MacBook Neo is the first Mac I’d recommend to my parents — here’s why

MacBook Neo shown on desk — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

I’m not sure about you, but growing up in the nineties meant I didn’t get the chance to enjoy the magic of Mac until I was in my early teens, and even then, it felt too different to fully embrace.

Schools, offices, and just about everything else ran on Windows, and while I acknowledge that’s still the case for many, Apple’s new MacBook Neo might just upset that balance. And, in a way, I wonder if it could change the computing habits of the generation after mine.

A Neo way of looking at things?

In case you missed the reveal, the MacBook Neo is a much cheaper MacBook model that runs on the Apple A18 Pro chip, has a modest 8GB of unified memory, and a 13-inch display.

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Is it built to rival a MacBook Pro, or even the Air? Not on your life, but what it does do is drastically lower the barrier to entry for using a Mac.

Apple’s ecosystem has long been an expensive one to embrace, not just for consumers but for enterprise and more. In fact, the easiest way to get on board has long been the base iPad, and as Windows grew in complexity and (politely speaking) AI cruft, many have moved to the simple pleasures of an Apple tablet.

My parents are one such example. We always had a family PC in our home growing up, sparking a love of technology that set me down the career path I’m on, but in recent years they’ve been using iPads exclusively.

The trouble is that an iPad, for all of its strengths (and with all of iPadOS’ latest enhancements), doesn’t quite fit into the same usage parameters as a laptop.

Horses for Courses

The iPad is great for reading, browsing social media, responding to email, and FaceTime. Its limitations begin to become clearer when you try to manage files, do some printing, or need to connect additional devices.

All of a sudden, the simplicity that makes the iPad so appealing becomes arguably its biggest roadblock to getting things done, and there have been plenty of times where ‘Tech Support Lloyd’ has to come over, MacBook in hand, to help.

The MacBook Neo, while more pricey than an iPad, offers multitasking without needing to use touchscreen gestures, a keyboard that’s easy to get to grips with (physically and in terms of its practicality), and might just convert those that Windows scared away to give laptops another chance.

It could well be an ideal first Mac for many, and not just those who are picking one up for school work or dorm rooms. Make no mistake, this could be the Mac that helps the Mac reach the mainstream.

Apple’s already done the hard work

Apple has been working to bring its platforms closer together for years at this point, both in terms of hardware like Apple Silicon in iPads and Macs, and also in terms of software being able to be shared across devices.

That means that anyone jumping onto a Mac, even if they’ve only ever used an iPad (or an iPhone) will have at least some sense of familiarity. Sure, getting to grips with the menu bar and dock might take a little bit of time (especially for anyone whose only previous computing touchstone is Windows), but knowing the Calendar app, or Mail, or Safari are much the same as they are on the iPad (and with data shared across the devices) is a huge boost for newcomers.

Plus, there’s every chance a new Mac user genuinely looks at the iPhone 17e as a new phone option. My parents have been using affordable Android handsets for decades at this point, but that’s more because they’re cheaper - something Apple is seemingly keen to change perceptions on.

Aside from the generation before, there’s a lot to be said about how Apple’s new MacBook Neo could set up the next generation as Mac users, too.

My son turns seven this year, and while I’ve still got a little while to go before I introduce him to computing in any serious way, if the MacBook Neo continues to evolve, it could be a generational device — in more ways than one.

I’d feel more comfortable sending him to school when he’s older with a more traditional laptop capable of running a lot of the touch-first apps he knows from prodding my iPad every now and again, but knowing he’d have the tried-and-true keyboard and trackpad combo to hand when he needs it.

What do you think? Is the MacBook Neo the missing link for iPad owners looking for something more traditional for their computing needs, or will the seemingly inevitable touchscreen MacBook render all of this moot anyway?

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