News:

Willkommen im Notebookcheck.com Forum! Hier können Sie über alle unsere Artikel und allgemein über notebookrelevante Dinge diskutieren. Viel Spass!

Main Menu

Post reply

Other options
Verification:
Please leave this box empty:
Shortcuts: ALT+S post or ALT+P preview

Topic summary

Posted by misinformation patrol
 - Today at 19:51:15
Quote from: GeorgeS on Today at 18:25:02Got it?
...
Entered with a 2013 era 13" MBP i5(2C/4T)/8GB/256GB. :)

Yeh, I think I do now.

Ngl, you've completely sold me on your 2013 MBP. Even I want it now over this neo or anything else.

Thanks for clearing everything up, it was helpful! 👍
Posted by GeorgeS
 - Today at 18:25:02
Quote from: misinformation patrol on Today at 08:17:59
Quote from: Randy Hill on Today at 03:55:06And still runs photoshop and allows you to edit RAW files, etc. it's a low end Lambo, but still a Lambo.

Their point is still true though, I honestly don't know anyone who edits on 8 GB. Maybe smartphone users. But anyone who is serious about editing isn't doing that.

Ok, BELIEVE IT. First off Apple iPhones and iPads have FAR LESS RAM then the NEO does. Got it? LOL!!!

Those of us that edit/process STILL IMAGES generally have zero use for large amount of RAM. Period.

Granted those that are doing HUGE VIDEO stuff MIGHT NEED/REQUIRE huge amounts of RAM but lets get REAL HERE DUDE - they would NOT be shopping for a "Neo" in the first place!! LOL!

You kids crack me up - seem to think that "everything" has to be a portable workstation requiring oodles of threads&memory&storage.

Generally while many/most CONSUMERS (IE: read non-professional home users) have migrated much if not ALL their "computer" needs to their Cell Phone's or iPad's nether of those can run "desktop applications" which is where a laptop such as a MacBook-Neo comes into play.

Entered with a 2013 era 13" MBP i5(2C/4T)/8GB/256GB. :)

Posted by misinformation patrol
 - Today at 08:17:59
Quote from: Citizen_not_Consumer on March 13, 2026, 17:00:34No you are not. since Apple introduced the T2 security chip on the boot system unless the OS is approved and signed by Apple you can't install it. At least without special hacks.

The T2 chip hasn't been used for years now (since Intel era macs). Its functionality has been integrated into the M silicon chip.

Also, regarding your second statement, I would like to refer you to the asahi Linux faq:

"Apple allows booting unsigned/custom kernels on Apple Silicon Macs without a jailbreak! This isn't a hack or an omission, but an actual feature that Apple built into these devices. That means that, unlike iOS devices, Apple does not intend to lock down what OS you can use on Macs (though they probably won't help with the development). Further reading: "Introduction to Apple Silicon" and "Apple Platform Security Crash Course"."

Quote from: Randy Hill on Today at 03:55:06And still runs photoshop and allows you to edit RAW files, etc. it's a low end Lambo, but still a Lambo.

Their point is still true though, I honestly don't know anyone who edits on 8 GB. Maybe smartphone users. But anyone who is serious about editing isn't doing that.

Quote from: Randy Hill on Today at 03:58:33MacOS is BSD Unix, comes with terminal app giving you access all the Unix command line tools, and run all the open source tools you want.

yeah, but how many apps are there ported to BSD Unix compared to Linux? There are far more Linux compatible apps.

It's not just about being able to run same cli commands. I would also say chromeOS is far closer to Linux than macOS to BSD Unix. Apple has had decades to make modifications and changes that move away from it. By contrast, chromeOS is a (relatively) newer OS.
Posted by Randy Hill
 - Today at 03:58:33
Quote from: Citizen_not_Consumer on March 13, 2026, 11:52:31
Quote from: chrome OS vs real OS on March 13, 2026, 09:07:40Citizen_not_Consumer, the Neo is using the full fledged iOS, can the same be said about the ACER Chromebook Plus Spin 514?

