MacBook Neo - Good luck with 8gb of ram

[Astuces iOS]

Final review here, I cannot recommend the MacBook Neo and here is why :


For now it's an ok Mac, even with 8gb it runs macOS well for the moment ! The problem is the future, I don't expect a lot from this Mac in 3-4 years ! It will start to slow down, it's the first Mac with A series chip too so might have other problems... I would skip this gen ! MacOS and apps take more and more RAM so you will be limited in the future, also you are already lol

Imagine you keep this Mac for 5 years, it will be hard to resell for a good price... Imagine 8gb in 2031 💀


Meanwhile if you get m4 refurbished MacBook Air, Ik it's a bit more expensive but it gives you way more, AT LEAST 2x more performances in every task and more in some ! 16gb of ram too and better specs that you may not need but you will like... I can assure you that this Mac will easily go minimum 5 years for a student and maybe more ! After that it will be more easy to resell and you will be able to afford a new Mac !


It's not that the MacBook Neo is bad, it's that the air m4 is way better and you will be sure that you won't need a new Mac in the middle of college ! If you really cannot afford the air m4 refurb, it's ok you can get the Neo. I just see many people going straight into the Neo before considering anything else !

 

[turbineseaplane]

I wish they had extended a bit and gone to a newer chip w/ 12GB RAM, just so these year one buyers aren't getting marooned as quickly as they will be.

Nobody minds rug pulling their own buyers quite like Apple.

I'm sure they'll happily take old Neos in for "recycling" though.

 

[dmr727]

I'm hoping this will encourage Apple to focus on minimizing the bloat in macOS 27. I know they're ditching the Intel code and focusing on fixes, so maybe it won't be any worse than Tahoe. With security updates, that'll give 8GB a little more longevity.

Of course we're talking about Apple here, but I'm trying to be optimistic!

 

[snipr125]

I wish they had extended a bit and gone to a newer chip w/ 12GB RAM, just so these year one buyers aren't getting marooned as quickly as they will be.

Nobody minds rug pulling their own buyers quite like Apple.

I'm sure they'll happily take old Neos in for "recycling" though.

Yes i reckon Apple expects customers to upgrade their Neos like many do with their iPhones, every 2 years on average.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Yes i reckon Apple expects customers to upgrade their Neos like many do with their iPhones, every 2 years on average.

iPhone chips .. and iPhone cycles, for sure

 

[Astuces iOS]

I wish they had extended a bit and gone to a newer chip w/ 12GB RAM, just so these year one buyers aren't getting marooned as quickly as they will be.

Nobody minds rug pulling their own buyers quite like Apple.

I'm sure they'll happily take old Neos in for "recycling" though.

yeah the problem was the A18 pro chip that does not support 12gb, but the A19 Pro can... At least we are sure that the next Neo will have at least 12gb... But sad for current neos...

Yes i reckon Apple expects customers to upgrade their Neos like many do with their iPhones, every 2 years on average.

Crazy, in this case really get a MacBook Air m4 refurb because you can keep it 4 years or more like I said, this Mac is also probably still going to be better than the Neo in 2 years !

 

[mk313]

Imagine you keep this Mac for 5 years, it will be hard to resell for a good price... Imagine 8gb in 2031 💀


Meanwhile if you get m4 refurbished MacBook Air, Ik it's a bit more expensive but it gives you way more, AT LEAST 2x more performances in every task and more in some ! 16gb of ram too and better specs that you may not need but you will like... I can assure you that this Mac will easily go minimum 5 years for a student and maybe more ! After that it will be more easy to resell and you will be able to afford a new Mac !


It's not that the MacBook Neo is bad, it's that the air m4 is way better and you will be sure that you won't need a new Mac in the middle of college ! If you really cannot afford the air m4 refurb, it's ok you can get the Neo. I just see many people going straight into the Neo before considering anything else !

To be fair, when you are only paying $500 to begin with, how much can you realistically expect to resell it for in 5 years? Even if it had 16 or 32 GB of RAM?

How much do you think the $750 refurbished Air will sell for in 5 years. The prices aren't going to be crazy different. 5 Years is a long time, and your refurbished air is going to be 6 years old at that point. A 2020 MacBook Air is selling on swappa for $259.

 

[KPOM]

To be fair, when you are only paying $500 to begin with, how much can you realistically expect to resell it for in 5 years? Even if it had 16 or 32 GB of RAM?

