MacBook Neo • Hacker News Board

Re: MacBook Neo

#761

Post by freetime2 » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 9:12 PM UTC

spaceisballer wrote: post #700

theopsimist wrote: post #657

List of differences from the MacBook Air: * Only supports 8 GB of unified memory * No MagSafe * One of the two USB-C ports is limited to USB 2.0 speeds of just 480 Mb/s * No Thunderbolt support means the Neo cannot drive either of Apple’s new Studio Displays. However, it can push a 4K display with 60Hz refresh rate over USB-C. * “Just” 16 hours of battery life, compared to the 18 hours quoted for the 13-inch MacBook…

I want to see the person buying the Neo and pairing it with a new Studio Display.

A potential example that comes to mind would be you have a Studio Display in your house that you use for remote work with a beefy MacBook Pro, and then maybe a family member has a MacBook Neo that they’d like to plug into a monitor occasionally.

Re: MacBook Neo

#762

Post by gehsty » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 9:12 PM UTC

theopsimist wrote: post #657

List of differences from the MacBook Air: * Only supports 8 GB of unified memory * No MagSafe * One of the two USB-C ports is limited to USB 2.0 speeds of just 480 Mb/s * No Thunderbolt support means the Neo cannot drive either of Apple’s new Studio Displays. However, it can push a 4K display with 60Hz refresh rate over USB-C. * “Just” 16 hours of battery life, compared to the 18 hours quoted for the 13-inch MacBook…

Feels very negative! It costs 50% less than the air, in a time when everyone else’s prices are going up.

The single core performance smokes a lot of high end intel chips.

Re: MacBook Neo

#763

Post by tomcam » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 9:12 PM UTC

theopsimist wrote: post #657

List of differences from the MacBook Air: * Only supports 8 GB of unified memory * No MagSafe * One of the two USB-C ports is limited to USB 2.0 speeds of just 480 Mb/s * No Thunderbolt support means the Neo cannot drive either of Apple’s new Studio Displays. However, it can push a 4K display with 60Hz refresh rate over USB-C. * “Just” 16 hours of battery life, compared to the 18 hours quoted for the 13-inch MacBook…

Fantastic post, thank you. Answered pretty much every question i had. This is why I love hacker news.

Re: MacBook Neo

#764

Post by lateforwork » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 9:12 PM UTC

ge96 wrote: post #399

lateforwork wrote: post #306

This is a major challenge to Microsoft. A 13-inch Surface Laptop costs $899 [1], that's 50% more than an equivalent MacBook! And even at that higher price the Surface Laptop doesn't have a good screen: it uses 150% scaling (as opposed to the ideal 200%) which means you have subtle display artifacts. Other than Microsoft nobody even makes decent laptops in the Windows world. I am typing this on an Lenovo Yoga, it has…

The Dell XPS 13 plus 9320 looks pretty good design wise

It has an unusual keyboard. Function should come before form [1]. This unconventional design makes it harder for touch typists to locate keys by feel.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form_follows_function

Re: MacBook Neo

#765

Post by rot13maxi » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 9:13 PM UTC

8GB in 2026 sounds... tight. that with an A18, makes me wonder how its going to hold up in a year.

Re: MacBook Neo

#766

Post by polyrand » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 9:14 PM UTC

I find this a very exciting release. I was actually hoping we would somehow get macOS on mobile 'A' chips some day. And I think this is better than putting 'M' chips on an iPad.

My iPad with an 'M1' chip actually consumes more battery than much older iPads when both are locked and with the screen off. I ended up figuring it was probably because, in the 'M' chip, the lowest possible energy usage is way higher than the 'A' chip. So even small background wake-ups used more energy.

I'm still hoping one day we have an iPad with macOS.

Re: MacBook Neo

#767

Post by kevinqi » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 9:15 PM UTC

seems nice. I imagine the strategy here is going for expanding user base so Apple can sell more software services?

Re: MacBook Neo

#768

Post by ddtaylor » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 9:18 PM UTC

This seems like a competitor to the Chromebook more because of the 8GB hard limit.

Re: MacBook Neo

#769

Post by bdavbdav » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 9:21 PM UTC

gandreani wrote: post #674

Shalomboy wrote: post #655

This is such a better deal than I had growing up, Apple has to be taking a bath on these. My high school required students to bring their own laptops to school when I started in 2010. Their shopping list suggested a MacBook Pro 13" with a case - I looked up "MacBook Pro price" for the first time in my life and just about walked into traffic. I didn't have a laptop to bring, I didn't want to bring the wrong kind of la…

Wow props to that sales rep. Not many would pass on the opportunity to sell something more expensive. I'm assuming they make some sort of (paltry) commission

I’ve found that experience fairly common at our Apple Store. They’ve talked me down.

Re: MacBook Neo

#770

Post by gigatexal » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 9:21 PM UTC

would be a very compelling little device for cash strapped schools but ... 16GB of ram heck even 12 would have been better.

Otherwise the limitations are fine. In fact this really has the chance to canabilize the iPad a bit though the iPad has a better screen and a faster chip...