Apple intros MacBook Neo: $599 with an iPhone chip

erek said:

“Apple Ramps Up MacBook Neo Production to 10 Million Units Amid Strong Demand​

by AleksandarK Today, 09:45 Discuss (8 Comments)
Apple has informed its supply chain that the company now aims to produce a total of 10 million first-generation MacBook Neo laptops, as consumer demand has been phenomenal. Initially, with the MacBook Neo launch, Apple expected consumers to purchase between 5 and 8 million units throughout the lifecycle of the first generation. However, since demand has exceeded initial expectations, Apple is significantly increasing production to meet this demand. As the Cupertino-based company has access to a wide network of manufacturing partners, ramping up production is straightforward, provided the main component—the A18 Pro SoC—is consistently supplied by TSMC.

Additionally, Apple is already planning a second-generation MacBook Neo with major upgrades to the overall system, primarily due to the new A19 Pro SoC, which will come with 12 GB of RAM. The current MacBook Neo features the mobile A18 Pro chip and is limited to 8 GB of RAM. According to recent rumors, Apple may upgrade the MacBook Neo's internals in 2027, equipping it with an A19 Pro, the same SoC found in the latest iPhone 17 Pro smartphones. Inside the MacBook Neo, Apple has opted to reuse the iPhone 16 Pro's chip, which is produced by TSMC and includes 8 GB of LPDDR5X memory. This memory is directly attached above the A18 Pro SoC using Integrated Fan-Out Package on Package (InFO-PoP) technology, creating a 3D wafer-level fan-out package.”

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Just like Duke predicted, nobody wants to buy this.

Shoganai said:

Just like Duke predicted, nobody wants to buy this.


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i want the citrus one before it sells out

Shoganai said:

Just like Duke predicted, nobody wants to buy this.


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Give it time. It either falls apart like the Apple Vision Pro or it cannibalizes the Macbook Air. There's a reason why Apple handicapped the A18 Pro.

DukenukemX said:

Give it time. It either falls apart like the Apple Vision Pro or it cannibalizes the Macbook Air. There's a reason why Apple handicapped the A18 Pro.
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Saying words doesn't make them true nor does it manifest them into reality.

Shoganai said:

Saying words doesn't make them true nor does it manifest them into reality.

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Keep in mind this did happen to other Macbook lineups because of the Air. Ever wonder why the Air has no fan in it? Give it time, if that 8GB of ram doesn't give people buyers remorse then Apple will regret making this as it eats away at Macbook Air sales.

DukenukemX said:

Keep in mind this did happen to other Macbook lineups because of the Air. Ever wonder why the Air has no fan in it? Give it time, if that 8GB of ram doesn't give people buyers remorse then Apple will regret making this as it eats away at Macbook Air sales.
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Quit posting stupid GIFs. It makes for an incredibly dumb discussion. There is a real possibility that in the future it may cannibalize Air sales ... especially as it gets more RAM and ports. And I have a feeling they will design the "phone" chips to support more things even if the iPhone itself doesn't use them. They may blur the line between laptop and phone ... and maybe the iPhone itself may gain some interesting new features. But nobody can take you seriously because most of the things you say aren't based in reality ... such as nobody wants the Neo ... and you focusing heavily on the RAM aspect ... and yet here we are. But I don't see an iPhone in the future with 32 GB of RAM, but I could be wrong. Anything is possible, but this is Apple we're talking about. There will always be a need for an ultra thin Mac laptop with enough RAM to do anything meaningful that demands it.

Shoganai said:

There is a real possibility that in the future it may cannibalize Air sales ... especially as it gets more RAM and ports. And I have a feeling they will design the "phone" chips to support more things even if the iPhone itself doesn't use them.

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What it looks like to me is that Apple is making a bet to increase their marketshare and that they won't drop higher end sales since there will be more people in their ecosystem to buy Macs when they like the ecosystem and spend more money into it.

Rtings gave the 2408 x 1506 panels out of the box screen colour accuracy on the Neo a perfect 10 (it's SRGB only). Show me any windows laptop anywhere near that in the Neo price segment.

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy - 10
Avg. White Balance dE - 1.35
Avg. Gamma - 2.2
Avg. Color dE - 0.77
Avg. Color Temperature - 6,469.1 K
The display has outstanding color accuracy out of the box. Unlike other MacBooks whose displays are in the DCI-P3 color space, the MacBook Neo's display is only sRGB.

