Apple intros MacBook Neo: $599 with an iPhone chip

Lakados said:
The MacBook Neo's CPU has a max sustained power draw of 5W...

You aren't heating up much on a 5W draw.
The iPhone can pull nearly 10w sustained, and that has substantially less surface area to work with

Active cooling isn't required at those levels.
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Then why has cooling down the Neo shown to increase performance?
 
DukenukemX said:
Then why has cooling down the Neo shown to increase performance?
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Oh Jesus...
I just learned that Apple didn't even bother putting a thermal pad between that chip and the chassis, as they do in the phones...
That's just a joke.

WTF.

Yeah, even 5w will thermal throttle on passive air with no heatsink.
 
Lakados said:
Oh Jesus...
I just learned that Apple didn't even bother putting a thermal pad between that chip and the chassis, as they do in the phones...
That's just a joke.

WTF.

Yeah, even 5w will thermal throttle on passive air with no heatsink.
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I don't think it's quite the issue some say it is, but I'm still curious as to what Apple does for the refresh (presumably with an A19 Pro). I'm not expecting a vapor chamber, but I could see something modest to sustain performance.
 
DukenukemX said:
Apple's refreshed Neo will use this new innovative technology called a heatsink.
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Whatever it uses, I suspect it'll be popular. Believe it or not, Neo orders are still backlogged by 2-3 weeks in Apple's store. Make it faster, give it more RAM, and it'll be a better all-rounder.
 
This thread is just hilarious. 17 and counting pages of it's the greatest thing ever to it sucks and kills children. I know this is the Internet and people love to preach, but FFS give it a rest!

Most people do not give a flying fuck what they use as long as it get the job done and reality is for most folks that means, email, office type apps and web browsing. The Neo will do that and smile. For the VAST majority of my working life I used a Windows based laptop. From 2000-2025 that laptop was a high end "engineer speced" Dell as that is who my employer preferred. On average it crashed, locked up or in someway interrupted my workday 2x a week ... fine, normal it's fucking windows shit I've been used to since the 80s. Switched employers at the beginning of 2025 and have carried an M3 macbook pro since. In that time it has not crashed, locked up or otherwise interrupted my work day a single time. *** NOT ONCE *** I still use a windows PC for non work things. In fact, I'm typing this on one right now. Seriously Apple haters, fuck off! Apple get's the job done and does not impact you in the slightest. You never have to even look at it much less use it. Seriously Microsoft haters, fuck off! Windows gets the job done and does not impact you in the slightest. You never have to even look at it much less use it.
 
Nicklebon said:
This thread is just hilarious. 17 and counting pages of it's the greatest thing ever to it sucks and kills children. I know this is the Internet and people love to preach, but FFS give it a rest!

Most people do not give a flying fuck what they use as long as it get the job done and reality is for most folks that means, email, office type apps and web browsing. The Neo will do that and smile. For the VAST majority of my working life I used a Windows based laptop. From 2000-2025 that laptop was a high end "engineer speced" Dell as that is who my employer preferred. On average it crashed, locked up or in someway interrupted my workday 2x a week ... fine, normal it's fucking windows shit I've been used to since the 80s. Switched employers at the beginning of 2025 and have carried an M3 macbook pro since. In that time it has not crashed, locked up or otherwise interrupted my work day a single time. *** NOT ONCE *** I still use a windows PC for non work things. In fact, I'm typing this on one right now. Seriously Apple haters, fuck off! Apple get's the job done and does not impact you in the slightest. You never have to even look at it much less use it. Seriously Microsoft haters, fuck off! Windows gets the job done and does not impact you in the slightest. You never have to even look at it much less use it.
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As I like to put it: the days of fierce platform debates are largely over (arguably, should never have started). There are certainly reasons to choose one platform over another, and specific complaints (Apple's walled garden, Microsoft's Windows-as-marketing-tool strategy). But the gaps have narrowed, and many people are well-served by either.

That's what makes the MacBook Neo such a success. It's a good system for everyday use, at a good price, with a design that Windows vendors are only just starting to replicate. Real buyers aren't worried about thermal throttling; they just want to know they can browse the web and join video calls. And it has phone integration that Google is only just addressing with Googlebooks.
 
