By: Noor Khan Mallach, Y11
Since around 2001 with the launch of the iPod, Apple has been labeled the tech company by the general public. With product after product coming out, each with their own characteristics and innovative features, people frequently try to buy the latest products. Notoriously famous for the creation of the iPhone in 2007, Apple overtook competitors of the time (like Blackberry) by a landslide. The only issue has always been the high price point that has only increased over the years.
According to SoFi, the average salary in the United States in 2025 makes an estimated $63,795, which ends up with $5316.25 per month. Many items such as essentially any iPhone and MacBook have been priced at over a grand, making it just above 22% of their monthly paycheck. While it can be afforded, the sacrifice of spending that much money on a product is not justifiable for some. For example, a university student may not have a job and therefore no funds, so the Apple is not an option. Here comes the Macbook Neo: the affordable alternative to the Macbook air.
Coming in at $599 for the basics ($499 for education), it’s the very first affordable Mac ever created by Apple. While it’s not as “fancy” as the Macbook Air and is much more crude in its abilities, it acts as any normal computer. With 8GB of unified memory, a base of 256GB in ssd storage, and an A18 (the iPhone 16 series chip), it offers the ability to complete all the basic tasks an average user would need without the extra flair available with the Macbook air. It targets a new audience that was not targeted before: the grand majority of the population, not the more fortunate. The introduction to the Apple ecosystem and it comes in 4 vibrant colors (citrus, blush, indigo, and silver)!
Why did Apple do this though? Well, while it’s not losing profitability, it is facing declines in market value. The stock market shows a decrease of 8.90% in the last 3 months only, which is not extremely concerning as it is a trillion dollar company, however the introduction of an affordable line of products like the Macbook Neo might be a necessary track to reach a new demographic which is being highly impacted by a society where the cost of living is at an all time high as well as inflation.
