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frontpageEragorn | Staff posted Mar 04, 2026 03:40 PM
frontpageEragorn | Staff posted Mar 04, 2026 03:40 PM

EDU Members: Apple MacBook Neo: 13" Liquid Retina, A18 Pro: 512GB $599, 256GB

& More + Free Shipping

$499

$599

16% off
Apple Store
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Deal Details
Apple Store has for EDU Members: Apple MacBook Neo Laptop (4 Colors) for Pre-Order on sale from $499. Shipping is free.

Thanks Deal Hunter Eragorn for sharing this deal

Note, you need to make color, storage, trade-in and warranty selection and purchase options before adding to cart. Availability starts March 11, 2026.

Available Options:
  • 256GB Solid State Drive $499
  • 512GB Solid State Drive $599
Available Colors:
  • Silver
  • Blush
  • Citrus
  • Indigo
Specs (source):
  • 13" Liquid Retina (2408×1506), IPS, 219 PPI, 500 nits brightness, 1B colors, sRGB
  • Apple A18 Pro — 6-core CPU (2P + 4E), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 60GB/s memory bandwidth
  • 8GB unified memory
  • Battery Up to 16 hrs video streaming / 11 hrs web; 36.5Wh battery; 20W USB-C charging
  • Ports:
    • 1x USB-C (USB 3, up to 10Gb/s, charging & DisplayPort)
    • 1x USB-C (USB 2, up to 480Mb/s)
    • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 6
  • 1080p FaceTime HD
  • Dual speakers w/ Spatial Audio (Dolby Atmos), dual-mic array w/ beamforming
  • Magic Keyboard w/ multi-touch trackpad; Touch ID on select models
  • 0.50" H × 11.71" W × 8.12" D; 2.7 lbs
  • In the Box:
    • MacBook Neo
    • 20W USB-C Power Adapter
    • USB-C Charge Cable (1.5m)

Editor's Notes

Written by slickdewmaster | Staff

Original Post

Written by Eragorn | Staff
Product Info
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Product Info
Community Notes
About the Poster
Apple Store has for EDU Members: Apple MacBook Neo Laptop (4 Colors) for Pre-Order on sale from $499. Shipping is free.

Thanks Deal Hunter Eragorn for sharing this deal

Note, you need to make color, storage, trade-in and warranty selection and purchase options before adding to cart. Availability starts March 11, 2026.

Available Options:
  • 256GB Solid State Drive $499
  • 512GB Solid State Drive $599
Available Colors:
  • Silver
  • Blush
  • Citrus
  • Indigo
Specs (source):
  • 13" Liquid Retina (2408×1506), IPS, 219 PPI, 500 nits brightness, 1B colors, sRGB
  • Apple A18 Pro — 6-core CPU (2P + 4E), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 60GB/s memory bandwidth
  • 8GB unified memory
  • Battery Up to 16 hrs video streaming / 11 hrs web; 36.5Wh battery; 20W USB-C charging
  • Ports:
    • 1x USB-C (USB 3, up to 10Gb/s, charging & DisplayPort)
    • 1x USB-C (USB 2, up to 480Mb/s)
    • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 6
  • 1080p FaceTime HD
  • Dual speakers w/ Spatial Audio (Dolby Atmos), dual-mic array w/ beamforming
  • Magic Keyboard w/ multi-touch trackpad; Touch ID on select models
  • 0.50" H × 11.71" W × 8.12" D; 2.7 lbs
  • In the Box:
    • MacBook Neo
    • 20W USB-C Power Adapter
    • USB-C Charge Cable (1.5m)

Editor's Notes

Written by slickdewmaster | Staff

Original Post

Written by Eragorn | Staff

Community Voting

Deal Score
+125
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Top Comments

satchame
944 Posts
288 Reputation
512GB has Touch ID, base 256GB doesn't FYI. Probably worth the extra $100
JK1982
5711 Posts
370 Reputation
Me personally i would just get a lightly used m4 for only a little bit more. Especially with m5 out u can find a lot of good deals on used m4. Better design more ram faster ect
IPrince
94 Posts
26 Reputation
NEO = New Economy Option

329 Comments

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Mar 04, 2026 06:54 PM
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Mar 04, 2026 06:56 PM
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Mar 04, 2026 06:57 PM
1,182 Posts
Joined Nov 2015
pcgeekpcgeekMar 04, 2026 06:57 PM
1,182 Posts
Quote from GinnyMaive :
You are being emotional about computer RAM and hard drives bro.

