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Will the Neo get a annual refresh?

A

alongdingdong

macrumors 6502
Original poster
I kinda have my reservations that Apple will update the Neo Yearly given they will try to mass produce them and have them used by schools/universities etc.

What do you think, a yearly Neo refresh or once every 2/3 years.
 
I am not waiting for the Neo 2, i just think about the cycle rate of the Neo, potentially being different from other apple products.

Perhaps the life cycle of a entire A chip generation? which spans what 3/4? iterations before the newer architecture is being released?

I am interested in this because i want to know how they going to do this with universities etc if you have lots of different models of the neo and how to maintenance that.
 
We might see the A19 land in the neo in 2027, but a refresh with new features, no. What you see as the neo is what you're likely to get in 2027.
 
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maflynn said:
We might see the A19 land in the neo in 2027, but a refresh with new features, no. What you see as the neo is what you're likely to get in 2027.
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I'm with you on this. Effectively, as parts from previous iOS devices become available, we'll see them integrated into the Neo. The one area we might see change in, is RAM, if the pricing returns to normal.
 
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We could stop this thread right here because nobody who can write here knows the answer because nobody that knows the answer can write here.
 
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They are updating the e line in iPhones and that's a similar product.

On the other hand the base iPad isn't updated every year.

So, who knows?
 
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As others have mentioned, we just don't know what Apple will do.

Some models get updated every years while others are every two years and some don't see changes for 3 or more years. The iPad and Mac mini are examples of things that don't always get annual upgrades. Though Apple is getting better since the introduction of the M Series chips in the Mini.

We will likely see an upgraded chip and maybe more RAM within a year but that's about it.
 
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maflynn said:
We might see the A19 land in the neo in 2027, but a refresh with new features, no. What you see as the neo is what you're likely to get in 2027.
Click to expand...
Wholeheartedly agree. It is likely they will want to keep the low entry point, not improve or add features that dropped it to this availability. So for instance, we may see a case redesign if they find a cheaper way to do the aluminum manufacturing process.

We don't even know if this is a loss leader item for Apple. If it becomes cheaper to offer 12 Gb of Ram then we may see a spec bump, but they will not bump it because the consumers think 8 Gb is too low.

Like winning the lottery it's fun to speculate. I would not recommend to anyone who is waiting to wait for next year it will be better. I think that isn't in the realm of possibility. And, if one can wait, do they really need one?
 
Almost certainly updated annually, in my opinion.

This is targeted at first time Mac users and is relatively high volume. It needs to be updated annually for it to be a continued success.

This is not a parts bin MacBook. Apple spent money on a new forging process for the chassis. All the parts except the processor are new. They may be cheaper parts, but they are a new design. That suggest a serious, sustained attempt. Apple would want to update annually to get their engineering investments back.
 
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alongdingdong said:
I am not waiting for the Neo 2, i just think about the cycle rate of the Neo, potentially being different from other apple products.

Perhaps the life cycle of a entire A chip generation? which spans what 3/4? iterations before the newer architecture is being released?

I am interested in this because i want to know how they going to do this with universities etc if you have lots of different models of the neo and how to maintenance that.
Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean by that. Education doesn’t have a hardware freeze policy. The main barrier would be deferring or preventing software updates, similar to the way Windows has LTSC or target version freeze. But that’s an Apple issue rather than a Neo issue.
 
NEO 2 could use some upgrades. More ram. Backlit keyboard. Better screen. Magsafe or separate charging port. More ports or at least one high speed port USB 4 / TB 4 or 5. And 1tb or 2tb options SSD wise.

But then it would not be 599 or 699. It would be the same as an AIR or PRO. So for 599 or 699 this is what we get.
 
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Was initially thinking that it will not be refreshed annually, maybe once every two years. But considering the success of Neo, now I think an annual refresh is highly possible. It could launch alongside the Air every year/whenever the Air gets an update.
 
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Air is close to “Pro” now, maybe Neo resets the class? Or, Pro gets touch screen and air doesn’t. There are a lot of ways Apple can mess this up. 🤣
 
If they do upgrade annually, my hope would be for Touch ID to be on the base Neo. I would miss the backlit keyboard, but I could probably live without (and it would be one less thing to drain the battery). But I use Touch ID constantly.
 
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I think the refresh strategy for the Neo will be to eat up left over Pro A-series chips from the previous year's pro iPhone production runs. Since these chips are left over, they can go into one of a few devices, Apple TV, iPad mini, both of which are niche and low volume products, and probably don't justify annual spec bumps, so with the Neo, it was a good opportunity to vacuum up all the remaining A18 Pro chips.
I suppose the A19 Pro chips may need to be held back for use in the Studio Display XDR, the next iPad mini, and the next Apple TV, all of which may need to support a multi-year release cycle, and if the iPhone Air continues with no updates, that one too. In that case, then the Neo could possibly wait for the A20 Pro.

I suppose Apple needed another product that they could confidently use to vacuum up all the leftover binned chips, so the Neo was a very cost effective solution for them.
 
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It depends on the iPhone ecosystem. Since iPhones are on an annual release cadence, it makes sense the fastest technology goes into the iPhones and then Neo gets last generation technology. iPhones sales need to be driven hard, and that means giving people reasons to update their (perfectly functional) phone. That works as long as the Neo is selling well. So, yeah, the A19 Pro will be coming to Neo in about a year or so. And the RAM will be usefully upgraded. As for price, Apple will calculate how to optimize sales and profitability. And there will be a big third-party opportunity to provide additional value for money and upgrades those Neos. If you can get by on what you're using now, probably smart to wait one year or so. People who buy Neos won't be upgrading them as often as phones, as Neo users do basic stuff, so the market will saturate after a while unless there are differentiating AI features.
 
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