Apple plans to bring touchscreen support to some of its portable Macs later this year, but the company does not appear ready to extend that feature to its most affordable laptop line. The MacBook Neo launched as Apple’s lowest-priced Mac, and the company structured the hardware carefully so it could reach the $599 starting price. Because of that strategy, Apple does not plan to add extra features to the Neo series anytime soon.
Reports suggest that Apple had to rethink several internal components to reach the current pricing. Those adjustments helped the MacBook Neo compete in the entry level laptop market, especially against Chromebooks that dominate the lower price segment. As a result, Apple plans to keep the Neo simple and focused on cost control rather than expanding the feature set.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman discussed the situation in the latest Power On newsletter and explained why touchscreens remain unlikely for the Neo line in the near future.
“At this point, Apple hasn’t decided whether to bring touch to any Macs beyond the MacBook Pro. I’d be shocked if a touch screen comes to the Neo in the next three years.”
That comment reflects Apple’s current thinking around product positioning. Gurman also said the company had to rethink many components to reach the $599 price, and adding touch displays would increase manufacturing costs.
MacBook Air More Likely to Get Touch
Apple still plans to explore touchscreen Macs, but the company will probably introduce the technology in more expensive models first. The MacBook Air stands as a stronger candidate, although its transition to OLED displays still sits at least two years away.
Current MacBook Neo Pricing
Apple currently sells the MacBook Neo in several configurations:
- 256GB SSD model: $599
- 512GB SSD model: $699
- 1TB configuration: available through modification
For now, Apple appears focused on keeping the Neo affordable while reserving larger hardware changes for higher end MacBooks.