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zehoo said:

What it looks like to me is that Apple is making a bet to increase their marketshare and that they won't drop higher sales since there will be more people in their ecosystem to buy Macs when they like the ecosystem and spend more money into it.

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They've been pretty good at predicting that. And the Apple ecosystem is not a terrible place to be in.

zehoo said:

Rtings gave the 2408 x 1506 panels out of the box screen colour accuracy on the Neo a perfect 10 (it's SRGB only).

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Apple's color calibration has always been extremely good.

zehoo said:

Show me any windows laptop in anywhere near that in the Neo price segment.

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No problem ... give me a sec ...

Shoganai said:

Quit posting stupid GIFs. It makes for an incredibly dumb discussion.

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You did do it too. GIFs for me but not for thee?

There is a real possibility that in the future it may cannibalize Air sales ... especially as it gets more RAM and ports.

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The people who buy these were already in the market for a Mac. Could also be a recession indicator. Ever hear of the Lipstick Effect?

And I have a feeling they will design the "phone" chips to support more things even if the iPhone itself doesn't use them.

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Or they could make an M-series chip with even less features? Lower clock speeds, lower cores, and etc.

But nobody can take you seriously because most of the things you say aren't based in reality ...

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I feel that's the other way around. Come on, 8GB of ram in 2026?

such as nobody wants the Neo ... and you focusing heavily on the RAM aspect ... and yet here we are.

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One month in and you're celebrating? I thought you'd be smarter than that?

zehoo said:

What it looks like to me is that Apple is making a bet to increase their marketshare and that they won't drop higher end sales since there will be more people in their ecosystem to buy Macs when they like the ecosystem and spend more money into it.

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It has yet to be seen if the Neo does actually increase Apple market share. Like I said, it could also cannibalize Macbook Air sales.

Rtings gave the 2408 x 1506 panels out of the box screen colour accuracy on the Neo a perfect 10 (it's SRGB only). Show me any windows laptop anywhere near that in the Neo price segment.

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I can't. Best I can do is find a Lenovo Yoga 1920X1200 OLED for $700. The screen is DCI-P3, which gives it 25% more colors than the Neo's sRGB. The screen can do 600nits which is 100nits more than the Neo's. Anyone care about nits? I'm surprised the Ryzen AI 5 340 is a Zen5 based chip. Never heard of it. But yea, I can't find a laptop that matches the resolution of the Neo at that price.

DukenukemX said:

I can't. Best I can do is find a Lenovo Yoga 1920X1200 OLED for $700. The screen is DCI-P3, which gives it 25% more colors than the Neo's sRGB. The screen can do 600nits which is 100nits more than the Neo's. Anyone care about nits? I'm surprised the Ryzen AI 5 340 is a Zen5 based chip. Never heard of it. But yea, I can't find a laptop that matches the resolution of the Neo at that price.

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I asked about out of the box colour calibration, not if something that comes with a better panel but isn’t calibrated so it looks a horrible shade of blue/green/red neon without spending extra money on hardware to calibrate it so that may or may not calibrate the LUT for the OS or just in the software that sees a profile.

A quick look of out of the box calibration for those yoga laptops and they seem to range between 6-8/10 for calibration with the odd higher mark. No perfectly calibrated screen to be found.

There’s also a lot of 1 star reviews for that failing and being used on the link you posted.

On another note.
Microsoft reveals major price increases for all Surface PCs as RAM crisis continues: Flagships now $500 more expensive than at launch

The Surface Pro 12-inch, which was previously Microsoft's cheapest modern Surface PC at $799, now starts at $1,049. The flagship Surface Pro 13-inch, which originally launched for $999, now starts at an eyewatering $1,499.
It's the same story for the Surface laptop lines with the entry level 13 inch model originally priced at $899, now starting at $1,149. The 13.8-inch flagship Surface Laptop launched at $999, but now costs $1,499, with the 15-inch model now starting at $1,599.

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Assuming Apple can maintain available stock and price, the conditions couldn’t be better for Apple releasing the Neo and taking market share.

DukenukemX said:

The people who buy these were already in the market for a Mac. Could also be a recession indicator. Ever hear of the Lipstick Effect?

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The whole point, and the demonstrated evidence, is that many of the people buying the Neo are new to the Mac. Remember Tim Cook's (frankly vague) note that the Neo smashed a record for first-time Mac customers during a launch week? We'll need to see the quarterly results on April 30th to get a better sense of initial sales, but it's very likely that the Neo will substantially add to Apple's sales.

