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Why is Macbook Neo having A18Pro such a big deal?

JPack said:
I really don't understand how people forget M1-M3 was sold with 8/256. It's almost as if Apple would have some inkling of the sales mix between base and upgraded models.
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Yes, but when that was happening people were bemoaning and complaining about pro level machines being sold with so little ram and storage.
 
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maflynn said:
Yes, but when that was happening people were bemoaning and complaining about pro level machines being sold with so little ram and storage.
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From my perspective, it was more about the price of the 16GB upgrade. People felt $200 was too expensive. If it had been $100 or even $50, most of those complaints would have been silenced. Many people recognized 8GB was enough for a lot of users.

There were legitimate complaints about how the base model MacBook Pro came with 8GB. But Apple corrected that in 2024.
 
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Absolutely nothing wrong with the A18 Pro, its actually really interesting they used it because it shows how powerful A chips really are (essentially a downscaled M4 chip). The main issue for me personally is 8GB ram, but apart from this the Neo is a great Macbook for a lot of people. Ive recommended it to all my colleagues as i know it’s perfect for their usage.

On amazon UK, the indigo 512 GB version is down to £659 now, if anyone is interested before they sell out again.
 
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JPack said:
Prosumer features cascade down to entry-level products. M3 8/256 was sold through 2023.

MacBook Air is a prosumer device, while the MacBook Pro is for professionals. Apple bumped the memory to 16GB for MBA to create space for entry-level Neo.

Again, look the price. 8GB is acceptable for a $499/$599 notebook. How do you know it's not "right" or "not enough" for the group buying Neo?
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Unfortunately these prices don’t exist in Europe, here it cost €699/€799.
 
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Andy_2341 said:
I seem to remember sometime after the iPhone 15 Pro launched, people were pointing out the capabilities of the A17 Pro with its speeds being close to M1 and having 8GB of RAM. People wanted Apple to make a way for the device to basically run iPad or macOS when docked and connected to an external display, mouse, and keyboard. I was one of those people and did as much as I could with iOS as it is.

Now we have basically the same thing, just brought to life in a slightly different form. Functionally speaking, the Neo is not as portable but is much more practical and uses the same core hardware as our iPhone dreams. So why are people so upset about the fact that it uses the A18 Pro and 8GB of ram now? Before it was desired and would be really cool. Now it's dumb and not sufficient for anything. What is the logic behind this? I'm genuinely curious.

Edit: Spelling
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The answer is easy: tech keeps advancing. Every year, inexorably. Every year hardware improves and software designers take advantage of those improvements. Every year for the last 40+ years. So an app that thrived on 2 GB RAM in 2008 now takes a modern chip with 64 GB RAM to thrive.

The fact that we need more every year is a good thing, because we can do more every year and at similar pricing. E.g. I spent ~$4k for a loaded MBP in 2011, 2017 and again in 2023. The amount and speed of my workflow increased dramatically as hardware/software evolved.

The demands of Office-type tasks (text editing, spreadsheets, etc.) topped out many years ago, so folks doing only those trivial computing tasks can save money buying used low-RAM hardware, or buying new lowest-end like MBN if they can tolerate lesser displays, etc.
 
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maflynn said:
Yes, but when that was happening people were bemoaning and complaining about pro level machines being sold with so little ram and storage.
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People bemoan and complain constantly. A huge cohort of buyers always want something for nothing. Who cares what base RAM is? Just order what you need. I will complain if available maximum RAM is inadequate. Pro level machines are available with plenty of RAM and storage.
 
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I'm more than happy to pay €1000 for MBN with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage if they offer it because power wise the MBN can handle all my needs, but instead I have to pay €1450 for MBA with the same amount of RAM and storage.
 
geta said:
I'm more than happy to pay €1000 for MBN with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage if they offer it because power wise the MBN can handle all my needs, but instead I have to pay €1450 for MBA with the same amount of RAM and storage.
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A ITB Neo is already possible if you live in the right places for around $250...
forums.macrumors.com

1TB SSD Neo

See here. 256GB -> 1TB. https://www.tomshardware.com/laptops/macbooks/apples-macbook-neo-modded-to-a-1-tb-ssd-breaking-the-firms-512-gb-barrier-base-256-gb-model-gets-modded-in-expert-nand-swap-surgery
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com

Q-6
 
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maflynn said:
99% of the people imo, don't need the level of processor power provided current day phones. the apps, games they use simply don't need that.
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You can't sell systems slower than the competition or they will humiliate you in advertising. Marketing isn't always about what the customer actually needs.
 
