Apple has revealed the $599 MacBook Neo. It will increase competition with Microsoft and Google

Apple has unveiled a new MacBook Neo laptop, which costs $599 in the US - like a "budget" iPhone 17e. The novelty will strengthen Apple's presence in the segment of budget devices: the company expects to compete with Windows-based PCs and Chromebooks in the category of more affordable models for mass consumers, Bloomberg writes.

Apple's new product is $400 cheaper than any next-generation laptop the company has previously brought to market, and well below the new MacBook Air price, which now starts at $1099. The MacBook Neo is cheaper than even the standard iPhone 17 (starting at $799).

The MacBook Neo will be available in "citrus," "silver," "indigo" and "blush" colors, potentially making it appealing to both students and a general audience, according to Bloomberg. The laptop is powered by the A18 Pro mobile chip - the kind used in the iPhone 16 Pro. The base version comes with 256GB of storage. The $699 version offers twice as much storage and Touch ID support for logging in and confirming payments.

The new MacBook is aimed primarily at users of Google's Chromebooks and budget Windows-based devices, where Microsoft's efforts to switch to more power-efficient chips on its Arm mobile architecture have yet to result in a noticeable increase in sales, Reuters notes.

At the same time, Apple's novelty is more expensive than the most budget Chromebooks and Windows-based PCs, whose prices range from $200 to $600. However, compared to these devices, Apple's offer is positioned as more premium - due to design, functionality and hardware, notes Bloomberg. The company claims the MacBook Neo performs AI-related tasks three times faster than competing PCs.

Apple opened pre-orders for the MacBook Neo on Wednesday, March 4, with first shipments and the device scheduled to arrive in retail stores on March 11.

The company's shares were adding 0.5% in trading on March 4, down 2.5% YTD.

"The big question is not whether Apple can sell the MacBook at this price - with supply, it could become one of the best-selling Mac models. The question is how the company will balance cost, performance and brand positioning while maintaining the premium user experience that defines the Mac," Reuters quoted Francisco Heronimo, vice president of client devices at IDC, as saying.

Apple stock is largely favored by Wall Street. The securities were rated by 52 analysts, 33 of them advise to buy, 17 - to keep in the portfolio and only two - to sell.

This week, Apple also unveiled the $599 "budget" iPhone 17e with increased base storage and revamped its MacBook Air and Pro lines with M5 chips and standard configurations with more memory. By doing so, the company aims to retain market share in the competitive smartphone segment and in the slowing PC market, which is under pressure from rising memory prices, Reuters notes.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor