MacBook Neo is So Popular That Apple Reportedly Doubled Production (macrumors.com)
- Reference: 0183587004
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/06/03/2021221/macbook-neo-is-so-popular-that-apple-reportedly-doubled-production
- Source link: https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/03/macbook-neo-production-doubled-says-kuo/
> On an earnings call in late April, Apple's CEO Tim Cook said that customer response to the MacBook Neo was "off the charts," and the popularity of the laptop has reportedly led the company to significantly boost production. [...] Apple was very optimistic about the MacBook Neo before announcing it, but the company still "undercalled" the level of enthusiasm that the laptop would generate, according to Cook. He said that MacBook Neo demand exceeded Apple's expectations and helped to drive a record number of first-time Mac buyers last quarter.
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> New figures from market research firm IDC support Apple's claim that the MacBook Neo is selling well, and the Windows PC industry has [4]taken notice . For example, Dell [5]recently introduced a redesigned XPS 13 laptop from $699 and said it has features "you won't find on a MacBook Neo," such as a touch screen and a backlit keyboard. "Apple's MacBook Neo is a capable machine, and its arrival confirms that there's real appetite for premium quality at accessible prices," admitted Dell.
[1] https://x.com/mingchikuo/status/2060952170632269890
[2] https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/03/macbook-neo-production-doubled-says-kuo/
[3] https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/03/04/1624211/apple-announces-low-cost-macbook-neo-with-a18-pro-chip
[4] https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/03/11/0615216/asus-executive-says-macbook-neo-is-shock-to-pc-industry
[5] https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/06/01/0319209/dell-rivals-apples-macbook-neo-with-699-touchscreen-xps-13-laptop
Purchased one for non-tech family (Score:1)
It is surprisingly solid both in quality and performance. Also, when comparing to windows it runs much better than what I expected out of hardware specs. Last but not least, Apple had no issues with me never creating accounts and doing everything locally.
Weird. But good for stockholders. (Score:1)
I’m still surprised people will pay that for a good looking but underpowered machine at that price point. For the same price you can get a much more capable machine in the Mac mini if you want in on the Apple OS ecosystem. Though it isn’t nearly as portable. With the Neo you are not going to be able to do much more than browse the web, use web application, play simple games, and use it as fancy typewriter. And if that is all you want to do, it can be had for hundreds less if you are not married
Re: (Score:3)
The MacBook Neo at $599 is $200 cheaper than the entry-level Mac Mini at $799. They discontinued the cheaper Mini.
Re: (Score:2)
Ahhh. And the sales of the Neo suddenly make sense! It is the cheapest way to get legal access to the full Mac OS.
Re: (Score:2)
I mean...isn't that what people use computers for? browsing the web, simple games, and maybe a word processor? What else would they do with one?
Re: (Score:2)
Underpowered is relative. For most people the specs of the entry level model are just fine. If you're building Firefox from source every day then no this model isn't for you. I dumped my old 6 core Xeon box for a M4 mini and it's great for all my tasks.
Re: (Score:2)
> With the Neo you are not going to be able to do much more than browse the web, use web application, play simple games, and use it as fancy typewriter.
I think you're overlooking something seriously important: most people who buy computers these days don't need serious hardware. They need something to browse the internet with, maybe play some online games and to run something equivalent to Word and Excel. In other words, exactly what you just said.
Eh, is the Dell comparable? (Score:3)
Build quality on the Dell is good, but from hands-ons, not *as* good. Touchscreen is not something most people want on a laptop, I think (I know a niche loves them, but most people don't), but it's 120 Hz, which is a major advantage over the Neo (and Air for that matter). The touchpad is not as good. The CPU is much slower (at least in bursty tasks). I'll speculate that speakers and battery life are much worse. Connectivity is a wash (faster second USB port, but no headphone jack). The backlit keyboard is nice. The entry price point is $100 higher. Worst of all, it comes with Windows 11.
Of course this is just based on specsheets, very brief hands-on previews, and speculation, we'll need to see what real reviews show.
Re: (Score:1)
To me, it was surprising macOS performance was perfectly fine on Neo. Windows 11 would be chugging at those specs.
Re: (Score:3)
No, lazy ass AC. [1]https://www.ifixit.com/News/11... [ifixit.com]
[1] https://www.ifixit.com/News/116152/macbook-neo-is-the-most-repairable-macbook-in-14-years