How much do you think the $750 refurbished Air will sell for in 5 years. The prices aren't going to be crazy different. 5 Years is a long time, and your refurbished air is going to be 6 years old at that point. A 2020 MacBook Air is selling on swappa for $259.

Exactly. The Neo pricing is such that the trade-in offer may be worthwhile vs. selling it on Swappa. After the fees, shipping costs etc. the extra proceeds might not be worth the effort.

 

[4sallypat]

To be fair, when you are only paying $500 to begin with, how much can you realistically expect to resell it for in 5 years? Even if it had 16 or 32 GB of RAM?

How much do you think the $750 refurbished Air will sell for in 5 years. The prices aren't going to be crazy different. 5 Years is a long time, and your refurbished air is going to be 6 years old at that point. A 2020 MacBook Air is selling on swappa for $259.

My 2017 12" rMB that was $1200 is now fetching around $200 on the used market.

I don't have any plans on reselling my Neo - and I don't worry about trade in pricing.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3067997448...zGty2iTFlCwnAyV8a7Z3M3aQ==|tkp:Bk9SR4Do5NqbZw

 

[thistleknife]

Final review here, I cannot recommend the MacBook Neo and here is why

Amazing. Thanks for your feedback you executed so well without using the computer.

 

[darthbane2k]

So many people just missing the point.
This isn’t supposed to be a 5+ year Mac, it’s supposed to be a basic Mac that gets someone through school or - if no specialist computing demands - college. With that in mind, it will last 2 or 3 years just fine, then the user will be ready to ‘graduate’ to a MacBook Air or Pro.

The Neo also remains affordable for schools to buy in bulk, you cannot expect them to wish upon a star that sufficient stock of Airs will land in the refurb store.

 

[Astuces iOS]

To be fair, when you are only paying $500 to begin with, how much can you realistically expect to resell it for in 5 years? Even if it had 16 or 32 GB of RAM?

How much do you think the $750 refurbished Air will sell for in 5 years. The prices aren't going to be crazy different. 5 Years is a long time, and your refurbished air is going to be 6 years old at that point. A 2020 MacBook Air is selling on swappa for $259.

Hmm I honestly think that you could go with $300 ! Just an example : The m1 lacks the m2 new design stuff that is being there for a while, this can make drop the prices also not everybody wants 8gb of ram... Meanwhile in 4-5 years, there is no revolution expected at least soon... If it happens like in 3 years, well the m4 won't look that old cause it will use the design of the m8 air...

Anyways let's say 300, then I expect maybe 150 MAX for the Neo... It will also be harder to sell... So yeah you will kinda get your money back, it really depends on the country too, Macs are more expensive in some...

 

[snipr125]

The Neo 2 could be:
£599 A19 8GB ram 256
£699 A19 8GB ram 512 and Touch id
£799 A19 Pro 12 GB ram 512 touch id

Still leaves a £300 price gap to the base MBA.

 

[Astuces iOS]

So many people just missing the point.
This isn’t supposed to be a 5+ year Mac, it’s supposed to be a basic Mac that gets someone through school or - if no specialist computing demands - college. With that in mind, it will last 2 or 3 years just fine, then the user will be ready to ‘graduate’ to a MacBook Air or Pro.

The Neo also remains affordable for schools to buy in bulk, you cannot expect them to wish upon a star that sufficient stock of Airs will land in the refurb store.

Like I said, just consider the m4 refurb because it's a Mac that you can keep longer ! Buying something for 2 years is cringe especially for the price...

 

[NT1440]

Yes i reckon Apple expects customers to upgrade their Neos like many do with their iPhones, every 2 years on average.

I sincerely doubt that. Apple spoke explicitly during an earnings call several years back that they recognize iPhone refresh cycles for users are lengthening.

That applies to other devices as well, it’s the reason they focus on comparisons to the M1 when marketing newer “low end” Mac’s like the Air.

 

[Astuces iOS]

The Neo 2 could be:
£599 A19 8GB ram 256
£699 A19 8GB ram 512 and Touch id
£799 A19 Pro 12 GB ram touch id

Still leaves a £300 price gap to the base MBA.

Neo 2 will not get 8gb of ram as base, it will be 12gb base cause of the chip, if it gets more expensive, then the refurb MacBook Air will be a WAY better deal so I don't think they will touch to the prices...

