Apple May Drop Base $599 MacBook Neo as Chip, DRAM Costs Climb

[jlc1978]

Doesn't matter, the sentiment still applies, which was that people were in their honeymoon period with the M1 8 / 256 GB in the first few months after it launched in 2020, but by early 2021 the reality of its limitations set in.

What limitations? My 8/256 M1 is still more than enough for how it is used; 6 years down the road. In the real world, specs don't matter, what does is how well the machine does the needed tasks, and 8/256 I more than enough for many users. Spending more that does not solve a problem with lower specs is a waste of money.

I have even used it instead of my M3Max when I didn't want to drag it along and other than running an LLM it met my needs.

I don’t really understand how this minimizes my experience with RAM requirements.

It doesn't, but some people can't seem to understand different use cases from their own; or get all caught up in specs without regard to how machines can be used.

 

[EugW]

What limitations? My 8/256 M1 is still more than enough for how it is used; 6 years down the road. In the real world, specs don't matter, what does is how well the machine does the needed tasks, and 8/256 I more than enough for many users. Spending more that does not solve a problem with lower specs is a waste of money.

I have even used it instead of my M3Max when I didn't want to drag it along and other than running an LLM it met my needs.

Did you even read his post? He said the M1 8/256 GB it was insufficient for his needs. "I used one for over a year. It did a lot of things very well, just not everything I needed."

I said this post was illustrative of what people said sometime after the M1 8/256 first came out. Yes it did basic and some intermediate tasks well, but it wasn't magic. There were lots of people out there at first launch that claimed 8 GB RAM on Apple Silicon could handle tons more than expected, but that sentiment changed for many after the users actually used it in the real world for a few months. Yes it indeed does basic stuff fine, but 8 GB can still be very limiting.

I sold my M1 16 GB Mac mini years ago. It was actually OK for what I did, but by then I had already started to notice occasional lag just doing business app multitasking. That lag completely disappeared when I went to an M4 24 GB, although that wasn't the main reason for the upgrade. For my wife we stuck with the base 16 GB RAM, but went with 512 GB storage, because 256 GB was limiting for even just light usage. I found I had to clean out her previous 256 GB drive every year or less because it would fill up with macOS junk. As for the Neo, I noticed that aforementioned lag on first use.

 

[abowlby]

I’m sure there is. But obviously not enough.

They chose Utah for a reason.

Yes. Cheap land. Also, there is some interesting consideration for how a close looped system might benefit from the dissipation made available by freezing desert nights.

Plus, I don't think the Commissioners are completely lying/wrong about the lack of zoning constraints. Still, the possibility of a greased palm or two is definitely there as well.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Yes. Cheap land. Also, there is some interesting consideration for how a close looped system might benefit from the dissipation made available by freezing desert nights.

Plus, I don't think the Commissioners are completely lying/wrong about the lack of zoning constraints. Still, the possibility of a greased palm or two is definitely there as well.

What I don't like about that Utah situation (well, one thing I don't like anyhow) is folks being labeled NIMBY.

This isn't for a new park or tennis court or other community asset or benefit.

Data centers have enormous negative externalities that are solely borne by folks in the surrounding areas and they get basically nothing for it. Folks have every right to want no part of these nearby.

 

[abowlby]

What I don't like about that Utah situation (well, one thing I don't like anyhow) is folks being labeled NIMBY.

This isn't for a new park or tennis court or other community asset or benefit.

Data centers have enormous negative externalities that are solely borne by folks in the surrounding areas and they get basically nothing for it. Folks have every right to want no part of these nearby.

I agree. That along with the current admin pilfering our public lands makes me very upset. Those places are cathedrals in my opinion. Not to mention an inheritance that each subsequent generation has stewarded and expanded upon.

The meeting also focused on water, but I haven't heard or read anything regarding electricity use outside of the fact that this data center will require more electricity than what is currently being used in the ENTIRE state. Is Kev going to pony up for that? Nope, it's going to break down into averages and normal people with normal incomes are going to be absolutely wrecked I fear.

And not to tin foil the subject too much but to my eyes, there are these business variables missing that don't make sense. I think this is essentially "Azure/AWS but for AI." So, ok...I'm supposed to believe that Kevin O'Leary the skilled and prudent investor from Shark Tank fame is building infrastructure at this scale so people can make Ninja Cat memes and erase ex-love interests out of images? I don't buy it. He is taking a calculated risk at an infrastructure piece that will make him one of like three viable options for a Federal Government surveillance contract at that scale. We aren't talking local communities being backdoored with FLOCK, we're talking Social Credit and Digital ID. I dunno, something is missing in the algebra here.

 

[kiranmk2]

It’s widely available at Amazon and Walmart. I suspect the issue is far more consumers are buying from Apple to save $100.

Possibly related to the news that Apple are tightening up access to student pricing...

 

[geta]

False. I have an M1 MBA in that configuration and find it extremely useful.

When you bought it 6 years ago it was acceptable, in 2026 not anymore.

 

[geta]

The $699 model also has 8GB of RAM. Guess Apple shouldn't have released that either, right? A 16GB / 512GB version would be $799. It wouldn't have sold as well as that price.

Agree that Apple should not have released a computer with 8GB or RAM in 2026, and disagree about your last statement.

 

[geta]

I used one for over a year. It did a lot of things very well, just not everything I needed.

Good for: browsing, email, word processing.

Fair for: iOS development (256GB was very limiting).

