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The MacBook Neo

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Re: The MacBook Neo

#561

Post by MeetingsBrowser »

Fraterkes wrote: post #426

I feel corny being so positive about a megacompany, but I bought my first Macbook air half a year ago after a life of PC's, and it has been genuinly surprising to use something made by a huge company that is constantly better than I expected.

I have a macbook air from 2022 and it is easily the "best" computer I have ever owned.

Its portable. It has a great keyboard, screen, and battery life. No fans or overheating. No issues with the operating system or installing software I need.

I can even use it for some lighter software development directly, and for everything else I can ssh back to a beefier machine.

If I weren't already so happy with this macbook air, I would be ecstatic for the neo.

Re: The MacBook Neo

#562

Post by herdymerzbow »

cannolicannon wrote: post #254
KingMachiavelli wrote: post #31

IMO the consumer PC industry is near an existential crisis. The big players are just awful at marketing; too many SKUs and models - it takes a paragraph to figure out how 2 Dell laptops from the same release year differ. The exact same specs will be in two different chassis designs. Additionally, you can’t count on the basic being correct. It takes a hour of research to know if the trackpad is not-awful, keyboard doe…

The big players are just awful at marketing; too many SKUs and models - it takes a paragraph to figure out how 2 Dell laptops from the same release year differ. Just hired a new colleague who prefers Windows. Dell seemed like a reasonable option for a good laptop. Here is Dell's current lineup: - Dell Laptop (with 14, 15, 16 inch variants) - Dell Plus (with 14, 15, and 16 inch variants) - Dell XPS (with 13, 14, and 1…

Every time I've considered an alternative to my Mac laptop I'm confronted by this much choice (and that of other manufacturers) and I also have to deal with unknown and varying performance of keyboard, display and trackpad.

One thing PC manufacturers seem to prioritise and focus on is tech specs + performance and interface is tacked on (or at least the interface designers departments in their companies aren't leading the design), when by and large most consumers of their machines focus on the interface and whether the CPU is of a certain level is likely secondary to the experience.

Anyway, I keep on going back to apple every 7 years (as that's how long they typically last) simply because I can't handle the choice or the uncertainty, but I'd love to bust out and get a linux using machine next.

Re: The MacBook Neo

#563

Post by wlesieutre »

0x457 wrote: post #483
enraged_camel wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> The number of overlapping iPad models and variants, for example, is getting kind of crazy these days. One of the first things Steve Jobs immediately did after returning to Apple in 1997 was to kill most of Apple's product line-up, which had exploded in his absence. Too bad he's not around to save them from the same over-segmentation anymore.

I think It makes sense for iPad line up to be this way. Very clear feature segmentation that make sense. Most is directly result of underlying hardware. For consumer it's also very easy: - decide on size - go from your budget - if still too many SKUs go by features What features? Thunderbolt, Screen, Apple Pencil, Face ID Alternatively if you know what features you want, start with that. If you're struggling to choos…

Yeah, I don't think this lineup is particular crazy:

- 8.3", one tier (mini)

- 11", three tiers (iPad, Air, Pro)

- 13", two tiers (Air, Pro)

Could you spend the same amount of money on a regular 11" iPad with a lot of storage, or an iPad Air with less storage? Sure.

Some people want lots of storage. Other people don't care but want a wide gamut screen, faster processor, and better pen capabilities.

It's nothing like trying to pick a laptop from Dell where you have to spend hours digging around to even figure out what your options are. If someone asked me which iPad to buy we could figure it out in under 5 minutes.

Re: The MacBook Neo

#564

Post by haunter »

bombcar wrote: post #560
haunter wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even cheaper if you buy from Walmart's refurb outlet, they are $380.

I never even knew Walmart sold refurbs: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Restored-Apple-MacBook-Air-Laptop...

