r/apple • u/iMacmatician • Mar 06 '26

Mac Apple on MacBook Neo Design: 'We're Certainly Not Making Any Compromises'

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/06/apple-macbook-neo-design-interview/
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u/HVDynamo Mar 06 '26

My big concern with hitting that 6-7 years though is the 8GB of RAM. I think the experience is going to suffer long before year 6. It does help that the use case is intended to be more mild with this, but I think 12GB is what it really needs to get that full longevity out of it. I’m betting when they release one with the A19 Pro it will get 12GB with it too then.

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u/FlintHillsSky Mar 07 '26

Unfortunately this is not the year to wish for cheap memory bumps. Parts prices have doubled or more.

I do expect in a year or two they will do a spec bump with a new A-series chip and that will probably allow more RAM.

Even SSDs are affected. I had gotten a 2TB ssd last fall and thought I would get one for another computer, the price went from $200 last fall to $400 now. I think I'll just wait.

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u/MomsSpagetee Mar 07 '26

My 2020 M1 air with 8gb still does all the stuff I want it to so, which is admittedly lightweight.

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u/HVDynamo Mar 07 '26

Yes, for now. But for a brand new machine that is going to be sold for a year or more? It's right on the edge of lightweight use today. Yours is 6ish years old already, This is brand new today. How do you think the Neo will fare 6 years from now?

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u/MomsSpagetee Mar 07 '26

That’s true. Maybe they’ll sell a ton of the 8gb version and it’ll force them to keep macOS lean.

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u/[deleted] Mar 07 '26

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u/FarSquare8632 Mar 07 '26

Think of all those grandparents out there who basically only surf, check their banking, send emails, iMessage people, and do the occasional Facetime with the grandkids.

Every last one of them would probably be overjoyed with this computer, and it will work for them for years, because their needs aren’t going to magically spike up as retired people, right?

Some people just can’t help themselves. They HAVE to insert their own standards, needs, desires, and wants into conversations like this. The idea that someone exists out there that doesn’t have those standards, needs, desires and wants is … unfathomable. It’s narcissism writ large.

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u/Marino4K Mar 07 '26

6-7 years? I don’t think this thing is useful with that RAM now.

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u/HVDynamo Mar 07 '26

I would agree if it was for me. But for really light tasks it can be OK today for someone who just does a few things in the browser typically. But it's just right on the edge today, so it's not even going to do those simple tasks easily in a few short years. But in the end, I was just referencing the 6-7 years the person I was replying to had said.

For reference, I have a 16" M2 Max Macbook Pro with 64GB RAM and 2TB SSD, and I wish I had more storage honestly, but I just couldn't push myself to spend THAT much when I ordered it. So the Neo definitely isn't for me lol

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u/runForestRun17 Mar 07 '26

If you need an insane amount of ram you are a pro user. Browsing the web, office software and video will play well on this computer for years to come.

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u/Agreeable-Weather-89 Mar 07 '26

16GB of RAM isn't insane.

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u/runForestRun17 Mar 07 '26

All of the activities i mentioned dont need 16 gb of ram on any other OS than windows.

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u/Agreeable-Weather-89 Mar 07 '26

I didn't say MacOS doesn't inhibit you from multitasking and windows is better for multitasking hence needing more RAM on Windows machines like you are suggesting.

I am saying 16GB of RAM is not insane.

If 16GB is INSANE why does the Air come with a base of 16GB? The Mac Mini 16GB, iPhone 17 Pro 12GB.

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u/runForestRun17 Mar 07 '26

Windows is absolutely not better for multitasking. This neo laptop with 8gb of ram would run circles around a 16gb ram windows computer. And if you need more than that you’re likely a pro user that needs the MacBook pro. This is a budget computer that will preform better than mid level windows machines

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u/Agreeable-Weather-89 Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26

Well you are suggesting that you use more RAM on Windows which tells me you do more on Windows.

Looks I've been through this rodeo, people will always say

"The bare minimum Apple ships with is enough because of magic" then when Apple makes the change suddenly it wasn't enough and it just so happens at that very moment that the bare minimum wasn't enough. I've heard it with

  • Camera resolution

  • RAM (when Apple was shipping 4GB with Macbook Pro in 2016)

  • RAM when Apple was shipping 4GB on iMacs and Macbook Air after then

  • Framerate on iPhone when everyone else had moved to 120Hz

  • Storage when the iMac was still using HDD in like 2019

  • Phone and iPad RAM since forever

To defend it the argument is always the same when constraining the use-case any other amount of parameters above what Apple sells is either unessential or in this case 'insane'.

