Any interest in the Macbook Neo?

Fruitbat1919 · March 10

@oldsynthguy said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:

@oldsynthguy said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:
The only issue for myself is that I have a sneaky feeling that Apple will use this cheaper placement to push the prices up of the Air and Pro models, which will effect me long term, as I am all in on the Macbook as a music making tool now for my fixed setups.

The M5 Pro is £200 more than when I bought my M4 Pro, but it comes with a standard 1tb drive, so that's the same price as if I'd upgraded my 512gb version.

I wouldn't be surprised if prices do go up though, with the oil and supply chain disruption stuff going on at the moment.

I'm up to my knees in the Mac/Ableton ecosystem, but I reckon this one will keep going longer than I will.

I considered the Pro mostly for its extra i/o, but the cheap deal I got on my initial Air was too good to pass and now I have 2 Airs. I did originally buy the second for 'on the sofa', but now im building a second fixed laptop setup with a 'coming this year' Ableton Push controller which also lets me update Ableton Live from Standard to Suite cheaper than normal.

That leaves my iPad for the sofa when I get a device to combine it with....possibly an MPC or similar.

The biggest pain in the butt, apart from saving the money for the devices, has been connecting it all together! I'm aiming at using my studio monitors for all devices in the room, which has needed quite a bit of expense on cabling and switcher blocks, so I never need to plug anything in or out.

The laptop/Push combination will probably work better for you when you get one.

I have my Push setup on a desk, where it's connected to a pair of speakers. It also works as an audio interface, and saved me a bit of cash not having to buy one.

I mostly use the laptop slouched in a chair, but if I want to be a bit more adventurous, all I have to do is plonk it on the desk, plugin the Push's USB cable, and I'm off - big speakers, MPE, proper knobs, and an input for my guitar. There's a monitor too, if I feel like a bit more screen space.

I'm getting slightly tempted by the Move now as well...as that's had some nice updates recently...

Does the Move have USB C audio and midi? In other words, could I connect my iPad via a USB C cable and play it with the move as a portable audio interface?

oldsynthguy · March 10

@Fruitbat1919 said:

@oldsynthguy said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:

@oldsynthguy said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:
The only issue for myself is that I have a sneaky feeling that Apple will use this cheaper placement to push the prices up of the Air and Pro models, which will effect me long term, as I am all in on the Macbook as a music making tool now for my fixed setups.

The M5 Pro is £200 more than when I bought my M4 Pro, but it comes with a standard 1tb drive, so that's the same price as if I'd upgraded my 512gb version.

I wouldn't be surprised if prices do go up though, with the oil and supply chain disruption stuff going on at the moment.

I'm up to my knees in the Mac/Ableton ecosystem, but I reckon this one will keep going longer than I will.

I considered the Pro mostly for its extra i/o, but the cheap deal I got on my initial Air was too good to pass and now I have 2 Airs. I did originally buy the second for 'on the sofa', but now im building a second fixed laptop setup with a 'coming this year' Ableton Push controller which also lets me update Ableton Live from Standard to Suite cheaper than normal.

That leaves my iPad for the sofa when I get a device to combine it with....possibly an MPC or similar.

The biggest pain in the butt, apart from saving the money for the devices, has been connecting it all together! I'm aiming at using my studio monitors for all devices in the room, which has needed quite a bit of expense on cabling and switcher blocks, so I never need to plug anything in or out.

The laptop/Push combination will probably work better for you when you get one.

I have my Push setup on a desk, where it's connected to a pair of speakers. It also works as an audio interface, and saved me a bit of cash not having to buy one.

I mostly use the laptop slouched in a chair, but if I want to be a bit more adventurous, all I have to do is plonk it on the desk, plugin the Push's USB cable, and I'm off - big speakers, MPE, proper knobs, and an input for my guitar. There's a monitor too, if I feel like a bit more screen space.

I'm getting slightly tempted by the Move now as well...as that's had some nice updates recently...

Does the Move have USB C audio and midi? In other words, could I connect my iPad via a USB C cable and play it with the move as a portable audio interface?

Yes, I think so.

Fruitbat1919 · March 10

@oldsynthguy said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:

@oldsynthguy said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:

@oldsynthguy said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:
The only issue for myself is that I have a sneaky feeling that Apple will use this cheaper placement to push the prices up of the Air and Pro models, which will effect me long term, as I am all in on the Macbook as a music making tool now for my fixed setups.

The M5 Pro is £200 more than when I bought my M4 Pro, but it comes with a standard 1tb drive, so that's the same price as if I'd upgraded my 512gb version.

I wouldn't be surprised if prices do go up though, with the oil and supply chain disruption stuff going on at the moment.

I'm up to my knees in the Mac/Ableton ecosystem, but I reckon this one will keep going longer than I will.

I considered the Pro mostly for its extra i/o, but the cheap deal I got on my initial Air was too good to pass and now I have 2 Airs. I did originally buy the second for 'on the sofa', but now im building a second fixed laptop setup with a 'coming this year' Ableton Push controller which also lets me update Ableton Live from Standard to Suite cheaper than normal.

That leaves my iPad for the sofa when I get a device to combine it with....possibly an MPC or similar.

The biggest pain in the butt, apart from saving the money for the devices, has been connecting it all together! I'm aiming at using my studio monitors for all devices in the room, which has needed quite a bit of expense on cabling and switcher blocks, so I never need to plug anything in or out.

The laptop/Push combination will probably work better for you when you get one.