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bapegg said:
We have to remember that the A18 Pro only supports 8 GB

Is 8 GB enough? YES
Would 12GB or 16GB be better? YES

The Neo is for casual users that do not run memory intensive software. The Air and Pro are for those that do run more memory intensive software.

The desktop Macs and iPads are no different. With desktops you have the iMac and Mini, then you step up to the Studio and Pro. Then there is the iPad - iPad Air and iPad Pro models.

Hopefully the release of the Neo will keep Apple and software developers from filling the OS and apps with bloatware and keep them slimmed down to run with 8 GB.

As far as why go with the A18 Pro. The A series chips are even more energy efficient than the M series chips. This helps the smaller battery in the Neo last longer.

To be honest, phones are way more powerful than what most people need.
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I agree that phones are more powerful than what most people need, which is why it seems a bit odd not putting the A19 Pro in the Neo as it is less powerful than some Apple phones. The 12GB an A19 Pro would give would be better (another point I agree on).

The Neo is a good device as it is, but going down to the latest A series chip rather than previous generation would have made an even stronger case for buying one.
 
Moonjumper said:
I agree that phones are more powerful than what most people need, which is why it seems a bit odd not putting the A19 Pro in the Neo as it is less powerful than some Apple phones. The 12GB an A19 Pro would give would be better (another point I agree on).

The Neo is a good device as it is, but going down to the latest A series chip rather than previous generation would have made an even stronger case for buying one.
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They use leftovers. Stealing active chips from air and 17 pro is affecting the iPhone sales and production.

These are most likely refurbs and returns as well as leftovers from last year iphones.
 
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ctjack said:
They use leftovers. Stealing active chips from air and 17 pro is affecting the iPhone sales and production.

These are most likely refurbs and returns as well as leftovers from last year iphones.
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This has been debunked many times. A18 Pro chips in Neo are brand new with date codes November 2025.

In all likelihood, it's a cost issue. Apple targeted ~M1 performance and A18 Pro was the first chip to meet it. N3P (A19) costs 20% more than N3E (A18).
 
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JPack said:
This has been debunked many times. A18 Pro chips in Neo are brand new with date codes November 2025.

In all likelihood, it's a cost issue. Apple targeted ~M1 performance and A18 Pro was the first chip to meet it. N3P (A19) costs 20% more than N3E (A18).
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That's the answer; Apple likely wanted to hit a specific price point at retail and needs to maintain it's margin. While 20% won't be a big number it ramps up fast given the number of units sold. A19 also presents an easy upgrade path as and when Apple decides is appropriate.

Q-6
 
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FreakinEurekan said:
MacBook Neo is still desired & really cool, to a HUGE population of potential users. It seems to be selling at or above expectations.

But - this is MacRumors. People gotta complain about something 😉 Ask 3 MacRumors forum members what the best device is, you'll get 4 answers.
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That's forum culture in general. People, and I have been guilty of this, spew complaints more so now then when I was posting in late 90s. I also find forums less helpful than before. Such is life.
 
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Corefile said:
You can't sell systems slower than the competition or they will humiliate you in advertising. Marketing isn't always about what the customer actually needs.
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Except there is no direct comparison between Apple Silicon and Intel. People in this price range aren’t comparing GeekBench scores, which are mostly based on contrived scenarios.
 
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Corefile said:
You can't sell systems slower than the competition or they will humiliate you in advertising. Marketing isn't always about what the customer actually needs.
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No, but Apple was the one moving the performance needle and marketing performance in a phone as a requirement. I get what you're saying but that doesn't remove the fact that the majority of people will not need the level of performance in the A18, now or in the future.
 
The important thing to remember is that its only beards like us who still use an internet forum who like to debate or moan about these things. Every adult, child, company, student and casual user who walks into the Apple Store to buy one just sees 'New Macbook: $599' and leaves with the right product for them.
 
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