ChromeOs has Linux native environment, and I can run massive scientific numerical models compiled with open source GCC and GFortran compilers. In contrast, the black box macOS is limited to what Apple allows you to install. (no native open source Linux is supported on Mac hardware).

So for me ChromeOS is more "real" and open OS than the limited "blackbox" macOS.

MacOS is BSD Unix, comes with terminal app giving you access all the Unix command line tools, and run all the open source tools you want.
Posted by Randy Hill
 - Today at 03:55:06
Quote from: Jean du Toit on March 12, 2026, 05:16:07Even if the Apple Neo has blazingly fast processing performance, it is Limited to 8GB RAM. Talk about building a Lamborghini with bicycle tyres.

And still runs photoshop and allows you to edit RAW files, etc. it's a low end Lambo, but still a Lambo.
Posted by Citizen_not_Consumer
 - March 13, 2026, 17:00:34
Quote from: No whitelist on March 13, 2026, 13:54:54You're still free to install whatever OS or application you want on Macs

No you are not. since Apple introduced the T2 security chip on the boot system unless the OS is approved and signed by Apple you can't install it. At least without special hacks.

Basically you can only run whatever apps are ported to macOS, nothing else (natively).

And if you are like to play games. The chromebooks I linked can run smoothly literally million of Android games. MacBook Neo I doubt it can run even the very few games that are ported for the bigger Macs. Not smoothly at least.
Posted by Julian M
 - March 13, 2026, 14:58:55
Quote from: Lmaowinblowz on March 12, 2026, 09:17:21Yeah man totally I can't wait to pick up my plastic crapware $400 PC that will stutter and poop itself if I breathe on it wrong.

For the target audience - students; old people; casual users - this is a great little laptop.

"It is limited to 8gb." Yes, yes it is. Oh noes the mobile-chip-powered laptop can't edit 4k video AND import raw photos simultaneously as fast as the $2000 laptop?

Lmao.
I can get behind the idea that 8GB is enough for light use and web browsing and what not - but that would be forgetting how everybody mocked (Mac users included) the low base amount of RAM Apple sold its baseline models with just two years ago - which pressured them into going with 16GB as their new baseline (supposedly for their AI features, but not just that).

That said, yeah the chip is impressive for what it's positioned to do at that price point, and 8 GB is ok but not great - it's safe to say Apple will likely bump that to 12GB in a future revision.

What I'm personally finding hilarious right now is how all tech enthusiasts are jumping on this and validating this even though they are not the target audience. It's a toy to these folks, but Apple is precisely counting on them to praise the product to would-be buyers - setting very weird and misplaced expectations regarding long-term use, gaming, and the like because those praising it are using it as a sideline rather than a primary computer.

It's also putting the non-pro iPad line in a weird spot, but that's Apple's problem - they did this to themselves.

So anyway, it's mostly positive, it's not a bad product, but people should know what they're buying instead of blindly trusting reviewers/influencers' spin on it.
Posted by No whitelist
 - March 13, 2026, 13:54:54
Quote from: chrome OS vs real OS on March 13, 2026, 13:07:45
Quote from: Citizen_not_Consumer on March 13, 2026, 11:52:31
Quote from: chrome OS vs real OS on March 13, 2026, 09:07:40Citizen_not_Consumer, the Neo is using the full fledged iOS, can the same be said about the ACER Chromebook Plus Spin 514?

ChromeOs has Linux native environment, and I can run massive scientific numerical models compiled with open source GCC and GFortran compilers. In contrast, the black box macOS is limited to what Apple allows you to install. (no native open source Linux is supported on Mac hardware).

So for me ChromeOS is more "real" and open OS than the limited "blackbox" macOS.
I see, so Apple has a white-list (=only the ones they approve) approach when it comes to installing applications? I guessed it was bad but that bad? Guess it also has advantages when it comes to security.

No, no whitelist. Apple doesn't provide drivers or even hardware references for Linux, that's about it. You're still free to install whatever OS or application you want on Macs, it's just that Linux support is being slowly developed by a bunch of volunteers.

