Apple has had the better part of a decade told us that the iPad would replace the computerhis “What is a computer?” advertising. As much as I hate to admit it, they were always right, even if it wasn’t in the way either of us imagined. It took a sea change in Apple’s approach to the market to get to this point, and that’s exciting to me.
It’s not flashy colors or hardware quality—we expect those from Apple. No, the interesting thing is that the MacBook Neo and its mobile chip internals are positioned to take over the low-end laptop space. Not just for consumers, but for bulk buyers like school districts suffering from Windows netbooks Chromebooks for a very long time.
Before I continue, I would like to address the other elephant in the room. Tech sites don’t review often cheap laptopsand there’s a reason for that. They’re not good, they’re universally so, and no company likes their products being trashed in public. The MacBook Neo is the first budget laptop I can remember that used hardware expertise. The Neo may not be The One, but it is the device that finally broke the PC market.
- CPU
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A18 Pro 6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficient cores
- GPU
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5-core GPU
- Screen (Size, Resolution)
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13-inch LED backlight, 2408 x 1506 pixel resolution
- RAM
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8 GB
Hello, Neo
Hiding beneath the MacBook’s exterior is the iPad’s heart
When Apple launched its traditional PC replacement iPad Pro campaign, it used the same A-series chips that powered its iPhone range. That’s what powers the MacBook Neo, the A18 Pro iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The only difference is that the Neo has fewer GPU cores, but that probably won’t matter in real-world use.
Why? Because the iPhone 16 Pro had a lot of performance similar to the M1 chip of the first generation Apple Silicon MacBooks. It has enough power to run some AAA titles shadow of the tomb raider, all Apple Intelligence features and any macOS app you want.
Apple was right all along
It just took a different form factor
For a decade now, Apple has been saying that the iPad is the future of computing. True, but not for the features it advertises. No one wants to do serious work on a touchscreen or use siled apps that can’t access each other’s memory. Trying to balance a tablet with a keyboard accessory on your lap is futile and means you can’t really work. everywhere.
But for the hardware inside the iPad? Apple totally nailed it. An operating system uniquely optimized for the hardware, as you have control over the entire stack with ARM-based processors, a single memory that can be shared between the CPU and the GPU. It’s just that the most suitable operating system for Apple’s hardware is not iPadOS, but macOS.
The field of education will love it
When purchasing thousands of laptops for school districts, every decision comes down to price. Longevity is perhaps second, and performance and quality are far down the list. I’ve just been browsing manufacturer sites for Chromebooks or low-cost Windows laptops in bulk, and let me tell you, it’s not a pretty picture.
Intel Atom processors, sub-100GB SSDs, 720p screens, crappy webcams, and everything else that makes cheap laptops better than e-waste unless you go above the $499 the MacBook Neo costs for Education buyers. Who would choose anything else with this equation? MacBooks are durable, hold their value well, and Apple has always looked at educational institutions because they’re customers who aren’t going anywhere.
MacBook Air 13 should be worried
The entry-level laptop in Apple’s lineup was the 13-inch MacBook Air, and now the Neo is here for about half the price. If you’re a student or budget buyer, that’s $500 in your pocket, but you’re still getting the quality of Apple’s MacBook engineering. I’m not sure if the 13-inch MacBook Air is going away, but it looks like a decision between the Neo if you suddenly want a smaller screen and the 15-inch MacBook Air if you need the extra size.
The MacBook Neo is Apple at its best
With the Neo, Apple acknowledged that the iPad isn’t going to replace the PC that everyone wants. What they wanted was a powerful computer for the price of an iPad, and ten years later, that’s what they finally got. Well, if all you want to do is consume content, the iPad is there.
