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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
328 Comments 106,404 Views
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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
Good Deal
Get Deal at Apple Store

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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 05, 2026 06:59 AM
4,626 Posts
Joined Jul 2008
MrStealYourHamsterMar 05, 2026 06:59 AM
4,626 Posts
No glory in a cheap budget MacBook.
Mar 05, 2026 08:29 AM
71 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
OnThruTheChompersMar 05, 2026 08:29 AM
71 Posts
I like it, but personally, I am picking up a M1 MacBook Air instead of this. I like the slightly bigger (if a bit dimmer) screen, longer advertised battery life, backlit keyboard, USB3 ports, and perhaps most importantly, the option to get one with 16GB of RAM—and still for less $ than the Neo. I picked up one of the 8GB eBay/Walmart M1s, but found one with 16GB RAM for not much more, so will likely keep that as I expect it to stay relevant for longer.

Trade-offs in my book are the 256GB storage, presumably shorter SW support window, slightly slower single-thread performance, inferior webcam, and the older (but still nice) design.

Edit: just found out that the Neo lacks Force Touch (haptic trackpad). Makes me feel even better about my decision to stick with the M1.
Last edited by OnThruTheChompers March 5, 2026 at 04:06 AM.
Mar 05, 2026 08:30 AM
71 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
OnThruTheChompersMar 05, 2026 08:30 AM
71 Posts
Removing duplicate comment
Mar 05, 2026 08:38 AM
12 Posts
Joined Nov 2021
VioletStove509Mar 05, 2026 08:38 AM
12 Posts
honestly this barely makes any sense to me, you can get something with a core ultra 5, twice the ram, and 4 times the storage for $499 right now, why are we going back to 8gb of ram in 2026
2
Mar 05, 2026 09:10 AM
3,306 Posts
Joined Aug 2006
whatgooddealMar 05, 2026 09:10 AM
3,306 Posts
Quote from GinnyMaive :
🙄🙄🙄🙄 8 GB works perfectly even at fairly heavy use in my MacBook air. These aren't windows machines lol
define "fairly heavy use".
Mar 05, 2026 12:09 PM
71 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
OnThruTheChompersMar 05, 2026 12:09 PM
71 Posts
Quote from goyangyi1 :
M1 has exactly 1 more year of support left. I wouldn't buy it.
I'd be kind of surprised if it only had a year of support left. They were selling M1 units brand new at Walmart very recently as a precursor to the Neo. I doubt it's so difficult for Apple to continue supporting M1 silicon, and it seems like bad form to cut support off for recent purchasers. Even if it stops getting major OS updates, there's still security updates for several years.
1
Mar 05, 2026 12:19 PM
142 Posts
Joined Apr 2013
ResetGenerationMar 05, 2026 12:19 PM
142 Posts
Quote from VioletStove509 :
honestly this barely makes any sense to me, you can get something with a core ultra 5, twice the ram, and 4 times the storage for $499 right now, why are we going back to 8gb of ram in 2026
Memory costs doubling in six months does that

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Mar 05, 2026 12:22 PM
1,125 Posts
Joined Oct 2011
hellonwheelzMar 05, 2026 12:22 PM
1,125 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank hellonwheelz

