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

[rikki_t]

I would say any compromise is right out of the Apple play book, the two USBC ports being uneven for instance, given Apples bulk buying power and leverage I can't help thinking they would have gotten a way better per unit price going for the higher grade port for both, or at least to make so little difference cost wise to make no difference. The real reason is most likely a punitive one along the lines of this ' this is all you can have at this price point, should have gone for the upgrade' Apple maintaining product differentiation.

 

[diblasio]

So dramatic. It’s a laptop. Not an attack on your people!

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.

 

[I7guy]

It absolutely is.

This is completely outrageous to be claiming no compromises in public.

Absolutely not. Apple is not claiming to sell a top of the line computer. They purpose built a computer for the price point.

 

[iPay]

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.

You can pay with cheaper dollars if you want.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Absolutely not. Apple is not claiming to sell a top of the line computer. They purpose built a computer for the price point.

I know you are going to go hard to bat for them but this quote (taken from the full interview on dezeen.com) is just outright false. Is she really trying to claim that older technology hasn't been used in this product?!

"People's assumption about the way that you make something that's affordable is often – you use an older technology, maybe use a cheaper material or find a way to cut a corner somewhere," she said.

"But for us it was important for it to be quintessentially a MacBook. It wasn't just a redesign, it was starting from the beginning, and we're not using cheaper materials, it's incredible aluminium."

 

[ThailandToo]

She did say “design”. If she said the product, you could rattle off a very long list instead.

I would say it’s by far the best designed MacBook. The display not having a notch is worth the buy if just need to write documents and do some web browsing. I would say it’s better for that.

 

[Enlightened Doggo]

Please explain why not include the camera light letting the user know the camera is on? 🥲

MacOS already shows a green dot in the menu bar when the camera is on and an orange dot for the mic. They may even remove the physical light from higher end models when they move to an under screen camera

 

[neuropsychguy]

People criticizing Apple's VP of Industrial Design didn't read the article to understand the context of the quote. Of course there are compromises in components (RAM, SSD speed, etc.), but the quote is from the VP of industrial design who was talking to someone from a design publication. Her focus is the overall look and materials of the body of the computer. Basically the whole thing is about how Apple didn't want to make a cheaper plastic computer (they've had them in the past) that looked or felt cheap. They used aluminum in part to match their other computers, but also because aluminum is rather easy to recycle (compared to many other materials, especially many plastics).

"'It's undeniably a MacBook, we're certainly not making any compromises on the design and that's really important,' Anderson told Dezeen, 'Absolutely central to the work that we did was asking how do you distill the essence of a Mac? And I think that comes through in the materiality and the quality of it.'"

It's an interesting article that's worth reading.

Also, I'd love to have someone provide a link to a new laptop running Windows or Linux (e.g., Chrome) that is $600, has a solid body (have you spent time with cheaper laptops?), a good screen (brightness matters too) that's 13-14", is under 3 pounds, and will be close to the performance on this processor.

 

[Spec360]

The only people that should be mad that this exists are the people that got their kids an M4 MacBook Air for Christmas knowing they won’t use half of the power it provides 😂😂😂

I can get a cheaper priced laptop that does better than this put together device .

 

[ifxf]

Please explain why not include the camera light letting the user know the camera is on? 🥲

When isn’t the indicator light on the menu bar good enough? It is the same as the iPhone and ipad.

 

[seek3r]

I can get a cheaper priced laptop that does better than this put together device .

What laptop would that be? Will it match the build quality?

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Absolutely not. Apple is not claiming to sell a top of the line computer. They purpose built a computer for the price point.

The problem is when we point out the compromises needed to get to that price point and why we can't possibly recommend a machine like that when for like 20% more (or even less) you can get far less compromises, we get blasted for pointing that out.

And the same applies to the Windows world too. For like $700 to $900, you can get a far superior machine to the sub $600 stuff out there. Bang for your buck, these low enders don't make sense when you consider the long term.

 

[satchmo]

We know that answer already - $1099 in the US (pre-tax). It’s called the MacBook Air.

The Neo uses the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone 16 Pro which is manufactured with 8GB of RAM. Adding more RAM to it would require building a new SOC manufacturing line, which defeats the purpose of a cheaper MacBook. The next SOC available is the current iPhone 17 Pro A19 Pro, which comes with 12GB of RAM, but using it would compete with the iPhone use and again, raise the price.

And likely what we’ll see for the MacBook Neo 2.

 

[turbineseaplane]

When isn’t the indicator light on the menu bar good enough? It is the same as the iPhone and ipad.

It's more intuitive and obvious when it's right next to the camera lens.

This hearkens back to the "red recording light" on camcorders.

People just "know" what it means to have a light on right next to the lens.

 

[I7guy]

The problem is when we point out the compromises needed to get to that price point and why we can't possibly recommend a machine like that when for like 20% more (or even less) you can get far less compromises, we get blasted for pointing that out.

Apples point and I get, is at this price point the computer is purpose built. You’re calling a compromise a feature that doesn’t exist at this price point but that exists on a higher price point. Apples point is this is our feature/function at this price point. Like all goods especially cars, by this logic the base model has significant compromises to the top end model.

And the same applies to the Windows world too. For like $700 to $900, you can get a far superior machine to the sub $600 stuff out there. Bang for your buck, these low enders don't make sense when you consider the long term.

This is all highly subjective though as jn my example with cars.

 

[I7guy]

I know you are going to go hard to bat for them but this quote (taken from the full interview on dezeen.com) is just outright false. Is she really trying to claim that older technology hasn't been used in this product?!

What is older technology? Define it. All tech products have “older technology” in them.

 

[UliBaer]

It's more intuitive and obvious when it's right next to the camera lens.

This hearkens back all the way to the "red recording light" on camcorders.

People just "know" what it means to have a light on right next to the lens.

...and a hardware light by the lens is not hack-able, so it is a really sure indicator something's going on! 👍

 

[B4U]

My guess is they'll do the indicator light with software on the screen like on iPhones.

They are doing that. But why?
If the laptop's security if compromised to activate the camera, that indicator light by software would also be bypassed, wouldn't it?

 

[B4U]

put a sticker on if you want

That IS a compromise, mate.

 

[StoneJack]

That IS a compromise, mate.

Sticker is a sticker, dude. people put stickers even if cameras have indicators or camera closer.

 

[fahlman]

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.

These are all features the target market for this laptop doesn’t need and that would only push the price beyond what they want to spend.

 

[CapitalIdea]

How can you honestly look at the rest of the lineup and explain why you think it's NOT a compromise?

Unless the rest of the lineup is $599 your argument makes zero sense.

 

[Markgnyc2]

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.

They have a computer with all of that in it, starting at $1099, the MacBook Air.

 

[tennisproha]

No it doesnt, it maintains as much cached data in RAM, purgeable as needed, as possible because empty RAM is wasted RAM, so if you dont have a use for it keeping caches live is a good use. You dont have 26GB wired just browsing the web unless you have some ungodly amount of things running in your browser

Yes it does. The memory pressure turns yellow because it’s using more memory than it has.

 

[I7guy]

That IS a compromise, mate.

Because the Neo doesn’t have a feature or function I want the Neo is full of compromises. Full stop.