Apple on MacBook Neo Design: 'We're Certainly Not Making Any Compromises'

[KPOM]

I wish it was lighter and smaller.
As it's the same as an Air I'll get a discounted M4 instead.

If more people bought that 12” MacBook from 2015-2017 it would still be around. The 2017 MacBook was my favorite notebook of all time. The Core m7 finally had decent enough power (though still not a speed demon) and that 2lb weight was great. But the writing was on the wall when Apple released the 2018 MacBook Air and didn’t update the 12” MacBook. I do think Apple released the 12” MacBook too soon. If they released it when they transitioned to Apple Silicon it wouldn’t have had the baggage of being underpowered and throttled.

I also don’t think Apple will ever release another laptop with only 1 port. Even though the MacBook Neo’s second port is only USB 2, at least it has a second port, meaning you can charge it and still connect a device without using an adapter.

The Neo’s main selling point is that it is inexpensive. That’s likely enough for it to be a success.

 

[KPOM]

The person being interviewed is Molly Anderson, VP of Industrial Design. She is in the same role Jony Ive was in and is the successor.

Industrial design is about look/feel/appearance/form. The people complaining about RAM, Touch ID, MagSafe don't seem to get this.

Though Jony Ive was way higher up than a VP. That said, while most of Ive’s team has left Apple, industrial design clearly is still important to the company, as evidenced by the design of the MacBook Neo.

 

[BGordon45]

While the MacBook Neo starts at just $599, or an even lower $499 for college students, Apple has insisted that it did not make any design compromises.

"It's undeniably a MacBook, we're certainly not making any compromises on the design and that's really important," said Apple's vice president of industrial design Molly Anderson, in an interview with architecture and design publication Dezeen.

Anderson added that "it was important" for the MacBook Neo "to be quintessentially a MacBook."

Chiefly, the MacBook Neo is made from aluminum, not plastic.

"It wasn't just a redesign, it was starting from the beginning, and we're not using cheaper materials, it's incredible aluminium," she said.

Available in fun colors like Blush and Citrus, the MacBook Neo is meant to be distinguished from the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, according to Anderson.

"It was important to make it feel part of the family, but with its own personality," she said.

Even though the MacBook Neo is designed with premium materials, Apple did have to make compromises in other areas. For example, the MacBook Neo has only 8GB of RAM, and a Touch ID button is limited to the $699 model. Plus, there is no MagSafe, one of the USB-C ports is limited to USB 2 speeds of just 480 MB/s, and the keys are not backlit.

Despite its limitations, the MacBook Neo will likely be a hit with students and customers who need a Mac mainly for everyday tasks, like web browsing and document editing. Pre-orders began on March 4, ahead of a March 11 launch.

Article Link: Apple on MacBook Neo Design: 'We're Certainly Not Making Any Compromise

While the MacBook Neo starts at just $599, or an even lower $499 for college students, Apple has insisted that it did not make any design compromises.

"It's undeniably a MacBook, we're certainly not making any compromises on the design and that's really important," said Apple's vice president of industrial design Molly Anderson, in an interview with architecture and design publication Dezeen.

Anderson added that "it was important" for the MacBook Neo "to be quintessentially a MacBook."

Chiefly, the MacBook Neo is made from aluminum, not plastic.

"It wasn't just a redesign, it was starting from the beginning, and we're not using cheaper materials, it's incredible aluminium," she said.

Available in fun colors like Blush and Citrus, the MacBook Neo is meant to be distinguished from the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, according to Anderson.

"It was important to make it feel part of the family, but with its own personality," she said.

Even though the MacBook Neo is designed with premium materials, Apple did have to make compromises in other areas. For example, the MacBook Neo has only 8GB of RAM, and a Touch ID button is limited to the $699 model. Plus, there is no MagSafe, one of the USB-C ports is limited to USB 2 speeds of just 480 MB/s, and the keys are not backlit.

