I finally pulled the trigger and bought a 256 GB Indigo Neo.
My needs are pretty simple. This is just my personal laptop, and I mostly use it for documents, spreadsheets, browsing the web, email, some light photo editing, AI-use and watching things like Netflix and Sky News. My work laptop is a total workhorse and honestly overkill for what I do at home.
My last MacBook was an early 2015 12-inch Retina in gold. I loved it at first, but its limitations became pretty obvious after a while. It also had 8 GB of RAM, but you could really feel those limits in everyday use. The Neo, even with the same amount of RAM, feels much more capable and responsive. It just feels like a far more robust machine overall.
The Neo is also replacing a fairly recent Lenovo ThinkPad that had what might be one of the worst processors ever put in a modern laptop: an Intel Pentium. Even though it had 20 GB of RAM, that processor completely bottlenecked everything, so the extra memory didn’t really help. On top of that, the plastic chassis felt cheap and flimsy. Compared to that, the Neo feels like a massive upgrade, not just in performance but also in build quality and overall refinement.
One thing that really surprised me is the speakers. For such a small laptop, the sound is impressively full. Honestly, “blown away” doesn’t feel like an exaggeration for something this compact and affordable. The machine is lightweight, very portable, efficient, and beautifully made.
The screen is another pleasant surprise. At this price point, it looks fantastic. The build quality is excellent too, and it’s a nice reminder that a product can still feel premium without costing a fortune.
And the fact that the Neo runs the A18 Pro processor is pretty remarkable. I really like what Apple has done here. It proves that a budget-friendly laptop doesn’t have to feel like a compromise or come across as cheap. In my opinion, Apple really hit a home run with this one.
I haven’t felt this satisfied with an Apple product since I bought my iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Some people on MacRumors seem determined to tear this laptop down, but honestly, it feels like wasted effort. If venting about a perfectly good device is therapeutic for them, I guess that’s their prerogative. It’s probably cheaper than actual therapy.
At the end of the day, this is a fantastic offering from Apple, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it sells extremely well, especially with the economy being what it is.
My needs are pretty simple. This is just my personal laptop, and I mostly use it for documents, spreadsheets, browsing the web, email, some light photo editing, AI-use and watching things like Netflix and Sky News. My work laptop is a total workhorse and honestly overkill for what I do at home.
My last MacBook was an early 2015 12-inch Retina in gold. I loved it at first, but its limitations became pretty obvious after a while. It also had 8 GB of RAM, but you could really feel those limits in everyday use. The Neo, even with the same amount of RAM, feels much more capable and responsive. It just feels like a far more robust machine overall.
The Neo is also replacing a fairly recent Lenovo ThinkPad that had what might be one of the worst processors ever put in a modern laptop: an Intel Pentium. Even though it had 20 GB of RAM, that processor completely bottlenecked everything, so the extra memory didn’t really help. On top of that, the plastic chassis felt cheap and flimsy. Compared to that, the Neo feels like a massive upgrade, not just in performance but also in build quality and overall refinement.
One thing that really surprised me is the speakers. For such a small laptop, the sound is impressively full. Honestly, “blown away” doesn’t feel like an exaggeration for something this compact and affordable. The machine is lightweight, very portable, efficient, and beautifully made.
The screen is another pleasant surprise. At this price point, it looks fantastic. The build quality is excellent too, and it’s a nice reminder that a product can still feel premium without costing a fortune.
And the fact that the Neo runs the A18 Pro processor is pretty remarkable. I really like what Apple has done here. It proves that a budget-friendly laptop doesn’t have to feel like a compromise or come across as cheap. In my opinion, Apple really hit a home run with this one.
I haven’t felt this satisfied with an Apple product since I bought my iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Some people on MacRumors seem determined to tear this laptop down, but honestly, it feels like wasted effort. If venting about a perfectly good device is therapeutic for them, I guess that’s their prerogative. It’s probably cheaper than actual therapy.
At the end of the day, this is a fantastic offering from Apple, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it sells extremely well, especially with the economy being what it is.
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