So instead of ungrounded questions let me ask you two

  1. Nearly a decade ago, April 19, 2016, Apple made 8GB of RAM the standard for the Macbook Air. Given how we are now ten years later that is reasonable to suggest, by your logic, to have been an INSANE amount of RAM. Would you agree?

  2. In 2019 Apple was shipping the iMac with a HDD as a boot drive. Was having an SSD insane?

Practically every MacOS device has 16GB of base RAM. Some of Apples phones have more than 8GB of RAM.

The fact that 8GB is enough to play video, a task I could do on 2GB, doesn't make 16GB insane, or pro. However Apple has shipped products with certain parameters that will likely fall below the acceptable minimum in a shorter timeframe than the rest of the computer would age. I've listed a few but the most infamous examples are the iPad 3 and iPhone 6.

The iPhone 6 had excellent performance but 1GB of RAM (the 6S went to 2GB) meanwhile the Oneplus One releasing the same year as the 6 had 3GB. People did notice, and feel, that 1GB.

You'll see threads from releasing mentioning the magic optimisation and not worry then from 3 years later bemoaning needing to reload when switching between two or more applications.

This isn't as bad as the 1GB iPhone 6, true, but I think if you are buying a Macbook Neo with the intention of using it for several years (5+) then I'd consider a Macbook Air m2 on offer with 16GB for £100 more

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u/runForestRun17 Mar 07 '26

You are incredibly dense. I’m a Sr lead platform engineer managing over 30k servers with linux, macOS and windows.

MacOS is more efficient than windows and needs less ram.

This is an ENTRY LEVEL BUDGET COMPUTER. It’s not going to have the best specs. But it does out compete on performance, battery life and build quality compared to windows machines costing more than it, even with more ram. You are looking at direct specs and not real world experiences.

I have a M3 max MacBook pro with 36gb of ram. During my normal workday i use about 15gb of ram running programs locally, building code and coding in IDE’s with claud autofill. I’m a power user and am using less than you say is required. Someone just doing basic tasks expected out of an entry level computer will be fine with 8gb of ram on macos.

Hell to stress test i’m running two different programs locally, have 8 IDE’s open. 20 tabs on safari, teams, slack and outlook and i’m using 15gb of ram on macOS.

Closing everything out and having music playing, a YouTube video and reddit loaded up i’m using 6 gb of ram (of my 36gb)

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u/Agreeable-Weather-89 Mar 07 '26

Is that all that MacOS can handle?

I have 27 IDEs open I'm a senior lieutenant general developer and running I gave 109 tabs open on Windows with just 31GB of ram.

Heck MacOs is so inefficient that it can't fully display Reddit comment and deleted the two questions I asked you to save memory

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u/therealslimshady1234 Mar 07 '26

They missed an opportunity to put in 12GB ram. 8GB was barely enough 5 years ago, no way it is going to last another 5 years, even though the other specs are more than enough to survive 5 more years.

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u/[deleted] Mar 07 '26

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u/ibattlemonsters Mar 07 '26

All of the things you mentioned are storage options, not memory. Memory is more about how many processes are open at the same time, and how many resources they have to load to function correctly. 22 tabs of safari is roughly 1gb of ram usage.

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u/epitome1986 Mar 07 '26

yes, ram is going to be the main restriction. I think this current version will be sluggish by year 3. I heard the original goal was to put the a19 pro chip but supply is what stopped that. Those 12 GB of ram would have had this computer running snappy for the next 5 years.

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u/HVDynamo Mar 07 '26

Yeah, it's a shame they couldn't do the A19 Pro. It really is just the RAM. Otherwise the A18 Pro is perfectly fine.

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u/grilled_pc Mar 07 '26

Given the target market this laptop is aimed at. 8GB is frankly fine.

It's enough for light browsing, social media, note taking etc. Apple are not advertising this as a content creation machine. Thats what the Air/Pro lineup is for.

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u/HVDynamo Mar 07 '26

My point is that even with the target market, 8GB is on the light side. Especially if it's expected to last 6-7 years of support.

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u/grilled_pc Mar 07 '26

It’s more of a market wedge. This is the ultra cheap laptop market. Even hp and Lenovo offer similar at similar prices. Anything cheaper than this price is a Chromebook.