So are you happy with your new Neo?

[4sallypat]

Week later and both Neos worked perfectly and better than expected.

Keeping the Indigo; returning the Citrus color as it was too neon...

Apple asks why I am returning and there is no color reason.

So I chose Something Else.....

 

[maflynn]

Should have been a poll.

I think overall though the tone of the thread will be largely positive. I think human nature is such that folks don't like admitting that they made a mistake. Not to say the respondents are being dishonest but I think choice-supportive bias is completely natural and we all fall into that for our purchases.

Also the neo isn't a bad laptop, and apple has already stated its the most successful product launch.

I'm actually shocked I thought the most successful launch was apple vision pro - I'm kidding 🙂

 

[bellflyer14]

Just popped into Apple, Covent Garden.

Unimpressed with the Neo, but you get what you pay for.

The screen is definitely inferior to the Air. It looked anaemic. And the reduced PPI was immediately noticeable.

Genuinely happy for those who are happy with this machine, but it’s not for me.

View attachment 2612609

How much of a difference in PPI is there?

 

[Disher]

I`m happy with mine. I also have a mbp. The trackpad is a little sticky or something. I'll try a few adjustments, just hard to get used to, for me. Anyone else with this issue?

 

[QuarterSwede]

How much of a difference in PPI is there?

5 PPI, so no visual difference.

MBA: 224
MBN: 219

Both are over macOS’s HiDPI requirement. You can basically chuck out their opinion if this is how they want to frame it.

 

[bellflyer14]

5 PPI, so no visual difference.

MBA: 224
MBN: 219

Both are over macOS’s HiDPI requirement. You can basically chuck out their opinion if this is how they want to frame it.

Thanks, I thought I had read somewhere the PPI difference was only single digits. I know the Neo does not have True Tone and does not have P3 color gamut, but thinking its clearly inferior during normal every day use, I felt was a bit of an exaggeration.

 

[Zazoh]

I`m happy with mine. I also have a mbp. The trackpad is a little sticky or something. I'll try a few adjustments, just hard to get used to, for me. Anyone else with this issue?

No. In fact I still have the M3 air with haptic pad, I typically use more than one computer a day and until recently when I worked Windows, I can’t really tell the difference. But others are more sensitive than I, I’m glad I’m not … ignorance is bliss. 😎

 

[macmyworld]

I totally understand the purpose of the Neo and am happy Apple is offering it. We returned ours after two days.

The 8GB of RAM is on the edge and there were noticeable issues compared to our other Macs. Also found the screen harder to read. Again I understand there are compromises for this price of a machine.

Love the colors.

Still recommend the Air for a few bucks more.

 

[QuarterSwede]

I totally understand the purpose of the Neo and am happy Apple is offering it. We returned ours after two days.

The 8GB of RAM is on the edge and there were noticeable issues compared to our other Macs. Also found the screen harder to read. Again I understand there are compromises for this price of a machine.

Love the colors.

Still recommend the Air for a few bucks more.

$500 more. That’s literally 2x the price if you can get the student discount, not insignificant.

 

[macmyworld]

$500 more. That’s literally 2x the price if you can get the student discount, not insignificant.

You can get a M4 Air for about 200 more than the larger Neo. Worth it IMO

 

[throAU]

Overall, I'm quite enjoying my Neo. It's not a laptop for everyone and every use, and that's okay. Heavy users will get a MacBook Pro and enjoy it, and I will get my MacBook Neo and enjoy it.

I do wonder what Apple plans for the macbook air, as when the Neo gets 12 GB of RAM next cycle, the Air is in this precarious position where its probably way more machine than casual users need, and if you’re doing properly heavy workload you probably should step to a Pro.

Then again, the cost to step up to a pro is not insignificant.

Maybe the next Macbook air will focus again on thin-ness and lightness. Because right now i feel its just sort of in this middle ground where its overkill for most people but for those who need power (i.e., using the machine to make money)… a macbook pro offers significantly more.

 

[QuarterSwede]

You can get a M4 Air for about 200 more than the larger Neo. Worth it IMO

So $300 if you’re getting the student discount (which this is clearly aimed at). The Neo isn’t for people who can afford that jump. My kids certainly can’t.

 

[throAU]

You can get a M4 Air for about 200 more than the larger Neo. Worth it IMO

$200 on top of a $600 machine is not insignificant.

For that money the person could also (one or more of)
* buy some applications
* buy an external display and a basic dock
* buy some backup storage.
* buy some interfaces for their creative hobby of choice (e.g., something like an IK iRig HD to plug in an instrument)
* buy one or more game controllers
* buy an external mouse/keyboard/etc.

Which.. depending on the end user may be far more use to them than some CPU/GPU/RAM spec bump that they might not need. The above things will do stuff like enable them to be more creative, back up their data safely, multitask more effectively, etc.

 

[snipr125]

$200 on top of a $600 machine is not insignificant.