MacOS is also Unix based, so there's nothing stopping you from installing gcc, though by default it uses clang when you install XCode, the native dev toolkit for MacOS and iOS.
Posted by chrome OS vs real OS
 - March 13, 2026, 13:07:45
Quote from: Citizen_not_Consumer on March 13, 2026, 11:52:31
Quote from: chrome OS vs real OS on March 13, 2026, 09:07:40Citizen_not_Consumer, the Neo is using the full fledged iOS, can the same be said about the ACER Chromebook Plus Spin 514?

ChromeOs has Linux native environment, and I can run massive scientific numerical models compiled with open source GCC and GFortran compilers. In contrast, the black box macOS is limited to what Apple allows you to install. (no native open source Linux is supported on Mac hardware).

So for me ChromeOS is more "real" and open OS than the limited "blackbox" macOS.
I see, so Apple has a white-list (=only the ones they approve) approach when it comes to installing applications? I guessed it was bad but that bad? Guess it also has advantages when it comes to security.
Posted by Citizen_not_Consumer
 - March 13, 2026, 11:52:31
Quote from: chrome OS vs real OS on March 13, 2026, 09:07:40Citizen_not_Consumer, the Neo is using the full fledged iOS, can the same be said about the ACER Chromebook Plus Spin 514?

ChromeOs has Linux native environment, and I can run massive scientific numerical models compiled with open source GCC and GFortran compilers. In contrast, the black box macOS is limited to what Apple allows you to install. (no native open source Linux is supported on Mac hardware).

So for me ChromeOS is more "real" and open OS than the limited "blackbox" macOS.
Posted by chrome OS vs real OS
 - March 13, 2026, 09:07:40
Citizen_not_Consumer, the Neo is using the full fledged iOS, can the same be said about the ACER Chromebook Plus Spin 514? (as far as I know, a Chromebook is using a limited Windows OS)
Quotefor just $479 for a massive $220 off the standard $699 MSRP.
Also it's a discount, not normal price, so might not be available at this price.
Posted by Consumers_are_citizen
 - March 13, 2026, 04:04:21
True, Chromebooks are amazing. Just wish they came with something better than mali. Like exynos 2600.

Yeh, I agree unless you absolutely need some apple specific app, it's better.
Posted by Sunsmasher
 - March 13, 2026, 02:54:08
Quote from: Citizen_not_Consumer on March 12, 2026, 22:52:01There are much better laptops for less or equal money you can get:

-OLED screen
-more RAM (12gb or 16gb)
-touchscreen with pen support
-convertible
-glass trackpad
-Fanless with 17 hours battery
-same multicore performance
-runs ChromeOS, Linux, and Android apps

for $479 (IPS touch screen):
chromeunboxed.com/the-acer-chromebook-plus-spin-514-just-hit-a-new-all-time-low-price-of-479/

for $649 (OLED touch screen):
chromeunboxed.com/yes-the-lenovo-chromebook-14-is-the-best-chromebook-ive-ever-used/

Both laptops are better in every respect than the MacBook Neo.

Well then, just buy a Chromebook, ok?
Posted by Citizen_not_Consumer
 - March 12, 2026, 22:52:01
There are much better laptops for less or equal money you can get:

-OLED screen
-more RAM (12gb or 16gb)
-touchscreen with pen support
-convertible
-glass trackpad
-Fanless with 17 hours battery
-same multicore performance
-runs ChromeOS, Linux, and Android apps

for $479 (IPS touch screen):
chromeunboxed.com/the-acer-chromebook-plus-spin-514-just-hit-a-new-all-time-low-price-of-479/

for $649 (OLED touch screen):
chromeunboxed.com/yes-the-lenovo-chromebook-14-is-the-best-chromebook-ive-ever-used/

Both laptops are better in every respect than the MacBook Neo.
Posted by davidm
 - March 12, 2026, 16:04:02
PC enthusiasts are their own worst enemies. They refuse to see the obvious leaps Apple is making since their M chips. It would be great if PC hardware was actually as good as those enthusiasts think, but in efficiency, memory bandwidth, and many real and benchmark values, PC has been in the dust for a long time. I'm not saying this as an Apple consumer, I'm saying this as a PC (Linux) consumer who wants better options.