'Apple's gonna sell these by the boatload': why the new MacBook Neo is already the most important product of 2026

Apple MacBook Neo is probably the most important new consumer electronics product of this still-new year. It's not the most powerful laptop Apple has ever produced, but few products have thrown open the door to a new market and buying possibilities in quite the same way.

The MacBook Neo arrives as a budget-laptop-busting portable that starts at just $599 / £599 / AU$899 ($499 / £499 / AU$749 for the education market) and rewrites the rules for a budget laptop.

With a 256GB hard drive and 8GB RAM, it may not sound like it's packed with possibilities, but Apple also equipped the MacBook Neo with the still impressive A18 Pro — and if you haven't had any experience with Apple Silicon, you are in for a treat.