MacBook Neo: Here's Which Models Are Selling Out

[Slo Pesci]

Some people dont work in the dark

And some do, whats your point? It’s a cheap move by Apple.

 

[weckart]

You’ve got that right. And Dark or not, you’re supposed to be looking at the screen when you type, not the keyboard. There’s things called Home keys and they have marks on them for a reason. Don’t they teach proper typing techniques in schools anymore?

They don't even teach joined up writing.

 

[Slo Pesci]

On a white keyboard?

View attachment 2610913

I have the magic keyboard too and when the brightness is not cranked and something darker is on the screen it’s hard to see when using it for my 13” iPad Air in these instances.

 

[0423MAC]

unapologetically team silver all day 🤷‍♂️

512GB for Wednesday

 

[0423MAC]

On a white keyboard?

View attachment 2610913

Yeah it would require a different color for it to make sense on a white keyboard.

Perhaps Apple could get it to where the backlight on the models is the same color as the MacBook itself with the exception of silver. I don't think Apple has ever offered any backlight on their keyboards outside of white though.

 

[ikramerica]

Without a 512GB RAM option these things are worthless!

That said, I think the lemon 512GB storage model is going to be a birthday present for my son this summer as he will need a computer for elementary school and his favorite color is yellow. I am afraid next refresh that yellow goes bye bye.

 

[Biro]

Without a 512GB RAM option these things are worthless!

I love blanket statements like this. Worthless for you maybe. Many Apple customers already have more-powerful computers - even more powerful laptops. If they really just want a Neo as a “coffee shop” computer or a vacation device, 256GB will do just fine. Personally I have a Mac Studio and MacBook Pro for heavy lifting. My 16/256 MacBook Air serves the same purpose for me that the Neo will for many others.

 

[Hammerd]

I actually had the $699 version of the Neo in my cart at Apple’s online store when my head cleared. Instead I ordered a refurbed M4 MBA 16/256 for only $50 more. Should I have ordered the same MBA back when I could get a brand-new example for the same price? Sure. But I was holding out hope that the Neo would be thinner and/or lighter. It turns out that it’s not. And who’s to say my “refurbished” MBA isn’t actually new with Apple dumping supply now that the M5 MBA is out?

The MBA is indeed a better choice with twice more RAM.
8GB is pitiful and everything but futureproof. Since those computers cannot be upgraded they therefore are throwaway devices. Mother nature says thank you Apple

PS: 256GB also sounds like a joke but at lease you could use external storage and I even encourage you to pick the base storage given the price Apple asks for an upgrade (it’s called a rip off)

 

[IvyKing]

Without a 512GB RAM option these things are worthless!

That means the whole Mac lineup is worthless as Apple stopped selling the Studio with 512GB of RAM.🙄

 

[QuarterSwede]

I love blanket statements like this. Worthless for you maybe. Many Apple customers already have more-powerful computers - even more powerful laptops. If they really just want a Neo as a “coffee shop” computer or a vacation device, 256GB will do just fine. Personally I have a Mac Studio and MacBook Pro for heavy lifting. My 16/256 MacBook Air serves the same purpose for me that the Neo will for many others.

🙋🏼‍♂️ Uh yeah, that’s me.

I’m extremely happy with my M4 mini but would like a couch laptop. I’m not an iPad fan, it’s no better than my phone.

 

[danbuter]

This tells me that Apple should offer the Macbook Air in pink.

 

[turbineseaplane]

This looks VERY bullish for Apple and the Macbook Neo

https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/the-sub-usd500-entry-level-pc-segment-will-disappear-by-2028-gartner-predicts-that-budget-computers-are-on-borrowed-time

 

[STOCK411]

This looks VERY bullish for Apple and the Macbook Neo

https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/the-sub-usd500-entry-level-pc-segment-will-disappear-by-2028-gartner-predicts-that-budget-computers-are-on-borrowed-time

Sure. But that is talking about pcs.

Last i heard the neo is not a pc. So not at all relevant

 

[Tagbert]

Sure. But that is talking about pcs.

Last i heard the neo is not a pc. So not at all relevant

Yea, but one of the biggest markets for Neo buyers is those who have been buying those budget Windows laptops. If those laptops become less appealing that might let Neo pick up even more customers.

 

[IvyKing]

I’m not an iPad fan, it’s no better than my phone.

FWIW, there are two ways that I find an iPad to be superior to a phone. One is a much larger screen, making viewing and typing easier. Another is audio quality is better, Zoom on an iPad can be fairly pleasant, while Zoom on a phone is tedious with the tinny audio.

BTW, I'm also 1/4 Svensk.

 

[mlayer]

For those of us who learned how to type on typewriters, computer keyboards have never been as intuitive. For a long time it was because most computer keyboards weren’t truly full-sized. But, even now, it just doesn’t come as naturally.

In my personal case, all of this is aggravated by the fact that when I was learning how to type in high school, I was working in a radio newsroom on weekends. The proper way to learn typing is to use proper 10-finger technique and then build speed with time. But I had to bang out newscasts quickly on ancient Underwoods for two shifts every week. So I developed a strange hybrid using six-to-eight fingers. Half real typing and half hunt and peck. It got the job done for 51 years - even in network newsrooms.