There will probably be some people who'll buy a Neo instead of an Air, but not to the point where the Air is seriously threatened. If it's due to economic troubles, they were never going to buy a $1K computer no matter who made it. The most likely candidates are those who were already set on a Mac, have the budget for an Air, only have basic needs, and would rather pocket the money. That's a very specific audience.

Besides, as many have pointed out, it's not just about buying a computer at this point. Apple also knows many Neo buyers will go on to get AirPods, subscribe to services (Music, TV, iCloud), and otherwise become loyal customers. Apple makes less money up front than with an Air but potentially gets years of revenue that it might never have seen before.

DukenukemX said:

Give it time. It either falls apart like the Apple Vision Pro or it cannibalizes the Macbook Air. There's a reason why Apple handicapped the A18 Pro.
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When air sales sky rocket it 2027 can we come back to this? Apple is creating new Apple customers with neo. People will either buy neo2s or jump up to airs. What they almost for sure will never do again is buy a windows laptop. Apples retention #s have always been way over industry standard. Once they get you to buy a MacBook your in.

zehoo said:

A quick look of out of the box calibration for those yoga laptops and they seem to range between 6-8/10 for calibration with the odd higher mark. No perfectly calibrated screen to be found.

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I'm not sure where you found such information, because I can't find any?

There’s also a lot of 1 star reviews for that failing and being used on the link you posted.

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There are three 1 star reviews, and two of them are about the laptop not turning on anymore. One was a guy who got it with Windows 11 Pro not being activated.

On another note.
Microsoft reveals major price increases for all Surface PCs as RAM crisis continues: Flagships now $500 more expensive than at launch


Assuming Apple can maintain available stock and price, the conditions couldn’t be better for Apple releasing the Neo and taking market share.

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Assuming Microsoft Surface products had a market share. They weren't selling well from what I understand. With this price increase, they really won't sell well.

Aurelius said:

The whole point, and the demonstrated evidence, is that many of the people buying the Neo are new to the Mac.

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How do you know this? I would think it's too early to tell who's been buying Neo's?

ChadD said:

When air sales sky rocket it 2027 can we come back to this?

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You need my permission for this?

Apple is creating new Apple customers with neo. People will either buy neo2s or jump up to airs.

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The fact that people are talking about Neo 2's is telling of the performance of the Neo.

What they almost for sure will never do again is buy a windows laptop. Apples retention #s have always been way over industry standard. Once they get you to buy a MacBook your in.

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We've seen people go back to Windows. Windows 11 is going to make this difficult but maybe Microsoft will fix this? Microsoft wouldn't need to do too many things to make Windows great again.

DukenukemX said:

How do you know this? I would think it's too early to tell who's been buying Neo's?

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That would make some sense too, what Mac would they be upgrading from ? Not an M silicon, which start to be a while.

DukenukemX said:

You need my permission for this?

The fact that people are talking about Neo 2's is telling of the performance of the Neo.

We've seen people go back to Windows. Windows 11 is going to make this difficult but maybe Microsoft will fix this? Microsoft wouldn't need to do too many things to make Windows great again.

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Saying I told you so 2 years later does seem a bit rude. lol

People always talk about the next thing. That is what we do. I guess talking about RDNA5 means 4 sucks right?
Yes Apple has invented a new class of laptop. (again if we aren't giving Microsoft credit for putting phone chips in tablet pc hybrid things that don't sell very well regardless of the CPU)
Indeed people can see the possibilities. Next up no doubt will be a Neo 2 or Neo Pro depending when they choose to drop it that has 12gb of ram and the latest Iphone chip.

One of the facts that is freaking the heck out of PC OEMs with the NEO... is stats from iphone. Iphone has a 92% user retention rate. (meaning if you own a iphone there is only a 8% chance your next purchase is a android device)

When it comes to macbooks, no one is keeping score like that. One metric the industry does keep though is NPS (Net Promoter Score) which is a independent metric based on polls of new device purchasers. Apple scores 2x higher then the closest windows OEM. Base on other mac products it would be pretty fair to say retention of macbook users is probably 85% or higher. Its probably not as strong as iphone but its not far behind. Once you buy a macbook the chances your next laptop is anything else is very low. Winning back people that go Apple is near impossible.

