Besides gaming, I don’t think there’s any price segment now in which the best computer to get isn’t a Mac. Windows 11 doesn’t help things here either.
Pickel_Bucket_317 on
I agree. Tell Autodesk to make a native version of Revit for it and I’m sold. Otherwise it’s a pc for me.
MonstersinHeat on
I definitely plan on purchasing a pink one this Xmas
for my niece. She’s 10 and it will be her first computer that is just hers to use. Right now the family uses a Windows 11 laptop.
khanak on
Bring back the EEE PC
Sov1245 on
The MacBook Neo is the best value laptop right now. The next best value is the MacBook Air.
Every high school and college is going to be flooded with the Neo. They’re going to sell millions.
hayden_evans on
I think this machine is going to fucking kill it.
fegodev on
Kinda like a dejavú: Apple released the first iPhone, shocking the industry, Google releases Android. Apple releases a crazy good and cheap laptop, Google is about to release Android Desktop (though, Android phones already let you play AAA games from your Steam library and also let you install Linux apps). Meanwhile Windows is completely lost.
Mountain_rage on
Asus should probably raise their concerns with Microsoft or more fully embrace Linux.
emcee_gee on
I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall in the Microsoft executive offices when the news of the Neo started coming out. Their strategy has been to force users to accept a bunch of crap against their will because there hasn’t been a viable alternative. Now there’s a viable alternative, so… I have to assume the news was met with panicked chaos
crustyeng on
My m1 MacBook Pro is still crazy fast
FutureMess on
I hope it bends Microsoft over and makes them feel violated, just like everyone else they have been taking advantage of…..
ckglle3lle on
MKBHD made a good point that this thing is very easy for Apple to make. It basically just leverages their existing supply chain effectively and even at the price point Apple is likely still making a tidy margin on it. Even other PC makers that could make something like this (and it’s not many) can’t make it a particularly viable revenue generator. Makes the whole segment that less appealing for any other company to commit to.
SHKEVE on
is an affordably priced macbook a recession indicator?
SparkyPantsMcGee on
This move by Apple feels like a simultaneous take over of the market Chromebook has on High Schools while also kicking Microsoft while they’re down.
troll__away on
Apple sensed blood in the water with how bad Microsoft has been screwing up lately.
Affordable. Does what it needs to do. Isn’t riddled with AI. Plays nice with your (likely) iPhone.
Hopefully this is a reality check to these companies that they can and will get undercut with the garbage products that have flooded the consumer market these past 5 or so years.
m4ttj00 on
Only 8gb ram, though. I feel like that’s the bare minimum for even a cellphone these days.
e1epi on
It’s not just the price it’s also the fact that they are not forcing “AI” down your throat with it.
Yes it has some “AI” features but it’s not in everything everywhere and not something that cant be ignored or disabled.
Psychoanalytix on
I’ve been on pc for creative work for quite a while. I’m going to go to Mac for my next work station when I need to upgrade. Microslop has really fucked themselves in the last year.
Mr-Nanny on
The biggest complaint about Apple is price. They’re looking to completely dominate the laptop and phone market. They introduced lower priced iPhones years ago but never transitioned to laptops until now.
Smart play even if it did take fucking forever.
RagelessGeek94 on
The Macbook Neo will succeed because Apple has shown what it can do with 8GB RAM properly in Mac OS. On the other hand, Windows just doesn’t work good with just 8GB RAM and idk if a cheap ARM powered laptop with W11 is even the answer. I would love to see it but Microsoft still isn’t taking Windows on ARM that seriously, even though Snapdragon X2 chips are around the corner.
Rldg on
This is the price Microsoft pays for treating their consumer business like the enterprise.
This type of move is exactly what the Surface line is supposed to be able to respond to. But, Windows…. 😩
Considering Windows 11’s ugly last few years, hats off to Apple. Killer move.
chambee on
The killer here is that other pc makers have to pay Microsoft for the OS. Apple can just throw theirs away for free. So cutting down price on cheap laptop with MS bloat is going to be a battle. Get people in the ecosystem is even easier now that people have iOS product that they know well and trust.
demonslayercorpp on
My MacBook the year I got it the and the day it came out, has a ‘birthdate’ of a year and a half earlier. Apple prepared for the memory shortage and tariffs and trump, and is going to sell every single one of those units. Who knows after that. I would suggest to get this computer
Vaxtin on
MacOS should gain a decent market share from this, and I think it’s just the beginning of them trying to enter low cost PCs. Mac mini is a power house, yet still cheap — I wonder how cheap they can get one using A19.
happyscrappy on
I strongly feel the big shock to the PC industry is going to be when they finally have to give in and support something other than x86 (inc. x86-64).
That’s what’s making it possible for Apple to make this machine so capable so cheaply. Low-end PCs are moving to be phones/tablets in a different form factor. And that requires system-on-chips to make them as cheap and power efficient as that.
