Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo rivals Windows on Snapdragon
Apple recently announced its $599 MacBook Neo, which I was eagerly waiting to see if it could shake up the $600 Windows laptop market over Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X processors. I’ve always found the price to be the biggest obstacle to trying macOS, and it’s the main reason why I’ve never formed much of an impression of its operating system.
The iPad and iPhone variants have appeared a few times in my life, and I can appreciate what Apple can achieve when they refine their best hardware as close to perfection as possible. However, I have never taken any model of MacBook, Mac, or Mac mini that makes much sense as one of my colleagues, because the prices do not seem to match the specs – most of them look the same.
As a Windows guy, 8GB of integrated memory seems a bit low, and I wouldn’t recommend anyone to buy a Windows 11 laptop for the same figure. My Surface Pro X (SQ1) is already struggling when several browser tabs eat up most of its RAM at the same rate. Maybe MacBook users can educate me on what Apple has achieved here, but for now, I have a bigger, possible concern.
Is 256GB enough, even in a cloud-centric world?
I was hoping this long-rumored, affordable MacBook would have at least 512GB of storage (advertised), but the trending $599 price tag locks out the entry-level 256GB model with the Magic Keyboard — sans Apple’s Touch ID biometric login. Is that really enough, even for a “success” price tag?
I repeat again painfully I know how much I lack MacBook experience, which is the main reason why I’m writing this request to any reader who can point me to it (especially if you use both macOS and Windows). Looking at community support posts, I see comments that the latest macOS build (Tahoe) uses about 25GB for its main program and 30–60GB+ for system data.
It’s not better with a new installation, which takes up space in Windows 11, which is why I can’t suggest that the same storage space can work on Microsoft’s side. Step that MacBook Neo up to 512GB of storage, and looking at the $699 price tag, we’re still counting on 8GB of integrated memory. Even from a conspiracy angle and potential comparisons, this sounds bad – or does it?
I ask sincerely, because otherwise I fail to see the appeal. Can the power of Apple’s product outweigh the importance of specs at this extreme level? In our original coverage of the MacBook Neo announcement, Zac Bowden weighed in on the Mac consumer’s mindset, saying, “Having a Mac is less about raw specs and more about being a Mac, not a Windows PC.”
This is Qualcomm’s domain
Even if it was the case that Apple’s operating system had a greater appeal than Windows, only in reputation and condition (which is completely unbelievable, given the public responses to things like the Start menu change), the MacBook Neo still does not feel cheap. enough making me directly compare macOS to Windows and Linux for my money.
If you came to me as a friend looking for a new laptop with $600 in your pocket, I would point you to ASUS’s stellar Zenbook A14, previously seen with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $599 at one of its historic discounts. That, or take them to Best Buy and show them the same storage specs on a 14-inch Dell Inspiron or another affordable alternative.
Then again, I predict the comment that the MacBook Neo does not exist which is appropriate to compare it to the same Windows laptop, because… it’s so different from the other (?) I can buy that to a point, but if anyone is attracted to Apple with its creator-centric advertising, I’m not sure where they were saving their art, music, videos, or anything other than the cloud.
If creativity was a priority for you, I would have pushed you to the iPad before this Windows laptop vs. MacBook discussion started. At least you’ll get a touchscreen and one of the best stylus experiences I’ve had so far, but we’ll be splitting hairs. For now, I’m passing on Apple’s operating system for at least another year.
🗨️ Are you a macOS user with any insight into Apple’s market power with the MacBook Neo?
Maybe you can help me understand the appeal of macOS with specs like this. Does the OS offer enough advantages that the seemingly inferior storage and memory won’t matter, or is this the answer for Chromebooks?
Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear opinions from anyone using Apple’s OS and Windows.
Join us Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your information and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