Despite its limitations, the MacBook Neo will likely be a hit with students and customers who need a Mac mainly for everyday tasks, like web browsing and document editing. Pre-orders began on March 4, ahead of a March 11 launch.

Article Link: Apple on MacBook Neo Design: 'We're Certainly Not Making Any Compromises'

USB 2 speeds on a 2026 device is wild. Is it really that much cheaper?? Must be a forced differentiation

This is going to get them kids in the ecosystem quicker

 

[G5isAlive]

None of this has anything to do with Apple claiming they made no compromises with the Neo.

I get it. Apple is bad. They Lie. They Market. Worse, they strive to make a profit. Bad Apple. Evil Apple. Must hate all Apple says. You win the prize for most predictable. Congrats.

But let me ask you this, is the MB Air a compromise? Of course it is. If you compare it to a MacBook Pro. Is the MacBook Pro a compromise? Of course it is if you compare it to a Mac Studio. ALL DEVICES ARE COMPROMISES. You don't know this?! Really?

The point is, is the device for the target audience it is designed for? The MBA, the MBP, the Mac Studio (all of which I own), are all designed for different audiences. You think NEO is the device to fit all markets LOL?

Nope. The Neo is designed for those that just don't demand that much from their computers. Is it still a Mac? Undeniably. Are you really going to define a Mac as tactic tracked, mag safe (guess those MacBooks of just a few years ago weren't Macs), or all those other things you like to talk about with your snarky 'gimpbook?'

So if it's a Mac. With an audience. it's not a compromise.

Its really not that difficult for an adult to figure out.

 

[wikiverse]

Give me a break.

The entire device is one compromise after another.

I know gaslighting is the norm with Apple now, but this is a bit much.

What compromises have been made compared to the previous generation Macbook Neo?

 

[KPOM]

USB 2 speeds on a 2026 device is wild. Is it really that much cheaper?? Must be a forced differentiation

This is going to get them kids in the ecosystem quicker

The A18 was designed for the iPhone 16 which has a single port. Apparently it took some engineering magic to add support for a second port at all. Remember the 12” MacBook had just one USB-C port. So a second port is a bonus. Call it the charging port.

 

[R2FX]

Because they expect most people will be smarter than you and realize that the VP of Industrial Design is talking about design and is not taking about internals or features.

Mea culpa - didn’t know she’s VP ID but apart from tinted keyboard I don’t see anything reimagined on that lovely small laptop.

Do you?

 

[alfonsog]

It's fine for college students. I went to college with a x286 desktop with 2MB RAM and was fine as a math major in the 90's. I remember for most of my advanced math and physics classes the teachers wouldn't allow calculators or computers anyway. If you need AI to do your college work for you, you shouldn't go.

 

[amartinez1660]

Maybe not cheaper materials, but cheaper components in some cases — like the non-haptic track pad, slower SSD, non Display P3 screen, non-backlit keyboard, non Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, and no thunderbolt.

But yes — aluminium.

Non 16GB RAM base, less higher quality speakers, non external 5K screen capability (non thunderbolt side effect), etc

I think it’s a great laptop still, but I have received heat for mentioning these compromises and thinking to stretch those dollars for a MacBook Air, or maybe a refurbished $750 MacBook Air M4.
The line of thought is that having kids is expensive… each kid can easily eat $250 $350 of groceries a month at least. Can see a justification to stretch that budget to accommodate +$250 on a laptop over 5+ years ($9 a month extra)

 

[Detnator]

Give me a break.

The entire device is one compromise after another.

I know gaslighting is the norm with Apple now, but this is a bit much.

He said: “we're … not making any compromises on the design”.

No lie there.

Some people clearly don’t have very good reading comprehension skills.

(Looks like I’ll be repeating this comment a lot in this thread).