Bad for: Android development (low memory), Teams (never really figured out what was specifically limiting).

So are you one of the lucky Apple employees who got to test the Neo during last year?

 

[EugW]

So are you one of the lucky Apple employees who got to test the Neo during last year?

He was not talking about the Neo, just an 8 / 256 GB Mac.

 

[jlc1978]

Did you even read his post? He said the M1 8/256 GB it was insufficient for his needs. "I used one for over a year. It did a lot of things very well, just not everything I needed."

Which is why I started out with “What limitations” to see what they were. There were some general ones, I was curious how 8/256 impacted him as my experience has been different. Having more info helps when someone asks for a recommendation.

 

[IvyKing]

Price of RAM could be worse, I was looking through a scan of the February 1977 issue of BYTE, and seeing a price of $295 for a memory board with 4K of RAM (FWIW, this was for the SS-50 bus).

I suspect that reduction is price per GB will be slowing down compared to past decades.

 

[jlc1978]

When you bought it 6 years ago it was acceptable, in 2026 not anymore.

What, besides your opinion, makes it unacceptable? There are plenty of users whose use case is well served by such a configuration and spending $100 is a waste of money that could be put to a better use.

 

[eliamartin]

How is this not speculation upon speculation? No one here knows what Apple's inventory of A18 Pros looks like.

No one.

I don't know who this Culpan person is, but this is just assumptions on top of assumptions. This isn't journalism, it's a story based on rumours to get ad clicks. Write something based on nothing to reach a quota.

Agreed. We should wait and see what happens with the Neo.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Price of RAM could be worse, I was looking through a scan of the February 1977 issue of BYTE, and seeing a price of $295 for a memory board with 4K of RAM (FWIW, this was for the SS-50 bus).

I suspect that reduction is price per GB will be slowing down compared to past decades.

Is the price of early technology 50 years ago really that relevant?

 

[geta]

What, besides your opinion, makes it unacceptable? There are plenty of users whose use case is well served by such a configuration and spending $100 is a waste of money that could be put to a better use.

Like what? to buy coffee at Starbucks and dinner for two at McDonald's? 🤔

 

[jlc1978]

Like what? to buy coffee at Starbucks and dinner for two at McDonald's? 🤔

Dinner at McD’s only if Happy Meals.

 

[IvyKing]

Is the price of early technology 50 years ago really that relevant?

Probably not, but it does put some perspective on current prices. We're not in the situation where RAM prices are dropping by a factor of 5 to 10 every five years.

 

[Zwhaler]

If the goal was to bring more people into the brand and grow the reach of Macs, leave it alone. Apple can afford a small loss per unit. Revisit in a year.

Yeah, Apple has done something here that we haven't seen for decades. New converts flowing into the brand at a record pace. Apple shouldn't take that momentum for granted. It will create future lock-in within iOS, iPadOS, Mac, Services and other verticals in Apple's business.

 

[jlc1978]

Yeah, Apple has done something here that we haven't seen for decades. New converts flowing into the brand at a record pace. Apple shouldn't take that momentum for granted. It will create future lock-in within iOS, iPadOS, Mac, Services and other verticals in Apple's business.

The question is what is the breakdown of new users vs replacement devices and base vs upgraded versions? I suspect Apple wouldn't simply stop sale of a version if it was the best seller and bringing in lots of new users; if they could avoid stopping the increase in new users by eating a price increase for a while.

 

[4sallypat]

Agree that Apple should not have released a computer with 8GB or RAM in 2026, and disagree about your last statement.

Why don't you go work for Apple and make changes you want ?
We would love that wouldn't we ?

I don't really care that you think 8GB in 2026 was wrong.

I love my 8GB Indigo Neo and so does my wife's 8GB Blush Neo - we are now converts.

 

[geta]

Why don't you go work for Apple and make changes you want ?
We would love that wouldn't we ?

I don't really care that you think 8GB in 2026 was wrong.

I love my 8GB Indigo Neo and so does my wife's 8GB Blush Neo - we are now converts.

You seem to really care what I think and say if you take the time to quote my posts and reply to them. 🤷‍♂️

Maybe you should go work for Apple because from your posts you seem to think you are the "gold standard" for their laptops usage.

 

[bapegg]

It is possible that global supply of 256GB NAND chips is severely constrained, since Apple has also dropped the 256GB configuration for the Mac mini. So Apple could be holding back supply in order to support 512GB configurations (which I believe all use 2x256GB NAND chips).

The 512 GB Mac mini model does use two 256 GB chips. That is why the read/write speed is faster on the 512 GB model versus the 256 GB model

The 512 GB Neo uses a single 512 GB chip. And the read/write speed of the 512 GB model is the same as the 256 GB model.

 

[jlc1978]

I love my 8GB Indigo Neo and so does my wife's 8GB Blush Neo - we are now converts.

That is the key - get what works for your use case. The whole future proofing argument is a bit overdone since for most users by the time your machine its starting to be impacted by 8/256 likely in the market for a new machine. I bet, for many users, 8/256 will not be an issue for a long time.

 

[4sallypat]

That is the key - get what works for your use case. The whole future proofing argument is a bit overdone since for most users by the time your machine its starting to be impacted by 8/256 likely in the market for a new machine. I bet, for many users, 8/256 will not be an issue for a long time.

Yes, agree - my M1 Mac Studio w/ 32GB and M2 MBA with 8GB is still fine - although not as snappy quick like the Neo......