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MacBook Neo 2 Could Feature Touchscreen
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artifex
macrumors 6502a
I have a convertible netbook, and the only thing I use the touch for is to flip pages when I have it turned in e-reader mode. It'd be neat if the next Neo also went convertible, as the screen is probably great for reading, but I doubt they'll do it. That mode is always a bit awkward for me to hold without hitting keys, anyway.
Painfully obvious to me that they are holding back the touchscreen for the next rev. Waiting for the teardown that will tell us the hardware is already there and just locked out. Similar to how the first gen ipad had the traces and the cutout in the pcb for the camera already there for the gen 2 and a camera.
PixelPanics
macrumors regular
andiwm2003
macrumors 601
Don't care much about the touchscreen on a laptop. But with 12GB Ram and the A19pro this might be a great travel and backup computer. It would kill the iPad for me as the only reason I have the iPad is as my travel computer. A 13" Mac with a real MacOS would be much more useful. I'm sure the Neo can handle all office tasks easily. Does it work for zoom video conferences? Does anybody know how well the Neo works for watching videos (I don't need 4k)? Is the sound quality ok?
F right off with touchscreens on Macs. If it’s an optional extra, fine. If it’s “included” I’m out. What an annoyance.
That said, it could be done well/properly but I have little faith that anyone can do that and even Apple has my doubts rather than my support. Not least due to the UX trash that OS26 has been. And their lack of iteration with the Touch Bar, compounded by their lack of even attempting to understand why it failed. (It failed because it replaced buttons [dear car manufacturers…] rather than supplemented/complemented them)
That said, it could be done well/properly but I have little faith that anyone can do that and even Apple has my doubts rather than my support. Not least due to the UX trash that OS26 has been. And their lack of iteration with the Touch Bar, compounded by their lack of even attempting to understand why it failed. (It failed because it replaced buttons [dear car manufacturers…] rather than supplemented/complemented them)
I’m sure it’s more than good enough for watching videos lol. After all the iPhone 16 pro was and that had the same chip.
The A18 pro is comparable to the M1 so is likely more capable than most are giving it credit for.
No idea about sound quality at this stage though!
SmugMaverick
macrumors 65816
The biggest NOT HAPPENING story I've ever seen on here.
ZERO chance the Neo gets touch screen straight after the "Ultra"
ZERO chance the Neo gets touch screen straight after the "Ultra"
Non-Euclidean
macrumors 6502a
Inconceivable!
The soft serve ice cream machine is as basic a requirement as 16G of RAM.
joshwithachance
macrumors 68030
I have and have had laptops with touch screens, and I have never regretted a single one.
I've actually returned one WITHOUT a touchscreen because it just makes things more difficult.
HAVE YOU OWNED ONE for more than just the return-by period?
But, but, Saint Steve Jobs said it was HERESY ..., along with no stylus for the iPhone!!!
The day Apple releases a touch screen 2-in-1 I will sell my M4 pro and buy it.
I suffer an iPad only for size and the lack of anything but outdated clamshell Apples.
What are the chances the second generation will come out in 2027? SE models for watch, phone, base iPad etc have not followed this trend.
If they do release a 2nd gen with the A19 Pro and 12GB of memory at the same price, I’m a definite buyer. I’m not bothered at all by a touchscreen.
If they do release a 2nd gen with the A19 Pro and 12GB of memory at the same price, I’m a definite buyer. I’m not bothered at all by a touchscreen.
what things are made more difficult by not having a touchscreen on a laptop?
my work laptops have had them, never needed to use it. perhaps in a creative capacity using pen input? but even then a laptop seems like a poor choice.
when im sitting down at my desk with my hands on the keyboard or mouse, i never feel the need to go poking at a high resolution screen with my hand sausages.
Ubele
macrumors 6502a
I have a 2021 M1 16" MacBook Pro and a 2021 12.9" iPad Pro, Magic Keyboard, and Apple Pencil. My MBP stays on my desk most of the time, connected to an external monitor, but I like that I can move it around when I want to. For browsing, content consumption, and email when I'm not in my home office, I use my iPad Pro connected to the MKB, usually on my lap. It's not at all awkward using the touch screen that way, so I can't imagine that a touch-screen MBP or Neo -- when used on a lap -- would be any different. However, I never use the touch screen on my work-issued Windows laptop, which stays on my desk, connected to an external monitor. I disconnect my iPad from the MKB when I use the Apple Pencil with Procreate, and when I put it on my treadmill so I can watch videos during my morning run. A touch-screen MBP with with a version of macOS with some touch features wouldn't interest me, because I'd still want an iPad, but an iPad/MKB with a hybrid version of macOS and iPadOS that would run on all Macs and iPads and allow you to use touch features (or not, as you choose) on devices with touch screens definitely would interest me, because it would replace two devices that I currently own.
I actually order this before realizing thanks to this article that the forthcoming Neo doesn't have a touchscreen. (I figured that using a iPhone chip it would have touchscreen awareness.) After using iPad Pro I'd never buy a Macbook without touchscreen features. Cancelled my Neo order.
Apple's second-generation MacBook Neo will launch in 2027 and could feature a touchscreen, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Apple this week announced the MacBook Neo, an all-new entry-level Apple laptop that starts at $599, with education pricing at $499. The MacBook Neo is designed to compete with lower-cost Windows laptops and Chromebooks, while expanding the Mac lineup with a substantially more affordable option.
