MacBook Neo name leaked by Apple - is this the rumored cheap MacBook (in red or blue colors?)

Apple might have accidentally strayed into some serious faux pas territory by leaking the name of its budget MacBook that's rumored to be launching tomorrow.

2

Based on a regulatory document spotted by MacRumors, the device will be called the MacBook Neo. That's the name provided in the document, alongside a model number - A3404 - on Apple's website.

Or it was, because as soon as MacRumors published its article highlighting the MacBook Neo reference, it disappeared from the online document. Naturally, that's par for the course with any leak.

There was no other info gleaned from this piece of spillage, sadly, in the way of specs or images - all we got was the name. And granted, it's possible that it could be a codename placeholder.

However, the MacBook Neo fits Apple's naming conventions well enough, given that we have the Air and Pro, so it's another three-letter model name. It also means 'new' which is a hint that this is a very different approach to a MacBook for Apple, and if the rumors are true, it will certainly be that - using an iPhone chip (A18 Pro possibly) rather than an M-series SoC.

What we're really hoping for, of course, is that it plumbs new lows in terms of the pricing, which everyone is hoping will be truly wallet-friendly.

However, the fact that Apple just bumped up the price of the MacBook Air M5 by $100 may be a hint that a super-low price tag isn't in the cards. Mainly because as I just discussed elsewhere, shifting the price to $1,099 with the new Air M5 could be seen as potentially making space for a higher-cost low-cost MacBook (ahem).

MacBook Neo also conjures images of The Matrix, naturally. Perhaps the initial reveal at Apple's big press event will start with: "There is no laptop..."