Quote from whatgooddeal :
define "fairly heavy use".
Pick any two simultaneously. Obs streaming, 4k video editing, multiple tabs open, 4k YouTube, video conferencing, 40MP raw photo workflow, etc. Easier 3d modeling. Obviously lower stuff like coding, canva, drawing, music creation is even easier.
I have a 32GB m1 MacBook Pro, but when I had 8gb M1 it limited multitasking and open tabs, but not heavy use of professional apps, even content creation, and professional workflows.
Go review almost any thread with the m1 and users will tell you the same. Apple memory compression and swap is leagues ahead of 8gb on windows.
Last edited by hellonwheelz March 5, 2026 at 04:27 AM.
1
1
Mar 05, 2026 12:30 PM
79 Posts
Joined May 2020
cm1816Mar 05, 2026 12:30 PM
79 Posts
Quote from VioletStove509 :
honestly this barely makes any sense to me, you can get something with a core ultra 5, twice the ram, and 4 times the storage for $499 right now, why are we going back to 8gb of ram in 2026
You are correct that you could likely get that, but the machine you describe will have: a worse screen, a slower CPU, worse build quality, and worse battery life compared to this, at bare minimum. It's all about tradeoffs.
1
1
Mar 05, 2026 12:34 PM
156 Posts
Joined Jul 2009
BerlinMar 05, 2026 12:34 PM
156 Posts
I have an 8 gb m1 macbook pro that I gave to my SO. It was fine and remains fine for most things, including coding on it with rust, python, and htmls/css/javascript. I currently have both MacOS and Asahi Linux running on it, with no issues.
Mar 05, 2026 12:38 PM
142 Posts
Joined Apr 2013
ResetGenerationMar 05, 2026 12:38 PM
142 Posts
Quote from _DonkeyKong_ :
Is there a loophole to becoming a member of edu? Also why is touch iD good
Anyone can use the edu store. Officially they said family members of a student or educator are eligible. No checking either.
Mar 05, 2026 03:03 PM
6,139 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
dcliveMar 05, 2026 03:03 PM
6,139 Posts
Quote from VioletStove509 :
honestly this barely makes any sense to me, you can get something with a core ultra 5, twice the ram, and 4 times the storage for $499 right now, why are we going back to 8gb of ram in 2026
You can do better than that. I just bought the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 (OLED 120 Hz 1000 nits brightness, 16GB, 512GB, 16", nVidia 5050 8GB) for $804 after tax, minus $225 in CapitalOne credits to use at Lowes, so call it net $575 after tax.

A Macbook Neo 8/512/touchid would run me $650 edu after tax, and would be far slower, far slower GPU/gaming/HEVC tasks, and a far worse screen (it's a decent if unexceptional IPS, 500 nits, on the Mac). And only 8GB. And 2 performance cores, not six.

But it runs Windows. And that's the key issue and dealbreaker for many people. Regardless of how good Windows hardware is, it still runs Windows. No (or poor) iPhone integration, no Apple Messages (without hacks or a constant BT link), no easy Photos usage and links... it's all just a long stream of hacks and doings necessary things badly.
Last edited by dclive March 5, 2026 at 07:05 AM.
1
Mar 05, 2026 03:06 PM
2,327 Posts
Joined Aug 2011
anerdnamedjoshuaMar 05, 2026 03:06 PM
2,327 Posts
All I can say is I am VERY glad I snagged an M4 Air over the holidays for $725 (that weekend where Best Buy also threw in a $25 gift card on top of the $250 off).
Mar 05, 2026 03:23 PM
2,261 Posts
Joined Apr 2006
ratbastardMar 05, 2026 03:23 PM
2,261 Posts
As a person who deals with K-12 school IT stuff, here's my take: it's going to be hard to convince purchasing departments to overhaul their OS choice when there are rampant budget cuts to education. Not only are Windows and ChromeOS options much cheaper, Dell and HP offer serious bulk purchasing discounts compared to Apple. I'm not saying the Neo isn't a better product, but I'm saying the money isn't there for most districts. Remember, there is also a teacher workflow shift - teachers are very reluctant to learn a new operating system and some of the software they have been using may look very different on MacOS or even be incompatible with other peripherals. The device management system is also different, so districts will have to spend considerable time and money on training. In addition, since so many kids have iPhones, the districts that want to restrict unauthorized use of technology in schools wouldn't want computers that can connect to Apple services (Messenger, FaceTime). However, with the terrible experience that is Windows 11 and the impending switch from ChromeOS to AluminiumOS, Apple could manage to convince some smaller school districts to stick with a more stable OS and durable device. Is this the best $500 laptop available? Probably. Is it going to convince a majority of districts to switch? Probably not.
1

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Mar 05, 2026 05:40 PM
92 Posts
Joined Sep 2020
NervousSnake1031Mar 05, 2026 05:40 PM
92 Posts
people complain so much as if they can changed it.... apple marketing strategies are always effective tho thats why people still buy them ..

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