Post Content According to Taiwan-based tech columnist and former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan, Apple is already working on a new variant of the MacBook Neo (Image Source: Apple)
When Apple recently launched the MacBook Neo, it shocked the entire PC industry, with some analysts believing that the low-cost Mac could hit the Windows PC market hard. The $599 Neo, comes in at about half the price of the MacBook Air, Apple’s baseline but still expensive laptop, and is cheaper than the regular iPhone 17 released last year.
While the MacBook Neo can’t be directly compared to the MacBook Air, its base model lacks the power that Apple’s other laptops offer, especially with just 8GB of unified memory, no backlit keyboard, and only 256GB of storage. This has divided many consumers, particularly since Apple doesn’t offer any upgrade options.
However, according to Taiwan-based tech columnist and former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan, Apple is already working on a new variant of the MacBook Neo. In the latest edition of his Culpium newsletter, Culpan said the new MacBook Neo will come with a version of the A19 Pro chip and increased 12GB of RAM. The same chip and RAM are also expected to be found in the iPhone 17 Pro models.
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Apparently, Apple is set to use a “binned” version of the chip with a 5-core GPU in the next MacBook Neo. The current model also features a 5-core GPU.
Increasing the RAM to 12GB would make the MacBook Neo significantly faster, something it arguably should have had from the start, but Apple opted for 8GB instead. To be clear, Apple also sells a slightly higher-end version of the current MacBook Neo that offers double the storage of the base model at 512GB, though it still comes with the same 8GB of memory.
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Some reviewers say the MacBook Neo is well-suited for students and casual users, especially for tasks like streaming and document work, but may not meet the needs of professionals handling coding or intensive editing. However, others found it capable of running tools like Final Cut Pro and Adobe Lightroom without issues.
The launch of the MacBook Neo wasn’t a total surprise, although it could help Apple increase the market share of its Mac computers. Insiders say the Neo is the latest step in its years-long strategy to capture price-sensitive consumers without abandoning its premium brand.
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