Apple has quietly increased the price of its MacBook Neo for students once again, making its most affordable laptop a little less affordable than it was at launch.

The entry-level MacBook Neo now starts at $649 on Apple’s US education store, up from $599, reducing the student discount from $100 to just $50. The change happened within the past week and also affects education pricing in other countries.

It’s the second increase since the MacBook Neo launched in March, when eligible students could pick one up for just $499. That price climbed to $599 in June before reaching $649 this October, meaning students are now paying $150 more than they would have at launch.

The latest increase also brings the education price much closer to the regular retail price of $699, which Apple raised from $599 back in June.

UK students are in the same boat. The MacBook Neo now starts at £649 on Apple’s UK education store, up from £499 at launch, while the standard retail price sits at £699 – again leaving a saving of just £50.

Apple has blamed its wider product price increases on a global memory chip shortage, which has pushed up the cost of RAM and storage components. The company has also increased prices across parts of its iPhone, iPad and Mac lineups this year.

Despite the higher price, the MacBook Neo remains Apple’s cheapest laptop and could still appeal to students looking for an affordable way into the Mac ecosystem.

The current model runs on Apple’s A18 Pro chip with 8GB of RAM and comes in four colours: Silver, Blush, Citrus and Indigo. However, the smaller education discount makes it a less compelling deal than it was just a few months ago.

There’s also another reason buyers might want to hold off. Apple is reportedly preparing a second-generation MacBook Neo for the first half of 2027, potentially bringing an A19 chip, 12GB of RAM and new colour options.

As of now, eligible students can still save $50 through Apple’s education store, although the company now uses UNiDAYS verification in the US and Canada to restrict the discount to qualifying customers.