OK today, but what about 2 years from now? I just think 12GB should be the absolute minimum any machine that’s meant for general purpose computing ships with.

 

[Rychiar]

So the M-series chipset is a worse value…?

on an iPad yes. its a waste

 

[CapitalIdea]

I get that value is king with this product, but I think it really needed to at least hit 12GB. 8GB is just so brutal. I get that it may be on the edge of OK today, but what about 2 years from now? I just think 12GB should be the absolute minimum any machine that’s meant for general purpose computing ships with.

You can have $599 or 16gb of RAM. Given the economy right now, Apple chose correctly. These are for light computing, MAYBE running something like Word. If you need more for general purpose, buy the Air.

 

[turbineseaplane]

You can have $599 or 16gb of RAM. Given the economy right now, Apple chose correctly.

The specs were set WAY before any of the current market conditions took hold.

 

[HVDynamo]

You can have $599 or 16gb of RAM. Given the economy right now, Apple chose correctly. These are for light computing, MAYBE running something like Word. If you need more for general purpose, buy the Air.

I’m not even asking for 16GB honestly, just 12GB. I just think 8GB is such a severe limitation in todays world that this computer is going to run like **** after 2 years just because it doesn’t have enough memory. Even for a budget machine, I think 12GB is a bottom of the barrel requirement. I understand the current market is possibly to blame for this, but I am also guessing that it’s because the CPU in iPhone only came with 8GB in the iPhone 16 Pro, and it’s probably the exact SOC down to the memory so it just ended up being what it is. Since the 17Pro got 12GB, maybe the next upgrade to this will have 12GB. If I wanted one of these, I think I’m holding out for that one.

 

[jole]

Well, Tahoe

I'll take over Windows any day 🙂

 

[furbzv1]

I can see these replacing Chromebooks for a lot of students !

 

[kybldmstr]

$494 for schools buying in packs of 5. That extra $5 will go far.

 

[MacFan782040]

It's finally the "netbook" everyone wanted 20 years ago!

 

[vanishing]

It's finally the "netbook" everyone wanted 20 years ago!

Complete with a 20 year old USB 2.0 port

 

[Tim Jobs the 2nd]

Complete with a 20 year old USB 2.0 port

The target demo for this laptop doesn't know there are different USB versions, nor will they tell a difference. Same way they won't notice if the 256GB SSD is slower than the 512GB SSD if that's the case.

 

[Arran]

The specs were set WAY before any of the current market conditions took hold.

I wonder if Apple’s had this low-spec machine sitting on the shelf for years, ready to go should the economy and/or geopolitics take a worse turn. Like an insurance policy.

Bitcoin mining made silicon expensive a while back. Everyone knows what AI has done to memory prices. Add a year of capricious tariffs (on, off, on again, ruled illegal, off then quickly back on again 🤯) and it makes sense to have something low-cost up your sleeve. If you can’t or won’t pass-on the cost to the consumer, something has to give.

This may be the computer for the times. Doing more with less.