There's nothing emotional about stating a fact.
1
6
Mar 04, 2026 06:59 PM
1,175 Posts
Joined Nov 2017
SDJP2020Mar 04, 2026 06:59 PM
1,175 Posts
Quote from Ride_The_Sky :

I see the argument, but for these purposes, why not get a $250-$300 windows laptop instead? Do people really love to stay with Apple ecosystem and willing to pay double for browsing/word processing? I guess, maybe, but that's still $600 if you are not a student.
This is why I don't tend to look at Macbook deals. Every time I see someone talk describe the benefits of Macbooks they are always uninformed. Usually, it's the value argument which can be easily debunked (for example with the Acer Aspire 16 for $550 or my Galaxy Book with SDX with free earbuds for $375). Only now is it coming close to being true, that being if you are OK with giving up compatibility and don't care about an OLED (or more importantly larger) screen this is good value. Sometimes it's the build quality, which both of my examples have metal chassis and my machine feels nearly as solid in use. Same with processing power, people mention how M-series blow Windows competitors away, and yet these same people say all they do is word processing, so which is it, do you need the power or not??
The OS is probably the fairest argument, since its preference, even if I disagree as someone who uses an M3 Pro 14" for work and feel limited by the multitasking capabilities the average user likely would not. For an average person who can't be bothered to do an ounce of research then yes they have good value if you blind buy but these comments hardly make sense here on Slickdeals...
Last edited by SDJP2020 March 4, 2026 at 11:18 AM.
5
Mar 04, 2026 07:00 PM
1,182 Posts
Joined Nov 2015
pcgeekpcgeekMar 04, 2026 07:00 PM
1,182 Posts
Quote from GinnyMaive :
"
BTW Android is hot garbage and is being made worse by Google at such an absurd pace, btw it's called stockholm syndrome.

FYI

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03...-run-siri/

Also, this comment I quoted was written by a person who called others "emotional". How ironic is that?
Last edited by pcgeekpcgeek March 4, 2026 at 11:08 AM.
2
1
Mar 04, 2026 07:01 PM
14,136 Posts
Joined Dec 2011
Peerless_WarriorMar 04, 2026 07:01 PM
14,136 Posts
Quote from mrgamers :
This or the new M processor?
What do you think...A is obviously far weaker than M.
2
Mar 04, 2026 07:04 PM
2,881 Posts
Joined Nov 2010
wolve3Mar 04, 2026 07:04 PM
2,881 Posts
Quote from caveman017 :
$300 windows laptops are cheap plastic trash and won't get anywhere near 16 hours of battery life. The A18 Pro in this will also almost certainly run circles around whatever Celeron/Pentium in the cheapest laptops. It should outperform most of the lower level i3 and Ryzen 3 chips and competes well with the i5 and Ryzen 5 chips at a much lower power draw.

Even if you don't use the EDU loophole, I'm sure there will be sales on this frequently to bring it down to the $499-549 price point
Also worth mentioning how crappy Windows 11 is these days.
For the longest time I used Windows PCs as my daily machine . That changed 4 years ago when I switched my main PC to a Mac, which was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The only reason I still use Windows is for PC gaming and of course company work.
3

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Mar 04, 2026 07:05 PM
1,175 Posts
Joined Nov 2017
SDJP2020Mar 04, 2026 07:05 PM
1,175 Posts
Don't bother. If that person had any valid arguments, they would have said it instead of simply saying "you are wrong" without elaborating. If you look at it objectively, iOS 26 has been the buggiest version yet (feedback from iOS users). Android has its own issues, but "being made worse" is simply untrue, especially since the argument is so broad there is no footing to claim what is worse about it compared to previous versions.

Just like the claim above about how Windows 11 is getting worse, yet Macs still don't have the absolute bare minimum of supporting scrolling inversely with trackpad and normally with a mouse. I would rather have the occasional Windows defect than to keep dealing with this BS. (and no, a 3rd party program to fix this isn't viable for the casual customer who would buy a Neo, so either it is missing or it doesn't "just work"!)

This still bugs me every day...
Last edited by SDJP2020 March 4, 2026 at 11:11 AM.
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Deal Hunter
Mar 04, 2026 07:05 PM
20,034 Posts
Joined Sep 2011
EragornMar 04, 2026 07:05 PM
Original Poster
Pro
Deal Hunter
20,034 Posts
Quote from gooruma :
Just canceled my pre-order. You must have a touchID and the backlit keyboard. You will regret everytime you use it. The price is good though.
The $599 512GB model has Touch ID but yeah, no backlit keyboard on it.
1
Mar 04, 2026 07:15 PM
15,476 Posts
Joined Jan 2010
Ride_The_SkyMar 04, 2026 07:15 PM
15,476 Posts
Quote from caveman017 :
$300 windows laptops are cheap plastic trash and won't get anywhere near 16 hours of battery life. The A18 Pro in this will also almost certainly run circles around whatever Celeron/Pentium in the cheapest laptops. It should outperform most of the lower level i3 and Ryzen 3 chips and competes well with the i5 and Ryzen 5 chips at a much lower power draw.

