MB Pro, MB Air, and iPad Pro Owner: Why I’m Buying the MacBook Neo

[Pbwallstreet]

I’m a power user. In IT. I have 50 tabs open on my MacBook Pro M1 16”, along with office applications and enterprise applications running. I also have a 15” MacBook Air M3 maxed out that I use more for personal and other business stuff. And I have an M5 11” iPad Pro with Magic keyboard. Here’s why I ordered the 512 GB MacBook Neo:

• I’ve been regretting having the larger MBA 15” and miss my 13”. Instead of going for the M5 13” MBA, I’m going to try the Neo.
• I have tried using my M5 iPad Pro as a replacement on the go for a MBA and I have struggled. It’s just not a Mac and there are many frustrations with it, including a small trackpad, lack of key productivity features in certain software, etc.
• I hate the notch on Apple’s laptops. It’s a big deal for me. The Neo solves that problem.
• With an education discount, the 512 GB Neo is half the price of a 24 GB RAM 13” MBA.

In reality, I may end up swapping out the Neo for a 13” MBA if it doesn’t perform sufficiently, and regardless of whether I keep the Neo or get the 13” MBA, I’m going to be moving on from my 15” MBA. My 16” MBP never leaves the desk so that’s its function. My 11” M5 iPad Pro will be more relegated to reading and evening surfing.

I’m hoping the Neo works out. People talk about how these kinds of devices are only for lay people/light users/elderly people and I’m frankly sick of the condescending nonsense. The Neo runs MacOS. It is going to run pretty much all of the applications, even heavy ones. Will the world end if a video export takes double the time? For many many people, no, it will not matter. Having lots of RAM and the latest maxed out M chip is so overblown it’s absurd. MacOS is where the efficiency of multi-tasking works, dynamically allocating RAM to applications as they need it and using memory swap. It’s more sophisticated in doing this than in iOS and iPadOS. Many years ago before fast solid state hard drives, memory swapping was slow. But not anymore.

I will need to test out the Neo and will learn whether I can live with it or not, but coming from someone like me who uses the top end of Apple’s portable offerings, I’m excited for the Neo: the first time in a while I’ve been excited about an Apple product.

 

[Snørrbjørg]

With an education discount, the 512 GB Neo is half the price of a 24 GB RAM 13” MBA.

With 8GB (1/3) slower memory.

 

[clarencek]

In a similar boat. My work machine is a M5 MacBook Pro. I’ve been carrying a M5 IPad Pro as my second machine and it’s not been great.
The Neo is the smallest Mac now made - I wish it was 12” but 0.5” smaller than an Air - maybe that’s good enough for portability and travel.

 

[mectojic]

Awesome post.
Completely agree, it runs MacOS. The fact that loading a few extra apps and doing renders will be slower might not be the end of the world. 'Good enough'.

 

[uiop.]

Similar to you, I have a 16" MBP that remains docked and on my desk 99% of the time because 1) it's a pain to unplug everything 2) it weighs a ton. The price point of the Neo made it easy to justify having a second laptop.

As for the last half of your post, the people who think having a Mac is an exclusive club are losing their minds about it and cope by saying it's only good enough for children and old people.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I’m excited to see so many people excited!

Personally, I would give this a couple weeks and see how it shakes out and I think some of the enthusiasm will die down.

The newness always captures us all.

 

[4sallypat]

Love this post!

Well said @Pbwallstreet - and perfectly correct on all thoughts.

I am looking forward to the Neo at EDU pricing which blows my mind away with such a low price point of $499 for a MacOS laptop.

Looking back from those days I had the very first Apple computer: $2500 Apple IIe with monochrome CRT and floppy drives to my now current $4,000 Mac Studio Max with ASD and everything in between.

If the A18 Pro is a success with it's foray into the MacOS world, then we might be seeing a new revolution of Apple devices that are more efficient and energy frugal than the M series for us common folks....

 

[Pbwallstreet]

Similar to you, I have a 16" MBP that remains docked and on my desk 99% of the time because 1) it's a pain to unplug everything 2) it weighs a ton. The price point of the Neo made it easy to justify having a second laptop.

As for the last half of your post, the people who think having a Mac is an exclusive club are losing their minds about it and cope by saying it's only good enough for children and old people.

Yep.

 

[Pbwallstreet]

I’m excited to see so many people excited!

Personally, I would give this a couple weeks and see how it shakes out and I think some of the enthusiasm will die down.

The newness always captures us all.

If it holds up I’ll of course keep it.