 

[NT1440]

So many people just missing the point.
This isn’t supposed to be a 5+ year Mac, it’s supposed to be a basic Mac that gets someone through school or - if no specialist computing demands - college. With that in mind, it will last 2 or 3 years just fine, then the user will be ready to ‘graduate’ to a MacBook Air or Pro.

The Neo also remains affordable for schools to buy in bulk, you cannot expect them to wish upon a star that sufficient stock of Airs will land in the refurb store.

It’s the iPad for non-iPad users. This device will find much longer usable service for its user base than a tech forum realizes.

This is the “couch computer”. Will basically only get upgraded when it no longer functions, exactly how regular iPad users do.

 

[Alohabai]

How can you write a final review with less than 12 hours of being available? Total slop of a post.

 

[Astuces iOS]

My 2017 12" rMB that was $1200 is now fetching around $200 on the used market.

I don't have any plans on reselling my Neo - and I don't worry about trade in pricing.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/306799744801?_skw=12+retina+macbook+2017+i5&itmmeta=01KKETS6FQTJNTV9360Y3CTRWZ&hash=item476eb09721:g:jhcAAeSwb25ppeA1&itmprp=enc:AQALAAAA8GfYFPkwiKCW4ZNSs2u11xBujQsdtqOnreSav4d9Qhb/pBLsL9Cb2+9C+FvlmAeiMzN8wQhBR1I8PjwAAIfDu5AnbrdHXjQcD4flJK0yIBwrQLDJOLlltie7kJyFrKCq87+NX1f/tdS9lxQ2qVjSrwohoxuqpXJFlRw7MheygVyRLVfJ4FRun/UuwTrqX4/Hj2282iaqaXtfwH0rYJDig/O5CNOErlJtNKA330F2R67NbGqXazAdrC9jnZThRccgf5ujO/ok50gLaW9NKzd65hx9NCATEGoqWK8QIQUDbazGty2iTFlCwnAyV8a7Z3M3aQ==|tkp:Bk9SR4Do5NqbZw

Well of course you see, 2017 was 9 years ago, here we talk like 4 and the m4 air was 999 new !

 

[darthbane2k]

Like I said, just consider the m4 refurb because it's a Mac that you can keep longer ! Buying something for 2 years is cringe especially for the price...

And how much is that M4 refurb? I’m guessing at least £300 more.
I’m getting the Neo for my high school daughter because all she needs to do is research, write essays , some DTP and write emails. Prior to that she was struggling to multitask using iPad OS + keyboard. This is perfect for a very specific user.

 

[Alohabai]

I love how OP is just sitting here responding, solidifying his stance like its his job

 

[Astuces iOS]

It’s the iPad for non-iPad users. This device will find much longer usable service for its user base than a tech forum realizes.

This is the “couch computer”. Will basically only get upgraded when it no longer functions, exactly how regular iPad users do.

In this case for those "couch computers" I expect the m4 air refurb to last 10 years minimum ! Which I don't expect for the Neo, at the end you save money buying airs cause you might buy 2 airs instead of 3 neos !

 

[Astuces iOS]

And how much is that M4 refurb? I’m guessing at least £300 more.
I’m getting the Neo for my high school daughter because all she needs to do is research, write essays , some DTP and write emails. Prior to that she was struggling to multitask using iPad OS + keyboard. This is perfect for a very specific user.

It's 760, the Neo without edu is 600... Again like I said, buy the Neo if you cannot afford the air...

 

[NT1440]

In this case for those "couch computers" I expect the m4 air refurb to last 10 years minimum ! Which I don't expect for the Neo, at the end you save money buying airs cause you might buy 2 airs instead of 3 neos !

Why? The Neo isn’t going to just up and die on you. It runs better than any other machine in its price point, even with 8GB of RAM.

Personally, I’d buy an Air. But this device at this price point is shockingly capable for regular people.

 

[darthbane2k]

It's 760, the Neo without edu is 600... Again like I said, buy the Neo if you cannot afford the air...

I gave the example of a student, therefore the Neo begins at 499.

I also said in my case the Neo is a first Mac for my daughter who is in high school and has struggled with iPad + keyboard to do anything.
I myself use a MacBook Pro.
This isn’t about affordability so try again.