At PlaneRange, we hold every aircraft to the same standard: manufacturer documentation, ACAP payload-range charts, and FAA field-length methodology. When Apple unveiled the MacBook Neo, we applied that same rigor. What we found was humbling. Not for the aircraft — for us.
The MacBook Neo's ferry range is 0 nm. Its maximum payload range is also 0 nm. At first, we assumed a data entry error. We checked the ACAP documents. There are no ACAP documents. We checked the Boeing and Airbus websites. Apple filed no airport planning characteristics. We reached out to the manufacturer. A press release arrived explaining that the MacBook Neo "reimagines what's possible."
We entered 0 nm.
Published cruise true airspeed is 3 knots — approximately the pace of a brisk walk, or slightly faster than a Goodyear Blimp departing into a 4-knot headwind. Cruise altitude is certified at 5 feet above mean sea level, which places the MacBook Neo comfortably below FAA controlled airspace and just above the average desk.
For comparison, the Wright Flyer cruises at 30 knots and 20 feet. The MacBook Neo is, on both axes, a step backward from 1903.
The MacBook Neo requires 0 feet of runway for takeoff. It also requires 0 feet for landing. This is either a revolutionary feat of engineering or an accurate description of a device that does not take off. Apple describes it as the former. PlaneRange is withholding judgment.
Runway adequacy checks throughout the dataset flag airports that fall short of an aircraft's required field length. At 0 feet required, every airport on Earth — including Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport in Saba (1,312 ft), the shortest commercial runway in the world — has more than enough pavement to operate the MacBook Neo. Quito, Bogotá, and Lukla are all cleared for unrestricted operations.
A conventional payload-range diagram has three regions: the structural limit (where the aircraft hits MZFW and must trade passengers for fuel), the fuel-volume limit (where tanks are full and payload must decrease to stay under MTOW), and the ferry point (zero payload, maximum range). The MacBook Neo's curve is a single point at the origin. It cannot be rendered as a curve. We have rendered it as a dot. The dot is very small.
Maximum structural payload is 3 lbs. This is roughly the weight of the MacBook Neo itself, which Apple has not confirmed is a coincidence.
The MacBook Neo is operated exclusively by Apple Inc. in a single-class configuration: Economy (Wi-Fi Included). There is one seat. ACAP documents for single-seat aircraft typically note passenger emergency egress requirements; the MacBook Neo has none on file, possibly because at 3 knots and 5 feet of altitude, egress is a matter of stepping out.
The MacBook Neo holds no ETOPS certification. ETOPS applicability requires twin-engine turbine aircraft; the MacBook Neo has zero engines. There is a philosophical argument that zero is an even number and therefore qualifies as a twin, but the FAA has not ruled on this and we do not expect a ruling.
Diversion airport coverage at ETOPS-60 would extend 3 nm from the departure airport. At a cruise speed of 3 knots, reaching that diversion airport would take exactly one hour. The math is circular and we find it satisfying.
The canonical MacBook Neo route departs San Jose Mineta International (SJC) — a 90-minute drive from Apple Park — and arrives at SJC, unchanged. This is not a limitation. Apple has described zero range as "liberating." The range ring on the map is a point. At the highest zoom level, it is still a point. This is the correct behavior.
Load the scenario: MacBook Neo from SJC →
PlaneRange publishes data only from ACAP documents, manufacturer spec sheets, and verified type certificates. The MacBook Neo's specifications are sourced from internal PlaneRange engineering estimates following extensive deliberation (approximately four minutes). The ferry range of 0 nm has been confirmed against multiple independent sources. We are confident in the figure.
See range, specs, and airline configs on PlaneRange:
MacBook Neo Visualize on the Map →New routes pushed to their limits, new aircraft, and features as they land.
