Apple’s Event Revealed the MacBook Neo, but Who Is It For?
Apple held a massive tech event today and unveiled the MacBook Neo for all of their fans to obsess over. The new smaller laptop is priced around $599 dollars and is available for order right now.
On their website. As is usually the case for a new piece of Apple hardware, folks are wondering who exactly this device is for? Core MacBook Pro users are unlikely to make the swap. One of the things noted in all the coverage about the new MacBook Neo is the type of processor that Apple managed to pack into this new device. ( The Neo is powered by an 18 Pro iPhone chip. This changes from the M series processor that Apple has used on both the MacBook Air and Pro models.)
No one would say you can’t get business done on the new laptop. Far from it actually, as a lot of computing now can occur without the kind of gargantuan processing power one would expect from a work machine. But, it is an interesting omission on the part of Apple. For my money, the answer of who the MacBook Neo is for lies in the colors offered. The new laptop comes in a range of tones from standard Apple Silver, Citrus (lime green), Blush (pink), and Indigo (navy-ish blue). Years after mining the M3 years inspiration, we’re back in the Y2K bag. And that means, this thing is for students and other young people.
For going on two decades now Apple has been offering tech that felt aspirational while also on a bleeding edge of design. As these elements have become more accessible to different manufacturers, it’s been harder for Apple to stay ahead of its competitors. One thing they haven’t done much recently is offer an entry level model that gives you that lux feel of their higher priced offerings. The first product that jumped to mind when I saw theMacBook Neo was the iPhone 5c.
Apple’s new MacBook Neo and a trip down memory lane
Some of you reading this might not remember when the iPhone 5C. That device came back in the fall of 2013. We’ve been through five different six different generations of iPhones and the company was looking to make an inroads with a more affordable model of their flagship phone at the time. The iPhone 5. With all the fervor around Y2K tech right now, it’s interesting to see the previous decade provides so much of the pricing and frankly design inspiration for a new piece of product from Apple. The iPhone is still a massive force in our collective consciousness. “Android Bubble” discourse still pops up from time to time, after all.
The device from the company that’s received the most love in the last two to three years has been the iPod itself. Maybe it’s a case of the handset being darn near ubiquitous in the United States. Or, maybe it’s the fact that so many teens are looking for their answer to physical media to cling to. At any rate, someone working at Apple thought that there needed to be a lower entry point device. Apple designed the MacBook Neo to get a new generation of creatives to latch onto a MacBook. The same way that millennials had during the mid-2000s.
Apple’s new laptop is here to remind folks of a different time
With a full bezel around the screen and two USB C slots, a lot of people will look at the MacBook Neo go no thanks. But, for someone who enjoys a headphone jack! The sleekness that comes with most Apple consumer releases, this could be amazing. You would have to imagine that a lot of folks headed off to school will have this on their list. Basic tasks are going to be fairly easy to complete with that A18 Pro chip. The MacBook Neo also has a webcam for Zooms, Discord calls, and the like.
If you’re still down, test the waters on this school-ready daily driver: the 256GB model is available for $599 and the 512 GB model, which has Touch ID, is available for pre-order for $699.
(Photo Credit: Apple)
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