Conventional wisdom among a certain type of technology “enthusiast”/wannabe pundit is that Macs are “too expensive.” There is an “Apple Tax”–you are paying too much for the Apple name. I’ve always thought that was a incorrect (and, honestly, not said in good faith). Yes, Apple offered very little at lower price points in their current line. But, if you compare their current line to comparable systems of HP, Lenovo, or Dells–the same specifications, generation of processors, and build quality, this price differential started to disappear. Yes, to get a new, current Mac command a premium, but one that is on par with similar systems from other manufacturers. Other vendors seem less expensive, overall, because they offer cheaper, lower end–machines with less powerful processors, less RAM and storage, and a cheaper build quality. Or, they keep last year’s still very capable model around as a cheaper option (something that is true of Apple through third parties).

The “Apple Tax,” in this light, is a bit of an illusion.

Enter the MacBook Neo

This week, Apple announced the MacBook Neo, creating a low end offering. It uses an A-series chip, like those in an iPad or iPhone, instead of the more powerful M-series chip. It has a simpler keyboard, without backlight, and a screen that isn’t quite as good as those found on the Air and Pro models. It has less RAM, and one of the USB ports only supports USB 2, limiting speed and the ability to support a monitor on that port.

But it does this for a price point starting at $600. With an aluminum case, it’s build quality is on par with the rest of the MacBook line, and far exceeds most Windows laptops at that price point. Apple claims a sixteen hour battery life, and they tend to not exaggerate those claims too grossly. I haven’t seen one in person (few have), but it sounds like a very capable machine. Apple also made it fun, with cool colors that remind a lot of us of the original translucent clamshell iBook. They made choices to balance what their target audience needs in order to get a price point they want.

Since few have had the opportunity to touch a MacBook Neo (and I am not among them), much less put it through its paces, a lot of this post is based on initial reviews and some speculation. It may prove to be different once the machine is actually released.

While it sounds underpowered for a lot of things–hard core video editing, animation, or high end graphics–it sounds perfect for what a lot of folks need: web browsing, media consumption, and browser use. I think this will be great for:

  • A “First Laptop” for students, especially K-12
  • People who want a personal laptop, but a nice one. This would be especially true for people who want their own system aside their Worktop.
  • Businesses who want to extend their Apple fleet to more roles (where the M-spec is not required). I’ve already heard that in health care, this may prove to be a game changer.

A lot of technology journalists see this as setting a standard for laptops at this price point. It reminds me of how the iPhone defined what a SmartPhone should be, after years of figuring out just what they should be.

Haters Gonna Hate

Apple has long been a target of the too-cool technology influencer set. There is, of course, the “Apple Tax,” but also claims the machines are underpowered (usually relative to a gaming rig), not upgradeable, or more of a “lifestyle brand.” Meanwhile, real people happily buy Macs because they “just work.” They have an ecosystem that works well with them, and are broadly supported. They tend to last longer and don’t get dropped from support as quickly as a Windows system. The fact is, Apple has never really targeted the technology influencer crowd, even if a lot of tech savvy people prefer them.

I’m among them. I regard myself as a hard core “Alpha Nerd.” I’ve used DOS, Windows, OS/2 OpenVMS, and a variety of flavors of UNIX. I have several Linux servers scattered around. But my personal system is Mac. As I’ve stated elsewhere, I appreciate having a UNIX system for under the hood, but one that can support common applications natively when I just want to get work done.

The MacBook Neo will be no exception to this hate. There are already complaints about soldered RAM, only one USB 3 port, or other choices made. THEY ARE MISSING THE POINT!!! This is not an all-out gaming rig. Professional video editors are not the target. The phrase that best describes this computer seems to be “fit to purpose.” It’s going to meed most of its users’ needs. I suspect they will love it.

“It’s Just an iPad with a Keyboard”

One common complaint already being circulated is that this is running an tablet chip–that it is just an iPad in a different form factor. But I think there is a critical difference: this incorporates a number of desktop* features, and, more critically, a desktop operating system.

These days, Apple operating systems are all derivatives of OS X, itself a descendent of NeXTStep. While this means they all have UNIX roots, only MacOS can be said to behave like UNIX. There is a prompt you can open. You can run software on it that came from sources other than the App store, or even compile your own. A lot of packages support it, along with Linux and Windows.

Likewise, there are native, standard ports of a variety of applications, most notably, Microsoft Office. These are the full, standard desktop version everyone uses. In the case of office, it’s mostly the same as the version for Windows. It’s not a stripped down tablet-or-phone version. They work the same as what anyone else is running.

I think this broad native support for real desktop applications is a key differentiator. If a student is following along in class, the instructions will more closely map what they experience. If there is a special package required, odds are, they can run it. There may be some things it doesn’t have the horsepower to run (or run effectively), but it will be more relevant to users.

For most of the Apple Silicon era, if someone asked “do I need a MacBook Pro or Air,” the answer has been that, if you have to ask, you probably need an Air. It may not be long before a parallel answer evolves between the Neo or Air.

Network Effect

I believe the Neo is going to be a driver that significantly expands the MacOS user base. It positions a high quality system at a much more affordable price point, and avoids the compromises that a tablet would have. As more people buy them and use them, more software will target MacOS in general, and the Neo in particular. It’s not hard to imagine Apple creating an upgraded version.

As a twenty-year Mac user, I support this completely.

Conclusion

I’m writing this the day after it was announced. Most of the technology journalists I’ve read have done little more than touch one much the same way I might in an Apple store in a few months. How it will work in practice is unknown to everyone. Everything I’m saying may be proven wrong.

That said, I can easily see this becoming my default recommendation for friends and family who are looking for a new computer but don’t want to spend a grand. I can see recommending it for people who would spend that much. Most of the people who would ask such a general question will be more than happy with such a system. They aren’t doing tons of video editing, aren’t connecting a bunch of external monitors or storage, and just want to surf the web and run a spreadsheet. This is the perfect system for this.

While I see myself as a bit of an Alpha Nerd. But, if I’m honest with myself about most of my day-to-day use, it may be a fit for me. Much of my hard core geeking is accomplished by connecting to remote systems. However, from a practical point of view, my MacBook Air M3 that is going strong and I foresee many more years of using it. From a less-practical point of view, the Alpha Nerd in me wants to have a spec-heavy monster of a system, and this is a good compromise relative to the MacBook Pro. I’m not getting a Neo today, but, in a few years, it’s going to be a consideration.

I hope the MacBook Neo lives up to its promise. It can be a game changer by bringing more people into the Macintosh ecosystem, and redifine what a $600 laptop can be.

*In this context, I use the term “desktop” to mean a dedicated personal computer, as we’ve had since the Altair 8800 in the mid-Seventies, as opposed to a tablet or SmartPhone. Laptops and computers-that-sit-on-a-desk are, in this perspective, the same thing with different form factors.