The Mac mini is no longer priced like a “starter” computer. Not only is it affordable, but it packs an enormous amount of power into a tiny package, especially with Apple Silicon's ability to run AI models locally. If there's a wrinkle, it's that the Mac mini now starts at $899, pushing its price much higher than what we're used to. It got me thinking that Apple could really do with making a new, low-cost desktop Mac that could fill the space vacated by the mini's ever-increasing price. It should make a Mac Neo.

The Mac mini is one of the smartest products in Apple's lineup, and one of its most enduring. Born in 2005, it was the cheapest and easiest way to dip a toe into the Mac world for a mainstream that was just warming up to Apple. The $499 Mac mini was a small, well-made machine you could hook up to your existing keyboard, mouse and display. In the intervening years, the price has fluctuated, but always tied to that notion of a machine well under $1,000 you could buy guilt-free.

Sadly, the AI bubble and RAMpocalypse meant that the Mac mini became desirable to a whole different class of user. Apple Silicon's ability to run models locally made it a good alternative to racks of PC servers with GPUs. Its relatively low cost meant AI developers began buying them by the truckful, spiking demand and forcing Apple to kill off the cheapest model of the machine.

Which is why I'd love to see a Mac Neo, built upon the same general principles as the Mac Book Neo. If Apple could get it out of the door for $500, I have little doubt it would sell deliriously well. Given the Apple TV 4K uses an A15 Bionic Chip, it's not as if Apple doesn't already know how to make this form factor work.