I, on the other hand, don't think it's a good value, have already bought one and think it'll be a hit. The media's already gushing over it. Press sells.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Will the MacBook Neo be a Success?
- Thread starter KPOM
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Any idea how the Neo would compare to my 2020 i5 Air (which is starting to misbehave)?
Neo will sell very well, but in the US at first, I think. Don't see it being immediately as successful outside of the US considering the price difference. In my country in the EU (Croatia), the starting price is 740 euros, which goes down to 640 euros with an EDU discount. It's still a great buy even if it is more expensive than in the US, but it's less likely to sell as many units, at least until the price goes further down.
Apple is targeting the US education market and I think it's a great move. To have something like this, a fully functional Mac device, at this price point, is the best market opportunity for anyone looking to buy a budget-friendly computer. People who aren't tech enthusiasts should be all over this. Hell, if I didn't already complement my MBP with an iPad Pro, I'd buy the Neo to use as a second device. Having an iPad with the Magic Keyboard means buying the Neo would just be too much, but without the iPad I'd definitely get one.
The best thing here is, Apple is flexing. This is aimed at new users, which is obvious not just from the specs, but the promotional video, where Apple explains things that are no longer included in Mac presentations, like "send a message on your iPhone and continue the conversation on your Mac." This is meant to draw in people who don't use Apple, and once they try this and see how great it is to use macOS in a quality-made aluminum laptop and excellent keyboard+trackpad combo, the subliminal message is that this isn't even a "proper" Mac in that it uses a mobile phone chip. So Apple is basically saying "We run rings around your Windows machines using only the power of a mobile phone so imagine what a full Mac experience is like."
I think this will increase the sales of iPhones because once people new to Mac see what it's like, they'll want to complement it with an iPhone, if they don't already have one. So I expect a lot of Neos sold and a jump in market share for the default iPhone 16 / 17.
Apple is targeting the US education market and I think it's a great move. To have something like this, a fully functional Mac device, at this price point, is the best market opportunity for anyone looking to buy a budget-friendly computer. People who aren't tech enthusiasts should be all over this. Hell, if I didn't already complement my MBP with an iPad Pro, I'd buy the Neo to use as a second device. Having an iPad with the Magic Keyboard means buying the Neo would just be too much, but without the iPad I'd definitely get one.
The best thing here is, Apple is flexing. This is aimed at new users, which is obvious not just from the specs, but the promotional video, where Apple explains things that are no longer included in Mac presentations, like "send a message on your iPhone and continue the conversation on your Mac." This is meant to draw in people who don't use Apple, and once they try this and see how great it is to use macOS in a quality-made aluminum laptop and excellent keyboard+trackpad combo, the subliminal message is that this isn't even a "proper" Mac in that it uses a mobile phone chip. So Apple is basically saying "We run rings around your Windows machines using only the power of a mobile phone so imagine what a full Mac experience is like."
I think this will increase the sales of iPhones because once people new to Mac see what it's like, they'll want to complement it with an iPhone, if they don't already have one. So I expect a lot of Neos sold and a jump in market share for the default iPhone 16 / 17.
Jackorias
macrumors regular
scrapesleon
macrumors 68000
I don't believe it will succeed it will go the way like the regular model MacBook that apple stopped releasing
My son's school just ordered (or will shortly order) 1000 of them. They can finally ditch the POS Chromebooks.
Yes this will be a runaway success. 8GB is plenty-I'm typing this on a M1 Air with 8GB, I have Safari Pages and Excel open and just worked on some Canva graphics. It's plenty for the target market.
If you run applications that need 16GB you're not the market for the Neo. This product will rescue millions from the terrible cheap Windows notebooks and Chromebooks.
JPack
macrumors P6
It's actually the other way around, iPhone is already dominant, and the MacBook Neo leverages that dominance. Alone, Mac cannot draw in Windows or Chromebook customers. This is why Mac market share has stagnated, even with the advent of M1.
Also, MacBook Neo already offers the "full" Mac experience. That's whole selling point of Neo and is Apple's greatest strength against Chromebooks. Customers are getting the whole experience for a fraction the cost. This is why previous myths about how low-cost MacBook would run iPadOS or App Store only were silly.
The iPhone is the center of the Apple universe and everything else is connected to it, whether it's Watch, iPad, AirTags, or Mac. So I would not expect increased iPhone sales because Apple is targeting existing iPhone users who never used a Mac.
I am ambivalent in relation to the right answer. It falls in the middle of an iPad with an optional keyboard and an iPad with a keyboard built in from the factory. I have an iPad, and like a lot of other people I ended buying a Logitech keyboard for it, while my wife likes the iPad's touch keyboard. The iPad has been quite boring for me in recent years, really.
This will be very popular, and very useful. macOS with 8GB is not a pro tool, but still very useful. I’m sure you can take images from the iPhone and view them and process them and put them into documents for homework or fun.
Back in the day, late 90s, I had a power Mac for the house. We got pictures delivered on CD. I tried to open a 1k x 1k image. The machine chewed on it for 20 minutes and crashed. The Neo will be very successful.