I know the Qualcomm ARM PCs are flailing in the market right now. But something has to give eventually. This portion of the market will shift to machines built like a phone/tablet. And if it isn’t by moving to PCs built that way then it’ll just be by moving away from PCs to phones/tablets (two-in-ones).
Asus, for example, is currently a pretty big PC maker and not a big phone maker. So they have reason to try to make a PC that fits this mould instead of risking losing their customers to a phone maker.
highelf on
…I mean, Twin Lake is plenty good but all these asshats weigh it down with bloatware and AI and all this other nonsense. Let’s go Apple silicon.
Hour_Source_4038 on
A year or two ago people were mocking Apple for falling behind in the AI game, and now they’ve just completely obliterated the consumer laptop scene. Looks like they ain’t doing as bad as people were saying
intelpentium400 on
I’m sure this will dominate the teen market. Get them on iOS early and they’ll be MacBook Pro customers later
FrenchDipsBeDrippin on
Windows OEMs have been building e-waste at this price point for years. Time to step your game up.
Dezmanispassionfruit on
This is the perfect time to be a part of an Econ class. Apple is purposely using aggressive pricing right now to further capture the windows ship abandoners, but those too reluctant to jump aboard Linux. I used to be a staunch Apple hater, but DAMN they are geniuses and their timing is almost always perfect.
TheDonnARK on
Seems like a stock-clearing effort for the A18 Pro chips that didn’t move. Either way, if it works, it works, and apple has a cult-like following so it will work.
jojoblogs on
If I had to guess, this product has pretty slim margins and is designed to introduce people to the Apple ecosystem, which then sucks them in.
ZigyDusty on
I have zero interest in the Apple ecosystem and will never buy their products but I’m cheering this on because competition only benefits the consumer.
Alan_Reddit_M on
Every single company abandoned the consumer market in favor of AI and cloud compute, and so Apple did the obvious fucking thing that seemingly nobody else saw: Leverage this GIANT FUCKING GAP IN THE MARKET
rowmean77 on
I can’t believe I will give thanks to Apple for forcing PC manufacturers’ hands to compete seriously now.
This is the worst time to be a Windows user as well.
alehel on
I’m a Linux user myself, but this is what my wife/kids are getting when they need a replacement.
Eastern_Interest_908 on
Haven’t watched reviews or tested myself but I actually might stop recommending cheap ass lenovo laptops because of it.
Over-Mud-7428 on
My work laptop with top specs, newest model, and 32 GB of RAM just runs so much worse than an M1 MacBook from years ago it’s ridiculous.
Even with a fresh install, fresh boot, nothing running.
Windows 11 is so stupidly slow and bloated it’s not even funny. And co pilot is so dumb, so slow, just total ass software that we are being encouraged to “test out”.
38 Comments
Besides gaming, I don’t think there’s any price segment now in which the best computer to get isn’t a Mac. Windows 11 doesn’t help things here either.
I agree. Tell Autodesk to make a native version of Revit for it and I’m sold. Otherwise it’s a pc for me.
I definitely plan on purchasing a pink one this Xmas
for my niece. She’s 10 and it will be her first computer that is just hers to use. Right now the family uses a Windows 11 laptop.
Bring back the EEE PC
The MacBook Neo is the best value laptop right now. The next best value is the MacBook Air.
Every high school and college is going to be flooded with the Neo. They’re going to sell millions.
I think this machine is going to fucking kill it.
Kinda like a dejavú: Apple released the first iPhone, shocking the industry, Google releases Android. Apple releases a crazy good and cheap laptop, Google is about to release Android Desktop (though, Android phones already let you play AAA games from your Steam library and also let you install Linux apps). Meanwhile Windows is completely lost.
Asus should probably raise their concerns with Microsoft or more fully embrace Linux.
I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall in the Microsoft executive offices when the news of the Neo started coming out. Their strategy has been to force users to accept a bunch of crap against their will because there hasn’t been a viable alternative. Now there’s a viable alternative, so… I have to assume the news was met with panicked chaos
My m1 MacBook Pro is still crazy fast
I hope it bends Microsoft over and makes them feel violated, just like everyone else they have been taking advantage of…..
MKBHD made a good point that this thing is very easy for Apple to make. It basically just leverages their existing supply chain effectively and even at the price point Apple is likely still making a tidy margin on it. Even other PC makers that could make something like this (and it’s not many) can’t make it a particularly viable revenue generator. Makes the whole segment that less appealing for any other company to commit to.
is an affordably priced macbook a recession indicator?
This move by Apple feels like a simultaneous take over of the market Chromebook has on High Schools while also kicking Microsoft while they’re down.
Apple sensed blood in the water with how bad Microsoft has been screwing up lately.
