I’m sure no one is keeping tabs but for many Apple aficionados, the iPhone 4 and 4S will always be associated with Steve Jobs. Apart from being the last iPhones launched in the Jobs era, the 4 series is a huge leap in terms of design and performance from its predecessor. So much so in the design aspect that Apple went back to it a decade later. It’s that good.
Last month, Apple rocked the tech world even before they announced the passing of the torch in their leadership. They introduced the Macbook Neo, a new laptop that slots under the Macbook Air – their entry-level laptop since it was introduced in 2008. What’s more, this new laptop starts at US $599 or PHP 39,990; significantly more affordable from the usual $999 or PHP 55,000+ that the MBA starts at.
The price point is a market breaker globally. What is once a solid Windows territory is no more as Apple finally dipped their toes in the more attainable range. They know it too. Asus co-CEO S.Y Hsu said that it “was a shock to the entire market,” while Asus CFO Nick Wu said “they’re all taking this very seriously, seriously discussing how to compete with this product in the entire PC ecosystem.”
Even a former Microsoft person was impressed. Steven Sinofsky, former head of Windows at Microsoft, said that he was blown away by it and called it “a paradigm shifting computer.” What is the deal with the Macbook Neo, exactly, that puts fear in the board room of Windows-laptop companies?
The Macbook Neo, at the base model, comes with a 13-inch IPS LED display which is color accurate, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD storage, 1080p webcam, 15-16 hours of battery life, and an aluminum body. There are 2 USB-C ports (but only one has USB-3 speed) and a 3.5mm headphone jack as ports.
All of that for PHP 39,990 seems like a fluke. At that price, you could have a similarly sized Windows laptop with more RAM and Storage, but has a plastic body (if you know where Gilmore is). But who cares? It’s a good trade-off for performance, right?
That’s what Windows people always miss in judging iPhones and Macbooks. They think the spec says it all. I used to think that way too until I made the switch. Windows laptops can have better specs for the price, but the hardware is not maximized by the software (or vice versa). This is because the software has to be ‘generalized’ in a way to accommodate different configurations of hardware.
In Apple, they reversed the formula. Since they make the software, they can dictate which hardware to use that can maximize their operating system. This is why today’s Apple Silicon Macbooks (2020 and later) with only 8GB of RAM perform just as good, or even better, than a Windows laptop with 16GB of RAM. This integration is often overlooked, but noticeable once experienced.
Another thing that makes the Macbook Neo very enticing is the longevity of the device. I have been a Windows laptop user for many years before I made the switch to Macbooks. It was always frustrating how a Windows laptop slows down just after a year, especially the affordable ones. Even the Dell XPS – a top tier Windows laptop – could only escape this by a couple of years. It slowed down after three years.
In contrast, I am now using an M1 Macbook Air from 2020. It’s a base model spec with only 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Yet this works just as fast as the day I bought it (back in May 2021).
There’s also the product support. The current MacOS 26 Tahoe still supports my device even though it’s 6 years old already. That means a new look, theme, features, and security updates – all for free. I can’t remember a Windows laptop having even just security support after 2 years. This is because their security support is also tied to hardware and so if your hardware is outdated by their standards, the support won’t be applicable to you.
Another big issue some people see is the Macbook Neo’s use of the iPhone chip as its core. It didn’t get an older M-series processor and instead, it uses an A18 Pro from the iPhone 16. What you should know is this has been tested extensively since 2019. The iPadOS was created so that the iPad and iPad Pro are not mere bigger iPhones. It allowed the tablets to handle heavier tasks even though it was using an iPhone processor in the early days. An iPhone 16 can handle 4K video editing on the go, what makes you think the Macbook Neo will shy away from that?
The Macbook Neo can do basic tasks easily, but also handle a bit of heavy work. Internet browsing, Word, Excel, 20 tabs in Chrome, photo editing, 4K video editing – what you can do in your iPhone, the Macbook Neo can do much more comfortably. Apple understands that not everyone is a Pro and that the technology of the Macbook Air can be had for much less. Some people just want a reliable laptop that will last them years, is easy to carry, and has a bit more color to reflect their personality.
It’s also a bold statement about Apple’s current eco goals. The Macbook Neo is currently the lowest carbon Mac. It features 60% recycled content – the most out of any Apple device. It has 100% recycled cobalt in the battery and 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets. Even the anodization process has a 70% water-reuse rate.
Tim Cook’s time at Apple isn’t perfect. During his tenure, the company removed the ports at Macbooks, new iPhones only had incremental upgrades from the past iteration, started the removal of chargers in new iPhones, and for the love of god he didn’t change the design (and USB port placement) of the Magic Mouse.
However, he’s also responsible for why Apple is the leader in the tech space now. For someone who oversaw their products get more and more expensive, this Macbook Neo is a sweet about-face adieu that will definitely cement his legacy.