 

[Detnator]

Maybe not cheaper materials, but cheaper components in some cases — like the non-haptic track pad, slower SSD, non Display P3 screen, non-backlit keyboard, non Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, and no thunderbolt.

But yes — aluminium.

Yep. Cheaper materials, leading to, wouldn’t ya know it: a dramatically cheaper price! The insanity!

So how else do you expect them to get to a $600 price tag (a lower price than any other new laptop has EVER had)?

 

[svish]

Have no doubt on its durability. Not so impressed with color options. Only Citrus is different and fun. Indigo seems to be a lighter Midnight version of Air. Blush is pale. Silver is the same old silver found in other Apple devices. Hardware wise there are many compromises but for the price, it is a very good MacBook. Think many will buy it and will be a very successful product for Apple.

 

[Skyscraperfan]

If you are on a budget, why would you still buy a MacBook instead of a Windows laptop with better specs of the same price? Most Windows laptops will allow you to expand storage and RAM later.

 

[JPack]

If you are on a budget, why would you still buy a MacBook instead of a Windows laptop with better specs of the same price? Most Windows laptops will allow you to expand storage and RAM later.

Because specs aren't everything. Build quality matters. Display brightness matters. Keyboard deck flex matters. Battery life. Hinges often break on $500 PC notebooks because they're screwed into a plastic chassis.

 

[Detnator]

But compared to laptops running Windows in this price range or to similarly priced Chromebooks, it will look, feel, and perform like a premium laptop.

I have several of those types of laptops/Chromebooks (including three Chromebooks that were all >$500). They are all fine, but all feel and look cheap compared to Macs. They also all have serious compromises in performance—trackpad issues, dim screens or ones with not very accurate colors, flaky Wi-Fi (two different brands of premium Chromebooks I have require wired connections [USB-C to ethernet] to maintain any sort of semi-demanding internet connection like streaming video), low quality speakers, noisy fans or quick thermal throttling, etc.

I’ve tried several times to get non-Mac laptops to save some money and I never last more than a year or two before the quality limitations, even with >$1000 ones are more than I want to deal with.

Desktops are fine because I can build my own, but I’ve not yet found a non-Apple laptop that's been nearly as solidly built and reliable as any of the Macs I’ve owned.

Exactly. Why is it so hard for some people to understand this?

 

[Jumpthesnark]

Maybe not cheaper materials, but cheaper components in some cases — like the non-haptic track pad, slower SSD, non Display P3 screen, non-backlit keyboard, non Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, and no thunderbolt.

And they sell many laptops with a haptic trackpad, better screen, thunderbolt, etc.

If you want better features, go pay for them. But it's ridiculouus to complain that the lowest-end MacBook lacks the features that the higher-end MacBooks have. That's the point of making a bargain-basement machine - you leave some things out.

 

[Abazigal]

But they’re not selling them just to schools. They’re selling them for home/dorm use too ya know.

Apple sells many models of laptops. It doesn’t mean that every one of them is a fit for me. It’s up to the individual buyer to assess their needs and decide which works best, or what compromises they are willing to make for that price point. I am better served by the 15” MBA and that’s fine. Not everything is about me ultimately.

I feel the primary customer of the MacBook Neo is still schools buying them in bulk. I suppose a parent buying one for a young child works too (you are looking at half the price of the next available option) and truth be told, I am still using an M1 MBA for work, and it still works fine for me. I have the backlit keyboard turned off, and I don’t miss it.

Even with all the sacrifices made here, I doubt you will find a more compelling deal anywhere else in Windowsland. No doubt Apple wants to appeal to more price points, but there’s no reason to give up their profit margins in order to do so.

One other side benefit - if Apple is going to support the MacBook Neo for many more years to come, that also bodes well for my M1 laptop, and every other Mac out there with 8gb ram in terms of longevity.

 

[uacd]

In 2011 it was crazy to think you can get a NEW MacBook for just 500$, they had exorbitant prices back then. And now you can get it for less than your iPhone, CRAZY. I mean sure there could be some compromises but you can always find workarounds, and you are getting full blown macOS environment for that money, now Windows.

