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Engadget proposes $500 'Mac Neo' as Mac mini price climbs

Engadget suggests Apple create a $500 'Mac Neo' to fill the budget desktop gap left by the Mac mini's rising price.

AI News Feed · 2026-08-27 03:43

Engadget recalls that the Mac mini debuted in 2005 at $499 as the cheapest way to enter the Mac ecosystem. It served hobbyists, families and switchers as a media center, home server or second machine. The column says that an influx of AI developers, attracted by Apple Silicon's ability to run local AI models, along with a 'RAMpocalypse' in memory prices, forced Apple to drop the least expensive Mac mini model. As a result, the Mac mini has become unaffordable for many of its original users.

The author proposes a 'Mac Neo' built on the principles of the MacBook Neo, with a simple desktop form factor, USB-C ports for connectivity and expansion, and a target price of about $500. Engadget argues that Apple already knows how to make such a device work, pointing to the Apple TV 4K with its A15 Bionic chip as a precedent. The Neo would offer a usable macOS experience for light tasks while drawing on the system's efficient memory management.

The column rejects the Apple TV 4K as an alternative, saying the streaming box's $249 price is too high for what it does, especially since a whole Mac mini used to cost just twice that figure. The Mac Neo, the author suggests, would also be an ideal first step for those curious about macOS. Its intentionally limited power would keep it from running AI models effectively, insulating it from the demand that drove up the Mac mini's price and making it an attractive, affordable option again.