Apple announces new MacBook Neo for $599

Hardware remains expensive even at mid-range, and MacBooks have long felt out of reach. For one thing, Apple is a better PC gaming platform than people give it credit for, and the just announced MacBook Neo is presenting an affordable inroad to its shiny walled garden at $599.

The phone-like pricing could make the Neo a student device of choice over an iPad or similar tablet—the fun colours certainly help. Still, alternatives exist: the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge pairs a Snapdragon X chip with 16 GB of RAM for close to $700, while the Asus Vivobook 14 offers the same chip and RAM for about $500.

If you're deadset on Apple, the reasonably priced Mac Mini with the M4 Pro chip also makes a decent gaming option. Apple is pitching the MacBook Neo as 'a powerful platform for AI with Apple Intelligence built right in,' but only 8 GB of RAM is a pretty meagre offering for anyone wanting to run larger generative models.

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