 

[Pbwallstreet]

Love this post!

Well said @Pbwallstreet - and perfectly correct on all thoughts.

I am looking forward to the Neo at EDU pricing which blows my mind away with such a low price point of $499 for a MacOS laptop.

Looking back from those days I had the very first Apple computer: $2500 Apple IIe with monochrome CRT and floppy drives to my now current $4,000 Mac Studio Max with ASD and everything in between.

If the A18 Pro is a success with it's foray into the MacOS world, then we might be seeing a new revolution of Apple devices that are more efficient and energy frugal than the M series for us common folks....

Indeed.

 

[bapegg]

I have a M3 iPad Air but went ahead and ordered the 512GB Neo. I want something portable that runs MacOS apps.

My main use for the Neo is going to be running amateur radio related apps when doing Parks On The Air activations or other portable radio stuff. The Neo will handle my needs just fine.

While I do like iPads, they are not a laptop replacement. And I'm pretty much done with my Dell laptop and the W11 mess.

 

[joshwithachance]

Love this post!

Well said @Pbwallstreet - and perfectly correct on all thoughts.

I am looking forward to the Neo at EDU pricing which blows my mind away with such a low price point of $499 for a MacOS laptop.

Looking back from those days I had the very first Apple computer: $2500 Apple IIe with monochrome CRT and floppy drives to my now current $4,000 Mac Studio Max with ASD and everything in between.

If the A18 Pro is a success with it's foray into the MacOS world, then we might be seeing a new revolution of Apple devices that are more efficient and energy frugal than the M series for us common folks....

And hopefully they put in batteries large enough to make the battery life something of note. There's absolutely no reason this thicker laptop with a smaller display, no keyboard backlight running on an iPhone chip should have less battery life than the Air. But Apple purposely decided to put in a teeny tiny battery by laptop standards specifically so it gets worse battery life.

 

[4sallypat]

And hopefully they put in batteries large enough to make the battery life something of note. There's absolutely no reason this thicker laptop with a smaller display, no keyboard backlight running on an iPhone chip should have less battery life than the Air. But Apple purposely decided to put in a teeny tiny battery by laptop standards specifically so it gets worse battery life.

Apple says "all day battery life" so I am hopeful the Neo has enough battery life due to the very power conservative A18 Pro chip vs. M series chip.

My iPhone Air which has a smaller battery Apple said the same and it was true - all day use and I still have over 50% life.

 

[awshucks]

Honestly I just think for a number of people the reason to swap their more powerful machines for a Neo is because men like myself like new toys 😃

As an Apple collector, I appreciate the color choice since it is the best since the iBook G3. Love the shade of Yellow.

 

[Fravin]

With 8GB (1/3) slower memory.

And a not so good screen.

 

[bapegg]

I guess my vision is bad enough that I have not noticed any difference between the 2018 iPad Pro and the M3 iPad Air screens. I also switched from older 24" HP 1080 monitors at 60 HZ to Acer 24" 1080 monitors at 100 Hz. I don't think I will notice much difference with the Neo screen.

I don't play games or do much photo editing to where I need a 4K or higher monitor.

An iPad isn't for everyone just like a laptop isn't for everyone. Go with one or the other or both as suits your needs and use case.

If I wanted or needed the higher specs of a MacBook Air or Pro or needed the specs of an iPad Pro, I would have bought those instead. I never used the 2018 iPad Pro to its full extent so I saved money by getting the iPad Air to replace it.

 

[joshwithachance]

Apple says "all day battery life" so I am hopeful the Neo has enough battery life due to the very power conservative A18 Pro chip vs. M series chip.

My iPhone Air which has a smaller battery Apple said the same and it was true - all day use and I still have over 50% life.

It’s rated at 11 hours of mixed usage, which is 4 hours (30%) less than the Air. That’s kinda ****, honestly. But not surprising at all considering the battery inside the Neo is 30% smaller than the Air.

It’ll last most people all day, but there’s no technical reason whatsoever a thicker machine without a backlit keyboard being run by a smartphone chip should have less battery life and such a small battery in general. This was a deliberate decision made by Apple to ensure it doesn’t fully cannibalize the Air.

 

[4sallypat]

It’s rated at 11 hours of mixed usage, which is 4 hours (30%) less than the Air. That’s kinda ****, honestly. But not surprising at all considering the battery inside the Neo is 30% smaller than the Air.

It’ll last most people all day, but there’s no technical reason whatsoever a thicker machine without a backlit keyboard being run by a smartphone chip should have less battery life and such a small battery. This was a deliberate decision made by Apple to ensure it doesn’t fully cannibalize the Air.

