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Considering the Macbook Neo to replace my M4 Mac Mini

The Neo is my first MacBook and it works just fine form my light use case. It won't hold a candle to the M4 Mac mini but it wasn't designed to do so. The Neo blows the doors off of my Dell laptops, even the one with the AMD Ryzen 5700 chip and 32GB of RAM.
 
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joshwithachance said:
For most people the Neo is more of an iPad replacement than a true primary computer. Think of it as more of a supplemental device that can handle the majority of what you throw at it, especially when you're on the go, but not in the most effective or efficient way; which is when you would want to go back to using your main machine.
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That's why I bought the Neo. I need something portable that runs MacOS. I do like and will keep my M3 iPad Air as it still has its uses. The Neo definitely compliments my iPad and my Mac mini.
 
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ClaraStahlbaum said:
while I am someone who has never owned an Apple Laptop before, so I'm not going to know the difference with the Neo and other models from personal experience.
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Then maybe you don't need a laptop.

I have owned/used a laptop for 25 years but since am close to retirement age, have gone the other way and have now a M4 mini as my primary machine and desktop, my eyes tells me a 13" screen is too small, for a couple of years now, I keep telling myself if/when replacing laptop, am going for a 15" but that never happened, I just don't travel much these days. Once in a while I open my old 11" Air and can't stand the small screen I used for 13 years. Even my now 23" monitor, am contemplating updating to a 5K 27" display to take advantage of M4's capability. Another thing when traveling, just about all service providers expect people to use their mobile to again access to their services, I often have to ask whether they have browser access so I can talk to them from home.
 
For everyday tasks/use, the NBN has more than enough CPU/GPU power, and you can even push it a bit with Pro apps, but the only thing stopping me from buying one is the lack of 16GB RAM option.

With all the other things I wish it had (backlit keyboard, more storage options, 2 USB3, MagSafe) I can live without…
 
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The only way I have gotten W11 to run smoothly with 8 GB of RAM is to do a serious de-bloat of the OS. Even my Dell Optiplex with 64 GB of RAM saw a noticeable difference in RAM usage after de-bloating.

Windows 10 and Windows 2000 Pro would run on a lot of older and slower CPU's with not much RAM

And I have found the Neo to be just fine for casual daily use even with multiple apps running at the same time. Granted none of them require a lot of system resources to run.

The Neo will be just fine for the OP if they don't need the horsepower of the M4 Mini.
 
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ClaraStahlbaum said:
I am thinking about selling my base model M4 Mac Mini for the Macbook Neo, and using the Macbook Neo in place of a desktop.
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Why?

The Neo is inferior to the Mini+display combo in every respect apart from the fact you can fold it up, pick it up and use it somewhere else. If you really, really want that portability and are just doing basic "personal productivity" stuff then "downsizing" to a Neo might make sense, but if the Neo is going to spend its life on a desk hooked up to the display there's no point, and you'll take a financial hit on the trade-in.

The Neo is there for people who want a MacBook Air but don't want to spend over $1k. It's specs are OK for the price, considering that people are prepared to pay a premium for Apple kit, and Apple seem to have cracked it with the "fit and finish" - but the RAM and I/O are limiting.

Mrbobb said:
An immediate problem am seeing is the single port for charging and external monitor, not a deal breaker but annoying.
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Looks like you can charge via either of the two USB-C ports but only the rear (USB 3) port supports a display.
Unfortunately, that knobbles your only USB 3 port.

Best pairing would be a USB-C display which will also charge the computer and (usually) offer at least a USB-2 hub... but they're often USB 2 only (that was a hard limit with DP 1.2 + 4k@60Hz which needed all 4 high-speed pairs for video - I guess it's theoretically possible to do USB3 + 2 lanes for DP1.4 but that may not be supported).

Many of the target users for the Neo will never plug in an external display, or use it once in a blue moon to play video or a presentation on a TV. If you're going to have it regularly plugged into a desktop display, Apple would like you to fork out for a MacBook Air, please.

ClaraStahlbaum said:
To your point, that is a concern that I have about the Neo. The Neo might be fine today, but when the Second Generation comes out, issues could arise for the first.
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However, in the case of computers, even the rich person's super deluxe Mac is liable to lose support after 6-7 years, so you're not going to be handing it down to your grandkids alongside your expensive boots-for-life. Apple will be under some pressure from EU and other laws to minimally "support" the Neo for 5 years after they stop selling it - it might not get the new shiny, but it shouldn't get "bricked".
 
bapegg said:
The only way I have gotten W11 to run smoothly with 8 GB of RAM is to do a serious de-bloat of the OS. Even my Dell Optiplex with 64 GB of RAM saw a noticeable difference in RAM usage after de-bloating.

