No lighter, not smaller than MacBook Air

[chars1ub0w]

I looked at the specs on the Apple website.
It has a brand-new aluminum casing. But it's NOT any lighter or smaller. It's even a bit thicker than the MacBook Air.
I wonder why they bothered to tool up for this instead of re-using the MacBook Air shell.

 

[4sallypat]

To keep costs low, the casing is not machined CNC aluminum.
It's forged which means easier to produce using a mold and then heat pressure treated to make it strong.

I for one, love it - it's the perfect travel laptop.

I already have heavy, large Macbooks (16" MBP, 13.6" MBP, 15" MBA).

This is the perfect replacement to my 2017 12" rMB.

And as @Takoyaki said, the low price point won't be a worry should it get damaged or stolen!

 

[weezin]

To keep costs low, the casing is not machined CNC aluminum.
It's forged which means easier to produce using a mold and then heat pressure treated to make it strong.

I for one, love it - it's the perfect travel laptop.

I already have heavy, large Macbooks (16" MBP, 13.6" MBP, 15" MBA).

This is the perfect replacement to my 2017 12" rMB.

And as @Takoyaki said, the low price point won't be a worry should it get damaged or stolen!

Is this the perfect replacement for your 12" rMB because of the price? Because as the OP pointed out, it's no smaller or lighter than the current 13" Macbook Air. The great thing about the 12" Macbook was it's size, weight, and slimness, none of which this new Neo has.

I'm also a massive 12" MB fan (I have 2) and was really hoping for something smaller and lighter than the current 13" Air, which the Neo doesn't do.

 

[Dhonk]

To keep costs low, the casing is not machined CNC aluminum.
It's forged which means easier to produce using a mold and then heat pressure treated to make it strong.

I for one, love it - it's the perfect travel laptop.

I already have heavy, large Macbooks (16" MBP, 13.6" MBP, 15" MBA).

This is the perfect replacement to my 2017 12" rMB.

And as @Takoyaki said, the low price point won't be a worry should it get damaged or stolen!

There’s a lot of good with this device. 15 years ago Apple owned the education market. Steve Jobs said the iPad would be a great education tool but Chromebooks won out. Reality is a keyboard matters.

With this they cut back on processor, speakers, MagSafe, Touch ID, notch components, backlit keyboard, and were able to use 35-40% smaller batteries thanks to the chip (while getting nearly same usage time as Air). That’s pretty good value engineering.

I’ll be honest, I wish Apple would basically remake the 12” as a companion device. And it could borrow a lot from this. Smallish hard drive (relying on temporary storage and push to cloud), iPhone chip, small RAM, etc. So instead of Making it super powerful, tons of memory, tons of storage, and ultraportable….all that would drive the price north of $1500.

 

[Dhonk]

Is this the perfect replacement for your 12" rMB because of the price? Because as the OP pointed out, it's no smaller or lighter than the current 13" Macbook Air. The great thing about the 12" Macbook was it's size, weight, and slimness, none of which this new Neo has.

I'm also a massive 12" MB fan (I have 2) and was really hoping for something smaller and lighter than the current 13" Air, which the Neo doesn't do.

I got my 12” used for like $500-600 in 2020, and I loved it as a better travel and couch browsing device than my MBA. Part of that was the size, but part was the price I paid. So while this is only marginally smaller than the Air, the price would make me feel better about couch browsing and travel where it is quite possible to fall/dent. I don’t think I’m in this year, but maybe next year as the chip gets better.

 

[4sallypat]

Is this the perfect replacement for your 12" rMB because of the price? Because as the OP pointed out, it's no smaller or lighter than the current 13" Macbook Air. The great thing about the 12" Macbook was it's size, weight, and slimness, none of which this new Neo has.

I'm also a massive 12" MB fan (I have 2) and was really hoping for something smaller and lighter than the current 13" Air, which the Neo doesn't do.

6 reasons:

• OS: 12" rMB maxed out at Mac OS Ventura.
• Battery: 12" is poor (5-6 hours) so travelling on overseas flight is limiting.
• Thermals: i5 gets warm which doesn't help with the battery life.
• AI: 12" doesn't have it / support it.
• iPhone interoperability
• Price: less than half the price I paid for the 12" rMB!

 

[weezin]

6 reasons:

• OS: 12" rMB maxed out at Mac OS Ventura.
• Battery: 12" is poor (5-6 hours) so travelling on overseas flight is limiting.
• Thermals: i5 gets warm which doesn't help with the battery life.
• AI: 12" doesn't have it / support it.
• iPhone interoperability
• Price: less than half the price I paid for the 12" rMB!

