I ended up getting two (one for each of my daughters).

The thing about Apple is that as the "IT" guy for my family, its ecosystem is the one which needs the least attention from me.

It really just works.

They have used Windows and Linux before (my kids and wife, that is), but something is always not quite right and needs my involvement.

These days gone 100% Mac, my interventions are usually initial setup and whenever the Samsung printer jams.

I have always had this notion that buying a Mac is the "premium" option, not just in quality, but maybe in price too.

I am in the process of trying to find a business notebook for my spouse who is a Windows user. The goal is to have something that is as close to a Macbook Air as possible in terms of price, weight, performance and durability.

What I am learning is that nothing that like that exists in the PC world. It's a minefield of tradeoffs: plastic chassis', bad screens, weird keyboards, bad trackpads, questionable reliability, etc.

The current contender is a ThinkPad X1 Carbon which even after a bunch of business discounts is still a good $300 more than a Macbook Air and appears to come with a pretty poor trackpad in comparison.

Apple has an incredible strength in distilling what a product or series of products should be down to its essence and selling it. You could argue that there is more "choice" among Windows PCs but the reality seems to be that it is an illogical mess of tradeoffs.

I think Apple's cost efficiency advantages are really compounding now and it'll get increasingly hard for competitors to catch up. Everything they put in the product is either in-house or benefit from their scale and negotiating power.

In the MacBook Neo's case, everything from the in-house chipset and scale (for stuff like aluminum body) and the more RAM-efficient software is working in its favor. I'd bet that a different laptop manufacturer will struggle to make a profit at all if they made a $599 Neo-equivalent product with lower scale, having to pay for chips and Windows licenses, and having to put in 12GB of RAM instead of 8 to get a similar user experience.

It's always surprising when companies don't understand that people what inexpensive, quality goods. The original Ford Maverick retailed for $19,995, Ford absolutely could not keep up with production. Ultimately, they raised prices both because they could and in order to reduce demand because they could not actually product enough units.

It's amazing you can get an iPad for $349 and a Macbook for $599. Even the plastic 2009 macbook alone was $999 at the lowest. Very strange to see a company do this when everything else just seems to have gone up and up.

I bought one: I was hesitant about the 8 GB of memory at first. But I'm happily running Chrome with like 20 tabs and some other apps, and performance isn't an issue.

It's mostly a couch laptop.

I run Obsidean, messaging apps, writing tools. I use some CLI toolings...

I really wanted a Framework 12, but I got $180 credit on a ipad AIR 4, and sold a 2017 Macbook Pro for $150 (US), so that effectively made this a 280 upgrade, and reduced the risk in me going for it.

I love this thing.

* love the keyboard, it’s such an improvement over the older laptops. Worth getting rid of that old Macbook Pro for this alone

* Keyboard isn’t backlit. Thought that would be annoying, but i’m good enough touch typist that in the dark, i can still navigate around no problem.

* Lack of touch sensor. I just turned off most security prompting, like passwords when filling in websites, etc. and just rely on typing my password in once when logging on. On my todo is to turn on authentication from my Apple Watch, might make not having a touchid a non-issue.

* The screen!

Did I say I love the form factor?

I still wish it was shaped like my former favorite computer: the 11" Macbook Air, with the tapered edges and such.

I'm optimistic that the next version of Framework 12 will have better screen and be a nice aluminum body...but until then.....

I’m not shocked in the slightest. Great price point for younger folks to buy or be given as a gift, the build quality is good for what it is and it is snappy for most uses.

It’s many years too late IMO but I suppose the economics only made sense once they controlled their own chipset. I imagine doing this in the intel days would have been a far worse choice

Not surprising. I've been looking at potentially getting one for my mother. Her last Windows 10 laptop is pretty long in the tooth, and there's no way in hell I'm getting her one with Windows 11 on it.

The Neo seems to fill the same niche that the Chromebook once did, and, since she's already in the Apple ecosystem due to her iPhone, an "Apple Chromebook" seems like an attractive proposition.

The Neo's value prop is great for many people. I keep needing to remind myself that most computer users can get by fine with 8GB or RAM, and that the I'm not the target market for products like the Neo. I do get nervous with how future proof 8GB of RAM will be in terms of total usable lifespan for the Neo. Maybe the idea is shortened timeline to obsolescence means more sales. Not digging on the build quality, but just if 8GB or RAM will still be fine 5 years from now.

I would like to know how these are on XCode - would love to have the cheapest/most lightweight possible way to build iOS apps (derived from some cross-platform builder like Expo/Lynx/Dioxus) since I have no other use for MacOS.

