Cheapest MacBook ever good deal
13-inch
A18 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
8GB unified memory
256GB or 512GB SSD storage
20W USB-C Power Adapter
MacBook Neo 256GB $719.40 | 512GB $910.80 Delivered @ Apple on Campus (E.g. Australian Education Union)
3510
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"Macbook"
It's an iPhone in a laptop form factor running MacOS.
i know
iPhone in a laptop form factor
Apple's A and M series chips have always been the same architecture since the original M1, which was more or less just an upgraded version of the A12.
If anything, it's just an iPad without the touchscreen, and running macOS.
This chip will outperform the M1 significantly in single-core applications, likely similar or slightly better in multi-core. The M1 is still a very respectable chip today, and this level of performance is significantly above anything available on Windows at this pricepoint.
From what I gather in Intel world it is most comparable to something like an Intel 12th gen laptop CPU.
The 8GB of RAM still is unimpressive but the memory management used the M chips is impressive.
Maybe my comment was a bit harsh. When I hear the name "Macbook" I always think of the pro but the plastic shelled Macbooks were a thing and they were an iconic Apple product.
I think it's good that something like this exists.
@TightLikeThisx: Yah 8GB of RAM in 2026 is a hard pass. I dont care about the memory crisis. It's 16GB minimum or nothing.
Tons of people will buy this one, thinking it's got the longevity and capabilities of a Mac. Until they realize it can't handle 15 tabs of web, words and other office tasks simultaneously. And no I'm not talking about professional needs.
So think twice before you buy this one. It's cheap and not built to last š
@User531437: I have a 5yo M1 Macbook with 8GB RAM, and it can definitely do 15 tabs while running a 4k display.
If you start trying to edit pictures while running those 15 tabs youāll notice, but not significantly.
And for many tasks it runs far better than my work laptop with 32.These are not high end boxes, but memory management isnāt something users need to worry about- especially at this price point.
@jm010: I understand it may run fine now, but near future it's a different story. Looking at iPhone, the 17 Pro series already have 12GB of RAM (I know it's partly bc of the AI gimmicks, but still)
If phones slowly require >8GB, how do you expect a Mac to survive long-term with less than that? I mean even with just medium tasks, the memory wont cope well in the next few years.
If phones slowly require >8GB, how do you expect a Mac to survive long-term with less than that? I mean even with just medium tasks, the memory wont cope well in the next few years
A18 Pro SoC cannot support more than 8GB, so, that's that. Neo isn't meant to survive long-term - its a low investment high obsolesce device to addict more customers to Apple's ecosystem - this is it actual purpose. A19Pro SoC supports 12GB, so, next year's Neo will offer you that.
@jm010: Completely agree. The other users bitching about 8GB of RAM keep failing to realise this is a basic computing machine for those that need basic computing. Students at school, parents at home that need to type emails. It is decent enough to do that and run multiple tabs. No one is connecting an external monitor much less expecting to be gaming on one of these Neos.
If anything more powerful is needed, then get an Air or MBP.
@jm010: The only reason it runs better than your work laptop is because of all the managed software and bloatware companies install on them.
@raj76: I think that argument ended with the M-series laptops. Theyāre not status symbols, theyāre just plain better than similarly priced Windows laptops
@raj76: You're being negged because people don't want to be dicking around with their personal laptop. It's a tool to book tickets, watch photos and movies and send email. I manage a bunch of linux machines at work and I do not want to do that on my personal machine. Macs just work, I've had zero upgrade issues over two decades and I get a terminal anyway to do my geeky work.
@GregRust: Hardware wise, totally. the Apple computers are insanely well made and well designed and durable (mostly) and even look great. Pity is they now only (practically) run the Apple OS.
@User531437: 8gb is plenty to do normal tasks, your not doing anything crazy like video editing on this and even if you did it would still handle it
@User531437: You clearly have no idea what you are talking about. m1 Macbooks with 8Gb of memory are still very much relevant even today and can easily run 15+ tabs, word and other office tasks simultaneously.
Apple's hardware is extremely well built and optimised and will last significantly longer than any comparable Windows laptops, not even mentioning Chromebooks.
