MacBook Neo Expected to 'Reshape' Laptop Market in Major Way

[shadowbird423]

My wife has a Macbook Pro M3 Pro and I can totally see her saying she wants one of these too just for the colors lol. She was already commenting to me that she wished the MBP's would come in these colors. Why do only the lower product models come in the most colors?

They can change them out seasonally. It creates a lot of buzz.

High end consumers will buy on the high end no matter what normally so it’s not usually necessary to take a risk on shipping the bolder colors for those SKUs.

EDIT: I forgot, the colorful computers also draw people over to the section where the product is. Most people still buy the boring one, by the numbers. Think of it as an impulse buy magnet.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Of that I'm definitely not convinced.

Kids are raised "touch first" and iPads are incredible for content consumption and gaming.

I'm not convinced at all that kids are looking for a cheap low end macOS device.

Outside of school, they aren’t. Most kids use their phone as their single device.

 

[tuckerjj]

Do people really choose their computing platform purely based on the price of the device? I somehow doubt that.

“Purely” no, but it’s going to be a factor for nearly everyone (who doesn’t consider price at all?) and a limiting factor for many.

 

[Sinfonist]

I’m sure it will sell quite well. Maybe even be the biggest selling MacBook. I personally think it will hurt sales of iPads more.

This is for pupils at schools and colleges, use at home for those who need to do homework, anyone who needs to write reports, do light coding, perform data analysis etc. It's a content creation device more than a content consumption device, though it will be adequate for content consumption. I can see it getting professional as well as educational use. And the price will make it much more competitive than the MBA, especially in non-US markets.

 

[Powerbooky]

...
The research firm estimates global notebook shipments will fall 9.2% year-over-year in 2026, with the potential for steeper declines if demand stays weak. Rising memory and CPU costs are said to have pushed most PC makers to pare back their product lines and play it safe with inventory. Meanwhile, Apple is going in the other direction.
...

Article Link: MacBook Neo Expected to 'Reshape' Laptop Market in Major Way

The parts are getting more expensive for various reasons and that could lead to less PC sales. But every time when I read "research firm" and financial forecasts, that film "Trading Places" pops-up in my head. Can't help it.

 

[Hajj.david]

Reshape, as in put a dated mobile chip in there with 8gb of RAM and charge $600+ for it?

Come on. You can get a Lenovo 2 in 1 for the same price with 16gb of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and and OLED screen for basically the same price.

Show us. What an outrageous claim

The only lenovo REMOTELY near the price of the NEO has 8 gb of RAM, 256 GB SSD, and only a 200 nit 1080P screen (not OLED). And that is the ideapad 1.

 

[JPJones]

Our kid is 10 and has an iPad, but doesn’t have free rein with it. The use case for it is mostly on long trips. An iPhone is not even on the radar.

But we are considering one of these laptops as an introduction to computers and for him to use for school. My philosophy is to go the opposite of touch first, to teach him how to work an actual computer rather than to dink around on an iPad. The latter is intuitive enough that he can do plenty there already even in his limited usage.

My daughters shared an iPad when they were younger. When they got to middle and high school and began using Chromebooks, iPad use fell by the wayside. Now all they use are hand-me-down MacBook Pros for non-school work while the iPad gathers dust.

Yesterday I ordered my soon to be Freshman a Neo. It will be perfectly capable for what she needs (and cheaper than the over-powered 14” M1 Pro I bought refurbished for my older daughter).

 

[elrojo69]

This looks enticing. pretty much use my old laptop 4-5 times a year. Taxes and quarterly family budget.

 

[Seanm87]

I don’t think ram is going to stop anyone that wants a cheaper MacBook getting one.

The target demographic for this doesn’t know or care what ram is.

 

[leman]

I think it might be quite a disruption for ultraportable business laptops, niche occupied by models such as Dell XPS 13", HP x360 and the like. I mean, it will be snappier for everyday tasks than an Intel Ultra 7 288V for like half the price, which is quote a big thing.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Can you use a simple inexpensive USB-C hub/dock to turn it into a desktop workstation when you wanted so that you can use a full size monitor, keyboard and mouse with it?

Yes, you can.

 

[lgpoldwillow]

Do people really choose their computing platform purely based on the price of the device? I somehow doubt that.

You might be living in the MacRumors bubble. The market for the Neo is not heavily involved in this bubble.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

My daughters shared an iPad when they were younger. When they got to middle and high school and began using Chromebooks, iPad use fell by the wayside. Now all they use are hand-me-down MacBook Pros for non-school work while the iPad gathers dust.

Yesterday I ordered my soon to be Freshman a Neo. It will be perfectly capable for what she needs (and cheaper than the over-powered 14” M1 Pro I bought refurbished for my older daughter).

My teens have Chromebooks at school, and even though they have their own computers at home, they don't want anything to do with them, outside of school work. Both sat almost all summer without even being turned on.

They use their phones for everything, except gaming. That happens on the Switch.

 

[ELman]

I would rather give my child my used MacBook Pro that has a $500 trade in value verses the new Neo.

 

[Lukelyke765]

Reshape, as in put a dated mobile chip in there with 8gb of RAM and charge $600+ for it?

Come on. You can get a Lenovo 2 in 1 for the same price with 16gb of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and and OLED screen for basically the same price.

Will it be silent though?

 

[qnssekr]

Do people really choose their computing platform purely based on the price of the device? I somehow doubt that.

If you’re on a fixed income, yes.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Will it be silent though?

Plenty of Windows laptops are quiet. I've heard my MBP more than I've ever heard my Dell Latitude.

 

[Dave245]

It will come down to if you prefer Windows or MacOS, personally I can’t stand Windows so much prefer MacOS.

 

[wanha]

the build quality (especially screen, speakers, and chassis) of the Neo is, according to every hands on review I've seen, so much better than competing Windows PCs or ChromeBooks at a similar price point - that's the target market

 

[iMac The Knife]

The kids might not be, but the parents often look at what the cheapest options are.

Child asks for a 'Mac', parent gets what is cheapest.

Maybe 20+ years ago, but today, kids scream "I want a Mac" and Mommy and Daddy acquiesce. Then they go out and buy a top of the line Mac for little Jimmy so he stops crying for 2.5 minutes.

 

[cicalinarrot]

This is the Mac Mini of laptops.
And laptops are the laptops of the PC market.
You know what I'm saying, right

 

[wanha]

This 👆

I think we are all really showing our age here in presuming kids want, at any price, a non touch keyboard and trackpad (old bad one, too) low end laptop..

Or that they have any interest at all in macOS.

Kids are fully acclimated and raised on touch and expect it .. as well as Apps for everything .. and gaming.

A low end MacBook is awful at all of that.

I dunno, my daughter is 10, has been on an iPad Pro all her life and desperately wants a laptop 🤷‍♂️

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

People will also want these just for the colors. My wife has a M4 MacBook air fully spec'd and she wants to get rid of it just because she likes the pink Neo Lol.

Ever heard of a skin?

 

[WarmWinterHat]

the build quality (especially screen, speakers, and chassis) of the Neo is, according to every hands on review I've seen, so much better than competing Windows PCs or ChromeBooks at a similar price point - that's the target market

That's good to hear. My experience with Windows laptops in the same price range is they feel cheap. Case is thin plastic, they bounce, shake and flex too easily, hinges creak, etc., even if the specs are decent.

 

[DMG35]

Ever heard of a skin?

No, I've never heard of that before! 🙄