Looks interesting. I’d love to get one for my parents that insist on having a laptop for the keyboard, but they’re so afraid of learning anything new that it isn’t worth the hassle.
Apple introduces Macbook Neo - cheaper Macbooks starting at $599
Submitted 2 weeks ago by popcar2@piefed.ca to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/03/say-hello-to-macbook-neo/
Comments
veeesix@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Surp@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
As an IT person that’s worked at schools for 20 years I can say this has no place here for us. Too underpowered for adobe products or composer products that our arts/graphics/music labs are interested in and too expensive to replace the Chromebooks that the students use. This is for the wealthy to give to their 4 year olds instead of a MacBook pro like they usually would have. Or a really good porn machine 😁
SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
That’s odd, because it is similar in performance to the M1 Air which is still pretty banging at basic introductory media production.
If you are running a proper production lab you aren’t using $600 computers anyway, or you are economizing guerilla-film style. If you wanted to introduce 1080p NLE or basic DAW to incoming noobs, probably an okay device… but a lab should be using desktops anyway or your curriculum is badly broken. Definitely get minis if you’re doing macs.
This basic laptop in a premium case with great battery life is for folks doing lots of admin or studying and running office, with Pixelmator or Affinity or other mid range production apps. It WILL run photoshop fine if you don’t work on large files.
solrize@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
Same price as the cheapest iPhone I think. It tells you something.
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
Something I’m still curious about: can these new ARM Apple devices run arbitrary software? Or do you have to install things via the App Store only?
Could Apple someday decide that you’re not allowed to install whatever software you want and only install their approved software?
brainwashed@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
It runs macOS so you can install any stuff that you want.
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 week ago
The reason I ask is because I tried to install something on Mac OS the other day, and it made me jump through a lot of hoops to install something not approved by Apple. And in the end, I wasn’t able to just blanket allow software from untrusted sources. I had to click a button each time. So it seems like there’s nothing stopping Apple from just removing your ability to press that button in the future.
swagmoney@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
this laptop running Asahi would be a great entry level machine
pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
the yellow one looks like a surface to me
brokenwing@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
I think it would be good for the industry. Windows had a stronghold in this price bracket and a competition is never bad especially considering how MS is pushing AI into W11.