Since the dawn of Apple laptops 35 years ago with the PowerBook 100, it has tried to make some of them affordable, with mixed results. The MacBook Neo finally delivers on that promise and is an excellent balance between features and cost.
MacBook Neo and (inset) a PowerBook 100
MacBook Neo and (inset) a PowerBook 100
It’s true that Apple does not have a reputation for making low budget devices, so the MacBook Neo is a departure. But sometimes it seems as if it’s not for want of trying that Apple hasn’t previously brought out such a good combination of design and cost in a laptop.
Apple’s efforts to make such a device don’t date all the way back to its first ever portable, well, luggable, but they come close. In 1989, Apple released the Macintosh Portable, which at 16lbs was as heavy as two current Mac Studios. And that weight doesn’t even include the wall wart.