The one big reason a lot of people still use Windows devices is affordability. The most affordable Macs are still beyond the reach of many users, especially in markets like India. That changed a few weeks back with Apple launching the MacBook Neo, a device that is portable and affordable but gives you the full experience of owning a Mac.

Coming around the time of its 50th anniversary, Apple’s move towards affordability is a big shift in how it has looked at the market. A decade back, when netbooks were all the rage, Apple chose to focus on the iPad instead of offering a more affordable laptop, even if it had to cut some corners. Now, however, Apple has iPhones and iPads that lower the entry barrier to bring new users into the Apple ecosystem. The MacBook Neo does the same.

The MacBook Neo is the full Apple experience. The device has a design language similar to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, but brings in new colours like Blush and Indigo to woo younger users. The body uses 60% recycled aluminium to make you feel less guilty about adding to your load on the earth. It is compact at 13 inches and will easily slip into a shoulder bag or backpack. When you open the clamshell, it is hard to miss the thicker bezels on the display, something newer Macs have thinned out over the years. This reminded me of my 2015 MacBook Air, which called it quits last year.

But the Liquid Retina display is stunningly bright — good for those who work in different lighting conditions, especially under the harsh summer sun. The colours do pop, and at no point do you feel like you are working on a budget device. The audio quality is good too — in fact, good enough for me to hear President Trump click his tongue before starting his April 1 address on the Iran war. The crisp screen with high-quality audio makes this a great consumption device for younger users who, I think, are moving away from larger screens to personal displays they don’t have to share with family. With movies and music, the MacBook Neo’s audio comes with a rich, roomy feel that adds to the experience.

The MacBook Neo features a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, which works well for Zoom and Google Meet, but struggles a bit in low light. Thankfully, you can use the Edge Light feature in macOS Tahoe to brighten up the screen and make you look good in dimmer conditions.

I loved the keyboard. It feels a bit different from what is available on the more expensive variants, but offers good travel and feedback that makes for a very natural typing experience. However, there is a bit of a clickety-clack that you will have to get used to, especially if you are an aggressive typist like me. It is a full-function keyboard with function keys that give you access to universal search and tabs, and even Do Not Disturb mode.

The power button has been blended into a lock button that lets you lock the screen in one click. However, there is no fingerprint scanner to unlock the device with a gentle tap. I am so used to the scanner that I kept tapping the lock button out of muscle memory. But then, this is meant for first-time Apple users, and they will have no such issues. The trackpad has a glass finish and is very responsive.

Since the MacBook Neo uses the Apple A18 Pro chip and not the M-series Apple Silicon like other Macs, I was a bit unsure about the performance. When I downloaded the ChatGPT macOS app, it set up easily and did not ask questions about which processor I was using. So there is no Rosetta-like translation needed here, unlike when Apple moved from Intel to its own silicon.

Though running what is essentially a mobile processor with 8GB RAM on both variants, the MacBook Neo was powerful enough to drive the native ChatGPT app for some of the more complex tasks I have been getting AI to work on. Apple Intelligence also works on-device with no noticeable latency. But that does not mean you will be able to handle heavy video workflows here — that is not the audience this device is aimed at. For that you will need a more powerful Mac.

The battery life can last you a full day at college or work easily, and a week if you are the sort who works a couple of hours on the laptop daily. There is a low-power mode that lets you squeeze out even more from the device. You don’t need a separate charger — you can easily use your phone’s USB-C charger to juice up the Neo too. This is the kind of convenience younger generations will appreciate. They already look at charging bricks as some ancient artefact.

When Apple made macOS integrate with phone apps a few months ago, I had an inkling we were moving towards a more integrated ecosystem where devices worked in a continuum of their own. With the MacBook Neo, Apple has done it at a hardware level too, by running a laptop on a mobile chip.

The OS also lets you use the device as an extension of the iPhone, letting you work on both at the same time from the same screen.

At a starting price of ₹69,900, the MacBook Neo is going to make life very difficult for Windows devices, despite its tradeoffs of the mobile processor, thicker bezel, lesser memory. The Windows price advantage — the one thing that kept many potential users away from Macs — is going away to a large extent with this more affordable Apple device which always has more aspirational value that a budget device running the Microsoft OS. And the MacBook Neo does not cut corners for this segment of users, which is something they will appreciate. I recommend this device for younger users who need convenience and functionality without any compromises on style. This is going to be the first Mac for a lot of people across the world.