BOTTOM LINE: Apple doesn't typically compete on price when it comes to laptops, but the MacBook Neo suggests that may be starting to change. Early sales data show the lower-cost model is attracting new users and giving Cupertino a foothold in a part of the market it has long avoided.
Apple shipped about 1.1 million MacBook Neo units in the March quarter, according to IDC figures. That number would be strong on its own, but the timing makes it stand out. The Neo only went on sale in mid-March, leaving it roughly three weeks of availability in the quarter. Even so, it outpaced the early performance of Apple's latest MacBook Air (M5) and MacBook Pro (M5), which recorded over 900,000 and 550,000 units, respectively, in their debut quarters.
The Neo is not just a cheaper Mac – it represents a different approach to building one. Apple kept the familiar industrial design, including an aluminum body and a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, but made deliberate trade-offs under the hood.
Instead of an M-series processor, the device runs on an A18 Pro chip, typically used in iPhones, and starts with 8GB of memory. The result is a machine that looks like a MacBook but is architected closer to Apple's mobile devices.