Even if you don't use the EDU loophole, I'm sure there will be sales on this frequently to bring it down to the $499-549 price point
OK, so they are just pushing the battery life ad advantage, yet I have not seen it being any one of the main points, apple should do better sales/marketing to push that, because 16 hours? Really? That's amazing, if true, under most conditions unless with all radio off, screen dim, in "ebook mode"? It's always "up to" x hours. Would still love to see real life performance. Sure, apple makes really attractive hard drive and things just look good overall but the limitation that come with that beauty is what most people are not willing to pay for.

Quote from SDJP2020 :
This is why I don't tend to look at Macbook deals. Every time I see someone talk describe the benefits of Macbooks they are always uninformed. Usually, it's the value argument which can be easily debunked (for example with the Acer Aspire 16 for $550 or my Galaxy Book with SDX with free earbuds for $375). Sometimes it's the build quality, which both of my examples have metal chassis and my machine feels nearly as solid in use. Same with processing power, people mention how M-series blow Windows competitors away, and yet these same people say all they do is word processing, so which is it, do you need the power or not??
The OS is probably the fairest argument, since its preference, even if I disagree as someone who uses an M3 Pro 14" for work and feel limited by the multitasking capabilities. For an average person who can't be bothered to do an ounce of research then yes they have good value if you blind buy but these comments hardly make sense here on Slickdeals...
The biggest problem is the push from both sides that theirs is better than the other. Apple vs PC, like why do either side try to convince with strange arguments. Some people buy diving watches or pilot watches because they like the way those watches look, they will never dive or fly a plane.
Same with these, I bought an iPad recently because honestly I like the way it works for quick jobs and it just feels damn good compared to any other tablet I had, but getting and iPhone? I have to lose my memory completely to be convinced to buy an iphone. It looks damn good, but it's like moving to a different country, and I would not tell anyone using iphone "no man, just switch to Android".
1
Mar 04, 2026 07:30 PM
1,175 Posts
Joined Nov 2017
SDJP2020Mar 04, 2026 07:30 PM
1,175 Posts
Quote from Ride_The_Sky :

OK, so they are just pushing the battery life ad advantage, yet I have not seen it being any one of the main points, apple should do better sales/marketing to push that, because 16 hours? Really? That's amazing, if true, under most conditions unless with all radio off, screen dim, in "ebook mode"? It's always "up to" x hours. Would still love to see real life performance. Sure, apple makes really attractive hard drive and things just look good overall but the limitation that come with that beauty is what most people are not willing to pay for.



The biggest problem is the push from both sides that theirs is better than the other. Apple vs PC, like why do either side try to convince with strange arguments. Some people buy diving watches or pilot watches because they like the way those watches look, they will never dive or fly a plane.
Same with these, I bought an iPad recently because honestly I like the way it works for quick jobs and it just feels damn good compared to any other tablet I had, but getting and iPhone? I have to lose my memory completely to be convinced to buy an iphone. It looks damn good, but it's like moving to a different country, and I would not tell anyone using iphone "no man, just switch to Android".
My comment was mostly directed to people (typically on here or Reddit) who suggest that Windows laptops are not worth getting for casual use because of the great battery life on Mac and the build quality (both of which are true). They suggest that you should learn a whole new OS just because of those benefits which I disagree with. Was M1 great back in the day, yes, but since a few years ago with Snapdragon and Lunar Lake the battery life argument is simply false, and more machines are coming with premium features like an OLED screen, touch compatibility, 2-in-1, or metal like on Mac.

I'm just saying it's not as cut and dry as uninformed people keep making it seem. Typically, those people know little about laptops because they haven't bothered searching for deals as they would have come across comparable options. If you know you want something that works in the "ecosystem" (Link to Windows already has a few features but is screen mirroring really a dealbreaker?) then Macs are the way to go. If you want to try a new OS and are interested/don't want to use Windows then go ahead. There are plenty of reasons to switch, but half of the reasons people mention are proven false with some research... Unfortunately, the people who know the least often speak the loudest and it muddies the water for the rest of the reasonable people. This is certainly a large upgrade over chromebooks for the education market though, but 8GB isn't enough, even if Macs theoretically manage memory slightly better than Windows...
Last edited by SDJP2020 March 4, 2026 at 01:50 PM.
4
Mar 04, 2026 07:49 PM
6,463 Posts
Joined Dec 2004
CaleoMar 04, 2026 07:49 PM
6,463 Posts
Quote from Ride_The_Sky :
I get why apple did this, but they should have done a bit more either on price for non students, or better specs, seriously 8GB of ram?
You do realise that the going rate for 8GB of RAM these days is over $100, right?
2
2
Mar 04, 2026 07:50 PM
29 Posts
Joined Dec 2014
johnydiMar 04, 2026 07:50 PM
29 Posts
It looks nice, enough for my needs, and fits my budget.
1
Mar 04, 2026 07:59 PM
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Joined Oct 2021

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Mar 04, 2026 08:06 PM
756 Posts
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_DonkeyKong_Mar 04, 2026 08:06 PM
756 Posts
Is there a loophole to becoming a member of edu? Also why is touch iD good
1

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