More what I was wondering is - why do you like this Neo over the 13" Air given that the Neo doesn't offer the great size advantage of the 12"? Is it just the price?

 

[4sallypat]

More what I was wondering is - why do you like this Neo over the 13" Air given that the Neo doesn't offer the great size advantage of the 12"? Is it just the price?

Yes price is a huge reason and having the A18 Pro means a lot less heating, long battery life, no fans and life span is increased.

Taking this on my travels internationally is important where if it gets stolen or damaged, I won't have to cry.

I already have a 15" MBA M2 and love it on my desk where it sits as a desktop at work with a 32" external display.

13.6" MBP M2 and it's my field device for work.

16" MBP stays at home and never leaves as it's way too large and heavy.

 

[Adelphos33]

More what I was wondering is - why do you like this Neo over the 13" Air given that the Neo doesn't offer the great size advantage of the 12"? Is it just the price?

Remember that Apple likes you sell you more devices, not fewer. I have debated between the 13” and 15” MacBook Airs, for example. A 15” MacBook Air, plus this computer for light work, becomes an option for some.

 

[thistleknife]

This is the perfect replacement to my 2017 12" rMB.

I mean...no, not in size and weight it isn't.

 

[chars1ub0w]

Yes price is a huge reason and having the A18 Pro means a lot less heating, long battery life, no fans and life span is increased.

The MacBook Air has no fan too. Battery on the Neo is compromised. Despite not being any lighter, it has a much lower capacity battery, rated at 36.5-watt-hour. The Air, same weight, has a 53.8-watt-hour rated battery. I'll do the math for you, that's about 50% more battery capacity. With the Neo, you'll be working the battery harder.

 

[Yr Blues]

The closest thing to the 12" PowerBook that Apple has right now. Notch-less is the way to go.

 

[xraydoc]

The MacBook Air has no fan too. Battery on the Neo is compromised. Despite not being any lighter, it has a much lower capacity battery, rated at 36.5-watt-hour. The Air, same weight, has a 53.8-watt-hour rated battery. I'll do the math for you, that's about 50% more battery capacity. With the Neo, you'll be working the battery harder.

I think Apple quotes the Air as having 2 hours more battery life than the Neo. So the Neo is more power efficient, though the smaller battery offsets the power savings. And it is $500 cheaper.

But (and this is the real question, I think) — for roughly the same price, would a used 13" MBA M2 be a better machine than a new MBN?

I'm considering one as a companion to my desktop Studio M4 Max. I currently use an iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard as a laptop-replacement, but sometimes, real macOS is necessary.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I think Apple quotes the Air as having 2 hours more battery life than the Neo. So the Neo is more power efficient, though the smaller battery offsets the power savings. And it is $500 cheaper.

But (and this is the real question, I think) — for roughly the same price, would a used 13" MBA M2 be a better machine than a new MBN?

I'm considering one as a companion to my desktop Studio M4 Max. I currently use an iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard as a laptop-replacement, but sometimes, real macOS is necessary.

I really don’t need the Neo, even though I bought it today. I have 2 M5 iPad Pros with keyboards (when wanted) and another M4 iPad Pro, and an iPad mini. I am of a similar mindset as 4Sallypat. As cheap as the Neo is with eye catching color to boot, if something happens to it, I can just buy another one. I think it will be fun to take on the go from time to time. It may not get used as much as my iPad Pros but, I think it is fun to use something that isn’t typical Apple style, even if it is light on the bells and whistles. I don’t need it to be loaded. I have a loaded M4 iMac Nano for anything heavy.

 

[KPOM]

There’s a lot of good with this device. 15 years ago Apple owned the education market. Steve Jobs said the iPad would be a great education tool but Chromebooks won out. Reality is a keyboard matters.

Keyboard matters, but also the fact that Google basically shoved Chromebooks in the faces of cash-strapped school districts with a low upfront price. Apple makes its money from sales. Google makes its money by selling its user data. When you pay nothing upfront, you aren’t the customer. You are the product. That’s Google’s business model.

$600 might get MacBook Neo into more school districts, but I think it is still mostly going to be retail consumers who buy this. The $600 M1 MacBook Air was one of Walmart’s highest rated products. Consumers were amazed they could buy a “real Mac” for $600 brand new and jumped at the chance rather than get a plasticky Windows notebook or a refurbished Mac for $450. It’s telling that Walmart now will sell the MacBook Neo as an authorized retailer but no other Mac. And now every Apple Store, Best Buy, and authorized online reseller will have a $600 Mac to sell. Apple is hoping this will be a big seller and introduce millions more to the Mac. Once hooked, many of these new buyers might be more willing to spend $1100 on the MacBook Air when it’s time to replace the Neo.

