Apple has finally debuted its latest chronically hyped up budget offering, dubbed the MacBook Neo, replete with specs that barely qualify for 2016, let alone 2026.
Of course, budget offerings almost always cut corners in some way or the other. But how do you justify two USB-C ports with wildly different characteristics and no way of knowing which is which until you actually plug in your peripheral? What about a heavily binned SoC, a hobbled trackpad, and pricing tiers that make an M3 MacBook Air appear like a godsend?
Apple seems to have designed the MacBook Neo to specifically cater to the arguable tastes of the collective "sheeple"
To be fair, the MacBook Neo does have a few things going for it: the device features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2,408 x 1,506 resolution and 500 nits brightness, uniform bezels, Touch ID, dual-firing speakers that support Spatial Audio, a 1080p front camera, a brightly colored aluminum frame, and a color-matching keyboard.
However, to get an idea as to just how poor a bargain Apple's MacBook Neo actually is, look no further than HP's 15.6-inch Intel Core i5 laptop that comes with a higher resolution touch screen, higher RAM, and a dedicated numpad, replete with heavy discounts that often eclipse the Neo's base price.
The only MacBook Neo compromise that does make sense to me is the one relating to its 8GB RAM. As we detailed in a previous post, Apple's A18 Pro chip leverages TSMC's InFO-POP (Integrated Fan-Out Package on Package) technology, where the DRAM sits on top of the die as part of the integrated silicon. Theoretically, Apple could have disassembled each package to install a higher-capacity RAM, but that would have entailed a lot of time and effort that could not have been justified by the MacBook Neo's razor-thin margins.
What's more, Apple's pricing tiers do not make sense, especially when the 512GB variant of the MacBook Neo has been priced at $699, far higher than a used M3 MacBook Air. You can also find a used M4 MacBook Air at roughly the same price point.
Of course, a lot of "sheeple" - a term that is used to describe the blind followers of a particular brand - would likely opt for this e-junk, colloquially called the MacBook Neo. After all, TrendForce expects Apple to sell between 4 million and 5 million units of the budget device. Just do not expect anyone who is a discerning, tech-savvy consumer to be among those queuing up to gaze at this marvel of Apple's penny-pinching ways.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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