Aurelius said:
As I like to put it: the days of fierce platform debates are largely over (arguably, should never have started). There are certainly reasons to choose one platform over another, and specific complaints (Apple's walled garden, Microsoft's Windows-as-marketing-tool strategy). But the gaps have narrowed, and many people are well-served by either.
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Depends on what you do. The Neo isn't for gaming or video editing or compiling data and etc. The Neo is a glorified Chromebook that has a much better screen and speakers.
That's what makes the MacBook Neo such a success. It's a good system for everyday use, at a good price, with a design that Windows vendors are only just starting to replicate. Real buyers aren't worried about thermal throttling; they just want to know they can browse the web and join video calls. And it has phone integration that Google is only just addressing with Googlebooks.
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We're not sure if the Neo ate into Windows laptop sales yet. What we do know is that the Neo has outsold every other Mac. What are the chances the Neo displaced other Macbooks?
Nicklebon said:
Seriously Apple haters, fuck off!
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alister no.gif

Apple get's the job done and does not impact you in the slightest. You never have to even look at it much less use it. Seriously Microsoft haters, fuck off! Windows gets the job done and does not impact you in the slightest. You never have to even look at it much less use it.
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Excuse me but some of us use Linux not Windows. You should include Linux haters to be politically correct. This isn't a sports team where you should get upset that a multi-billion dollar company gets criticism. The Neo is flawed and the flaws are glazed over because Apple. Not everyone agrees that spending $600 $700 is worth it over Windows laptop because it has a nicer screen with nicer speakers. A heatsink with a fan can go a long way.
 
DukenukemX said:
Depends on what you do. The Neo isn't for gaming or video editing or compiling data and etc. The Neo is a glorified Chromebook that has a much better screen and speakers.
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You can do a lot of things with it, including light audiovisual editing. I'd further note that Core Series 3 isn't really better than the A18 Pro, and that 8GB of RAM on a Mac is much more usable than 8GB in Windows (at least until Microsoft streamlines its OS).


DukenukemX said:
We're not sure if the Neo ate into Windows laptop sales yet. What we do know is that the Neo has outsold every other Mac. What are the chances the Neo displaced other Macbooks?
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There's no model sales breakdowns realistically available. What we do know is that some MacBook Air models have the same two- to three-week wait as the Neo, so Apple is likely making the Air as quickly as it can sell it.

Also, Counterpoint Research analysts determined that Apple shipments jumped 13% in Q2 (April-June), the Neo's first full quarter, where the other majors save ASUS (which grew just 4%) saw shipments drop. The Q3 numbers likely aren't coming until later this month, but there's a real chance they'll tell a similar story. Don't forget that back-to-school sales will likely be huge for the Neo.

I'm heartened that some Windows vendors now have actually-good laptops in this price class, but it's wild that it took Apple entering the category to light a fire under these companies.
 
Aurelius said:
I don't think it's quite the issue some say it is, but I'm still curious as to what Apple does for the refresh (presumably with an A19 Pro). I'm not expecting a vapor chamber, but I could see something modest to sustain performance.
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Depends of what one would classify as an "issue", doesn't it?

At the moment, it will do fine for the light use case it is claimed to be aimed at. However, it also restricts you to such usage and potentially reduces its useful lifespan where a few low-cost tweaks would have mitigated that significantly.
 
Aurelius said:
You can do a lot of things with it, including light audiovisual editing.
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Technically you can do everything I listed on a Neo, but it won't be fast. The same goes for "light" audio visual editing, whatever that is.
I'd further note that Core Series 3 isn't really better than the A18 Pro,
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I don't know? Did anyone actually do benchmarks? That whole Intel Wildcat thing kinda faded away. If Intel's Wildcat has a heatsink with a fan then yes, it would outperform the A18 Pro. I must have missed this Just Josh video. I would rather get an older Intel chip with better specs or better yet an AMD machine.

View: https://youtu.be/ygZ0CayoT6s?si=EAFKo1Uuy1icXBot
and that 8GB of RAM on a Mac is much more usable than 8GB in Windows (at least until Microsoft streamlines its OS).
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We've already seen issues with 8GB on the Neo. Modern MacOS is not built for 8GB but then again neither is Windows 11.
Also, Counterpoint Research analysts determined that Apple shipments jumped 13% in Q2 (April-June), the Neo's first full quarter, where the other majors save ASUS (which grew just 4%) saw shipments drop. The Q3 numbers likely aren't coming until later this month, but there's a real chance they'll tell a similar story. Don't forget that back-to-school sales will likely be huge for the Neo.
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The interesting numbers are Q3 because of School season. Lets see what StatCounter is showing. MacOS dropped, Linux dropped, but Windows went up. That's what happened with last year's school season.
I'm heartened that some Windows vendors now have actually-good laptops in this price class, but it's wild that it took Apple entering the category to light a fire under these companies.
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If Apple enters a market then it's something to panic over. Apple's mind share is big enough that it doesn't matter the specs of the Neo, just that it's an Apple product.
 
emphy said:
Depends of what one would classify as an "issue", doesn't it?

