Neo 2.0 is already coming
In the immediate future, as competitors raise prices on the PCs that compete with Apple’s lower-cost device, Cupertino is already plotting the path toward MacBook Neo 2. Reports claim this will debut in March in new colors and use the A19 Pro chip from the iPhone 17 Pro, with performance boosted by slightly more unified memory (12GB, rather than 8GB). That’ll make it a much better Mac, likely with 10-15% performance gains and the ability to run Apple Intelligence, making it the best and most affordable AI PC in its class.
Just four months after the Neo’s rollout, Apple is already in position to leak rumors of an even more computationally capable follow-up, while competitors struggle to compete with the original on performance, build quality, and price. Still, the Neo might get more expensive, reporting warns, with the lowest-price 256GB model now gone, making the $599 Mac a mirage we can only wistfully hope to see again.
That might matter less in context, as PC makers everywhere boost prices while RAM, chips, and storage prices head north, along with transport, logistics, and energy costs. “While [Apple] did raise prices in line with the broader market, it still remains well positioned against rivals facing the same cost pressures,” said Jean Philippe Bouchard, vice president for consumer devices at IDC.
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