Apple's new $599 MacBook Neo is aimed at bringing the Mac to more buyers — but Apple CEO Tim Cook isn't the one out talking about it yet.
Ternus discussed Apple's strategy in an interview published March 5, one day after Apple announced the MacBook Neo on March 4. The new laptop starts at $599, or $499 for education buyers, making it the lowest-priced Mac notebook Apple has ever sold.
"We saw an opportunity here to really just reach a lot more people than we ever have before," Ternus said. "MacBook Neo is solid, reliable, and durable, all the things you want a Mac to be. And yeah, that's an amazing price point."
The MacBook Neo begins shipping March 11 with a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, an aluminum chassis, and Apple's A18 Pro processor. The system marks the first time a production Mac has used a chip originally introduced in the iPhone lineup.
MacBook Neo introduces a new tier below MacBook Air in Apple's notebook lineup. For years, MacBook Air served as both Apple's mainstream laptop and its entry-level Mac, typically starting around $999.
At $599, the Neo moves Apple much closer to the price range dominated by Chromebooks and inexpensive Windows laptops used in schools. Low-cost PCs have long controlled the education market, where institutions often purchase devices in large volumes.
An iPhone chip powers the new Mac
The most unusual design choice in the MacBook Neo is its processor. Instead of an M-series chip used across other Apple Silicon Macs, the system runs on the A18 Pro processor introduced in Apple's iPhone lineup.
Using an iPhone-class chip helps Apple lower the cost of the laptop while maintaining the efficiency advantages of Apple Silicon. The A18 Pro includes a 16-core Neural Engine designed for on-device machine learning tasks and Apple Intelligence features.
Apple claims the system can be up to 50% faster in everyday tasks than popular Intel-based consumer PCs while maintaining long battery life in a fanless design.
The most unusual design choice in the MacBook Neo is its processor
Apple's chip strategy makes this kind of crossover possible. The company designs processors for iPhone, iPad, and Mac products, allowing Apple to reuse architectures across multiple device categories.
Apple waited to launch a budget Mac
Apple has long resisted building a low-cost Mac laptop even as PC makers pushed aggressively into the budget market. Ternus said the company delayed releasing a cheaper Mac until it could deliver a product that met Apple's standards.
"We didn't want to do it until we could do it really, really well and build a Mac that we were proud of," Ternus said.
Instead of lowering prices on existing models, Apple often introduces a new product tier designed specifically for a lower price point. The company has taken a similar approach with devices such as the iPhone SE and entry-level iPad models.
Part of Apple's broader ecosystem strategy
Ternus also highlighted Apple's broader artificial intelligence strategy during the interview. Apple Intelligence features such as translation tools and photo enhancements are expected to expand across Apple devices over time.
Ternus said Apple aims for those capabilities to improve everyday tasks quietly rather than stand out as separate software features.
For Apple, MacBook Neo also expands the macOS ecosystem. A lower-priced Mac can bring new users into the platform while connecting them to Apple's wider lineup of devices, apps, and services.
Apple's new laptop is aimed at making it more affordable to join the Mac family. It's also designed to reach more classrooms and attract first-time laptop buyers who might not have thought about a Mac before.