My dad repaired IBM Selectrics and Wheelwriters, so I got a lot of hands-on typing experience on those in the 80's. TBH the Wheelwriter, whose keyboard was similar to in feel to its legendary Model M mechanical keyboard used for PCs, was superior to the old Apple Extended Keyboard II. All of those helped me transition to future PC and Apple keyboards, which decreased in quality until the current chiclet/membrane era, when I stopped worrying about getting more than 80 wpm. My synapses don't fire that fast anymore anyway.

 

[delsoul]

Sure. But that is talking about pcs.

Last i heard the neo is not a pc. So not at all relevant

Technically every Mac is a PC. It’s a personal computer.

 

[Abazigal]

This looks VERY bullish for Apple and the Macbook Neo

https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/the-sub-usd500-entry-level-pc-segment-will-disappear-by-2028-gartner-predicts-that-budget-computers-are-on-borrowed-time

It’s like Apple saw the state of the PC market today, smelled blood in the water and decided that now was the perfect time to further twist the knife.

 

[throAU]

And some do, whats your point? It’s a cheap move by Apple.

Yes! it is a cost cutting measure!

Its a 500 dollar freaking macbook! What do you expect? If you expect no compromises vs. a $6k Macbook pro max, then you’re simply being completely and utterly unrealistic. FFS, the backlit Studio keyboard for the iPad pro is close to the entire cost of this freaking Macbook Neo! And with the Neo you’re getting a processor, gpu, ram, storage and a display!

The target demographic: education and casual users are NOT generally using their laptop in the dark.

Most people use their phone or tablet in bed, and school classes don’t run in darkness. This was a feature removal, sure. For the intended market, it is entirely appropriate. It’s less manufacturing complexity, less to break, etc. If you have one of these and desperately want to see the keyboard in the dark, here’s a pro tip from the 1990s: switch off dark mode and crank the screen brightness up. Bam - problem solved without the cost of a backlit keyboard.

If you want 16 GB of RAM, a full M series CPU/GPU, thunderbolt, backlit keyboard, haptic force touch trackpad, etc. the machine with all that stuff already exists for you.

If you want a pile of garbage (in terms of actual things that matter for the target demographic) for <$500 there are plenty of PCs and Chromebooks available!

This is aimed at casual users who already own an iphone or ipad, and want a taste of macOS without having to commit a grand or more.

20 years ago, i was one of those mac curious types and the mac mini at the time was the gateway machine for me to try macOS instead. But these days 90% of people buy laptops.

THIS is the mac mini gateway machine of the current time. Yes, the mac mini currently still exists but most normal people just don’t buy desktop computers any more. The current market has switched to laptops/portables in a big, big way and until this machine apple had nothing at the typical “impulse buy” price for many people.

 

[throAU]

You’ve got that right. And Dark or not, you’re supposed to be looking at the screen when you type, not the keyboard. There’s things called Home keys and they have marks on them for a reason. Don’t they teach proper typing techniques in schools anymore?

Yeah i do freak out the GF when she walks over, i look her in the eye and can keep typing whatever i’m working on 😀

 

[Apple_Robert]

Yeah i do freak out the GF when she walks over, i look her in the eye and can keep typing whatever i’m working on 😀

Sounds like she is data a Mac robot. 😉 lol I can do the same albeit I am not error free all the time.

 

[The Game 161]

Hmm looks like girls love blush and are buying it… Uh also why people buy 512gb? Aren’t they students?

Touch ID

 

[PBG4 Dude]

My dad repaired IBM Selectrics and Wheelwriters, so I got a lot of hands-on typing experience on those in the 80's. TBH the Wheelwriter, whose keyboard was similar to in feel to its legendary Model M mechanical keyboard used for PCs, was superior to the old Apple Extended Keyboard II. All of those helped me transition to future PC and Apple keyboards, which decreased in quality until the current chiclet/membrane era, when I stopped worrying about getting more than 80 wpm. My synapses don't fire that fast anymore anyway.

Man if I could use a Selectric as my keyboard I’d be a very happy dude. Love those things. We had one in the office until the early 2000s to fill out documents in triplicate.

 

[weckart]

Hmm looks like girls love blush and are buying it… Uh also why people buy 512gb? Aren’t they students?

Early adopters tend to be Mac fans, so they are more likely to max out if it isn't too much too do so. Sustained sales over the year is when you see students etc chipping in with their money.

 

[kingrikk]

Most people use their phone or tablet in bed, and school classes don’t run in darkness. This was a feature removal, sure. For the intended market, it is entirely appropriate. It’s less manufacturing complexity, less to break, etc. If you have one of these and desperately want to see the keyboard in the dark, here’s a pro tip from the 1990s: switch off dark mode and crank the screen brightness up. Bam - problem solved without the cost of a backlit keyboard.

My first laptop in the early 2000s, an IBM ThinkPad, had a little LED embedded in the top bezel of the display you were invited to turn on if you wished to see the keyboard in the dark. It both worked and was extremely silly at the same time.