MacBook Neo is the Chosen One

The trackpad is a mechanical mechanism, which is not a diving board mechanism. It looks like it's the iPad's trackpad on the keyboard mechanism, which is cool because at least it allows you to press anywhere across the entire trackpad!
 
This seems to be the differences between Air and Neo so far:

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Cmaier said:
Ok, this is dumb:

One port is a USB-C 3 port with support for data transfer speeds up to 10 Gb/s, while the other is a USB-C 2 port with support for data transfer speeds up to 480 Mb/s. Both support charging, but only the USB-C 3 port features DisplayPort, so users will need to make sure they are hooked up to the correct port when using an external display.
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Ideal solution, which I haven't seen any evidence will be the case, but would be awesome, is if it can detect that you've plugged a device into the port that can utilise faster speeds, and macOS itself recommending using the other port. Then we don't need labelling on the hardware that you have to look for and it can be an elegant software solution. Can also use the same thing for the Mac Studio where some ports are TB5 and others plain USB4 - Not sure how feasible that is either, but it would be a very elegant solution I think.
RockRock8 said:
Lmfao okay. I guess I have a little more faith that people can read user guides or look up how to connect displays, etc. You also can't connect a 5K display, but customers don't want to hear about problems etc etc etc. If they don't include a 2nd port? People don't want to hear about problems etc etc etc

I don't think lack of MagSafe and the split between USB is a coincidence. It seems tied to the chip, which isn't going to be altered for a low cost MacBook. I'm not a hardware engineer, so you can discuss that yourself
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I think it could in theory also be possible to bifurcate the signal in such a way that both ports are capable of USB3 full speed, but only one at a time. So the total bandwidth just gets routed to whichever one needs it or is first plugged in, but that's also added complexity and cost for a budget product.

I don't think this decision overall is that harmful to the product honestly, but I will also say, you'd be surprised if you expect the average user to read and understand the difference between the ports. And frankly, enthusiast users too. If I bought a product like this and didn't frequent forums like this I would not know for a while, and just throw away the user manual. I'd find out eventually through use and Googling but I also notice data speeds. Not sure everyone does.

I do think the two port design is preferable even if confusing and likely to lead to some user complaints or even false returns thinking one port is faulty, but this is a more flexible solution, allowing for both, for example, a USB mouse and USB SSD attached at once, and a mouse can easily run on USB2 speeds just fine.
 
casperes1996 said:
I think it could in theory also be possible to bifurcate the signal in such a way that both ports are capable of USB3 full speed, but only one at a time. So the total bandwidth just gets routed to whichever one needs it or is first plugged in, but that's also added complexity and cost for a budget product.
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I think it can be done, technically. But weirdly enough, I think it violates the USB standards docs.
 
I was considering this to replace my 2017 MacBook (which has decided that it no longer feels obligated to connect to the house wifi) but I think I'll go with a discounted M4 Air through the refurb store or Best Buy. In Canadabucks, it's a $200 difference between the lowest MacBook Neo and the refurbished M4 Air. The Air doubles the ram to 16GB and offers a much better bang for your buck.

EDU pricing makes it a $350 difference it seems. I'd still go with an older Air...
 
Oh my goodness.

Apple designed the MacBook Neo from the ground up, and it comes in some fun colors like Silver, Indigo, Blush, and Citrus. Each of the notebooks has a color matched keyboard and trackpad, but the keyboard has no backlighting and the trackpad isn't the higher-end Force Touch trackpad Apple uses in its other Macs. It's a physical trackpad with an actual click rather than haptic feedback for presses, and it doesn't support multitouch gestures.
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Notice that last part. No multitouch gestures. That is the one compromise I wish they hadn't made so far. That to me takes some of the joy out of macOS.
And wait, what? How do you even scroll then? Is it edge scrolling like in the dark ages?
 
casperes1996 said:
Oh my goodness.



Notice that last part. No multitouch gestures. That is the one compromise I wish they hadn't made so far. That to me takes some of the joy out of macOS.
And wait, what? How do you even scroll then? Is it edge scrolling like in the dark ages?
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Addendum. Source is MacRumors

www.macrumors.com

Hands-On With the New MacBook Neo

Apple introduced an all-new affordable Mac today, the MacBook Neo. Members of the media were invited to try the new device and other Apple products at events in New York, Shanghai, and London, and MacRumors' videographer Dan Barbera was in attendance. Dan was able to see the MacBook Neo in...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com
 
“Neither port is marked in any way, though macOS will apparently alert users if they try to plug something into the USB 2.0 port that won’t work with it.”
 
casperes1996 said:
Addendum. Source is MacRumors

www.macrumors.com

Hands-On With the New MacBook Neo

Apple introduced an all-new affordable Mac today, the MacBook Neo. Members of the media were invited to try the new device and other Apple products at events in New York, Shanghai, and London, and MacRumors' videographer Dan Barbera was in attendance. Dan was able to see the MacBook Neo in...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com
Click to expand...
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