Unlike every other Apple silicon Mac, the MacBook Neo is powered by the A18 Pro chip originally developed for the iPhone 16 Pro. The machine features a colorful rounded design, a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with uniform iPad-style bezels rather than a notch, a color-matched Magic Keyboard, a mechanical trackpad, two USB-C ports, 8GB of memory, a headphone jack, a 1080p camera, dual mics, dual speakers with Spatial Audio, and a 16-hour battery life.
In a report shared last year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo correctly said that the MacBook Neo would enter mass production in the fourth quarter of 2025, but would not feature a touchscreen. In the same report, he revealed some insights into the second-generation version of the device.
Crucially, Kuo said that the second-generation MacBook Neo may feature a touchscreen. Apple's first touchscreen Mac is expected to launch later this year in the form of a new, high-end MacBook Pro with an OLED display and a new design.
The device is specifically said to incorporate a touch panel that uses on-cell touch technology. On-cell touch technology integrates the touch sensors directly into the display panel's top layer (the "cell") rather than requiring a separate, dedicated touch layer, to reduce thickness.
Following the launch of this device and the adoption of touch support in macOS 27, it would make sense for other MacBooks with the feature to follow. Many other laptops from HP, Lenovo, Acer, and ASUS that now rival the MacBook Neo already feature touchscreens.
As of September 2025, specifications for the second-generation MacBook Neo were still under discussion, according to Kuo. A faster chip such as the A19 Pro with 12GB of memory is highly likely.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today suggested that Apple may expand "Neo" branding to other low-cost devices such as the Apple Watch SE, making it the "Apple Watch Neo."
Article Link: MacBook Neo 2 Could Feature Touchscreen
When did MacRumor's forum members become so anti changes in tech. So many people don't want, touchscreen Macbooks, folding phones, phones that are big, phones that are small, Ipads that would have a real file system. What happened?
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Not sure all feel that way.
Personally, I am all for folding phones, flipping phones, touchscreen Macs, macOS on iPad Pros, small phones (PLEASE!!!), etc.
Definitely not everyone, but enough to make me wonder, what happened. If there's a new tech advancement that I don't see the need for at this time, I just don't buy it. But some people here basically say it shouldn't exist. I'm with you, bring it all on and I'll decide what I do or do not want.
A A19 Pro with 12GB RAM Macbook Neo would be great. But $599?
I dont know, I think the MacBook Neo pricing breaks all our previous assumptions. It is not that the cost couldn't be done as seen in the iPad. I dont think Apple has ever updated a product line with such sufficient upgrade at these price range.
Or will they continue to sell MacBook Neo 8GB 256 at $599 next year, discontinue the 512GB A18 Pro version, instead $699 A19 Pro 12GB RAM with 256GB and Touch ID, $799 for 512GB.
This create a price gap of $300 between M5 or M6 Air and A19 Pro Neo. Which seems to make much more sense given extra 4GB Memory, Faster SSD, Better Display, TrackPad, BackLed Keyboard, Design, Thunderbolt.
But May be that is for things to come, not only has Apple discovered they will need to fight that Education Market. Or Recessions or purchasing power is dropping.
And while we can bitch a little about MacBook A18 Pro Neo on memory, if there is really A19 Pro 12GB DRAM 512GB for $799?
I think that spells the end of 60-70% of PC laptop market. The only thing left in terms of barrier is Enterprise usage.
I dont know, I think the MacBook Neo pricing breaks all our previous assumptions. It is not that the cost couldn't be done as seen in the iPad. I dont think Apple has ever updated a product line with such sufficient upgrade at these price range.
Or will they continue to sell MacBook Neo 8GB 256 at $599 next year, discontinue the 512GB A18 Pro version, instead $699 A19 Pro 12GB RAM with 256GB and Touch ID, $799 for 512GB.
This create a price gap of $300 between M5 or M6 Air and A19 Pro Neo. Which seems to make much more sense given extra 4GB Memory, Faster SSD, Better Display, TrackPad, BackLed Keyboard, Design, Thunderbolt.
But May be that is for things to come, not only has Apple discovered they will need to fight that Education Market. Or Recessions or purchasing power is dropping.
And while we can bitch a little about MacBook A18 Pro Neo on memory, if there is really A19 Pro 12GB DRAM 512GB for $799?
I think that spells the end of 60-70% of PC laptop market. The only thing left in terms of barrier is Enterprise usage.
Before adding Touchscreen option, next year version should address some problems with this release - extra RAM and storage options and backlit keyboard.
chars1ub0w
macrumors 6502a
andiwm2003
macrumors 601
If they were to add a touchscreen then they would also have to change the hinge so that you can open the notebok to be fully flat (at least i think it's not doing that right now) or even fully flip the screen around to the back. Can't see that happen anytime soon.
Also, I would assume this is supposed to be the cheap budget item so any price increase would be a bad thing. Yes, touchscreen capability is not that expensive but Apple has cut other 20 dollar capabilities from devices before to save production costs and complexity (magsafe comes to mind, upgradable ram, keyboard backlight, ports, replace fast USB by slow USB ports.......). Overall I think I would consider this in one or two years to replace my iPad as my travel computer.
Also, I would assume this is supposed to be the cheap budget item so any price increase would be a bad thing. Yes, touchscreen capability is not that expensive but Apple has cut other 20 dollar capabilities from devices before to save production costs and complexity (magsafe comes to mind, upgradable ram, keyboard backlight, ports, replace fast USB by slow USB ports.......). Overall I think I would consider this in one or two years to replace my iPad as my travel computer.