Apple finally has cemented its "good," "better," and "best" tiers for its MacBook models.

On the flip side, some of the MacBook Neo's specs are really good for the price. This includes the 13-inch LED display with a 2,408x1,506 pixel resolution, and two USB-C ports, one of which supports connecting a 4K external display while running the device's own display at the same time.

Even before the introduction of the MacBook Neo, Apple had a great student laptop. The MacBook Air is our current pick as the best laptop for college students. So in addition to competing against Chromebooks and budget Windows laptops, the new MacBook Neo is also going up against the MacBook Air for school laptop buyers.

With the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the new MacBook Pros have a radical new Fusion silicon packaging technique and "Super Cores." It's the biggest Apple silicon change in years. I got a peek at the new machines.

Apple’s Mac refresh moves the lineup further upmarket, pairing higher prices with faster performance in a push to give customers a reason to upgrade.

The refined architecture of the new chips promises the usual performance increases across the board and improved battery life.

Following months of rumors about a lower-cost MacBook, Apple has delivered in a big way with the MacBook Neo, which starts at $599 in the United States. Even better, the MacBook Neo starts at just $499 through Apple's education store on its website,

Apple is offering the MacBook Neo at a more affordable price point by using an A18 Pro chip, which is used in the iPhone 16 Pro.