Affordable. Does what it needs to do. Isn’t riddled with AI. Plays nice with your (likely) iPhone.
Hopefully this is a reality check to these companies that they can and will get undercut with the garbage products that have flooded the consumer market these past 5 or so years.
Only 8gb ram, though. I feel like that’s the bare minimum for even a cellphone these days.
It’s not just the price it’s also the fact that they are not forcing “AI” down your throat with it.
Yes it has some “AI” features but it’s not in everything everywhere and not something that cant be ignored or disabled.
I’ve been on pc for creative work for quite a while. I’m going to go to Mac for my next work station when I need to upgrade. Microslop has really fucked themselves in the last year.
The biggest complaint about Apple is price. They’re looking to completely dominate the laptop and phone market. They introduced lower priced iPhones years ago but never transitioned to laptops until now.
Smart play even if it did take fucking forever.
The Macbook Neo will succeed because Apple has shown what it can do with 8GB RAM properly in Mac OS. On the other hand, Windows just doesn’t work good with just 8GB RAM and idk if a cheap ARM powered laptop with W11 is even the answer. I would love to see it but Microsoft still isn’t taking Windows on ARM that seriously, even though Snapdragon X2 chips are around the corner.
This is the price Microsoft pays for treating their consumer business like the enterprise.
This type of move is exactly what the Surface line is supposed to be able to respond to. But, Windows…. 😩
Considering Windows 11’s ugly last few years, hats off to Apple. Killer move.
The killer here is that other pc makers have to pay Microsoft for the OS. Apple can just throw theirs away for free. So cutting down price on cheap laptop with MS bloat is going to be a battle. Get people in the ecosystem is even easier now that people have iOS product that they know well and trust.
My MacBook the year I got it the and the day it came out, has a ‘birthdate’ of a year and a half earlier. Apple prepared for the memory shortage and tariffs and trump, and is going to sell every single one of those units. Who knows after that. I would suggest to get this computer
MacOS should gain a decent market share from this, and I think it’s just the beginning of them trying to enter low cost PCs. Mac mini is a power house, yet still cheap — I wonder how cheap they can get one using A19.
I strongly feel the big shock to the PC industry is going to be when they finally have to give in and support something other than x86 (inc. x86-64).
That’s what’s making it possible for Apple to make this machine so capable so cheaply. Low-end PCs are moving to be phones/tablets in a different form factor. And that requires system-on-chips to make them as cheap and power efficient as that.
I know the Qualcomm ARM PCs are flailing in the market right now. But something has to give eventually. This portion of the market will shift to machines built like a phone/tablet. And if it isn’t by moving to PCs built that way then it’ll just be by moving away from PCs to phones/tablets (two-in-ones).
Asus, for example, is currently a pretty big PC maker and not a big phone maker. So they have reason to try to make a PC that fits this mould instead of risking losing their customers to a phone maker.
…I mean, Twin Lake is plenty good but all these asshats weigh it down with bloatware and AI and all this other nonsense. Let’s go Apple silicon.
A year or two ago people were mocking Apple for falling behind in the AI game, and now they’ve just completely obliterated the consumer laptop scene. Looks like they ain’t doing as bad as people were saying
I’m sure this will dominate the teen market. Get them on iOS early and they’ll be MacBook Pro customers later
Windows OEMs have been building e-waste at this price point for years. Time to step your game up.
This is the perfect time to be a part of an Econ class. Apple is purposely using aggressive pricing right now to further capture the windows ship abandoners, but those too reluctant to jump aboard Linux. I used to be a staunch Apple hater, but DAMN they are geniuses and their timing is almost always perfect.
Seems like a stock-clearing effort for the A18 Pro chips that didn’t move. Either way, if it works, it works, and apple has a cult-like following so it will work.
If I had to guess, this product has pretty slim margins and is designed to introduce people to the Apple ecosystem, which then sucks them in.
I have zero interest in the Apple ecosystem and will never buy their products but I’m cheering this on because competition only benefits the consumer.
Every single company abandoned the consumer market in favor of AI and cloud compute, and so Apple did the obvious fucking thing that seemingly nobody else saw: Leverage this GIANT FUCKING GAP IN THE MARKET
I can’t believe I will give thanks to Apple for forcing PC manufacturers’ hands to compete seriously now.
This is the worst time to be a Windows user as well.
I’m a Linux user myself, but this is what my wife/kids are getting when they need a replacement.
Haven’t watched reviews or tested myself but I actually might stop recommending cheap ass lenovo laptops because of it.
My work laptop with top specs, newest model, and 32 GB of RAM just runs so much worse than an M1 MacBook from years ago it’s ridiculous.
Even with a fresh install, fresh boot, nothing running.
Windows 11 is so stupidly slow and bloated it’s not even funny. And co pilot is so dumb, so slow, just total ass software that we are being encouraged to “test out”.