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Which MacBook for a casual user? Please don't roast me too bad....LOL

BSquared_777

BSquared_777

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi everyone…. I’m a newbie here and I’m interested in getting a MacBook. I’m brand new to the game. Never had a MacBook before.

I’m a casual user looking to web browse, FaceTime my daughter at college, watch movies, stream online, and light office tasks with Word and Excel.

Leaning towards a MacBook Air 13", MacBook Air 15", or the base model 14" Pro. Or would a Neo be sufficient for my usage?

Looking to have this thing for a long time...

TIA
 
My pick:

1. Wait for a refurb M4 Air to pop up on the certified refurb site. I saw some for $759 last week before they were swooped up. They have 256gb storage and 16gb RAM, so likely future-proof for you. My certified refurbs have looked brand-new.
2. Neo is perfect for you in theory. Liquid Glass is RAM-hungry, though, and apps continue to grow. May last you 2-5 years of software updates before slowdown instead of 5+ like the Air would.
 
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I completely disagree with the last post... I am not recommending anyone (other than elementary schools) to buy a Neo.
A refurbed M4 Mba or even a M3 with 16gb and 512gb would be a very solid choice that should last years. You could probably find a used M3 (open box or excellent condition) on Ebay or Amazon.
 
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BSquared_777 said:
Hi everyone…. I’m a newbie here and I’m interested in getting a MacBook. I’m brand new to the game. Never had a MacBook before.

I’m a casual user looking to web browse, FaceTime my daughter at college, watch movies, stream online, and light office tasks with Word and Excel.

Leaning towards a MacBook Air 13", MacBook Air 15", or the base model 14" Pro. Or would a Neo be sufficient for my usage?

Looking to have this thing for a long time...

TIA
Click to expand...
for what you're describing as you use case - a Neo will be just fine
 
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If you can afford the extra for a M3 or M4 Air refurb it i think it is the better long term choice over a Neo, you get a better screen, Backlit Keyboard and Haptic Trackpad , more Ram, Better Multicore performance, Magsafe and Thunderbolt ports. Its overkill for your use case but it will last for at least 5-7 years.

I just got an M4 512/16 for a very similar use case and i absolutely love it!
 
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I agree with everyone who said a Neo will suffice just fine for what you plan to do, however I'd add that you might consider looking at a 15" Air if you feel the extra screen size would be helpful to you. Squinting at an Excel doc on a 13" screen doesn't sound like a good time to me. It wouldn't be as portable as the Neo, but could be easier on the eyes. If you can find a deal on a base model 15" M3 or M4 Air it might just be a fit.

I personally have a 13" Air, and I love it a ton. I don't regret the purchase at all, but that screen size can be a little rough at times.
 
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BSquared_777 said:
Hi everyone…. I’m a newbie here and I’m interested in getting a MacBook. I’m brand new to the game. Never had a MacBook before.

I’m a casual user looking to web browse, FaceTime my daughter at college, watch movies, stream online, and light office tasks with Word and Excel.

Leaning towards a MacBook Air 13", MacBook Air 15", or the base model 14" Pro. Or would a Neo be sufficient for my usage?

Looking to have this thing for a long time...

TIA
Click to expand...
For casual use, any Mac is fine. Pick the one that fits your budget & desires, it’s not really a technical question.
 
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BSquared_777 said:
Thanks! I went with the silver M5. I had a 150 gift card for Best Buy so I figured why not go for the newest.

It's absolutely incredible how thin and light this machine is.
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Excellent. Well done. I appear to be one of the lone wolfs who hate the Neo. For most casual users an Air is more than sufficient and will last years. Enjoy your new computer.
 
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BSquared_777 said:
Thanks! I went with the silver M5. I had a 150 gift card for Best Buy so I figured why not go for the newest.

It's absolutely incredible how thin and light this machine is.
Click to expand...
Awesome purchase buddy! Im loving my M4 Air, I work on a M2 Mac Studio at work and the M4 Air is so damn capable and even snappier in everyday tasks due to the higher single core performance. I can only imagine how good the M5 would be! Enjoy!!!
 
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BSquared_777 said:
Hi everyone…. I’m a newbie here and I’m interested in getting a MacBook. I’m brand new to the game. Never had a MacBook before.

