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

[Graphate]

Are there 16 pages from the same grumpy cat arguing about the word “compromise”?

Not adjusting for inflation, it is cheaper than any other all-in-one Mac, and it is comparable to the still excellent M1. I think there’s a lot here for the price; it’s an excellent value that many could benefit from.

 

[FoxMcCloud]

I’d honestly rather it be plastic if it meant getting some other features.

The old unibody plastic or the iPhone 5c stuff. They make Apple TV and chargers and AirPods out of plastic so they are good with it.

Give it full USB and 16gb ram and backlit keys and it’s golden. Chip is perfect fine sitting between M1 and M2 in capability, for the majority of people especially if they can get Tahoe back to the same performance as Sequoia.

 

[Nicky G]

After another rev or two this thing is going to be really dope. It’ll have two high-speed ports soon enough, wireless bumps, 30-100% faster processing between single/multi CPU, GPU, neural.

 

[BGPL]

A 20 watt charger and a 26 year old USB 2.0 controller are definitely compromises. It's not even a cost thing, it's a deliberate limitation.

 

[bapegg]

It's not even a cost thing, it's a deliberate limitation.

Especially since the A18 Pro and even the A19 Pro only supports one single USB3 port. The fact that Apple was able to get a second USB port , even at slower speeds, working is a good thing.

 

[TVreporter]

I clearly heard her say …

“We’re certainly not making compromises … on our sale margins.”

 

[Phone Junky]

Are there 16 pages from the same grumpy cat arguing about the word “compromise”?

Not adjusting for inflation, it is cheaper than any other all-in-one Mac, and it is comparable to the still excellent M1. I think there’s a lot here for the price; it’s an excellent value that many could benefit from.

Yup. After over 100+ negative posts across all the “Neo” threads, I finally had to put him on ignore. I come here to get info on products, not to read him dumping on Apple every chance he can. It gets old.

 

[pi6xjdskfa]

why can't apple make a 2 pound laptop like the Macbook 12". I have the 14" and carrying it all day with other equipment is a chore. The 12" was the perfect weight.

 

[AppleEnthusiast1995]

Surprised it took Apple this long to build a product like this, always great to have options!

 

[seek3r]

Or they could have given it an actual mac system-on-a-chip with an actual motherboard on it...you know allowing things like multiple high speed usb-c ports. Instead of a phone board.

If this is "progress" I must really not fit in here in the Apple side of things anymore.

They already sell what you want, the macbook airs and pros, this isnt a device targeted at you

 

[seek3r]

A 20 watt charger and a 26 year old USB 2.0 controller are definitely compromises. It's not even a cost thing, it's a deliberate limitation.

What’s wrong with a 20w charger? That means almost anyone’s cell charger will handle it no problem, which is a big help for a student type demographic…

 

[subjonas]

Maybe, but I have been there too many times when I make recommendations that start out as overkill and end up just right as the "tech guy." My father-in-law used the Dell 15 XPS laptop I recommended for 10 years. It was overkill when he started using the thing, but a decade later it was still hanging on. That laptop ended up costing him $120 a year. What a bargain!

I recommend this thing (the Neo) to someone, it has a shelf life of like 4 years tops--maybe 5 years. Not good. It just isn't a good deal. Same in the Windows world. My dad buys a $400 piece of junk every year. If he would pay twice as much, it would last SO much longer.

So maybe what you are saying is true, but then again, maybe not. A previous generation Macbook Air is going to last FAR longer than this Neo for what a $100 more? And I just can't bring myself to recommend it, that's okay that you can.

Has Apple ever sold a Mac with only 4-5 years of shelf-life (does that mean OS updates or security patches or just general usability?)? If not, I don't see there being enough reason to assume that Apple would set a new precedent with the Neo. Apple selling a Mac running an A chip to consumers is a new thing so I think at best all we can say is the shelf-life is a question mark.

If the issue is more about the 8GB ram, then again I'd say we don't actually know how long it will take for that to become a serious bottleneck for the type of usage the Neo is made for.

I'd say it's not unreasonable to refrain from recommending the Neo to everyone on the basis that there are too many unknowns, in other words giving them fair warning. But actively steering everyone considering a Neo toward a used MBA based on these assumptions of the future is too strong, because again, there are variables and people are too different in their needs and values.

 

[Abazigal]

I have to say, I am truly amazed.

The same forum where we have folks saying we have moved on to the point where we shouldn’t have USB A ports on any Mac’s, despite being super useful still…

Also has people suggesting USB 2 is OK, despite being a quarter century old.

