Apple launches €699 MacBook Neo, challenge to PCs
The price is a first for Apple computers, which for the first time introduces an iPhone processor, the A18 Pro, into a Mac
by Luca Salvioli
Apple launches a new attack on the mid-range PC market. The new MacBook Neo has a starting price of EUR 699 and competes with Windows notebooks.
The MacBook Neo - the name was already out yesterday following a leak - will be equipped with the A18 Pro chip, the same processor introduced on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max in 2024. Priced at €699 is a first for Apple (€599 for Education), it can be pre-ordered today and will be available from Wednesday 11 March.
The aim is to broaden the user base, particularly among students and first-time computer buyers. The choice of colours seems geared towards a young audience: silver, pastel pink, citrus yellow and indigo. The Neo breaks away from the rest of the range in terms of price, considering that the new MacBook Air now costs EUR 1,249. For the first time, with the Neo, Apple is using a proprietary processor derived from an iPhone.
The MacBook Neo is offered with 8 gigabytes of memory, less than the 16 gigabytes found in the MacBook Air. The choice may reflect the need to keep costs down in a context where hardware manufacturers continue to face fluctuations in component prices, especially memory. The display is the smallest of the Macs, 13 inches versus the MacBook Air's 13.6. Storage space starts at 256 gigs, compared to the Air's basic 512. Only the 512 gig model integrates Touch ID.
The launch comes amid a busy week for Apple, which also unveiled the iPhone 17e and updated the iPad Air, MacBook Air and Pro lines with new M5 chips and more generous memory configurations.
