Apple says 'life is just better on a Mac' — and the $599 MacBook Neo may be its smartest pitch yet

Apple’s John Ternus kicked off the company’s in-person experience in New York just moments before the MacBook Neo was unveiled. And it delivered — then exceeded expectations. The long-rumored low-cost MacBook arrives at just $599, or $499 with Apple’s education discount, while still packing many of the features you’d expect from a Mac.

Ternus made Apple’s thinking clear before the reveal: “Let’s just be honest — life is better when you’re using a Mac.”

I’ve been on the platform for years, and there’s some truth to that statement. The Mac has seen a renaissance since the shift to Apple Silicon, though it’s almost always been positioned as a higher-end option. Never the cheapest, never the most affordable — but consistently a polished, all-in-one solution.