The NEO is going to meaningfully change Apple market share. Over not just generation 1 and the next year but for the next decade. Assuming Apple follows up the Neo with more of the same. Everyone can see the strategy very clearly. Apple will continue to place insane fab orders for iphone chips... all cast offs will have part of the GPU fused off and sold as Neos. They will probably add some more capabilities to future chips to satisfy both markets. If I was crystal balling I would say the next next gen Neo (the first designed with neo and iphone in mind) will probably feature both standard and pro releases for iphone and neo. They will choose a RAM configuration that can be doubled even if it means using a clamshell. That gives them a easy cost effective road to double ram pro models.

Neo massive success was unexpected even by Apple. I thnk they can scramble to supply a next gen. The market stategy is now set. The PC MFGs should absoltuetly be very scared of what Apple does next. When Apple gets to A20 I expect they will offer a base model Neo priced much like the current one with min 12gb and more then enough horse power for kids that would have got crome books or anyone needing a basic high quality laptop. They will sell a pro version just like they sell pro iphones which will be placed right in the middle of Neo and Air. This also allows Apple to hold and maybe even increase Air pricing.

ChadD said:

They will choose a RAM configuration that can be doubled even if it means using a clamshell.

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The way apple memory is packaged with the cpu in their phone not sure that something they can do (the ram is stacked on top of the cpu), they could simply use the higher density module that now exist (like GPU started to do)

DukenukemX said:

How do you know this? I would think it's too early to tell who's been buying Neo's?

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Cook touted that record first week, but I’d also note that Apple frequently mentions first-time Mac sales in earnings calls. That and logic: entering the low-price segment for the first time opens Apple to a much wider audience that couldn’t consider Macs before.

DukenukemX said:

I'm not sure where you found such information, because I can't find any?

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I subbed to rtings.com when the paywall went up since they do pretty good work (and I want to see it stay around and not disappear). I used to think they were just TV's etc, but there's a tonne of laptops on there.

Funny timing: Tom's Guide just had an interview with John Ternus and Greg Joswiak that includes an answer to DukenukemX 's insistence that the Neo exists because the iPad "failed."


View: https://youtu.be/kkBudtxgor0?si=XUU237ZVWrMIMui9&t=605

They're very much on-message, but repeating something that Apple has said for decades: they don't mind if you think the Mac is better, or the iPad is better, or if there's some overlap between products. The goal is to make something you like (and of course, sells well). Now, I'm sure the strategists saw an opportunity in the budget PC space and know the iPad hasn't been doing well in education, but this is consistent with the way Apple has acted, not just spoken.

If nothing else, it's interesting that two of Apple's top execs (Ternus is widely expected to replace Cook as CEO at some point) sat down for a 25-minute interview that included some sharper questions (like the "it's an iPad with a keyboard" complaint and attempts to coax out smart glasses info).

LukeTbk said:

That would make some sense too, what Mac would they be upgrading from ? Not an M silicon, which start to be a while.

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A lot of people still using old Intel Macs. I don't know exactly how many, but people don't like to throw them away. I got a 2012 Macbook Air and a 2015 Macbook. I do nothing with them but put Linux, but they still function. My Macbook Air has 8GB from 2012, which is hilarious. But it's not hard to see people wanting to upgrade when things slow down and the battery isn't what she used to be. Just look a the fiasco with Windows 11 because so many people couldn't upgrade.

The question you should ask is who bought these Neo's so quickly? Average person doesn't pay attention to hardware news and waits to buy new hardware instantly. I think the majority of people who bought a Macbook Neo are people who were already in the Apple ecosystem. They could be buying it for their children and grandma, but they were going to do this anyway. Maybe a used Mac or the Macbook Air, since these are the cheapest options?

If you come to a guy like me and ask what laptop they should get, and my answer is minimum 16GB of ram.

ChadD said:

Saying I told you so 2 years later does seem a bit rude. lol

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Tends to work in my favor more than others.

Yes Apple has invented a new class of laptop. (again if we aren't giving Microsoft credit for putting phone chips in tablet pc hybrid things that don't sell very well regardless of the CPU)

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Intel did it with their Atom chips, and they sucked too.

One of the facts that is freaking the heck out of PC OEMs with the NEO... is stats from iphone. Iphone has a 92% user retention rate. (meaning if you own a iphone there is only a 8% chance your next purchase is a android device)

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My personal experience is hunting down a laptop is hard. Neo makes it simple since it's Apple and we know Apple. When searching for a Windows laptop it was hard to find anything with a good screen. That may have more to do with how customers search for laptops than the laptop manufacturers. Pretty clear that most people don't care about screen quality. Just try looking for laptops on Amazon and Newegg because the search feature for screen resolution is hard to find, but screen size is easy. The top search feature besides screen size is ram and brand name.