IMO that’s why Apple made this device out of aluminum and made it available in “fun” colors. School districts don’t care about either of those. Plastic is “better” for them as it is less susceptible to damage. But consumers will pick up the Neo and feel like they are getting a bargain buying a premium-feeling device for $600.

 

[KPOM]

I really don’t need the Neo, even though I bought it today. I have 2 M5 iPad Pros with keyboards (when wanted) and another M4 iPad Pro, and an iPad mini. I am of a similar mindset as 4Sallypat. As cheap as the Neo is with eye catching color to boot, if something happens to it, I can just buy another one. I think it will be fun to take on the go from time to time. It may not get used as much as my iPad Pros but, I think it is fun to use something that isn’t typical Apple style, even if it is light on the bells and whistles. I don’t need it to be loaded. I have a loaded M4 iMac Nano for anything heavy.

Same here. I have the M5 iPad Pro that I bought with 1TB solely because I wanted the nano screen. It’s my main work device (for anything that I don’t need my actual work-issued laptop for). And I have an M4 MacBook Air that is my main personal computer. I thought about selling my M4 Air to upgrade to the M5, but decided that for the same net cost I’d just get the MacBook Neo 512GB. The M4 Air is more than enough for when I need a “powerful” Mac. The Neo actually has similar single-core performance but of course the 8GB RAM will be a constraint for anything taxing. The Air is fine for those things, though.

For $600-$700 (and likely $100 less during sales at authorized retailers), this is almost a no-brainer as a “spare” device for Apple fans as well as switchers. Apple apparently is limiting sales to 2 Neos per person for now. That’s telling. They really want to make this available to as many new customers as possible, and as “walk-in” sales in stores next week. It will probably have multiple effects. People may be tempted to walk in and walk out with a Mac for $600. And Apple will be happy to sell it to them. But some of them will be upsold to the MacBook Air. Or maybe a MacBook Neo and an iPad (2 devices for the price of a single MacBook Air!).

 

[Dhonk]

$600 might get MacBook Neo into more school districts, but I think it is still mostly going to be retail consumers who buy this. The $600 M1 MacBook Air was one of Walmart’s highest rated products. Consumers were amazed they could buy a “real Mac” for $600 brand new and jumped at the chance rather than get a plasticky Windows notebook or a refurbished Mac for $450. It’s telling that Walmart now will sell the MacBook Neo as an authorized retailer but no other Mac. And now every Apple Store, Best Buy, and authorized online reseller will have a $600 Mac to sell. Apple is hoping this will be a big seller and introduce millions more to the Mac. Once hooked, many of these new buyers might be more willing to spend $1100 on the MacBook Air when it’s time to replace the Neo.

IMO that’s why Apple made this device out of aluminum and made it available in “fun” colors. School districts don’t care about either of those. Plastic is “better” for them as it is less susceptible to damage. But consumers will pick up the Neo and feel like they are getting a bargain buying a premium-feeling device for $600.

You said a lot I agree with here, but also keep in mind that no school district is spending $600 for this device. They'll be buying the $599 model for staff and students, and they'll be probably paying more like $429-479 depending on bulk. I don't know exactly how it works, but I was always told my district paid less than I could as a teacher. The Chromebooks they were buying were around that price, and they were underwhelming. They were slow from day 1. Many kids preferred using their own Macs. The only good Chromebook I ever used was when I switched from my district Mac to a Pixelbook Go about 5 years ago. That was a great, well-built, thin and light device. But it was also a premium price. There's a lot of naysayers on these forums, but there's not a single laptop on the market that's preferable to this at this price. Do some have more RAM? yes. Do some have touch screens? yes. Do some have backlit keyboards? yes. But the product Apple is putting forth here is a fantastic product for the price.

I'm thinking about getting this as a couch companion. I don't like the iPad for it. I like a real keyboard.

 

[Jeweller]

I really don’t need the Neo, even though I bought it today. I have 2 M5 iPad Pros with keyboards (when wanted) and another M4 iPad Pro, and an iPad mini. I am of a similar mindset as 4Sallypat. As cheap as the Neo is with eye catching color to boot, if something happens to it, I can just buy another one. I think it will be fun to take on the go from time to time. It may not get used as much as my iPad Pros but, I think it is fun to use something that isn’t typical Apple style, even if it is light on the bells and whistles. I don’t need it to be loaded. I have a loaded M4 iMac Nano for anything heavy.