@corvusman: I had an M2 Air with 8GB that couldn't keep up with my office tasks. Eventually upgraded to 16GB and it's all good.
So yeah I don't know what I'm talking about. And I don't jump into personal attack so fast without using logic first. You got it, kid š¤”š¤”?
Yah 8GB of RAM in 2026 is a hard pass
It's $720 dude, does any other laptop at this price point have 16GB RAM?
@p1 ama: Mind you the retail price is $900. That's the price displayed in most stores, and not everyone knows about student and AOC discount.
And yes at $900 we can have Windows laptop with 16GB of RAM.
@User531437: Agreed. While 8GB is enough for basic tasks, you need to use it carefully…which is not good user experience.
@User531437: Macs get away with way less ram than Windows for a number of reasons. 8GB will be fine.
@Laserface: Macs can get away with less ram when doing operating system activities or using Mac apps.
The ram requirements for regular applications are the same for Windows or Mac when comparing the same applications.
@samfisher5986: MacOS manages memory significantly better than Windows does, thats the difference.
Source: my M4 Macboook air with 16gb RAM vs my i7 XPS w/ 16GB RAM running windows 11
never notice any kind of performance issues with the mac. boot up the XPS and its at 70% memory used before you open a browser.
@Laserface: Yes but memory management is primarily related to the management of memory between applications.
A game or application that uses 10GB of memory will need 10GB of available memory regardless if you are on Mac or Windows, you can't "manage" your way out of a simple requirement.
The majority of what you are seeing is just MacOS needing a lot less memory to function then Windows does so your memory hungry applications/games get an extra GB available.
@User531437: I dunno, I am currently using an M1 MacBook Air laptop with 8 gig RAM and it is far more powerful than you are describing.
It hits the wall when doing big video editing and creative work, but I can confirm I have more than you describe currently open and it runs fine
@TightLikeThisx: an entry level mac os device is a great idea, and plastic case makes it more robust for school back packs and drops, and the $1799 macbook air makes apple out of reach for some school kids. Entry level macbook is a big deal in the USA , Though not sure about the driver to use A chip vs M chip and doubt they are 100% compatible at the register and accumulator level and SDK. Guess for some schools itās an option, or iphone users that just want a laptop to supplement their iphone.
Don't worry, people who know what that means aren't the target market. This thing will sell like hotcakes because it's a macbook, it's "cute", and it's $720
I'm changing back to an android but in my experience having used an iPhone and a mac for over a year, they are optimised to hell and back. Very efficient, clean, simple, great builds. To the point where I want to buy a macbook for myself just because it's such a well made product and really fun to use once you get the hang of it. This seems like a good entry point if your other option is a crappy laptop running Windows 11 for $800-900 from jb hi Fi/Harvey Norman filled with bloatware that will age terribly.
@spacemannn: This. Itās why Apple does so well. Iām not sure why people who get so mad blame it on a āstatus symbolā like itās their lifeās moral virtue to call it out.
Appleās ecosystem just works. And itās cute @$720 w/fun colours.
@Jaystea: Samsung flag ship phones are only now just recieving a promise of ongoing support that apple has offered for over a decade.
The s23 launched in 2023 only has os updates scheduled to end 2027 and security updates in 2028. This is compared to an iphone 12 launched in 2020 which will see support end about the same time. Appleās ecosystem is better supported for longer with no fuss to the user. Even after support ends iphones are still functional within a highly controlled ecosystem unlike android where support ends youāre left to your own means to protect your device.
@Jaystea: Sometimes i feel like I'm the only one who has had back experiences with Apple software never just working, at least iPhone, where every update would break imessage, or the camera, or get constant sync issues.
Macbooks I've never had an issue with, outside of them being borderline useless for my use case. My wife has a MacBook air, and I'll ways use it for simple things like making documents or doing internet things. But when she tries to do certain work tasks, that may require splitting files, or handling any non-standard document or file - nothing simply works. If apple didnt make rthe solution itself then it became a shit shot of hoping the one app i fou d is still supported - which often isn't the case because Apple are too aggressive with app killing updates
supplement the iphone when at home and want a real keyboard when doing stuff. I was surprised for how many people the phone is their primary IT device for online services. Had hoped macbook air M5 was going to be uplift for same price but for $1799 itās not an impulse by like $1300 macbook air when on special. Have my sons macbook pro M2 as he finished year 12 and we had option to pay out or return to school, it wail have to do until macbook air M5 has killer deal prices.