Neo massive success was unexpected even by Apple.

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That doesn't make sense since the Neo was marketed towards schools and there's a lot of schools out there. Schools alone would have a demand for the Neo, assuming the school wants to spend that much for a Neo over a $300 Chromebook?

The PC MFGs should absoltuetly be very scared of what Apple does next.

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They should be because of Apple's mind share. Microsoft seems to think the best course of action is to increase the price of their awful Surface devices. Microsoft isn't good at understanding the market.

When Apple gets to A20 I expect they will offer a base model Neo priced much like the current one with min 12gb and more then enough horse power for kids that would have got crome books or anyone needing a basic high quality laptop.

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12GB is more respectable than 8GB, but still not the industry standard 16GB.

This also allows Apple to hold and maybe even increase Air pricing.

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Lets not get crazy here.

DukenukemX said:

I think the majority of people who bought a Macbook Neo are people who were already in the Apple ecosystem.

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yes probably, but there ecosystem is so much larger than their Mac ecosystem, lot of iPhone users do not use computers or have a windows PC, they would still be first time Mac users.

People that had Intel MacBook years ago are probably in relatively high income bracket by now.

DukenukemX said:

They should be because of Apple's mind share.

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And pricing power that come from their supply chain superioty and post initial sales services success on their hardware, if ram/nand price stay that high for 18 month, that $500 for student price tag will look more and more challenging for PC MFG

LukeTbk said:

People that had Intel MacBook years ago are probably in relatively high income bracket by now.

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That's a weird assumption? Did purchase power go up since then?

And pricing power that come from their supply chain superioty and post initial sales services success on their hardware, if ram/nand price stay that high for 18 month, that $500 for student price tag will look more and more challenging for PC MFG

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$500 is a challenge but I doubt schools were buying Windows laptops when they seem to love Chromebooks. I can definitely see schools in California buying these Neo's, because that's what California is like. Most likely higher education would go for the Neo.

Aurelius said:

Funny timing: Tom's Guide just had an interview with John Ternus and Greg Joswiak that includes an answer to DukenukemX 's insistence that the Neo exists because the iPad "failed."


View: https://youtu.be/kkBudtxgor0?si=XUU237ZVWrMIMui9&t=605

They're very much on-message, but repeating something that Apple has said for decades: they don't mind if you think the Mac is better, or the iPad is better, or if there's some overlap between products. The goal is to make something you like (and of course, sells well). Now, I'm sure the strategists saw an opportunity in the budget PC space and know the iPad hasn't been doing well in education, but this is consistent with the way Apple has acted, not just spoken.

If nothing else, it's interesting that two of Apple's top execs (Ternus is widely expected to replace Cook as CEO at some point) sat down for a 25-minute interview that included some sharper questions (like the "it's an iPad with a keyboard" complaint and attempts to coax out smart glasses info).

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It's funny because they focus on segmenting what we actually want just so we have to buy more bullshit from them. I and pretty much everybody I know would love if we could swap to mac os mode on ipad when using a keyboard, etc. or have a touch screen on a laptop but Apple will never do this.

LukeTbk said:

yes probably, but there ecosystem is so much larger than their Mac ecosystem, lot of iPhone users do not user computers or have a windows PC, they would still be first time Mac users.

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This is definitely true, I know a lot of people that don't have a computer but essentially everyone has a phone and possibly a tablet. There's a reason so much of the web now uses horrid mobile style ui.

D-EJ915 said:

It's funny because they focus on segmenting what we actually want just so we have to buy more bullshit from them. I and pretty much everybody I know would love if we could swap to mac os mode on ipad when using a keyboard, etc. or have a touch screen on a laptop but Apple will never do this.


This is definitely true, I know a lot of people that don't have a computer but essentially everyone has a phone and possibly a tablet. There's a reason so much of the web now uses horrid mobile style ui.

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Sounds like my mom. She's not computerless, but she's like 95%+ iPhone + iPad. If she needs something the iPad can't do or is seriously suboptimal for she'll borrow dad's Win 11 gaming rig. A Mac would work fine for those tasks, but dad likes AAA games so x86 gaming rig it is - plus an iPad and iPhone for dad too. Buy a Mac? Could work for some but mom would think it was a waste of $ given that dad maintains a gaming rig.

DukenukemX said:

That's a weird assumption? Did purchase power go up since then?

