I need you to understand why MacBook Neo it’s a big deal.
Maybe it’s not clear to you because you haven’t put your fingers in it to know that it handles like a premium machine. Maybe it’s hard to feel the joy that a pink or yellow laptop brings until you open one with colorful keys.
Watch this: Apple Gets Right! Go with the MacBook Neo
Maybe you are mocking them, because it uses an iPhone processor and has 8 gigs of RAM, but you don’t see that the A18 Pro chip performs better than the M1 in. MacBooks are still sold today (which still comes with 8 gigs of RAM).
Maybe you don’t think how, for most people, a MacBook Air with M5 chip costing more than $1,000 is beyond their needs. You may not be thinking of all the people who own an iPhone, but don’t bother investing in a MacBook because of its cost.
I got a chance to discuss the Neo this week, Apple’s new 13-inch device that starts at $599 and does everything I need, with style and pizazz to boot. It has a 1080p front camera for video calls. The battery lasts for 16 hours. And readers can get it discounted to $499. By all measures, I didn’t feel that any of the compromises in features were huge. For the first time, we have a MacBook priced to compete with mid-range Windows laptops and Chromebooks.
In this week’s episode of One More Thing, embedded above, I take you through hearing the Neo for the first time, as well as testing other hardware Apple has updated this week, including iPhone 17e and new resources.
This might be Apple’s smartest move in hardware in years. This is a time when the MacBook is not for rich kids or creative professionals. Many people have iPhones but prefer cheap computers for basic work. And now, with Apple lowering the entry gate, you’ll see more first-time Mac owners enjoying the benefits of having a laptop that syncs better with their iPhone software and services.
Apple held a special event in New York City on Wednesday, inviting journalists and videographers to get up close and personal with the new devices. When Apple’s vice president of hardware, John Ternus, introduced the Neo to the crowd, he explained that the purpose of its creation was simple:
“We want to put the Mac in the hands of as many people as possible,” he said.
While I was at the event, it became clear that Neo’s main goal is to attract people who have never bought a Mac before. But I also see it as a smart buy for commuters or those looking for a second family machine.
I also came to demo products on the other end of the spectrum. It’s easy to crave the latest information MacBook Prosnow with the option of getting an M5 Pro or Max chip stuffed into a gill with more cores than I’ll ever need. A fully tricked-out model can go up to $6,899. I saw the benefits from watching someone use AI to write an app in less than a minute. In an instant, another program used AI to add new instruments to a music track.
But creators have always been Apple’s customers. The Neo, on the contrary, feels like it belongs to the average computer user who is smart about his money. It gives high school and college students a reasonably priced option to convince their parents to get a Mac while they haven’t decided on a major yet. I’m looking forward to putting it to the real world test when it hits stores on Wednesday.
To find out more One thingsubscribe to our YouTube page to catch Bridget Carey analyzing the latest news and Apple news every Friday.