I just mean, in 2011 I had generic Windows XP laptop that caught every virus on the web and barely could open FL studio, it often gave BSODs and could only play games in very low resolution (as well as heated like crazy), it cost around 500$. The only plus was that it had 15’ display but I think Apple has plans for that too, it already happened with MBA. And I mean on that MacBook you can already do whatever you want: edit videos, write texts, browse the web, make music, all with state-of-the-art battery life and no need to care for Windows installation, “de-bloating” at each setup and all the other trash Microsoft could have packed “for your experience”. Yeah there is Linux, but where is the joy in life??? Most only want their stuff to work fine.

It also makes me happy that these new cheap MacBooks kind of make my M1 more relevant since they have similar processing power, so that will make Apple interested in keeping all these laptops in good shape and not lagging

 

[Detnator]

If you are on a budget, why would you still buy a MacBook instead of a Windows laptop with better specs of the same price? Most Windows laptops will allow you to expand storage and RAM later.

Because

1. “better specs” are what nerds care about. Normal people care about real world performance and experience. Windows laptops have big numbers and terrible performance and experience.

2. sure, some PC laptops have more RAM and storage, but they need it to run Windows anywhere remotely as well as a Mac with half as much because Windows is so much bloat and inefficiency.

3. the rest of the specs on PC laptops, from processor to display to trackpad, etc. are absolutely worse.

That’s why, basically.

Put a Ferrari engine in a Hyundai, it’s still going to drive like a Hyundai, not a Ferrari. Why?

On average, Fords have bigger engines than BMWs, especially for the price, but BMWs are faster and drive better. Why?

What’s more important? The engine capacity number? or the actual drive performance?

 

[Ja50n]

It’s a great machine for the price, but it gets me every time an executive tries to say they made no compromises on a price-cut product. How many people would Tim fire if presented with a no-compromises Cessna single-prop for his next corporate jet? “Hey, we made no compromises! It’s totally airworthy!” And totally tone-deaf. Talk up the value, don’t try to bury the obvious reality.

 

[ProMotionPotato]

The Neo is not a worse MacBook Air. It’s a dramatically better version of the computers people actually buy at $599.

 

[Detnator]

Indeed. People (and Apple, apparently) act like pointing out compromises is a put-down. If there weren’t any compromises, then there would be no reason for the other MacBooks to cost so much more. But they can’t be both cheap and full-featured, so one needs to compromise. “Compromise” here is a synonym of “trade-off”.

Right.

A maxed out MBP has everything, although to get it, it costs $7200.

That’s a pretty significant compromise if you ask me.

But how dare Apple make anything less than that! Less than 128GB of RAM and 8TB of 15GB/s SSD? Unusable!! How can they even have that pathetic little 14” Pro, let alone that poor excuse for a “real” computer, the Air. Apple has lost their way. They’re doomed.

 

[Detnator]

Apple definitely compromised on the CPU, RAM, and USB ports.

So… what’s your point?

 

[Detnator]

What about Touch ID, MagSafe charging and a backlit keyboard?

Y’know you’re right.

They should not have left those things out. Same with more ram, more and faster storage, haptic trackpad, better battery tech, camera indicator, thunderbolt, WiFi 7, TrueTone, and M5 chip. Anything less than all that is unusable! What were they thinking? They should have included all those in this product. And they could even make it a bit thinner.

Of course all that stuff would cost just a little more, but that’s ok.

And the name? That’s the worst part. They should have called it something else, like maybe MacBook Air.

And maybe around $1100 would work.

I’m sure everyone who wants a Mac can afford that. Hopefully.

Yeah, that’s what they shoulda done.

 

[krspkbl]

The 8GB is what kills it for me.

I’ll wait for the refresh with A19 Pro and 12GB