MacBook Neo • Hacker News Board

Re: MacBook Neo

#101

Post by mrtksn » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 2:37 PM UTC

r0fl wrote: post #6

"Education customers can purchase it for $499." That is insane pricing for a brand new apple product. They will sell so many of these!

I'm not convinced at the insane price at all, you can buy an older model macbook Air and get the full experience at similar prices.

Edit: TBH I'm disappointed, I was hoping for an ultra portable macbook that is less than a kg and extra thin. This is just for the edu market. I'm sure it will do well, financially.

Re: MacBook Neo

#102

Post by sbrother » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 2:37 PM UTC

madsohm wrote: post #40

Ugh. Why is is so much more expensive in Denmark? Here it's DKK5499 for the 256 GB version. That's USD857.

Does that include VAT? Also the USD has been getting weaker quickly so I wouldn’t be surprised if the differential there is even larger than when they settled on pricing.

Re: MacBook Neo

#103

Post by robinhood » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 2:37 PM UTC

I can totally see many, many students and parents use that machine for daily tasks. Yes, base specs are pretty low: 8Gb RAM, 256 Gb drive - but the price tag is also low in the Apple world. I assume the trackpad will be excellent and the promise that the battery lasts all day is probably true (all day = 6-7h max). Good move from Apple, for once.

Re: MacBook Neo

#104

Post by maxwellito » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 2:37 PM UTC

Hey Folks: no notch! This is beautiful!

Re: MacBook Neo

#105

Post by aosaigh » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 2:37 PM UTC

Anyone else find the naming odd? What’s the relevance of “Neo”?

It feels like one of the only Apple products where the name is completely divorced from its intended usage (or defining feature)

- Phone

- Watch

- Pro

- Studio

- Mini

- Vision

- Air

- Neo???

Re: MacBook Neo

#106

Post by wpm » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 2:37 PM UTC

syntaxing wrote: post #22

Interesting how it runs on the A18. I wonder if this means they will try to unify macOS and iOS within this decade.

Why would that mean that, when iPads have had A series and M series chips for ages now?

Re: MacBook Neo

#107

Post by notjustanymike » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 2:38 PM UTC

afavour wrote: post #45

$599 and available in a range of colors. My bet is this is going to be a hit with high schoolers and college students everywhere. Reminds me of the Technicolor iPod mini of my college days. The 2000s are back, baby

Getting strong original iMac vibes as well, with a similar market opportunity. The chromebook / education space is awful, and a well built (and stylish) competitor can do serious business.

Re: MacBook Neo

#108

Post by dfalbel » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 2:38 PM UTC

Is A18 fully compatible with M series chips apps?

Re: MacBook Neo

#109

Post by cestith » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 2:38 PM UTC

It looks like a good value if you can get by with 8 GB of RAM. This is a market niche that will sell, but it doesn’t replace the Air. The Air has 16GB standard and can be ordered with up to 32. I’m also curious about the benchmarks between the A18 Pro and the M5, although for a lot of people that’s going to be less important than the RAM.

Good on them for bringing back bright colors, and for including a 3.55mm audio jack on their new lowest end laptop.

Re: MacBook Neo

#110

Post by paxys » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 2:38 PM UTC

scrivna wrote: post #55

How is it Apple can make a whole laptop cheaper than the phones they sell? Phones are costing more while laptops are going down in price.

It's possible that they are selling it close to cost to get more young people into the macOS/iOS/iPadOS ecosystem. If you can translate each one of these into a "Pro" device sale down the line then it's a win for Apple.