I'm sorry but this is rather silly at best as there are ALREADY PLENTY of cheap and inexpensive Intel powered (Celron) < $300USD laptops available on the market.
Granted MOST come with WIN11-Home bloatware, however a quick reflash to a Linux distro will quickly and easily turn these inexpensive wonders into usable devices.
Sure while none of the current offerings offer metal chassis or fairly decent other features at this price point - who cares? You get what you pay for.
It really feels like the Macbook Neo is Apple's answer to the netbooks of the 2000s, and that suddenly the entire industry forgot those were a thing.
With 20 years of technology development and a higher starting price, there may be some pretty decent machines coming our way as long as we understand the compromises they offer. Linux on these should also improve the usability!
Quote from: Gerald on May 19, 2026, 09:19:42It really feels like the Macbook Neo is Apple's answer to the netbooks of the 2000s, and that suddenly the entire industry forgot those were a thing.
Thus far, the Windows OEMs throw out new models with double the prices of their previous versions but the same shortcomings. As if they all want Apple to win the entry market without competition. The OEMs are blind by greed and use the current component crisis and the AI tag as escuses.
Quote from: GeorgeS on May 18, 2026, 21:17:16while none of the current offerings offer metal chassis or fairly decent other features at this price point - who cares?
Apparently, the tens of millions of people who bought the neo did care. So Apple has shown there is an appetite for such a product in the current market. It's doing so well that they're having trouble fulfilling orders.
Isn't AMDs Arm SoC Sound Wave also being released this year? I assume gonna be used in a budget low cost surface device like their next gen SE laptop or Go Tablet. Will be interesting to see how that compete with these.
The problem is still the same but everyone is deaf and blind.
The alternative to the neo is not a laptop with the same price, battery life and performance, if it still has a 68% sRGB, low nits shitty 1200p panel, and a cheap plastic build.
And I say that as a person who don't buy Apple products, but one has to be honest, the devices all have a premium look and feel with great finish, and the Neo a great screen for the price.