11 hours of constant use is a long time - more than enough time for daily use - if I even use it that much. My iPhone Air gets some time too so the Neo won't get even close to half battery use. And my Apple Ultra Watch 3 worn all day only goes down to 75% so you can see I am not a heavy user of tech.

BTW: I am at an age where I have to stop driving or flying after 1 hour because my body and bladder doesn't allow for long hauls.
I keep telling my aviation CFI that I have to land about an hour after taking off.
He says I will be flying way more hours to get my license - especially on cross country flights.

 

[Pbwallstreet]

Great article. Summary:

The Macworld article “Tech bros are lying to you about the MacBook Neo” argues that many tech influencers and social-media commentators are misrepresenting Apple’s new $599 MacBook Neo by comparing it unfairly to higher-spec Windows laptops or older MacBook Air models. The author says these critics ignore the Neo’s intended audience—people who would otherwise buy cheap Chromebooks or budget PCs—and overlook strengths like its aluminum build, solid webcam and audio, good display, and full Mac experience at a low price. He also argues that recommending older MacBook Airs instead is poor advice because used or refurbished machines may lack warranties and will receive software updates for fewer years. Overall, the article claims much of the online criticism is based on misleading comparisons and misunderstanding of the product’s role as a basic, affordable entry-level Mac.

Apple-hating tech bros are lying to you

Apple’s new MacBook Neo has generated a torrent of opinions, and many aren’t based on facts.

www.macworld.com

 

[Peterrocks!]

Great article. Summary:

The Macworld article “Tech bros are lying to you about the MacBook Neo” argues that many tech influencers and social-media commentators are misrepresenting Apple’s new $599 MacBook Neo by comparing it unfairly to higher-spec Windows laptops or older MacBook Air models. The author says these critics ignore the Neo’s intended audience—people who would otherwise buy cheap Chromebooks or budget PCs—and overlook strengths like its aluminum build, solid webcam and audio, good display, and full Mac experience at a low price. He also argues that recommending older MacBook Airs instead is poor advice because used or refurbished machines may lack warranties and will receive software updates for fewer years. Overall, the article claims much of the online criticism is based on misleading comparisons and misunderstanding of the product’s role as a basic, affordable entry-level Mac.

Apple-hating tech bros are lying to you

Apple’s new MacBook Neo has generated a torrent of opinions, and many aren’t based on facts.

www.macworld.com

They don't lack warranties when you buy them from the Apple refurbished store. Pretty good deals right now on M4 MBAs.

 

[Pbwallstreet]

They don't lack warranties when you buy them from the Apple refurbished store. Pretty good deals right now on M4 MBAs.

$1179 Canadian for a refurbished MBA M4. More RAM than the Neo but still only a 256 GB HD and is over $350 more than a non-refurbished Neo 512 GB.

 

[Torty]

Sounds like you're simply interested in what the Neo can do. I can see you ordering the MBA shortly after. 😉 I don't think the Neo is for people who work with 50 tabs open.

 

[Zazoh]

I don't think the Neo is for people who work with 50 tabs open.

I think of that as poor tab management, tab groups and bookmarks solve this problem. I worked as a programmer in the financial industry, We used to laugh at the consultant bro culture of folks trying to find something to show us by culling thru scores of tabs. Highly unproductive.

The launch of the Neo has shown how many in the biz admitted to owning the 12” MacBook which was a poor performer and had the atrocious keyboard. This will be the number one seller this year.

 

[joshwithachance]

Correction: You're buying the Neo to feed what appears to be a tech addiction and FOMO.

Especially considering you're already thinking about returning the Neo you haven't even gotten yet...

 

[joshwithachance]

11 hours of constant use is a long time - more than enough time for daily use - if I even use it that much. My iPhone Air gets some time too so the Neo won't get even close to half battery use. And my Apple Ultra Watch 3 worn all day only goes down to 75% so you can see I am not a heavy user of tech.

BTW: I am at an age where I have to stop driving or flying after 1 hour because my body and bladder doesn't allow for long hauls.
I keep telling my aviation CFI that I have to land about an hour after taking off.
He says I will be flying way more hours to get my license - especially on cross country flights.

Oh I totally get that! But when it comes to laptops and tablets, I don't want to have to charge them daily. So for me, that 11 hours of mixed usage would mean I'd be plugging it in probably every other day compared to the Air lasting me a solid 3-4 days between charges.