Kerry Wan/ZDNET
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ZDNET's key takeaways
A $599 laptop is doable if your education depends heavily on it.
Aside from completing your homework, the MacBook Neo is an entry to the perks of the macOS ecosystem.
Still, you shouldn't expect even older MacBook Air-level performance from it.
I didn't have my first truly capable laptop until I graduated from college and could finally afford a 13-inch M2 MacBook Air.
After paying for my tuition, rent, gas, and groceries, there was no way my parents were going to come up with an additional $1,100 for a laptop. So, I was stuck with a hand-me-down HP model that hissed and buzzed like it was on its last legs, couldn't make it through hour-long lectures without an extra charge, and became my trustee hand warmer in the winter.
Also: How to get the MacBook Neo $499 education price - qualifications to know
I graduated from college in 2022, meaning hybrid classroom models, online assignments, virtual lectures, and digital textbooks were the norm, and they still are. An incapable laptop is an insurmountable barrier to a high-quality education; if the newly announced MacBook Neo had existed when I was in college, it would've changed everything.
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