Daring Fireball
Daring Fireball: The MacBook Neo
May the MacBook Neo live so long that its name becomes inapt.
John Gruber of Daring Fireball has posted his review of the MacBook Neo, Apple's all new, colorful, and surprisingly affordable laptop. Starting at only $599, or $499 for the education market, you get a surprisingly capable machine.
I’ve been testing a citrus-colored $700 MacBook Neo2 — the model with Touch ID and 512 GB storage — since last week... I’ve been using it for as much of my work as possible. I expected this to go well, but in fact, the experience has vastly exceeded my expectations. Christ almighty I don’t even have as many complaints about running MacOS 26 Tahoe (which the Neo requires) as I thought I would.
That's high praise coming from Gruber, who is a well-known curmudgeon capable of excoriating lousy products in his reviews. When John posts a review, I know that I'll be getting his unvarnished opinion. This has gotten him in trouble with Apple recently, but its worth it.
But just using the Neo, without any consideration that it’s memory limited, I haven’t noticed a single hitch. I’m not quitting apps I otherwise wouldn’t quit, or closing Safari tabs I wouldn’t otherwise close. I’m just working — with an even dozen apps open as I type this sentence — and everything feels snappy.
It seems like the Neo is the new default option for everyday, casual computer users that primarily browse the web, check their email, and use built-in apps like Pages, Keynote, etc. It leaves me wondering what the purpose of the MacBook Air is in a world where the Neo exists. Gruber seems to have a similar perspective.
If I had my druthers, Apple would make a new svelte ultralight MacBook. Not instead of the Neo, but in addition to the Neo. Apple’s inconsistent use of the name “Air” makes this complicated, but the MacBook Neo is obviously akin to the iPhone 17e; the MacBook Air is akin to the iPhone 17 (the default model for most people); the MacBook Pros are akin to the iPhone 17 Pros. I wish Apple would make a MacBook that’s akin to the iPhone Air — crazy thin and surprisingly performant.
My preferred situation would be three MacBooks:
- MacBook Neo -- Inexpensive and capable enough for most casual home users.
- MacBook Pro -- For business users and prosumers.
- MacBook Air -- "crazy thin and surprisingly performant," just like Gruber suggests.
Arguably, the MacBook Air should remain as the premium choice for home users, but I'd prefer them to just spec-up the Neo to fit the entire $600-$1600 price range and repurpose the Air name.
The Verge has a new report on upcoming Apple Home products, including a smart screen, a new Apple TV 4K, and HomePod updates. Unsurprisingly, the main source is Mark Gurman, the king of Apple leaks.
According to Gurman, the J490 smart home display / HomePad is waiting for Apple to finish work on its chatbot-style AI update for Siri.
That was supposed to be ready by now, but it is now predicted to arrive later this year, along with the iPhone 18 Pro plus 2027 updates for iOS, macOS, and all the rest. He describes a silver aluminum-cased device with a 7-inch screen and USB-C power port running a version of tvOS 27, while new versions of the HomePod speaker and Apple TV 4K box are also waiting in the wings for that Siri update.
Surprise, surprise, they’re all being held up by Apple’s long-promised AI Siri overhaul. A year ago, I would have been thrilled at the prospect of a smart Home Screen from Apple. Fast forward to today, and I’ve barely talked to Siri in months, preferring to lean on my OpenClaw assistant. My home automation has been migrating from Apple Home to Home Assistant, and my personal MacBook Pro is running Asahi Linux.
My attachment to the Apple ecosystem is waning by the day, and I doubt that will change until there is a change at the top. The Tim Cook era at Apple has been fantastic for the stock price, but it’s time for new blood to reinvigorate the company and its commitment to innovation.
I am still interested in a new Apple TV 4K. The market badly needs a premium streaming box, and the alternatives are not particularly exciting.