This is truly incredible stuff

It’s fine in the context that usb 2.0 remains fine for charging, and it was either a second usb 2.0 port, or not at all for a device sporting a mobile processor.

You still get another usb 3.2 port for all the other stuff.

As far as compromises go, this strikes me as a nothing burger. It’s just a shame that we couldn’t do this for the original single-port MacBook when it was still around. 🥲

 

[subjonas]

why can't apple make a 2 pound laptop like the Macbook 12". I have the 14" and carrying it all day with other equipment is a chore. The 12" was the perfect weight.

Why do you have the 14" MacBook Pro instead of 13" MacBook Air? The Pro is 3.4 pounds and the Air is 2.7 pounds so that's quite a bit lighter.

I don't know if Apple will make a 12" again, but my guess is for the next redesign of the 13" MBA Apple will aggressively shave down thickness and weight. Maybe not 2 pounds but significantly closer. Just my guess.

 

[F-B-Z]

This thing will be a huge hit among students. Good for them. My wait for a serious ultraportable device running macOS will continue, though.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

The lack of TouchSafeID on the base model and quick charging on all models are design compromises.

The gist is they meant build quality compromises which they didn’t make. To expect the same features for this price isn’t in any way realistic. They have learned that plastic computers with rubber bottoms get grimy and crack without ever been dropped so they made a conscious choice to make their entry laptop from aluminium. Requiring a $100 more for 512 GB storage with the addition of Touch ID is not a big ask. Given they meant build quality their statement stands.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

This thing will be a huge hit among students. Good for them. My wait for a serious ultraportable device running macOS will continue, though.

It appears it won’t be happening. Apple will from now on likely associate 13.0 inches with budget model. The market for serious ultraportable is probably too niche for them. Most people don’t want a tiny laptop in my opinion. For me I feel the sweet spot laptop size is around 14.5 inches.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

What exactly is incredible aluminum?

Like transparent aluminium but so incredible it moves into the visible light spectrum.

 

[Abazigal]

I like this reviewer's take. 😎

Amazing how much deeper you can go once people start to go beyond simple paper specs.

 

[Closingracer]

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 😂😂😂

Nah even then. If you can afford it the air is better for the 16 gb of memory. Unless you’re fine with closing tabs often

 

[Closingracer]

This is from the same company that told us that "8gb on Macs is like 16gb on Windows" nonsense.

The Neo is great for the price, but to say there's zero compromises is a straight up lie.

The people it’s targeted for 8GB is fine. Tho tbh if it had 16 I would consider it over the air

 

[wanha]

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.

All design is about compromise. Battery life vs performance. Size vs portability. Features vs price.

Every design that has ever existed has been a compromise.

Products don't get designed in a vacuum.

 

[AlanMarron]

I have to say, I am truly amazed.

The same forum where we have folks saying we have moved on to the point where we shouldn’t have USB A ports on any Mac’s, despite being super useful still…

Also has people suggesting USB 2 is OK, despite being a quarter century old.

This is truly incredible stuff

I’m amazed that I usually agree with you, but not today.

From my perspective, the Neo is a throwback to early Macintosh, or maybe the original iMac. It’s not “complete”, but it’s “complete” enough.

Are the critics saying that Apple should be like Porsche and never make an economy model like Nissan?

 

[weckart]

Has Apple ever sold a Mac with only 4-5 years of shelf-life (does that mean OS updates or security patches or just general usability?)? If not, I don't see there being enough reason to assume that Apple would set a new precedent with the Neo. Apple selling a Mac running an A chip to consumers is a new thing so I think at best all we can say is the shelf-life is a question mark.

Shelf-life, yes. Particularly when a product is sold for a number of years past its expected retail life. If you buy at the tail end, you end up only a couple of years of support, including security updates. You should never assume that the clock of doom only starts ticking when it stops being sold altogether. Usability is a personal use case issue so impossible to answer.

 

[bapegg]

Shelf-life, yes. Particularly when a product is sold for a number of years past its expected retail life. If you buy at the tail end, you end up only a couple of years of support, including security updates. You should never assume that the clock of doom only starts ticking when it stops being sold altogether. Usability is a personal use case issue so impossible to answer.

That is one reason why I went with the Neo versus a M1 MBA from Walmart. My local Walmart has the M1 MBA for $599.

Another reason is the fact that I get interest free payments buying directly from Apple on new products. You can't get that when buying a refurbished product or with a military/veteran discount.