Update, Sunday May 3: This article has been updated with details on the iPad Pro’s retail performance and its impact on the MacBook Neo.
Browsing the MacBook Neo laptops (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) ,
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With the launch of the MacBook Neo, Apple has once again upended the Windows laptop market. Through the use of the powerful A18 Pro chipset previously used in the iPhone 16 and strategic cost-saving measures (such as relying on binned A18 Pro chips to keep down the bill of materials, slower USB ports, and a lower-specced screen compared to other Macs), Apple can offer significant computing power at the incredibly competitive price of $599.
The MacBook Neo is also disrupting a market closer to home, issuing a direct challenge to the iPad Pro. And it’s a challenge that Apple’s tablet could struggle to answer.
There’s a reason I’m picking out the iPad Pro here. While Apple has the iPad and iPad Air available, these are promoted towards media consumption and light, almost phone-like work. It’s Apple that has specifically marked out the iPad Pro as the equivalent to a computer, going so far as to run advertising campaigns on “your next computer is not a computer."
Apple has defined this head-to-head. So let’s look at the iPad Pro and how the MacBook Neo trumps the long-established hardware.
Pricing on the iPad Pro starts at $999, but the full “your next computer” is going to need you to buy more hardware. A Magic Keyboard is pretty much a mandatory purchase at $299, and the Apple Pencil is strongly implied by Apple’s marketing, which adds another $79, bringing the final sticker price to $1,377.
At that price, you are within a few dollars of being able to buy two of the higher-specced MacBook Neo models.
If you were to go for the regular iPad, it starts at $349 for the 128 GB model, plus $249 for the Magic Keyboard Folio and $79 for the Apple Pencil, for a total of $677. A package undercut by the base MacBook Neo with 256 GB of storage at $599, and the higher-specced $699 is just the price of an Apple Polishing Cloth in difference.
The MacBook Neo delivers a superior typing experience right out of the box, alongside the haptic trackpad. Comparing the setup of a fully equipped iPad or iPad Pro to that of the MacBook Neo, the MacBook Neo still wins out in terms of specifications and functionality.
Update, Sunday May 3.
Online tipster Instant Digital has backed up reporting by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that Apple’s planned large-screened iPad - the presumptively named iPad Ultra - will not be released. Replying to their community, Instant Digital cites various upcoming Ultra models for the Apple Watch, the Mxx Apple Silicon, the iPhone Ultra and the MacBook Ultra.
They called out Apple for having “no plans” to bring the iPad Ultra to consumers, then highlighted the underperforming iPad Pro in the marketplace.
That means you have the iPad Ultra facing cancellation, as it no longer meets public needs; the iPad Pro falling short of projections; and the imminent debut of a foldable iPhone to capture those who need a highly portable tablet display on the road.
Stack those up on one side of the scale, and place the MacBook Neo on the other. The Neo is winning in every area where the iPad family is weak.
An iPad Pro is displayed inside of the Apple Carnegie Library store on May 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
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One of the biggest differences in the packages, and one that gives another advantage to the MacBook Neo, is the operating system. While iPadOS and macOS both work within Apple’s cloud, only one can guarantee you have ‘full applications’ available to users.
While developers may offer software with the same name on both platforms, iPadOS versions are generally limited due to the operating system's user interface and limited flexibility. Once you move away from media apps and PIM suites, every step of added complexity makes the iPad versions feel more awkward, while the macOS versions feel more competent.
The MacBook Neo will not perform at the same level as the more expensive MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros, but it will perform using the same apps. The Neo remains as mobile as the iPad Pro, but with a true desktop and superior apps. Plus, you can see the file system.
It’s worth noting that the $999 iPad Air is for the 11-inch version. Step up to the 13-inch model to match the MacBook Neo, and you'll pay $300 more. Physically, the direct comparison between the iPad Pro and the Neo favours the iPad Pro with more screen real estate and, arguably, an operating system that allows for greater information density (and that’s with the extra white space added by macOS 26 Tahoe).
It’s worth noting the physical specifications here. Once you add the Magic Keyboard to the iPad Pro, the MacBook Neo becomes not only the thinner option, but also the lighter option. The value of Apple’s tablet - the portability - is stripped away.
It’s also worth noting that how we are working with computers is changing. The rise of AI, including generative AI and large language models, has increased the need for a physical keyboard compared to just two years ago. The Neo keyboard, tightly integrated with both hardware and software, offers greater speed and flexibility than the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro.
Apple has spent years turning the iPad family into a consumer-focused computer. With the arrival of the MacBook Neo, Apple has the consumer’s computer that it has been trying to build with the iPad. The compromises that had to be made to bring the iPad Pro into that window have been taken away. The MacBook Neo offers more computing performance and potential at half the price.
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