At the moment, it will do fine for the light use case it is claimed to be aimed at. However, it also restricts you to such usage and potentially reduces its useful lifespan where a few low-cost tweaks would have mitigated that significantly.
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There was an in-depth analysis video I shared earlier that notes the chip is in its thermal limits. It's not going to cook itself; if it can work in a titanium iPhone without cooling (albeit getting warm), it can certainly survive a much larger aluminum casing.

And performance-wise, an A18 Pro isn't going to be meaningfully faster even with aggressive cooling. The big change will come if/when Apple puts an A19 Pro inside.
 
DukenukemX said:
I don't know? Did anyone actually do benchmarks? That whole Intel Wildcat thing kinda faded away. If Intel's Wildcat has a heatsink with a fan then yes, it would outperform the A18 Pro. I must have missed this Just Josh video. I would rather get an older Intel chip with better specs or better yet an AMD machine.
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They have, and the general rule is that the A18 Pro wins in single-core while Core Series 3 does better in multi-core. And of course, memory plays an issue; the Mac is much better at juggling multiple apps with 8GB of RAM even when it has to use swap memory.

DukenukemX said:
The interesting numbers are Q3 because of School season. Lets see what StatCounter is showing. MacOS dropped, Linux dropped, but Windows went up. That's what happened with last year's school season.
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I''ve said it before, but I'll say it again: StatCounter reflects web usage share, not market share.

It can be skewed by a number of factors, such as seasonal usage patterns and AI bots (sometimes a boost to Linux numbers). Moreover, the data only comes from member sites that use StatCounter's JavaScript code. It doesn't reflect the full web, let alone dedicated apps.

Shipments aren't exactly the same as sales, but they're better at reflecting real demand. Apple shipped more in Q2 because it was selling virtually everything it could make, particularly the Neo. Windows vendors didn't have that rush but also had to grapple with surging component costs that hurt sales.
 
Aurelius said:
They have, and the general rule is that the A18 Pro wins in single-core while Core Series 3 does better in multi-core. And of course, memory plays an issue; the Mac is much better at juggling multiple apps with 8GB of RAM even when it has to use swap memory.
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Just Josh's video doesn't seem to agree. The single threaded performance is only a win in Geekbench. In Cinebench the Core Series 3 is beating it. Also again synthetic benchmarks don't matter. The Ominbook 5 doesn't come with a better screen. It's like most laptops with a 1920X1200 display.
 
DukenukemX said:
Depends on what you do. The Neo isn't for gaming or video editing or compiling data and etc. The Neo is a glorified Chromebook that has a much better screen and speakers.
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Basically this.
That is the only thing I want them for.

But do they do the job better than an iPad?
 
DukenukemX said:
Just Josh's video doesn't seem to agree. The single threaded performance is only a win in Geekbench. In Cinebench the Core Series 3 is beating it. Also again synthetic benchmarks don't matter. The Ominbook 5 doesn't come with a better screen. It's like most laptops with a 1920X1200 display.
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You're exaggerating things. The Core Series 3 does pull out in front in some tests, but not enough to meaningfully make a difference. And not only is the HP's screen lower resolution, but there's 16GB of RAM. The only area where the chip clearly wins is battery life — Apple's smaller battery shows. I'd like to see how the A19 Pro affects runtime.
 
Aurelius said:
You're exaggerating things. The Core Series 3 does pull out in front in some tests, but not enough to meaningfully make a difference. And not only is the HP's screen lower resolution, but there's 16GB of RAM. The only area where the chip clearly wins is battery life — Apple's smaller battery shows. I'd like to see how the A19 Pro affects runtime.
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All this means is that the A18 Pro is not a factor when it comes to buying a Neo. I would argue it was never a factor, besides no heatsink. If you looked at the Omnibook review, the Neo's battery was the worst. In fact, the Neo hasn't won a battery test against any $600 $700 Windows laptop. The only factor that matters is the screen which the Omnibook has a 1920x1200 which is as standard as standard gets for Windows laptops. No idea about speakers which is the other advantage the Neo has.