Windows 10 and Windows 2000 Pro would run on a lot of older and slower CPU's with not much RAM

And I have found the Neo to be just fine for casual daily use even with multiple apps running at the same time. Granted none of them require a lot of system resources to run.

The Neo will be just fine for the OP if they don't need the horsepower of the M4 Mini.
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W11 is a hot mess, I wouldn't want to run that with 32gb or ram lol
 
I had a desktop when I actually had to sit there 8ish hours for work. Now that I’m retired I didn’t want to be tied to the desk and don’t need too. If you are getting the Neo to stay at your desk, might not make sense if you have to choose one over the other. If you occasionally need to compute in a different room or someone else’s house than keep both else switch of all you are driving is a 4k monitor.
 
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ClaraStahlbaum said:
This query may not make much sense for others, but for me, I have never owned an actual laptop myself. I have used laptops that belonged to family members, but I have never owned a laptop myself for any lengthy period of time. I am thinking about selling my base model M4 Mac Mini for the Macbook Neo, and using the Macbook Neo in place of a desktop. I don't do many intensive processes on my computer, mostly just internet browsing, and some light photo editing in a paint app. Does anyone have any advice?
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Keep the M4 Mac mini. Trust me.

Good luck on your decision.


richmlow
 
I've decided I am not going to buy the Macbook Neo. At least - not anytime soon. Probably will wait another year. Maybe the Second Generation model. It may be the smart thing to let everyone struggle with the first generation before I fork the money forward to buy one myself, let it be tested by more intelligent people than myself, see if they think it is as good as people say it is - and I'll make a decision in the future based on what I see.
 
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@ClaraStahlbaum you should take the blunt advice offered by @Apple_Robert and give the Neo a try for a week and determine for yourself if it will meet your needs. If it doesn't, return it within the 14-day return period. Haters notwithstanding, there's a lot of well-meaning advice in this thread, but probably best to test drive for yourself.
 
conmee said:
@ClaraStahlbaum you should take the blunt advice offered by @Apple_Robert and give the Neo a try for a week and determine for yourself if it will meet your needs. If it doesn't, return it within the 14-day return period. Haters notwithstanding, there's a lot of well-meaning advice in this thread, but probably best to test drive for yourself.
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Main limiting factor is money. That is reasonable, and I could plan on doing that eventually.
 
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ClaraStahlbaum said:
Main limiting factor is money. That is reasonable, and I could plan on doing that eventually.
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I can't blame you one bit for your decision to keep the Mac Min for now. I will also suggest at least going to a store to check the Neo out.

I know all too well how it is to be on a limited or fixed income. I was already saving up for a MacBook Air, the Neo allowed me to get a MacBook and save money at the same time. My situation is a little different as I am keeping my Mac mini.
 
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From what you said you do with your Mac mini, it sounds like the Neo would be perfect for you. I like that idea of giving it a 12 day tryout. I have a Neo 512GB and am very happy. What I do is a lot like what you do.
 
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jaysabol said:
From what you said you do with your Mac mini, it sounds like the Neo would be perfect for you. I like that idea of giving it a 12 day tryout. I have a Neo 512GB and am very happy. What I do is a lot like what you do.
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I think that due to the rising costs of everything I'll keep my Mac Mini for a while more, really get my moneys worth out of it.
 
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geta said:
That would be the smartest move, keeping the Mac Mini as a main work machine and adding MBN or maybe iPad for a light daily tasks and media consumption on the go later on.
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I have to agree. I find it nice to have my Mac mini for my main work machine. The iPad and Neo both get used for portable use around the house or when out and about. The iPad shines for when I don't need to use any MacOS specific software. The Noe shines for when I do need MacOS specific software.
 
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I think OP needs to weigh time of use at (home) desk vs time of use not at desk. If its the former, the NEO is a serious downgrade.
 
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ClaraStahlbaum said:
There is a variety of different responses here. This is what I expected. Now I haven't made a decision yet, and it will likely not be for some time until I have the ability to decide fully.


I have a single 4k Philips Monitor with no plan or desire for multiple displays at this time. While maybe eventually having multiple displays would be nice, I've never owned multiple displays, nor does my desk space really allow for it.



I don't have any real purpose for a "Storage Server" at this time. I am barely up to 100GB of storage taken up on my 256GB Mac Mini. If I buy the Neo, I might end up going for the 512GB version of it, which will have more than enough storage for what I need.


I see a lot of people panicking over 8GB of Ram, but is that really true? I sort of doubt it. Unless you are someone who is doing large editing productions with Final Cut Pro or intensive Gaming, I don't really think it is that much of a loss.

I don't use Safari. I have gotten around to using Brave recently and am fairly happy with it. I have never liked the Safari browser, personally.
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Look at the latest MacRumors review of the neo on youtube. You will get your answer there imho.
 
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