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I can totally see many, many students and parents use that machine for daily tasks. Yes, base specs are pretty low: 8Gb RAM, 256 Gb drive - but the price tag is

I can totally see many, many students and parents use that machine for daily tasks. Yes, base specs are pretty low: 8Gb RAM, 256 Gb drive - but the price tag is also low in the Apple world. I assume the trackpad will be excellent and the promise that the battery lasts all day is probably true (all day = 6-7h max). Good move from Apple, for once.

justonceokay 7mo ago
It looks like a perfect replacement for my 2011 MBP. I always figured I’d get a Chromebook when it croaked but this is a viable contender
- uf00lme 7mo ago
  A 2011 MBP is likely a better a general purpose PC, those early models had some great engineering. Wait for the reviews and benchmarks but the M1/M2 based MBPs are still great daily drivers.
  - jamesgeck0 7mo ago
    Those old 2011 machines aren't really getting macOS security updates anymore, and compatible apps are dropping; I wouldn't recommend using anything but Linux on them. And even with a non-15-year-old battery, you'll be lucky to get half the battery life of Apple Silicon with a 2nd gen Core i5 CPU.
  - mushufasa 7mo ago
    2011 is 15 years ago -- MacOs will not support that device, so it is a real security risk to use online. This new offering seems comparable to the price of a refurbished M1/M2.
romanovcode 7mo ago
> the trackpad will be excellent Nope. It is mechanical.
- freehorse 7mo ago
  What do you mean, "mechanical"?
  - alex_young 7mo ago
    A mechanical trackpad is like an unpowered treadmill iirc. Sometimes they ship with a gimbal mount so you can scroll more than one direction.
    - swiftcoder 7mo ago
      This explicitly says "Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and support for gestures", so at most it's the clicking action that is mechanical (rather than the click being faked with haptic feedback, as it is on the current models)
- busymom0 7mo ago
  Their mechanical trackpads were excellent too. It's only their keyboard which they messed entirely up.
- tverbeure 7mo ago
  The mechanical trackpad of my 2007 Macbook (the first unibody) is still better than any PC trackpad I've ever used.
j45 7mo ago
I thought Apple's RAM architecture/speed lets more than 8 GB be addressed, effectively letting it have 50-100% more operating capacity?
- piyh 7mo ago
  Doesn't stop it from shitting the bed when you try to run anything like Fusion or Docker
  - j45 7mo ago
    Fair but it’s probably not the thought to buy an 8GB laptop for docker in 2026 when we’ve known about it for a long time. There was a post recently about apples built in virtualizer that might be useful. Before fusion or docker I’d probably try something like UTM on a MacBook neo. If you’re after a light terminal remote access to the house power (a Mac mini somewhere etc) is probably easier. I was really hoping the Neo would be a replacement for the 12” MacBook retina - it’s only 2 lbs and the best form factor I’ve ever carried for travel. It’s the only device I’d be in line for tomorrow, and until then we can pretend to use MacBook airs or MacBook pros.
mushufasa 7mo ago
I also know many professionals who have a work computer and just want a personal device for occasional things like personal web browsing/shopping/occasionally watching videos -- things that would be inappropriate on a work computer and inelegant on a phone. These people already basically use their phone for everything -- many of them have never upgraded from their college laptop, which is now obsolete. They'd value a well-built (design, feel, screen) computer but have no performance needs.

justonceokay 7mo ago

It looks like a perfect replacement for my 2011 MBP. I always figured I’d get a Chromebook when it croaked but this is a viable contender

uf00lme 7mo ago
A 2011 MBP is likely a better a general purpose PC, those early models had some great engineering. Wait for the reviews and benchmarks but the M1/M2 based MBPs are still great daily drivers.
- jamesgeck0 7mo ago
  Those old 2011 machines aren't really getting macOS security updates anymore, and compatible apps are dropping; I wouldn't recommend using anything but Linux on them. And even with a non-15-year-old battery, you'll be lucky to get half the battery life of Apple Silicon with a 2nd gen Core i5 CPU.
- mushufasa 7mo ago
  2011 is 15 years ago -- MacOs will not support that device, so it is a real security risk to use online. This new offering seems comparable to the price of a refurbished M1/M2.

romanovcode 7mo ago

> the trackpad will be excellent Nope. It is mechanical.

freehorse 7mo ago
What do you mean, "mechanical"?
- alex_young 7mo ago
  A mechanical trackpad is like an unpowered treadmill iirc. Sometimes they ship with a gimbal mount so you can scroll more than one direction.
  - swiftcoder 7mo ago
    This explicitly says "Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and support for gestures", so at most it's the clicking action that is mechanical (rather than the click being faked with haptic feedback, as it is on the current models)
busymom0 7mo ago
Their mechanical trackpads were excellent too. It's only their keyboard which they messed entirely up.
tverbeure 7mo ago
The mechanical trackpad of my 2007 Macbook (the first unibody) is still better than any PC trackpad I've ever used.

j45 7mo ago

I thought Apple's RAM architecture/speed lets more than 8 GB be addressed, effectively letting it have 50-100% more operating capacity?

piyh 7mo ago
Doesn't stop it from shitting the bed when you try to run anything like Fusion or Docker
- j45 7mo ago
  Fair but it’s probably not the thought to buy an 8GB laptop for docker in 2026 when we’ve known about it for a long time. There was a post recently about apples built in virtualizer that might be useful. Before fusion or docker I’d probably try something like UTM on a MacBook neo. If you’re after a light terminal remote access to the house power (a Mac mini somewhere etc) is probably easier. I was really hoping the Neo would be a replacement for the 12” MacBook retina - it’s only 2 lbs and the best form factor I’ve ever carried for travel. It’s the only device I’d be in line for tomorrow, and until then we can pretend to use MacBook airs or MacBook pros.

mushufasa 7mo ago

I also know many professionals who have a work computer and just want a personal device for occasional things like personal web browsing/shopping/occasionally watching videos -- things that would be inappropriate on a work computer and inelegant on a phone. These people already basically use their phone for everything -- many of them have never upgraded from their college laptop, which is now obsolete. They'd value a well-built (design, feel, screen) computer but have no performance needs.