The other thing to consider is that the Core Series 3 is less efficient than Panther Lake, which doesn't matter when Windows laptops come with batteries twice the size of the Neo's.
Lakados said:
Basically this.
That is the only thing I want them for.

But do they do the job better than an iPad?
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I'd rather have MacOS over iPadOS. If iPad was good enough then Apple wouldn't be selling the Neo.
 
DukenukemX said:
All this means is that the A18 Pro is not a factor when it comes to buying a Neo. I would argue it was never a factor, besides no heatsink. If you looked at the Omnibook review, the Neo's battery was the worst. In fact, the Neo hasn't won a battery test against any $600 $700 Windows laptop. The only factor that matters is the screen which the Omnibook has a 1920x1200 which is as standard as standard gets for Windows laptops. No idea about speakers which is the other advantage the Neo has.
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I would like Apple to squeeze in a larger battery. I've seen better results than Josh's in some cases. However, I'd want the Neo to hold up under these kinds of workloads. I'm not expecting the same capacity as in the Windows machines (they need it to offset their higher power draw), just tangibly more.

From what I've seen, the Neo's speakers won't make you forget your headphones but are better than what you usually get in the price class.

Apple's main advantage is simply that the Neo feels like a more expensive laptop. The design, the display, the speakers, the input... and yes, Apple's cachet helps. I'm glad that Windows makers are stepping up their game with systems like the Dell 14S and Lenovo IdeaPad Vibe, but they're just not going to reel people in the same way.
 
Aurelius said:
Windows makers are stepping up their game with systems like the Dell 14S and Lenovo IdeaPad Vibe, but they're just not going to reel people in the same way.
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I don't think Windows laptop manufacturers are doing anything of value in response to the Neo. Wildcat is just a dual core version of Panther Lake and it's less efficient. Laptops now come with 8GB instead of the once standard 16GB. The screens aren't getting any better as they're still stuck at mostly 1920X1200. If anything the Windows laptop manufacturers are using the Neo as an excuse to make worse laptops.
 
DukenukemX said:
I don't think Windows laptop manufacturers are doing anything of value in response to the Neo. Wildcat is just a dual core version of Panther Lake and it's less efficient. Laptops now come with 8GB instead of the once standard 16GB. The screens aren't getting any better as they're still stuck at mostly 1920X1200. If anything the Windows laptop manufacturers are using the Neo as an excuse to make worse laptops.
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I’ve used some of the new ones. The Dell 14S is leaps above the company’s previous budget laptops, even if Wildcat Lake isn’t a major performance upgrade.

The catch, of course, is that the Neo still does some things better and is the reason the new 14S exists in the first place. It’s hard to compete against a disruptor.
 
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The Q3 2026 PC market share estimates are out, and shipments were lousy for almost everyone, but Apple and ASUS actually gained market share as their damage was relatively limited.

The explanation: most companies shipped a ton of PCs earlier in the year to delay price hikes, but now they've slowed down... and the steeper prices are hurting sales in some cases. Apple is likely doing better than others because of the MacBook Neo and a remaining lineup that's relatively insulated (if you're already spending close to $2,000 on a MacBook Pro, you can probably afford another $100).

Dell, HP, and Lenovo were vulnerable precisely because a lot of their sales are in the budget realm, where $100 makes a big difference. Their premium machines sell in comparatively small numbers.
 
Aurelius said:
The Q3 2026 PC market share estimates are out, and shipments were lousy for almost everyone, but Apple and ASUS actually gained market share as their damage was relatively limited.

The explanation: most companies shipped a ton of PCs earlier in the year to delay price hikes, but now they've slowed down... and the steeper prices are hurting sales in some cases. Apple is likely doing better than others because of the MacBook Neo and a remaining lineup that's relatively insulated (if you're already spending close to $2,000 on a MacBook Pro, you can probably afford another $100).

Dell, HP, and Lenovo were vulnerable precisely because a lot of their sales are in the budget realm, where $100 makes a big difference. Their premium machines sell in comparatively small numbers.
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I'm not sure how Asus got hit the least? HP, Dell, and Lenovo basically lost ~1/4 of their sales.
 
DukenukemX said:
I'm not sure how Asus got hit the least? HP, Dell, and Lenovo basically lost ~1/4 of their sales.
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I'm curious about that as well, although it does have a good mix of higher-end systems (think ROG, ExpertBook, some ZenBook models). Maybe it's just that ASUS isn't as much of a household name for cheap PCs.
 
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