About two weeks ago I got a wild hair that I wanted a new machine. I had been checking inventory levels to find a silver MacBook Neo, knew I wanted the one with Touch ID. Saw one online for same day pickup and decided to swing by apple and pick it up.
I only had a iPad Pro 11' m4 and my 17 pro max. No personal laptop or desktop. Felt like I needed a bigger screen. Was on the fence about the Neo, or IPP M5 13 but the IPP is just so dang expensive. I knew I wanted to try macOS.
Got the Neo on quickly got addicted to Mac OS. It was just great. And having a keyboard was great. Much better than a big iPhone (aka iPad). I have been iPad only for about 10 years.
Then it took me down the rabbit hole, is the Neo the best device for me since it's my only device. I tried to use the Neo at night on the couch and that quickly reminded me that I needed a backlight keyboard. The search was on for a new machine.
Purchased the 13' m5 base air from Apple and returned it and kept checking around for deals on a 15' m5. Was also interested in a refurb m5 15' from Apple but couldn't find anything over the last 2 weeks. Checked Swappa one day and found a base M5 15' new for $1100. Offered $900, they declined. Two days later they lowered the price to $999 so I snatched it. It arrived this week and is perfect and brand new.
Im loving the price (feel like I got a good deal), the size, the speakers are sooooo much better than the Neo (night and day). The Neo would often times reload YouTube if I had 10-15 tabs open. The m5 doesn't appear to do that. And I now have a backlight keyboard for only a few more hundred dollars. The Neo was cute and very premium feeling, just like the Air. Its a great fit for some but not for me.
If you are on the fence about a new machine, with recent sales it makes choosing the Neo harder and harder. $699 for a Neo or $899 for a brand new 13' M5 air, I would chose the air every day of the week. Hope this helps someone struggling to find the right machine for them 🙂
I only had a iPad Pro 11' m4 and my 17 pro max. No personal laptop or desktop. Felt like I needed a bigger screen. Was on the fence about the Neo, or IPP M5 13 but the IPP is just so dang expensive. I knew I wanted to try macOS.
Got the Neo on quickly got addicted to Mac OS. It was just great. And having a keyboard was great. Much better than a big iPhone (aka iPad). I have been iPad only for about 10 years.
Then it took me down the rabbit hole, is the Neo the best device for me since it's my only device. I tried to use the Neo at night on the couch and that quickly reminded me that I needed a backlight keyboard. The search was on for a new machine.
Purchased the 13' m5 base air from Apple and returned it and kept checking around for deals on a 15' m5. Was also interested in a refurb m5 15' from Apple but couldn't find anything over the last 2 weeks. Checked Swappa one day and found a base M5 15' new for $1100. Offered $900, they declined. Two days later they lowered the price to $999 so I snatched it. It arrived this week and is perfect and brand new.
Im loving the price (feel like I got a good deal), the size, the speakers are sooooo much better than the Neo (night and day). The Neo would often times reload YouTube if I had 10-15 tabs open. The m5 doesn't appear to do that. And I now have a backlight keyboard for only a few more hundred dollars. The Neo was cute and very premium feeling, just like the Air. Its a great fit for some but not for me.
If you are on the fence about a new machine, with recent sales it makes choosing the Neo harder and harder. $699 for a Neo or $899 for a brand new 13' M5 air, I would chose the air every day of the week. Hope this helps someone struggling to find the right machine for them 🙂
