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The MacBook Neo

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Re: The MacBook Neo

#751

Post by ryanSrich »

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…

MacOS is a bug filled nightmare, and it's still light years better than Windows. I haven't used Ubuntu extensively since early 2019, but it still wasn't comparable to OSX at the time.

Apple and specifically MacOS is significantly worse than it has ever been, but again, still far better than the alternatives.

Re: The MacBook Neo

#752

Post by divbzero »

> A decade ago, Apple began switching from trackpads with mechanical clicking mechanisms to Magic Trackpads, where clicks are simulated via haptic feedback (in Apple’s parlance, the Taptic Engine).... The Neo’s trackpad is mechanical. It actually clicks, even when the machine is powered off.

I wonder if the real clicks on mechanical trackpad will actually feel better than the simulated clicks on the Magic Trackpad.

Re: The MacBook Neo

#753

Post by spiderice »

divbzero wrote: post #752

> A decade ago, Apple began switching from trackpads with mechanical clicking mechanisms to Magic Trackpads, where clicks are simulated via haptic feedback (in Apple’s parlance, the Taptic Engine).... The Neo’s trackpad is mechanical. It actually clicks, even when the machine is powered off. I wonder if the real clicks on mechanical trackpad will actually feel better than the simulated clicks on the Magic Trackpad.

Why do you need to wonder about this? We've had mechanical trackpads for ages to compare them to. They feel worse. Getting even click pressure across a large surface is nearly impossible.

Re: The MacBook Neo

#754

Post by raw_anon_1111 »

dangus wrote: post #666
sonofhans wrote: post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I must say, the irony of this comment in a thread about Apple moving down-market without losing quality is … well, it burns. Along with the arrogance: “Anyone who can’t afford 8GB isn’t worthy of being my customer,” is literally the opposite of what Steve Jobs always said. I was stuck once in a cabin in the woods with an old Android phone. I’m glad it still worked, and that people curating software experiences for it…

Didn’t Steve Jobs basically say Apple didn’t know how to make a good computer for $500 and used that as a justification to not sell any products to the lowest priced area of the market? Found it, it was from an earnings call: https://appleinsider.com/articles/08/10/22/steve_jobs_on_app... There’s no irony here. The plain fact exists that 8GB of RAM has been considered not an especially exotic amount lot even on cheap…

Steve Jobs died in 2011. Did you check the specs of cheap laptops when SJ said that?

Re: The MacBook Neo

#755

Post by olalonde »

> my personal workstation remains a 2021 M1 Max MacBook Pro

I was surprised that a guy who shills Apple for a living still uses a 5 year old MacBook. It goes to show how the longevity of laptops has increased over time. I'm also on a M1 Macbook and find it hard to justify an upgrade.

Re: The MacBook Neo

#756

Post by ExoticPearTree »

MengerSponge wrote: post #161
ExoticPearTree wrote: post #42

Maybe other manufacturers will actually stop making crappy hardware that feels like its taped together?

Hardware is hard, and Apple's scale lets them make things that are nice while still maintaining their margins. A decade ago, but still relevant: https://beneinstein.com/no-you-cant-manufacture-that-like-ap...

Let me rephrase what I said: I do not expect everyone to be able to do Apple style quality hardware. But the build quality of a Thinkpad from 20 years ago I think is still doable.

Re: The MacBook Neo

#757

Post by luketaylor »

esprehn wrote: post #705

The missing camera light seems pretty serious. Any sandbox escape can turn on the camera and record without you noticing. Or your school or employer could. If you're in full screen mode the menu bar is hidden too. It's a very strange move for privacy centered Apple.

The indicators are controlled along with sensor access at a very low level within a secure “exclave” from the main kernel; this is how the on-screen indicators have worked on iPhones for a few years. The indicator is rendered within the display controller at the firmware level, so can’t be affected by anything in _either_ user mode or kernel mode. [1][2]

1: https://randomaugustine.medium.com/on-apple-exclaves-d683a2c...

2: https://asahilinux.org/2021/08/progress-report-august-2021/#...

Re: The MacBook Neo

#758

Post by j45 »

NetMageSCW wrote: post #600
j45 wrote: post #517

If the Neo had been the next 12" macbook (2.0 lb), it would be the first apple product I would have lined up for. The article sums up why quite well: "The biggest shortcoming of the decade-ago MacBook “One”, aside from the baffling decision to include just one USB-C port that was also its only means of charging, was the shitty performance of Intel’s Core M chips. Those chips were small enough and low-power enough to…

Given that the 12” MacBook cost $1300 back then, that new MacBook would be triple the cost, or around $1800 today. Still worth it?

Yes.

Considering it'd be running an M series chip, plus battery life, it would have more horsepower than the 12" Macbook. Add to that more ram, and the 2lb or less alternative to iPad is real.

Re: The MacBook Neo

#759

Post by teaearlgraycold »

cromka wrote: post #446
teaearlgraycold wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I exclusively use the trackpoint on thinkpads, to the point that I disable the trackpads in the BIOS or disconnect them from the motherboard entirely.

I used to use track points before moving on to Mac. After I tried moving back to Thinkpad I couldn't stomach the track point anymore , it's just too imprecise and I think it's because we use way higher resolutions nowadays with many more densely packed UI elements to click on.

I go back and forth between a T430 and M3 Air without issue

Re: The MacBook Neo

#760

Post by akagr »

p_ing wrote: post #310
akagr wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go beyond the specs, though. Which windows laptops have similar combination of all metal build with tight tolerances, a display hinge that doesn’t wobble, a nice keyboard and even close to similar feeling trackpad at this 600 dollar price point? Most non haptic trackpads are dive board designs where you can only press the lower part of it because they hinge from the top, whereas as Neo’s trackpad is completely floati…

An all metal build doesn't stand up well to abuse versus higher quality plastics. Looks nicer. For a time, or if taken care of.

That’s certainly up for debate. Thinkpads are some of the most rugged laptops available, and their top models are made from magnesium alloys or carbon fibre. Only their lower end E and L series are ABS builds.

In my personal experience, my MacBooks look much less shinier/worn out in the palm rest areas on either sides of trackpad compared to any windows laptop I’ve owned, which include an Alienware R15.

I don’t know enough about material science to have more than empirical data or correlations, though.

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