Looking at tech specs, it seems like the one with 512GB drive might be serviceable. I have a very old 256GB Air and I struggle to keep enough drive space open to have XCode installed on it.

Apart from the price, I think what's really attracting people to the Neo are the cool colors. I was at an Apple Store a couple of weeks ago trying to buy a M5 MacBook Air and I was eavesdropping on the conversations going on next to me from people looking at the Neo. Almost all of it was positive and people really love the colors!

I suspect Apple is going to cannibalize some MBA sales with the Neo because I'm recommending the Neo to anyone like my mom who use their laptop mostly just for browsing and FaceTime calls, and even the MBA is overkill for that.

With 12GB it's a seriously cool offering. I actually know 8GB works as well, and I've seen people on MacBook Airs with 50 tabs open, full IDE's and breezing. But I still would want at least 4GB more to be on the safe side.

I'm a recent-ish convert from 18 years of Linux to Mac. I paid $2k for a Dell laptop 5 years ago that has been used maybe 6 months and every single day of using it was miserable. Loud fans, stutter, horrible resolution, battery anxiety - all of these problems got resolved with a $2k Macbook.

It almost feels like Apple knows that hardware shouldn't be getting in your way and the rest of the industry thinks it's still 2002. Granted, that memo didn't get to the software team at Apple, but that's a relatively small problem that you get used to.

Awesome, it’s nice to see a large company actually trying to make a decently crafted product for the entry level market and for it to be popular! I hope Apple can continue this and release more nice products at lower prices especially at a time where hardware is going parabolic.

I'd like to see the same thing applied to desktop computers, a Mac Neo maybe. The Mac mini has moved up the cost/performance ladder, there's room at the bottom for a simple, low cost desktop, maybe with Neo colours too.

I wonder what effect the colours have on sales?

It’s a hell of a lot more interesting than silver or dark grey.

I am hopeful (not exactly optimistic, but hopeful) that increased sales of MacOS devices will warrant increased investment in MacOS by Apple.

Amazing hardware, 8GB out to keep developers in check with sane memory management, if only Apple themselves cut down on their macOS operating system memory usage, 3GB idle is too much. The obvious out of spec for this laptop is emulated gaming with rosetta and wine, this need minimal 16GB.

I've already sold (recommended) 4 of these. I will continue to do so. These are the right computer for the non-creative/non-technical people in your life. HP/Acer/Dell/etc etc have decided to die on the hill of plasticy laptops with alien sounding model numbers. Good riddance.

Can someone explain to me why the standard iPad ($349) is so much cheaper than the iPhone 17e ($599)?

I wonder if this will cannibalize their other more expensive product lines. I know some people and have recommended this to folks that would have purchased more expensive laptops otherwise. My grandpa never needed the macbook air he has continually repurchased over the years. I am planning on purchasing one of these for my oldest, would have opted for a more expensive macbook air as well otherwise. Others that thought the macbook air was too expensive may have purchased used or not at all so this does bring in some more money with that demographic. I have to imagine the margins are smaller if the product is cheaper. I guess time will tell.

I would rather own a used MacBook AIR than a new MacBook Neo. I usually don't like used computers but I just can't stand the anxiety of having to only have 8Gb RAM. Sure, it swaps, it compresses memory etc.. but still.

Got my and my wife's parents all-in on iPhone + Macbook Air/Pro + Watch (with a single iPad Pro) and honestly it's been fantastic. Only problem is that they forget a password here and there and I just have that in my password manager. After that, the ecosystem is just super convenient: watch finds their phone, find my friends has their/our location, Facetime dials in pretty easily.

Honestly, the problem with the Apple ecosystem is that hooking it up into a machine is annoying, so our claw-like has to be on a Mac Mini. But apart from that, everything is pretty good.

I love my macbook neo. I have more powerful macmini at home as my daily driver, but neo is amazing for me basically as a companion to my corporate laptop. I use it:

- to take as my personal device when I travel

- do personal stuff when my corporate laptop is connected to my home setup and constant switching between computers is a hassle (even with a built in kvm in a monitor). i know, 1st world problems

It has a price point that makes it no brainer for me.

Things I hope will improve with Neo 2.

SSD Speed. Currently 1.2GB/s. That is slower than MacBook Pro 2015. Hopefully we see 2GB/s as in iPhone 17 Air.

Backlit Keyboard.

A19 with 12GB Memory. That extra 4GB headroom make all the difference for everyday user.

If they could sell this even for $699 everyone should just get a Neo

I would like to know how well it is selling worldwide, on PC markets where Apple hardly has a presence.