For that money the person could also (one or more of)
* buy some applications
* buy an external display and a basic dock
* buy some backup storage.
* buy some interfaces for their creative hobby of choice (e.g., something like an IK iRig HD to plug in an instrument)
* buy one or more game controllers
* buy an external mouse/keyboard/etc.

Which.. depending on the end user may be far more use to them than some CPU/GPU/RAM spec bump that they might not need. The above things will do stuff like enable them to be more creative, back up their data safely, multitask more effectively, etc.

Yes but the M4 MBA will last someone 8-10 years, whereas the Neo about 2-3 years at most, and the MBA is just a better laptop is every metric compared to the Neo in performance and quality of life improvements. Its the same with iPhones and iPads, the average Apple customer prefers the good stuff.

 

[QuarterSwede]

Yes but the M4 MBA will last someone 8-10 years, whereas the Neo about 2-3 years at most, and the MBA is just a better laptop is every metric compared to the Neo in performance and quality of life improvements. Its the same with iPhones and iPads, the average Apple customer prefers the good stuff.

After watching some hands on reviews of what it’s capable of I now think 4-6 years is more realistic. It’s a much more capable Mac than people think. It’s more than enough for most people’s needs.

 

[throAU]

Yes but the M4 MBA will last someone 8-10 years, whereas the Neo about 2-3 years at most, and the MBA is just a better laptop is every metric compared to the Neo in performance and quality of life improvements.

As soon as you claim an M4 is superior because it will last 8-10 years you’re just being disingenuous at best and clueless at worst.

As per another thread:
The neo owner can trade up at minimal cost every 1-3 years and by 1-2 upgrades their brand new neo with A20 pro and warranty will smoke your m4 macbook air in lightly threaded workloads (and by 2 upgrades in, probably heavier workloads too), whilst the purchaser spent similar money.

And they’ll have superior performance in year 2-3 onward, a brand new battery, new wifi standard, possibly built in cellular at that point, full current macOS support, etc. Who knows, by that point they may have solid state battery, oled screen, vastly superior on device neural engine, etc.

In year 8 your macbook air will not be getting macOS updates any more, and if it dies in year 7 you’re hosed.

 

[4sallypat]

Yes but the M4 MBA will last someone 8-10 years, whereas the Neo about 2-3 years at most, and the MBA is just a better laptop is every metric compared to the Neo in performance and quality of life improvements. Its the same with iPhones and iPads, the average Apple customer prefers the good stuff.

Um, where did you get that data from ?

ALL my Macs (8GB MBA, 8GB MBP, Studio, iMac) all get over 5-6 years of support (Mac OS).

Neo should be the same.

And I don't need the metrics to own a Macbook that will do the tasks I want.

 

[Zazoh]

Its the same with iPhones and iPads, the average Apple customer prefers the good stuff.

Well if sales of the Neo continue we may need to redefine the avg user.

 

[snipr125]

As soon as you claim an M4 is superior because it will last 8-10 years you’re just being disingenuous at best and clueless at worst.

As per another thread:
The neo owner can trade up at minimal cost every 1-3 years and by 1-2 upgrades their brand new neo with A20 pro and warranty will smoke your m4 macbook air in lightly threaded workloads (and by 2 upgrades in, probably heavier workloads too), whilst the purchaser spent similar money.

And they’ll have superior performance in year 2-3 onward, a brand new battery, new wifi standard, possibly built in cellular at that point, full current macOS support, etc. Who knows, by that point they may have solid state battery, oled screen, vastly superior on device neural engine, etc.

In year 8 your macbook air will not be getting macOS updates any more, and if it dies in year 7 you’re hosed.

Sounds like a lot of effort and e-waste to me, and please don't throw around insults that I am clueless. Also I don't own an MBA M4.

 

[iDave]

A lot of people replace their iPhones after two or three years, especially those who are on contracts. So it wouldn't be surprising to see $500-600 MacBook Neos be replaced frequently too. Personally, I rarely hang onto computer hardware for more than 3-4 years, before replacing it.

l haven't got my Neo yet but will order one soon. I checked out the citrus demo at Best Buy and liked it, except for the pale lemon-yellow keyboard. I'll be going for silver. I like white keyboards and haven't had one on a laptop since the iBook.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I guess the MacBook Neo is ok.

 

[1BadManVan]

I'm very happy. I may not update it past Tahoe though - I don't want to cripple it.

I would update it to the next one coming out as the next major os update is meant as a bigger overhaul for big fixes and performance improvements, due to all the complaints of bugs in macos26

 

[ivnj]

You can get a M4 Air for about 200 more than the larger Neo. Worth it IMO

That is refurbished and not new. And not available year round.

 

[bluraycinema]

I`m happy with mine. I also have a mbp. The trackpad is a little sticky or something. I'll try a few adjustments, just hard to get used to, for me. Anyone else with this issue?

I have found a sticky scrolling response in Safari when you reverse the default two finger scrolling option in trackpad settings.

Default settings seem fine.

 

[maflynn]

That is refurbished and not new. And not available year round.

No, but its an option to get more computer for a nice price