I’m a casual user looking to web browse, FaceTime my daughter at college, watch movies, stream online, and light office tasks with Word and Excel.

Leaning towards a MacBook Air 13", MacBook Air 15", or the base model 14" Pro. Or would a Neo be sufficient for my usage?

Looking to have this thing for a long time...

TIA
Click to expand...

A Neo would be plenty, but if it's in your price range I'd highly recommend an Air (screen size is personal preference but I find the 13 inch great for travel). It's thin, light, plenty fast, and I love the blue one.

The Pro would be overkill. The Airs are significantly more powerful than a lot of people realize (I used to do a lot of 3D work, game development, and media work on my M2 Air).

EDIT: Oops you already bought one. Congrats!!

My only suggestion and it's a personal preference one, turn off natural scrolling and see if you like that scroll direction better. I prefer it off personally. Also check on YouTube for some "new to macOS" videos. There's people there that will show you lots of tweaks and things you can do to your system. ProperHonestTech is a good one but there are many others.
 
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BSquared_777 said:
Hi everyone…. I’m a newbie here and I’m interested in getting a MacBook. I’m brand new to the game. Never had a MacBook before.

I’m a casual user looking to web browse, FaceTime my daughter at college, watch movies, stream online, and light office tasks with Word and Excel.

Leaning towards a MacBook Air 13", MacBook Air 15", or the base model 14" Pro. Or would a Neo be sufficient for my usage?

Looking to have this thing for a long time...

TIA
Click to expand...
Air.

Size of your choice.
 
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dizmonk said:
Excellent. Well done. I appear to be one of the lone wolfs who hate the Neo. For most casual users an Air is more than sufficient and will last years. Enjoy your new computer.
Click to expand...
I messed around with a Neo in the store. It's really nice. The quality seems nice and for me, it probably would have been the "perfect" machine. But, I love to browse the web at night and no backlit keyboard was the deal breaker for me. They will sell a lot of these though.
torana355 said:
Awesome purchase buddy! Im loving my M4 Air, I work on a M2 Mac Studio at work and the M4 Air is so damn capable and even snappier in everyday tasks due to the higher single core performance. I can only imagine how good the M5 would be! Enjoy!!!
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Thank you!!! I don't have any comparison but this thing is AMAZING! So fast and so snappy. It's a joy to use and I'm having a hard time putting it down. LOL
chrono1081 said:
A Neo would be plenty, but if it's in your price range I'd highly recommend an Air (screen size is personal preference but I find the 13 inch great for travel). It's thin, light, plenty fast, and I love the blue one.

The Pro would be overkill. The Airs are significantly more powerful than a lot of people realize (I used to do a lot of 3D work, game development, and media work on my M2 Air).

EDIT: Oops you already bought one. Congrats!!

My only suggestion and it's a personal preference one, turn off natural scrolling and see if you like that scroll direction better. I prefer it off personally. Also check on YouTube for some "new to macOS" videos. There's people there that will show you lots of tweaks and things you can do to your system. ProperHonestTech is a good one but there are many others.
Click to expand...
I really like the blue one too, but I'm one of those ridiculous ones that everything has to match. LOL! I have the 17 PM in silver, iPP 11" in silver, so I had to go with a silver MacBook.

Thanks for the scrolling tip. I'm gonna give it a go and see how I like it. It's fun to watch the videos and learn.
 
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BSquared_777 said:
I’m a casual user looking to web browse, FaceTime my daughter at college, watch movies, stream online, and light office tasks with Word and Excel.
Click to expand...
Any current MacBook will do all this stuff very smoothly, including the Neo.

What you get with the jump from Neo to Air (aside from performance improvements) is a bunch of “nice to have” quality of life improvements you may or may not care enough about to spend the extra money on:

- Touch ID (unless you get the upgraded Neo)
- backlit keyboard
- more accurate screen color
- better webcam
- better speakers
- better battery life
- a bigger screen (especially if you get the 15” Air)

And if you jump all the way to the MacBook Pro

- even nicer, brighter screen with HDR (high dynamic range)
- more battery life
- even better speakers

I might be missing a few little things, but I think this covers it?
 
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