Apple has a habit of making things expensive. The MacBook Neo, unveiled on Wednesday, March 4, is a deliberate step in the opposite direction. And, it might be the most interesting Mac the company has launched in years.
Starting at Rs 69,900, it is the cheapest MacBook Apple has ever made. For a market like India, where price has long been the single biggest barrier to switching to a Mac, that matters.
But, Apple has not cut corners in the usual ways. The Neo gets the A18 Pro that powers the iPhone 16 Pro, the most powerful chip Apple has put into a laptop at this price, and not a watered-down processor developed for a budget product. That means it is up to 50 per cent faster at everyday tasks than the best-selling Intel Core Ultra 5 Windows laptop, the company said in a statement. It also runs completely silent, with no fan.
The 13-inch Liquid Retina display runs at 2408×1506 resolution with 500 nits of brightness, making it sharper and brighter than most Windows laptops at this price point. Battery life is rated at 16 hours, which in real-world terms means you will almost certainly get through a full day without reaching for a charger.
There are four colours – blush, indigo, silver and a new citrus. It weighs just over 1.2 kg. Speakers support Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos.
On the software side, the Neo ships with macOS Tahoe and full Apple Intelligence support, including Writing Tools and Live Translation.
Apple is also pitching the Neo as its greenest laptop yet, with 60 per cent recycled content, 90 per cent recycled aluminium and 100 per cent recycled cobalt in the battery.
Pre-orders have already opened, with the MacBook Neo hitting shelves on March 11.
For first-time Mac buyers, or anyone who has looked at MacBook prices and quietly closed the tab, this one is worth a proper look.