Problem?
But it runs full macOS instead of chromeOS and has several years of macOS upgrades. Great battery. Definitely good for daily use chrome book. But I would prefer to pick up a 16GB m4 air on sale for 1300 if one is available. But you cant beat the price on this one.
But I would prefer to pick up a 16GB m4 air on sale for 1300 if one is available.
Genuine Apple refurb for $1239: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/950489#comment-17403091
Not dissing the value, but great better life remains to be seen - small battery, slow charging, anything intensive might knock this laptop out.
@UnrealMacaw: True, but I am comparing it with entry level windows laptop for the price. The single threaded performance of this chip is faster than m2 ultra and the graphics performance is as good as m1 chip and its a mobile chip. Only downside is the RAM.
but runs macos, that's all it matters.
Iphone in a laptop formfactor is still CHEAP for this price though. I hate apple but this looks like a good move to force some competition to respond.
So in other words it's missing all the things that make an iPhone an iPhone (OS, touchscreen etc) and replaces them with laptop parts, and you still think it's more like an iPhone?
It literally just shares the SoC with the iPhone, that's it. Things like OS and the interface devices (Keyboard, trackpad) are FAR more important than the SoC to user experience.
if i may, the a18 pro a hair higher in benchmarks then the m1 macbook, so take that as a comparision that you are buying a new chassis m1 macbook. for 720 is amazing value with this type of build all aluminum, there is simply no alternative for this on the windows end. sorry i hate mac os but truth needs to be said
Kind of like Snapdragon laptops
for 720 dollars? with premium aluminum built quality? no fan? please send link
@Roe Jogan: I was illustrating the difference between thinking of a MacBook as having a phone chip and Windows laptops also having phone chips.
If you're an apple user you'd be surprised how optimised their systems are. I would say M series macbook air is somewhat of an overkill for everyday work
optimise yes but overkill it depends on which RAM upgrade you buy.
Still its slightly more powerful than an M1 chip, so its a decent laptop.
my bad, after watching more reviews, the cpu in single core is actually between the m3 and m4 in performance, so its m3.5 if there was one, and in multi core its same as m1
It's an iPhone in a laptop form factor running MacOS.
You say that like it is a bad thing. 2408 Ć 1506 pixels , 500 nits, 1.2kg, all-day battery.
Sure, more ram would be nice, but most peopel use a laptop mostly as a web client.
This is great value.no, im saying it like its a good thing, very good. the single core performace is beating out the m3 chip but below the m4 chip. thats crazy good value
What are you talking about? The M1 was a powerhouse with 8gb. We're not on your 2017 intel machine anymore.
Powerhouse is pushing it lol.
Yes, it could do a lot of things 8gb on windows couldn't but powerhouse is a far far stretch
M1 Air had 8 CPUs and 10 GPUs (I think), definitely a powerhouse compared to what was available on the market in that formfactor.
Mac and Linux can do a lot more with 8gb then windows can. Thereās a reason my base model m1 MBP is still my daily driver vs my desktop which is rocking 32GB.
@zagadka: Considering I can open my activity monitor and see Iām using 6.2gb with steam, pages, 365 co-pilot, Apple Intelligence active, two instances of chrome open in seperate profiles with 10 tabs open across them, safari with 5 tabs open and actively listening to a recording of a lecture without hanging and handling my adhd chaos then thatās not as big of a deal as you seem to be claiming it to be
8gb on my windows system would be so knee capped itās not funny.
Mac and Linux can do a lot more with 8gb then windows can.
One caveat to that: I find Chrome on Linux to be more of a memory hog than on mac or Windows. Less optimisation effort, I guess. And that is a limiting factor. No way would I choose a Linux laptop with only 8GB, due only to Chrome.
@bargaino: Chromium on Linux or Firefox solves that issue.
I have chrome installed, for the same reason I had IE6 installed back in the day, the rare website that absolutely needed the default world browser. Otherwise I donāt touch it anymore.