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their age did and that tend to go up with it and they were already usually quite good to buy apple stuff (https://www.marketingdive.com/news/...ave-higher-incomes-than-android-users/541008/, https://www.comscore.com/ita/Public...More on Apps than,U.S. Mobile App Report here.)

DukenukemX said:

$500 is a challenge but I doubt schools were buying Windows laptops when they seem to love Chromebooks. I can definitely see schools in California buying these Neo's, because that's what California is like. Most likely higher education would go for the Neo.

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that price tag is available for students not just school purchase.

DukenukemX said:

Keep in mind this did happen to other Macbook lineups because of the Air. Ever wonder why the Air has no fan in it? Give it time, if that 8GB of ram doesn't give people buyers remorse then Apple will regret making this as it eats away at Macbook Air sales.
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I think the Neo is going to be the beginning of a reworked product stack at Apple.

I'm pulling that out of my ass, of course.

I am the moron that still thinks the Mini is going to get all of the M silicon processors up to the ultra and the studio will be dual and quad SOCs. The more I think about it the less sense it makes, but I ain't letting go. Apple just needs to realize I'm a visionary moron, not a baseline moron. Even with the pro being retired now, could you imagine the cost of a quad M6 in a world where TSMC is the only high end fab left?

Maybe I just like my happy little delusions.

I do have a lot of Wankels in my shop.

D-EJ915 said:

It's funny because they focus on segmenting what we actually want just so we have to buy more bullshit from them. I and pretty much everybody I know would love if we could swap to mac os mode on ipad when using a keyboard, etc. or have a touch screen on a laptop but Apple will never do this.

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There are multiple well-sourced leaks that MacBooks with touchscreens (initially Pros) are on the way, no later than 2027.

And the absence of macOS on iPads, or the current absence of touch on Macs, isn't likely part of some sinister plot. Apple first said that it didn't think touch was a good experience on computers (having to constantly reach up), but I also think it saw how Microsoft bungled touch on Windows: it falls apart any time you go beyond a handful of use cases. It's great for browsing your photos or watching Netflix... but don't you dare go into settings or otherwise venture beyond a handful of touch-friendly apps. From what I've seen, Apple has spent recent years tweaking macOS to ready some areas for touch, like System Preferences (which now looks more like an iPad's UI, just with Mac-level depth).

I don't expect touchscreen Macs to directly mirror iPadOS 26 interface elements, but I won't be surprised if macOS 27 or 28 borrows a few cues from the iPad and is much more ready for finger input than Windows.

DukenukemX said:

Give it time. It either falls apart like the Apple Vision Pro or it cannibalizes the Macbook Air. There's a reason why Apple handicapped the A18 Pro.
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They did not handicap this chip?

They are binned chips, that could not be sold as A18 Pro's ?

MrGuvernment said:

They did not handicap this chip?

They are binned chips, that could not be sold as A18 Pro's ?

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yes binned down by one gpu core (5 of 6), some phone and ipad mini also used that same binned down version, needed to use a binned down pro instead of a regular A18 for the IO and extra encoders.

Apple’s issue is that they’ve never “owned” the entry-level laptop market. This MacBook Neo is compelling enough to give them a foothold in this market. If they do it right, this is a brand new market for them with a lot of money to be made.

People who buy products at this level rarely care about specs. They care about usability, and based on Apple’s track record, usability will be great and completely spoil the market.

madpistol said:

Apple’s issue is that they’ve never “owned” the entry-level laptop market. This MacBook Neo is compelling enough to give them a foothold in this market. If they do it right, this is a brand new market for them with a lot of money to be made.

People who buy products at this level rarely care about specs. They care about usability, and based on Apple’s track record, usability will be great and completely spoil the market.

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Yeah. Most laptops in this range are hot dookie. I know because I have to work with them constantly. If every one of my customers had a Neo instead of a "cheap" laptop in the same range my job would be a whole lot easier. There's always a trade off ... it's either performance of build quality. It's usually the cheap plastic garbage I have the most issue with or companies that love to recycle ancient CPUs and put them in new plastic. That one angers me the most. I've seen 400-500 dollar laptops with Celerons in them. It's mind boggling.

madpistol said:

People who buy products at this level rarely care about specs. They care about usability, and based on Apple’s track record, usability will be great and completely spoil the market.