Good for you. Seems a weird way to go about justifying your discretionary spending. But hopefully ALL your iPads and whatnot work out for you. And it seems weird that you need the "Cheap" laptop because you don't care if it's stolen. Baller attitude.

 

[STOCK411]

You said a lot I agree with here, but also keep in mind that no school district is spending $600 for this device. They'll be buying the $599 model for staff and students, and they'll be probably paying more like $429-479 depending on bulk. I don't know exactly how it works, but I was always told my district paid less than I could as a teacher. The Chromebooks they were buying were around that price, and they were underwhelming. They were slow from day 1. Many kids preferred using their own Macs. The only good Chromebook I ever used was when I switched from my district Mac to a Pixelbook Go about 5 years ago. That was a great, well-built, thin and light device. But it was also a premium price. There's a lot of naysayers on these forums, but there's not a single laptop on the market that's preferable to this at this price. Do some have more RAM? yes. Do some have touch screens? yes. Do some have backlit keyboards? yes. But the product Apple is putting forth here is a fantastic product for the price.

I'm thinking about getting this as a couch companion. I don't like the iPad for it. I like a real keyboard.

And chromeOS. which is so limited in functionality its mostly useless. This has a full os

 

[Apple_Robert]

Good for you. Seems a weird way to go about justifying your discretionary spending. But hopefully ALL your iPads and whatnot work out for you. And it seems weird that you need the "Cheap" laptop because you don't care if it's stolen. Baller attitude.

I didn’t try and justify anything because I don’t need to. And secondly, no where in my previous post did I say I didn’t care if it got stolen. You should read without adding in your own bias.

 

[keksikuningas]

I really love my 2017 mbp for how light and portable it is, even if it's garbage in terms of reliability and build quality. If I didn't already have a high spec 14in MBP, I'd love to go with a Mac Studio for heavy work and then a Neo for portability (and ability to remote to the Studio for heavy lifting)

 

[JPack]

You said a lot I agree with here, but also keep in mind that no school district is spending $600 for this device. They'll be buying the $599 model for staff and students, and they'll be probably paying more like $429-479 depending on bulk. I don't know exactly how it works, but I was always told my district paid less than I could as a teacher. The Chromebooks they were buying were around that price, and they were underwhelming. They were slow from day 1. Many kids preferred using their own Macs. The only good Chromebook I ever used was when I switched from my district Mac to a Pixelbook Go about 5 years ago. That was a great, well-built, thin and light device. But it was also a premium price. There's a lot of naysayers on these forums, but there's not a single laptop on the market that's preferable to this at this price. Do some have more RAM? yes. Do some have touch screens? yes. Do some have backlit keyboards? yes. But the product Apple is putting forth here is a fantastic product for the price.

I'm thinking about getting this as a couch companion. I don't like the iPad for it. I like a real keyboard.

Schools pay very roughly 80% of the list price but there are many variables. A lot of it depends on the model (schools can still buy M1 and M2 Air) and what services the bid includes. So schools might pay a low unit cost but high services for example.

The most important factor is TCO. With MacBooks, the schools calculate they can recover roughly 25% after four years of use through resale. With Chromebooks, the assumption is 0%. When you roll all those numbers together, the Neo will be around $330 per unit, which means it's in a good fighting position against more premium Chromebooks.

 

[4sallypat]

Schools pay very roughly 80% of the list price but there are many variables. A lot of it depends on the model (schools can still buy M1 and M2 Air) and what services the bid includes. So schools might pay a low unit cost but high services for example.

The most important factor is TCO. With MacBooks, the schools calculate they can recover roughly 25% after four years of use through resale. With Chromebooks, the assumption is 0%. When you roll all those numbers together, the Neo will be around $330 per unit, which means it's in a good fighting position against more premium Chromebooks.

100% correct for a school district.

Our aging Chromebooks are worth $0 although lots of ewaste companies will pick them up for free and they will even certify SSD/HDD destruction certs.

Our aging Macs are worth some decent money when we ewaste them thru 2nd Life Mac. We get about 10% back which helps.

 

[applesith]

The budget MacBook cannot surpass the Air in any aspect other than price.

 

[turbineseaplane]

There’s a lot of good with this device. 15 years ago Apple owned the education market. Steve Jobs said the iPad would be a great education tool but Chromebooks won out. Reality is a keyboard matters.

The software and Apps matter too.

A big piece of why Chromebooks have taken off is the all in one Google package of services.