Apple Planning to Update MacBook Neo in Three Ways

[mikeray]

Can’t wait for these little laptops to eventually be able to output to the 5k Studio Displays

 

[erinsarah]

I'm typing this on a MB Neo I purchased days after the price bump (so pissed with myself for shopping the day before that announcement but not actually hitting the Buy button). My wife is a freelance writer who occasionally needs to work away from her desk (where she has a Mini), and I need it as an officer in a local service club for taking meeting notes etc. It's been absolutely perfect for both of these purposes, and then some. It's a solid machine, the best typing experience of any MacBook I've used, and the size feels "just right". It's already replaced my iPad as the device to toss in the backpack for vacations and trips, use out on the deck, etc.

While I don't see the need for the bump in memory or the better chip, I'm sure it would be a welcome improvement for some.

 

[boswald]

The real question is: With this bump in specs will it still be affordable? The whole purpose of the Neo was to get people into the ecosystem. It largely achieved that. However, a price hike that's too high will simply push people back to crappy
Windows laptops (I'm not saying all Windows laptops are crappy, by the way).

 

[svish]

12GB RAM will be great. Hopefully the colors are bright. As of today, I like only the citrus.

 

[Chriscombobulated]

I haven’t found the 8GB RAM to be an issue, but I do wish there was a 1TB storage option. Certainly hoping the second generation has one.

 

[snipr125]

12GB RAM will be great. Hopefully the colors are bright. As of today, I like only the citrus.

Yeah don't like that Citrus colour at all (just like the Orange 17 Pro), but a lot of people really like it. The other 3 colours are nice, especially the Blush which might be my Missus next birthday gift if she is lucky.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I haven’t found the 8GB RAM to be an issue, but I do wish there was a 1TB storage option. Certainly hoping the second generation has one.

+$400 for 1TB and +$800 for 2TB if pricing holds the same as the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

 

[sleep/to/dream]

Once my m5 MacBook Air no longer gets security updates, I could maybe see myself updating to whatever refurbished Neo-like Mac is available at the time. The current 8gb RAM is just unacceptable for long term use. A backlit keyboard option would be nice eventually. I don’t even know if I’ll need another Mac by the time the m5 Air is retiring… or if I’ll have moved on from Apple by then!

The Neo will always have less RAM than anyone on this forum would want for long-term use...

By the time your M5 is toast, the Neo will likely only have 16gb RAM which by then will seem like the bare minimum

 

[triumvirate]

The Neo will always have less RAM than anyone on this forum would want for long-term use...

By the time your M5 is toast, the Neo will likely only have 16gb RAM which by then will seem like the bare minimum

Quite possibly true, but a kid can dream the Neo will have tiered RAM chip options by that time! I very highly doubt I’ll be willing to fork over whatever audacious price Apple is demanding for the Air-tier Mac lineup at that time… so it may end up being a turning point.

 

[Spock]

I haven’t found the 8GB RAM to be an issue, but I do wish there was a 1TB storage option. Certainly hoping the second generation has one.

I have an M1 iMac with 8 GB of RAM and I rarely notice any issues.

 

[Warped9]

50 percent more RAM and A19 Pro chip are welcome. They should address the USB-C port speeds as well. Those alone would be worthwhile upgrades for the Neo.

 

[sleep/to/dream]

One thing I hate about this on going “100 year flood” , as Tim Cook puts it, is just how distasteful the incremental increases have become. People who buy first gen are going to be beta testers for the next decade or two.

Neo should’ve def come standard with 12GB as first gen, so second gen has a lot more wiggle room, for what to improve upon. To see a 12 GB Neo a year later has GOT TO BE depressing for many Neo owners with 8GB. That has beta test all over it.

Can’t wait for this 100 year flood to be over with it’s certainly a disaster.

Apple knows how to sell products

They know gen 1 will always sell well because it’s new, and they need to hold something back to entice people to upgrade in a year or two, and so people who wait for gen 2/3 feel like they're getting a better device and not something that's a warmed-over refresh

It’s not maleficence, just business 101 for them

 

[racer1441]

The price increase for the Neo still is the dumbest thing ever. Use the pricing increases other places to off set the Neo.

The benefit of having a young generation of students locked into the eco system would pay far more in the long run than the $100 or $200 right now.

Stop worrying about the next fiscal quarter call and start thinking like drug dealers and get people hooked.