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I would argue the opposite since people who buy laptops bellow $700 are spec focused more so. The average is 16GB of ram with 512GB of storage with a 2 or 3 generation old CPU that has many cores. The average laptop size is 15.6" or 16 inches because that's the sweat spot for not hurting your eyes and having a laptop that stays relatively cool.

This is why sub $700 laptops tend to be plastic housings with 1080P displays that have speakers that sound muffled because people don't care as much about this as specs. People with a budget tend to care less about these features. The Neo might just jump start the industry to move towards laptops with better screens and aluminum housing. You can already find Windows laptops with such features under $700, but they are rare and difficult to find.

Twisted Kidney said:

I think the Neo is going to be the beginning of a reworked product stack at Apple.

I'm pulling that out of my ass, of course.

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Apple might have to. Especially if the Neo cannibalizes other Macbook sales.

I am the moron that still thinks the Mini is going to get all of the M silicon processors up to the ultra and the studio will be dual and quad SOCs. The more I think about it the less sense it makes, but I ain't letting go. Apple just needs to realize I'm a visionary moron, not a baseline moron. Even with the pro being retired now, could you imagine the cost of a quad M6 in a world where TSMC is the only high end fab left?

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There's already a rumor that Apple might make a Mac Mini for $300 with a A18 Pro chip in it. But this is probably fans cooking up ideas.

Aurelius said:

There are multiple well-sourced leaks that MacBooks with touchscreens (initially Pros) are on the way, no later than 2027.

And the absence of macOS on iPads, or the current absence of touch on Macs, isn't likely part of some sinister plot. Apple first said that it didn't think touch was a good experience on computers (having to constantly reach up), but I also think it saw how Microsoft bungled touch on Windows: it falls apart any time you go beyond a handful of use cases. It's great for browsing your photos or watching Netflix... but don't you dare go into settings or otherwise venture beyond a handful of touch-friendly apps. From what I've seen, Apple has spent recent years tweaking macOS to ready some areas for touch, like System Preferences (which now looks more like an iPad's UI, just with Mac-level depth).

I don't expect touchscreen Macs to directly mirror iPadOS 26 interface elements, but I won't be surprised if macOS 27 or 28 borrows a few cues from the iPad and is much more ready for finger input than Windows.

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The purpose behind a touch screen is to make Macs more productive in terms of art. The touchscreen for MacOS is going to be annoying. Maybe Apple can innovate here and adapt MacOS to be more touchscreen friendly without hurting the experience for those that don't want it? Microsoft certainly hasn't done anything with touchscreens on Windows.

DukenukemX said:

There's already a rumor that Apple might make a Mac Mini for $300 with a A18 Pro chip in it. But this is probably fans cooking up ideas.

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Look, if any of my delusional bullshit happens I don't think it will be safe on earth anymore.

DukenukemX said:

The purpose behind a touch screen is to make Macs more productive in terms of art. The touchscreen for MacOS is going to be annoying. Maybe Apple can innovate here and adapt MacOS to be more touchscreen friendly without hurting the experience for those that don't want it? Microsoft certainly hasn't done anything with touchscreens on Windows.

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That's the theory. Microsoft's approach to touch has been a combination of "oh no! iPad!" panic (Windows 8) and general indifference to the experience (everything before and after Windows 8, really). I don't know that Apple will nail the execution, but iPadOS 26 taught us that it's genuinely interested in how you blend touch with conventional computing.

erek said:

“Intel's New Core Series 3 Is Its Answer To the MacBook Neo​ BeauHD 4 hours ago

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Intel has launched a new budget-focused Core Series 3 processor line for lower-cost laptops -- "Intel's response to budget CPUs that are appearing in laptops like the Apple MacBook Neo," writes PCWorld's Mark Hachman. From the report: Intel unexpectedly launched the Core Series 3, based on its excellent "Panther Lake" (Core Ultra Series 3) architecture and 18A manufacturing, for devices for home consumers and small business on Thursday. Intel announced that a number of partners will launch laptops based upon the chip, including Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, and others. Although those laptops will be available beginning today, a number of them will begin shipping later this year, the partners said. All of it -- from the specifications down to the messaging -- feels extremely aimed at trimming the fat and delivering to users just what they'll want. Intel's new Core Series 3 family just includes two "Cougar Cove" performance cores and four low-power efficiency "Darkmont" cores, with two Xe graphics cores on top of it. Intel isn't really worrying about AI, with an NPU capable of just 17 TOPS, though the company claims the CPU, NPU, and GPU combined reach 40 TOPS of performance. Yes, laptops will use pricey DDR5 memory, but at the lower end: just DDR5-6400 speeds. Support for three external displays will be included, though, maximizing multiple screens for maximum productivity. Intel used the term "all day battery life" without elaboration. [...] Intel Core Series 3 delivers up to 47 percent better single-thread performance, up to 41 percent better multi thread performance, and up to 2.8x better GPU AI performance, Intel said. Compared against Intel's older Core 7 150U, Intel is saying that the new chip will outperform it by 2.1 times in content-creation and 2.7 times the AI performance. [...] We still don't know what Intel will charge for the chip, nor do we know what you'll be able to buy a Core Series 3 laptop for.”