I definitely think it WAS a powerhouse during at the release of M1
Using ~200 Macbooks with 8GB and it's starting to reach that point where it's no longer enough, especially on the latest MacOS. 16GB is the way to go.
for you and me yes, for 90 percent of the population, no
@Roe Jogan: It's literally all browser usage too. As they say… too many Chrome tabs. Safari may be a different story.
@Clear: i may have undersold it, its looking much better than an m1 more like m3 in single core performance, and m1 in multicore, what i miss from this is no backlit keyboard tho. id hapily pay extra 100 for it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo6o8RKn7jE
Tahoe was noticeably worse on these M1s unfortunately. Identical workloads got measurably slower, to the point where you have to wonder if it was intentional.
It's not like the OS was a big upgrade either, so there's no excuse for it being that much more resource intensive.
M series chips are powerhouses, but the ones that are on iPadOS are severely handicapped. Finally on MacOS it'll probably be better.
ive got an m4 mac mini it crashes and freezes and goes very slow with multiple tabs.
I need to reboot it "26" times lol
I assume you are not running ios26.
runs fine when the OS is optimised really well, whereas windows optimisation is nowhere near macOS. Hence they can ship very low specs in theory but still perform the same if not better than windows machines. We can also see a similar thing if you compare iPhones to androids.
16 hours of claimed battery life too.
What's half your software? What's not running .. you don't even have the machine yet. This is $750 - Yet sounds like you expect MacBook Pro capabilities for your Chromebook budget.
@pro: some of you here are pretending like this is a replacement for a full laptop just because you cant help fangirl for apple
and then randomly for phones Apple is the devil and people here now suddenly fangirls for Android, pretty stupid
@ThithLord: almost as pathetic as some of your apple hatred on Android deals, most of you dont have a spine
@Freestyle: unlike Andrones, Apple users don't peruse and spend time critiquing Android phone posts. Nice try, thou.
@Freestyle: I am kept up at night at the though of yet another Android post going liver without me getting to comment on it in record time!
Delusional, impotent Apple hatred is hilarious.
Where have you been lately? Ahahahahaha yafunny bro
think the market segment is apple ecosystem so Safari users. Even on windows, Edge is Chromium based but uses less resources than Chrome, most OS vendors want you use their browser optimised for their OS, Google wants to be everywhere to sell advertising. so not so focused on optimisation across so many platforms and OS versions.
People still run that shit?
I hate seeing this. Even on my old mid ass 2017 laptop with 8gb of ram, i can happily keep some 30 tabs open (which nobody needs to keep open), while running visual studio and affinity in the background, with 20 folders open - no issues.
It would certainly be faster with more ram, but it never feels unresponsive. Despite what all the Mac people think, windows is excellent with ram management. People think because they have used 80% of ram on boot that they only have 20% to play with - there is no benefit in using less ram. 90% full ram is just as fast as 20% full ram. Windows will ditch processes or unload important things instantly, and you'd never noticed.
That's an indictment on Chrome
The hate is real for 8gb RAM. This is honestly a massive deal for many. Many 5% GC available say from Bupa or company employee discounts.
$683.43 aud for an entry level MacBook that would honestly cover a vast majority of users and their needs is straight up insane value right now especially in this cost of living crisis in Australia.
Donāt listen to the 8gb ram haters or the A18 pro iPhone chip in a MacBook haters, both are plenty for real world usage for many and are understated by those claiming the need for 64gb ram 5090s - if you need a laptop and are in the ecosystem/donāt mind macOS this is simply unbeatable value at this price point.
Heck even marshmallow would approve this. And he never approves.
Where is my good knight, @marshmellow
there is 5% GC available from Bupa? What the max GC limit?
You can pay using GC on AOC?
Yes, you can. Just use my Apple account balance that I purchased with discounted gift cards.
For the price of less than an iPhone. I don't know what anyone is complaining about.
My mind immediately went to education (and I assume that's also what Apple are hoping for). These might just be what upsets the Chromebook market. Exciting stuff (I have a vested interested).
Damn $720 for a macbook is crazy. They're pushing hard with this one