As most of these selling well news are from markets where Apple has anyway already a big presence and living standards can afford Apple prices.

It looks so awesome, I just find it SO hard to buy any computer with 8GB.

I’ll wait for the next generation though. 8 gigs is a bit tight for my normal uses.

Imagine the potential sales overseas where the Neo fits into the budget of many more people who maybe wanted to get a Mac but could not afford it because it was just out of reach. But now there is a possibility.

Our company also giving us now MacBook neo . First time int he history of our company providing MacBook. Otherwise lenovo thinbook we used.

I am more interested in the XPS13 at a similar price point mentioned in the article. My intention is to run Linux, and that probably won't happen for a long time on modern Apple hardware.

Is the MacBook Neo like my Xiaomi phone: fully locked down; no way to put custom software on it? That would be bad. My laptop is the last bastion of control left.

I bought two Touch-ID models as gifts and while doing the setup I must say the lack of keyboard backlight is the only thing that bothered me A LOT. Great machines otherwise.

Price actually matters! Surprised Pikachu

I purchased my girlfriend a refurbished M2 MacBook Air literally a week before the Neo was announced. Been kicking myself ever since.

Current RAM prices make the Mac Neo a steal

I wonder what the margin profile is of the Neo vs Air vs MacBook Pro.

I have to imagine the Neo is lower margin %, but maybe I'm wrong.

FTA: "confirms that there's real appetite for premium quality at accessible prices"

Ya think?

It took Apple 42 years to kill the pc, but they did it.

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I'm writing this from a Macbook Neo. It's goddam fantastic. The best product Apple has put out in years. There simply is not a Windows laptop out there that can compete on speed, price, and build quality all at the same time. The low amount of RAM is simply not noticeable for everyday tasks. The display is fantastic. It feels really solid and great to hold and use.

macOS is far and away the worst thing about it. It's never exactly been a customizable or flexible OS, but Tahoe is also loaded with bugs, has tons of unconfigurable settings (or buries useful things in "accessibility" layers), and is still missing basic features (still no NTFS write support out of the box? really?) for anybody who is not an entry-level user.

But that said, for about $500, I truly don't think anything better exists. One of the best bang-for-buck new electronics I've ever bought.

Yet open two tabs in chrome and your tam is gone...

I need a new home laptop. Just for web browsing, streaming videos.

I hate MacOS. I used MacOS for 10 years. When came back to Windows, I felt as I can breathe again.

I hate there are no comparable price/performance in Windows world.

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sad to hear if true, apple products are locked down / proprietary disappointments

would enjoy seeing them open them up though (push for this?)

I don't doubt the Neo is a quality product, but I'm curious whether cheap MacBooks are going to sabotage Apple's cachet as a luxury brand. It's my personal experience that iOS users tend to look down on "green bubbles" in a way that can only be explained as some sort of brand superiority complex.

I'm sure millionaires wouldn't appreciate it if Lamborghini sold a $25K model...

It's a product that you can't upgrade and you can't fix easy. It's no for me.

Having "accidentally" purchased one, I can tell you that doing anything 8GB or RAM on a mac laptop is impossible. I have no idea what people are doing with this laptop. Macs are absolute dogs at 8GB.

The screen is too small, not usable for work, you can buy a 15-inch Linux laptop for the same price. And it might even have replaceable RAM and SSD. Also, 8 Gb is too little, it will become a useless toy several years later. Also, there are just 2 USB ports and no USB-A.

Also I wonder how long the keyboard lasts and how does one replace it.

It was not the normal Apple Mac Pricing to begin with. But let see if they will stick to $599 next year when it comes with 12GB RAM and hopefully double the SSD speed. I wouldn't be surprised it would have similar sales if it was priced $699.

It was also a very low initial production volume to begin with. So doubling isn't because it is doing above everyone's expectations, it is because Apple underestimated the demand. That is also ignoring the summer back to school season.

It's too expensive.

As a long time user ('91) I am fully aware how blessed we are with Macs' prices today. However, an M5 Air 16G/512 is $1,100 without any discounts and Airs are frequently discounted by $200 at least in the States.

$599 is dangerously close to $1,100. Yes, it's 40ish % diff before any discounts, but the Air is like 3x the value and the Air has much more runway in it. I would not recommend a Neo to anyone in my circles at this price.

They deleted the wrong things, imo. I'd rather it was plastic, with a backlighted kb and TouchID at $400. TouchID by default should be table stakes on Apple hardware today, it's that useful. Then, I'd have 3 right now.

I am just talking about surface level stuff, they thought of cannibalization, repair costs, upgrade ramps (8GB), etc, they are smart.