I want to get this for a kid who stays up to the wee hours on their iPad Air, so the fact that the keyboard is not lit, is giving me pause. I did look on amazon and saw several small clip on laptop lights that could mitigate the issue. Hoping at least gen 2 will have one.
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Initial NEO thoughts
- Thread starter mk313
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Apple_Robert
Contributor
I have read from some who got the blush that it looks more silver (except in certain lighting) than pink. Do you find that to be the case?
joshwithachance
macrumors 68030
It's unapologetically pink, in all lighting. Even at the Apple Store. Just a more subtle shade of pink vs hot pink.
The slight color change is partly due to the anodizing. This is actually common in just about every color besides black. And even black can change a little depending on the ambient light.
Hotspotting for me since i got my iphone Air has been so much better in terms of reliability, connection, speed etc. I guess we should thank the C1X for that but glad it continues to be good with the Neo!
Apple_Robert
Contributor
I have an Air as well. I am encouragde to hear it works well with the iPhone. I may start taking my MB to work. I currently take my M4 13" iPad Pro which has a cellular plan.
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A big advantage to the iPad for me is the cellular feature. I would love to see a cellular chip inside all of the MacBooks as an option.
Basic75
macrumors 68030
Judging by the waves the missing keyboard backlight is making it looks like the digital generation can't touch type to save its life.
Yes, Night Shift works as intended same as on my other laptop. I have it set to sunrise -> sunset schedule.
Boy that sounds familiar. Automobiles are a good example as it is so hard to find any with a manual transmission now days. And most younger people don't know how to drive a manual.
I've never owned a laptop with a lighted keyboard. And the only lighted keyboard I own is a Logitech MX Keys Mini and I keep the backlight turned off.
Apple_Robert
Contributor
Gotta admit being able to carry around my iPad Pro and connect to the internet anytime I want is a big plus, along with the thinness.
Andy_2341
macrumors 6502a
Seeing all these posts, especially of that citrus color, really makes me want to buy a Neo. I could trade my MBA M4 for essentially free and gain 256GB of SSD space in the process, but I worry I'm gonna miss the P3, 12MP camera, and the power of the M4 in about 3 years. All my other worries like general display quality and trackpad have been solved and the A18 will do fine for 95% of what I do but I don't want to run out of RAM or power down the road.
Decisons, decisions
Decisons, decisions
Apple_Robert
Contributor
In my opinion, when it comes to tech, one should buy for today not 3 years down the road.
Dirk Pieters
macrumors 6502a
I would *not* trade an MBA M4 for a Neo. I fear you would be taking a step back. Unless of course that MBA storage is becoming an issue.
Andy_2341
macrumors 6502a
I tend to look at my current needs and where they are most likely to go. I'm most likely to keep about the same workflow as today just more volume over the next 3 years. The MBA is definitely overkill for me today though. I never use the full power of the M4.
Andy_2341
macrumors 6502a
Not especially an issue yet. I've got about a 150gb of 256gb used, most of it is podcast downloads MacOS and it's system data, and apps. Most stuff (470gb) lives on my 1TB SSD. So I reckon I'll hold the M4 for now. Every bit of the spec sheet besides weight and the fact A18 Pro would generally be fine for me says that trading in is most definitely a downgrade.
conmee
macrumors 6502a
The keys look like they might not shine up like the MBPs. Let us know how they feel texture-wise. I had to get a thin keyboard cover for my Magic Keyboard with dark keys. Started shining up after a day or two. Cleaned them up and they look new again. But I know over time the shine will be permanent. So I've gotten used to keyboard covers on my Magic Keyboard and MBP. Fresh keys add to resale value as well.
Apple_Robert
Contributor
I might be completely 100% wrong on this but, the Neo keys feel smoother to me than the MBP (from what I remember). Maybe others will put in their 2.5 cents.
I'm buying soon. I qualify for the edu discount, and also have a trade-in. The resulting deal is going to be very attractive. A few thoughts after checking them out in the Apple Store today:
- While the dimensions don't differ much from the Air on paper, they definitely feel smaller.
- To me, the tinting on the keyboards is very subtle on the silver (no tint; I get it), blush, and citrus. Conversely, it is very obvious on the indigo, whose keyboard is much darker than the others'.
- The indigo was more purple than I had been expecting. From the pictures, I thought it would veer toward blue.
- I don't have an opinion on the great yellow-green vs green-yellow debate of '26, but I will say that whichever way you see it, the citrus is eye-searingly bright.
- The trackpad feels great. A very positive and uniform click. I think I actually prefer it to Taptic Engine-based trackpads.
- The bezels are wide...if you concentrate on them. They faded away immediately for me, but then I have never cared about bezel size.
Apple_Robert
Contributor
As to the color, you could create a poll thread asking for input and get even more indecisive. 😀 lol
conmee
macrumors 6502a
I'm not in the market for a Neo (don't have a use case for me) but the funny thing is that the two biggest draws if I were to buy are no notch and the mechanical trackpad. I've said before that I miss the mechanical trackpad (and 3D Touch on the iPhone btw) ever since Apple changed the MBP to the non-mechanical in 2015.
conmee
macrumors 6502a
Or... get 25-30 responses and declare the results statistically significant and use the results in all future arguments as evidence/proof. But that doesn't happen here. 😉
Apple_Robert
Contributor
I just realized that there is one subject that we have not seen actively talked about with a new product like we usually see on MR and that is the subject of AC+ for the Neo. I find that rather surprising for the MR crowd.