It will almost certainly be successful for school fleets, students, and a non-negligible number of people who know little to nothing about tech but want to use (or be seen using, in some cases) what others have. They'll happily buy any Mac with confidence it will work out fine, and it most likely will.
I remember that being the case with the white Macbooks back in the day -- nobody cared what was in them, they just wanted to have one for the above reasons.
However, a lot of people in those categories are on iPads and have no real interest in laptops and desktops. Also many are happy with whatever they already have since things aren't changing all that much anymore in terms of software. Others will still insist on Windows to ensure they can run all the software they need, or save a bit of money further.
Personally, I'll probably go the lightly-used M1-M3 Air for less than the base Neo since I need two USB 3.0 ports for backing up my camera on the go.
I remember that being the case with the white Macbooks back in the day -- nobody cared what was in them, they just wanted to have one for the above reasons.
However, a lot of people in those categories are on iPads and have no real interest in laptops and desktops. Also many are happy with whatever they already have since things aren't changing all that much anymore in terms of software. Others will still insist on Windows to ensure they can run all the software they need, or save a bit of money further.
Personally, I'll probably go the lightly-used M1-M3 Air for less than the base Neo since I need two USB 3.0 ports for backing up my camera on the go.
Anonymous Freak
macrumors 603
It's not for me, but there is a huge market for it. If my wife wasn't switching to a career that having a high-RAM computer matters, she'd probably be getting one to replace her Intel MBP. (She's getting a max-RAM MacBook Air M5 instead.)
Yes 599 is tempting. I don't need it either. I already have a m4 mini 256-16 base model. I could trade it in and with edu if order online the neo is only 200 dollars then. But the mini m4 is much better so not worth it.
ipsedixit
macrumors regular
Whether the Neo is a sales success by itself is largely irrelevant.
The most important thing the Neo is designed to do is get young kids sucked into the Apple ecosystem at a very early early stage -- "get them why they're young"
Once you have them hooked on iOS, you've got them for life, and never ending iterative purchases of iPhones, iPads, Macbooks, etc.
This is where the Neo is a success -- and succeed in that respect it will.
It's the ultimate Apple gateway drug.
The most important thing the Neo is designed to do is get young kids sucked into the Apple ecosystem at a very early early stage -- "get them why they're young"
Once you have them hooked on iOS, you've got them for life, and never ending iterative purchases of iPhones, iPads, Macbooks, etc.
This is where the Neo is a success -- and succeed in that respect it will.
It's the ultimate Apple gateway drug.
The education price for MacBook Neo is usually €599 including VAT. This works out to be $696.
Different European countries have different VAT rates so the prices might be +- $100 depending on country.
It will sell well to casual users. But it won't cut it for all the content creators and influencers because status symbol is more important, so they need MacBook pros.
It will be the best selling Mac for sure, but its success will ultimately be if Apple can gain significant market share. I think there is a good chance of it happening because estimates have shown that $500-$700 was the overall average for mainstream windows based laptops.
4sallypat
macrumors 603
Apple is very smart, they will gain a huge number of new entry level Mac customers and then lead them into the huge upselling devices (MBA, MBP, iMac, Mini, Studio, etc).
This is true, but I think the Apple ecosystem sells itself. As a former Windows network admin in a previous life, the Apple ecosystem is less friction and as they used to say, it just works. My AirPods connect to my MacBook, iPad, iPhone, even the watch and the AppleTV in the basement when I want to watch something late at night. This is in sharp contrast to the Windows/Android/Chromebook world where interoperability is never a given and often nonexistent. The target market for the Neo isn't sophisticated-students, everyday people-and they will enjoy a machine that includes most apps you need to be productive out of the box instead of being upsold on Windows.
FatLouie
macrumors 6502a
The MacBook Neo strikes me as a device for the light-use user. It is probably priced too high for that, to be honest. I would guess that initial sales will go to current Apple users who need something for their kids or grandparents. It will likely find a niche as an e-book reader and a device that retired people take on bus trips. 🙂
I am sure it will do well, but I don't think it will be a device that drags in new users to the Apple ecosystem by the truckloads.
I am sure it will do well, but I don't think it will be a device that drags in new users to the Apple ecosystem by the truckloads.
4sallypat
macrumors 603
Gee that statement makes us retired folks useless ?
4 decades of Apple - 3 decades of IT and 2 decades of education IT.
I am retiring in 3 months with a govt pension & SS but learning to become a private pilot and looking to buy a single engine turboprop to fly all over the country.
Will take my lightweight Neo (replaces 12" rMB) along with my iPad Mini to navigate me thru the skies.
Training plane: Diamond DA40 starting checklist for a lesson:
So anybody knows why the neo isnt lighter than the air since has significantly smaller battery capacity?!
Of course you are right 👌
Once you have worked while carefully planning for your and your family's future, by the time you retire it is time to enjoy not having to work in order to survive. As long as you and your family can afford to live off credit, then experience the things or moments that bring you happiness.
Last edited:
Apple_Robert
Contributor
I am guessing it may be due to the way the chasis was created.