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It's misleading to call this a direct answer (Intel was working on Core Series 3 long before Neo rumors started), but it is the Windows PC industry's best hope in the near term.

Right now the low-end Windows laptop CPU market is... rough. There are technically Core Series 2 laptop chips, but they rarely show up and tend to be hobbled. More often than not you're either looking at a Core Series 1 (like the 150U Intel uses as its comparison point), a 13th/14th-gen Core, or even an N150.

This promises to bring some of Panther Lake's benefits (including that 18A process) to a much lower price. And despite what PCWorld says, we have a general sense of what vendors will ask: the first confirmed laptops hover around that Neo price range (Acer Aspire Go, HP Omnibook 5 14, and others).

My concern is that the rollout will be slow. There are a few systems that should be available now, but a lot of the ones Intel teased have vague "Q2" or even "2H" release windows. It's hard to deliver a serious blow to Apple when your new laptop will ship after college students have already snapped up their Neos.

Aurelius said:

That's the theory. Microsoft's approach to touch has been a combination of "oh no! iPad!" panic (Windows 8) and general indifference to the experience (everything before and after Windows 8, really). I don't know that Apple will nail the execution, but iPadOS 26 taught us that it's genuinely interested in how you blend touch with conventional computing.

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In which ways (excluding pen input)?

madpistol said:

Apple’s issue is that they’ve never “owned” the entry-level laptop market. This MacBook Neo is compelling enough to give them a foothold in this market. If they do it right, this is a brand new market for them with a lot of money to be made.

People who buy products at this level rarely care about specs. They care about usability, and based on Apple’s track record, usability will be great and completely spoil the market.

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Apple will be pushing to have those uses upgrade eventually. Hopefully its a gentle push and not a heavy handed one.

They are in a unique position as hardware companies go. They have a reason to mass produce chips for low end laptops... something no one else can do. As has been reported to Apple these cut down iphone chips are essentially free to them. So even at 599 Apple is managing to retain a bit of margin. They are going to take a hit the next few quarters as, I don't believe they understood the market success the Neo would have. So they may have had to cut into profit to meet demand. I am sure in the future they are going to use this tactic of one chip for phones/low end macbooks to drive down their costs on both fronts. This will help them stay competitive in mobile and give them a profitable in on the laptop front.

Aurelius said:

It's misleading to call this a direct answer (Intel was working on Core Series 3 long before Neo rumors started), but it is the Windows PC industry's best hope in the near term.

Right now the low-end Windows laptop CPU market is... rough. There are technically Core Series 2 laptop chips, but they rarely show up and tend to be hobbled. More often than not you're either looking at a Core Series 1 (like the 150U Intel uses as its comparison point), a 13th/14th-gen Core, or even an N150.

This promises to bring some of Panther Lake's benefits (including that 18A process) to a much lower price. And despite what PCWorld says, we have a general sense of what vendors will ask: the first confirmed laptops hover around that Neo price range (Acer Aspire Go, HP Omnibook 5 14, and others).

My concern is that the rollout will be slow. There are a few systems that should be available now, but a lot of the ones Intel teased have vague "Q2" or even "2H" release windows. It's hard to deliver a serious blow to Apple when your new laptop will ship after college students have already snapped up their Neos.

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The timing won't be great.
They also risk Apple being able to actually answer if they choose with a early Neo2 launch. I mean it was interesting that Neo uses A18. The binned A19 chips are currently filling up a Apple warehouse somewhere.

ChadD said:

The timing won't be great.
They also risk Apple being able to actually answer if they choose with a early Neo2 launch. I mean it was interesting that Neo uses A18. The binned A19 chips are currently filling up a Apple warehouse somewhere.

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I think they're going to have the early or mid 2026 and late 2026 Neo's to differentiate them. It would be funny if the A19 Pro's made it out for the back to school push though.