MacBook Neo at 699 euros: Apple's play for the budget market
Apple launches the MacBook Neo on March 11 for 699 euros with an A18 Pro chip, a laptop that shakes up the comparison with iPads.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The MacBook Neo lands in March: 699 euros with an iPhone chip
Apple has announced the MacBook Neo, an entry-level laptop that will be available from March 11 starting at 699 euros. It's no small move: for the first time, the company is planting itself in the territory of entry-level Windows laptops and Chromebooks with a recycled mobile chip, the A18 Pro that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max already carried two years ago. It's being sold as an affordable alternative to Apple's own iPads, but in reality it's a macOS computer that aims to swallow up the space between the tablet and the MacBook Air.
A mobile processor with laptop ambitions
The first benchmarks put the A18 Pro's performance on par with an M1, meaning it's enough for browsing, office work, streaming and some light editing. Apple touts a 6-core CPU —two performance cores and four efficiency cores— and its energy efficiency. But the packaging has catches: the base RAM is just 8 GB, and the teardown confirms it's soldered, with no possibility of upgrading it. Things don't improve with the ports: one USB 2.0, one 3.0 and not much else. A great way to make a killing on accessories, really.
The dilemma: smart buy or closed system?
There are two clear readings. The first: for 699 euros, the customer who just wants to browse and write documents gets a well-built Mac, better than many Windows laptops at that price. The second: Apple is selling entry-level hardware with the usual limitations —non-upgradeable RAM and a closed ecosystem that costs dearly in the long run. Add to that the reasonable doubt about whether the experiment of running macOS on a mobile chip is mature, or whether it's worth waiting a few months for the first buyers to battle it out.
The curious detail from the teardown is that the inside is tidy and repairability is better than usual for Apple, though the cooling seems barely adequate. With the announcement, the company is already displaying the machine in stores such as the one at Puerta del Sol in Madrid. It remains to be seen whether the 699-euro model is the start of a new product line or just a publicity stunt. The answer, as almost always with Apple, lies in the margins.
Apple has announced the MacBook Neo, an entry-level laptop that will be available from March 11 starting at 699 euros. It's no small move: for the first time, the company is planting itself in the territory of entry-level Windows laptops and Chromebooks with a recycled mobile chip, the A18 Pro that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max already carried two years ago. It's being sold as an affordable alternative to Apple's own iPads, but in reality it's a macOS computer that aims to swallow up the space between the tablet and the MacBook Air.
A mobile processor with laptop ambitions
The first benchmarks put the A18 Pro's performance on par with an M1, meaning it's enough for browsing, office work, streaming and some light editing. Apple touts a 6-core CPU —two performance cores and four efficiency cores— and its energy efficiency. But the packaging has catches: the base RAM is just 8 GB, and the teardown confirms it's soldered, with no possibility of upgrading it. Things don't improve with the ports: one USB 2.0, one 3.0 and not much else. A great way to make a killing on accessories, really.
The dilemma: smart buy or closed system?
There are two clear readings. The first: for 699 euros, the customer who just wants to browse and write documents gets a well-built Mac, better than many Windows laptops at that price. The second: Apple is selling entry-level hardware with the usual limitations —non-upgradeable RAM and a closed ecosystem that costs dearly in the long run. Add to that the reasonable doubt about whether the experiment of running macOS on a mobile chip is mature, or whether it's worth waiting a few months for the first buyers to battle it out.
The curious detail from the teardown is that the inside is tidy and repairability is better than usual for Apple, though the cooling seems barely adequate. With the announcement, the company is already displaying the machine in stores such as the one at Puerta del Sol in Madrid. It remains to be seen whether the 699-euro model is the start of a new product line or just a publicity stunt. The answer, as almost always with Apple, lies in the margins.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (24 replies).
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