The name is… odd?[1] But nevertheless, Apple managed to launch a MB for $600. It’s spec’ed very frugally, but even with its 8/256 and single 10-Gbps USB-C port and no TouchID, chances are it will serve countless students just fine — and they can get it for just $499. I wouldn’t be surprised to see these drive a lot of new sales. This is the entry-level Mac mini in the portable world.
And it really makes the iPad Air ($1218 for a 13" with 256GB and Magic Keyboard) look like a really poor deal.
Sure, lots of Mac geeks will lament all the Neo’s various downsides and long list of “missing features” (it reintroduces the diving board trackpad!), but I think that misses the point. This is not intended for these people. This is intended for people who just need a computer to do email, surf the web, take notes, and consume some media. It will do all of that just fine.
If you’re convinced it cannot do what you’d need it to do, you’re still in luck. For just $160 more than the new MacBook Neo, you can get a refurbished 13" M4 MacBook Air that does better than the Neo at almost everything. That’s a pretty sweet deal.
With Airbus Neo stands for new engine option. I’m not sure what engine Apple is referring to here. The Matrix?
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