They are also selling them on eBay too and people with photo reviews show that some of these are straight returns, almost brand new, like less than 10 battery cycles

Re: The MacBook Neo

#565

Post by thr1owaway9621 »

bigyabai wrote: post #223
mikestew wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then the OS is full of ads and pre-installed garbage “gaming-optimization-tool” or driver tools taking up 99% of a single core while being riddled with security holes. But inevitably, some chucklehead comes along "wut? I can get for half that! Have fun paying the apple tax, lol." Someone posted that on Ars yesterday, with a random Amazon link from Naikan, your name for quality computing. Or rather, "Naikan, your name…

> It's amazing someone can post that without the slightest hint of self-awareness. It's amazing that people attribute it to lacking self-awareness. You can spend $400 on a laptop and have a perfectly fine experience. There are damn good Chromebooks in the $200-300 territory that I can genuinely recommend to people. If you just need to do your taxes or answer a Zoom call, why would you get a Macbook Neo? macOS itself…

What are these Chromebooks?

The battery on my Macbook Pro, that I've owned since 2013, has finally gave out and I am looking for a new laptop. I considered buying an entry-level Air or a used Pro (But if there are $200-300 Chromebooks just as good, I want to know. What are they?

Re: The MacBook Neo

#566

Post by NoPicklez »

drnick1 wrote: post #174

> You cannot buy an x86 PC laptop in the $600–700 price range that competes with the MacBook Neo on any metric — performance, display quality, audio quality, or build quality. And certainly not software quality. I would argue the opposite: while Apple hardware is generally excellent, it is the software that leaves to be desired. Apple has also been consistently pushing the industry in a dangerous direction (walled ga…

I don't know about this, MacOS for productivity is still better performing than Windows.

Both Apple and Microsoft have been pushing the industry into directions we aren't happy with. But MacOS is still fantastic and in this laptop will work extremely well.

People also aren't buying this laptop to play any games that require decent power.

Re: The MacBook Neo

#567

Post by cuuupid »

drnick1 wrote: post #471
Aurornis wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> MacOS is also very behind Linux these days in terms of app compatibility (especially games). For the average consumer looking for a $599 MacBook Neo, Mac is the better choice for apps they actually use. Linux can be used for gaming with a lot of titles, but both Mac and Linux are too far behind Windows or consoles to be considered as gaming machines.

> but both Mac and Linux are too far behind Windows or consoles to be considered as gaming machines. That's absolutely not true, the vast majority of Windows games now run flawlessly on Linux via Proton. This is especially true for the kind of games you can expect to run on such modest hardware, i.e. not AAA games with kernel-level anticheat.

I, a developer, have never heard of Proton. Googling Proton, I only find Protonmail, and googling "Linux Proton," Valve's Proton is not even the first result. If you are not terminally online keeping up with Linux distro discourse, it's also difficult to even recognize any of the newer names and players.

Linux is not even remotely considerable as an option for the average consumer, which is fine and fully intentional with the audience and goals Linux distros serve.

You could even consider this a strong positive, because a Linux distro geared towards average consumers would probably be an analog to Samsung's take on Android. What makes your experience with Linux good is that it isn't catering towards a wider audience.

Re: The MacBook Neo

#568

Post by rtpg »

I still can't get over how this thing is priced the same as the 2013 Macbook Air... when looking at JPY prices.

I wonder how much of the Neo pricing wow factor is Apple taking advantage of the strong dollar vs much else that's changed on the ground (obv the processor pick is a "real thing")

Re: The MacBook Neo

#569

Post by calf »

mmcnl wrote: post #269
drnick1 wrote: post #174

> You cannot buy an x86 PC laptop in the $600–700 price range that competes with the MacBook Neo on any metric — performance, display quality, audio quality, or build quality. And certainly not software quality. I would argue the opposite: while Apple hardware is generally excellent, it is the software that leaves to be desired. Apple has also been consistently pushing the industry in a dangerous direction (walled ga…

Agreed, macOS has hardly improved in the past decade. The only improvements are about ecosystem integration, which I don't really care about. Everything else is stuck in the 2010s. UI has regressed if you ask me.

It has even regressed, I'm still on my High Sierra 2011 MacBook Air, but on my mom's M3 Air I can't help but observe that they did all that engineering to reduce the black bezel around the lid, only for Tahoe to have overly rounded windows and huge title bars.

Re: The MacBook Neo

#570

Post by hinkley »

rtpg wrote: post #568

I still can't get over how this thing is priced the same as the 2013 Macbook Air... when looking at JPY prices. I wonder how much of the Neo pricing wow factor is Apple taking advantage of the strong dollar vs much else that's changed on the ground (obv the processor pick is a "real thing")

Welcome to being old. Inflation is cumulatively 40% since 2013.
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