I have my Push setup on a desk, where it's connected to a pair of speakers. It also works as an audio interface, and saved me a bit of cash not having to buy one.

I mostly use the laptop slouched in a chair, but if I want to be a bit more adventurous, all I have to do is plonk it on the desk, plugin the Push's USB cable, and I'm off - big speakers, MPE, proper knobs, and an input for my guitar. There's a monitor too, if I feel like a bit more screen space.

I'm getting slightly tempted by the Move now as well...as that's had some nice updates recently...

Does the Move have USB C audio and midi? In other words, could I connect my iPad via a USB C cable and play it with the move as a portable audio interface?

Yes, I think so.

I will have to look at it harder then, as It could be a good duo to take out and about, if the battery lasts ok

maxxpower18 · March 10

If it can run Cyberpunk it can run Logic amirite?

bigcatrik · March 10

It will be a boon for the nascent bedroom producers who just happen to have a Neo and make their first beats on Garage Band.

The benchmarks "leaked" and single core performance is almost to M4 levels, and multi-core performance is about equal to M1. Neither of those are a complete no-go for music software. I've been running desktop FL Studio on an 8GB M1. Heck, I was making music on a 486 DX2/66 30 years ago.

Creative limitation can have interesting outcomes (and is not a bad place for a newbie to start).

bigcatrik · March 10

The embargo lifted and videos and reviews are flooding in.

Here's a screengrab from a video running Logic Pro on a Neo (he only does it briefly but it plays without a hitch):

Multiple videos show video editing in Final Cut Pro, this one shows DaVinci Resolve:

And major sites are posting reviews:

https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/macbook-neo-review-apple-puts-every-600-windows-pc-to-shame-130000878.html

https://www.theverge.com/tech/891741/apple-macbook-neo-a18-pro-review

https://www.wired.com/review/apple-macbook-neo/

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/apple-macbook-neo-review-can-a-mac-get-by-with-an-iphones-processor-inside/

https://www.tomshardware.com/laptops/macbooks/apple-macbook-neo-a18-pro-review

u0421793 · March 10

I posted this on the fediverse about the Neo
https://toot.pikopublish.ing/notes/ajoqr6v9mlc1j3vt

FizzyLizzy27 · March 11

@u0421793 said:
I posted this on the fediverse about the Neo
https://toot.pikopublish.ing/notes/ajoqr6v9mlc1j3vt

Interesting take. I would predict a split between iPads like we see here. The Pro models would be M series and make standard iPads giant iPhones with pencil support. Or just give iPhone pencil support.

wim · March 11

I thought it was an interesting take too.

Until I thought about all the Magic Keyboards, Apple Pencil Pros, and AirPod Pros they can upsell with iPads. Then there's the ridiculous prices they can ding iPaddies (iPaders? iPadists?) with for RAM and storage. Maybe all that is less lucrative than it appears, but ...

u0421793 · March 11

If Apple could have (either been able to, or wanted to) make the Neo also touchscreen, that’d be the end of the non-pro iPad (and probably the end of all of them to be frank). Somewhere in the shifting sands of the secret upper of Apple’s management they’re probably plotting the demise of the iPad, all the overpriced accessories (different every model) and dongles still probably fail to put customers off, so this is the new front of attack to render the iPad futile “so we can finally stop making them”. That the Neo came out without a touch screen is either because it is true that macOS can’t ever run touch in acceptable ways (maybe true today, but…) or because it wasn’t ready in time. Maybe the next model of Neo in a few years may be a properly tuned touch Neo, with a hypothetical future OS that is as much iPadOS as it is macOS and really, that will be the final coffin in the nail of the iPad. I really think today’s Apple don’t want to be bothered with making and selling iPads now.

cabo · March 11

Can you run iOS / iPad apps on this thing? I mean, since it uses the same chip, is this possible?

I'm considering this as an alternative to (maybe) buying a new iPad in a few months. Portability, keyboard and price make it an appealing mobile device.

bigcatrik · March 11

@cabo said:
Can you run iOS / iPad apps on this thing? I mean, since it uses the same chip, is this possible?

Apple Silicon Macs have been able to run iOS/iPadOS apps for years. Not all of the apps run automatically (it has to be okayed by the developer), but the online app store will tell you which will and won't in the details.

Also, on a Mac in the Mac App Store app you can click on your account name in the bottom left corner and switch between seeing Mac native apps and iOS/ipadOS apps, with the familiar "cloud with down arrow" icon if it's available to download on that Mac.

cabo · March 11

Good to know, thx bigcatrik. Could you see (as an example) if the iZotope Spire app would work? I've got the mobile Spire recorder. Would be nice if I could still use that then.

Apart from having iPads (and also considering buying a Mac Mini M5), I don't know much about the Apple ecosystem. Still working on Windows for music production (and everything else).

FizzyLizzy27 · March 11

@wim said:
I thought it was an interesting take too.

Until I thought about all the Magic Keyboards, Apple Pencil Pros, and AirPod Pros they can upsell with iPads. Then there's the ridiculous prices they can ding iPaddies (iPaders? iPadists?) with for RAM and storage. Maybe all that is less lucrative than it appears, but ...

I think the Apple Pencil line is a mess. I’ve got the 1st gen Pencil with an iPad mini 5 and the 2nd with an M2 Pro. The Pencil Pro added what, squeeze and roll? That’s cool, but I’d need a new iPad to use it and the M2 is still running perfect for me. I’d definitely buy the Pencil Pro if it worked with my iPad, but I won’t buy a new iPad just to get the Pencil Pro.

jamma · March 11

Looks great for the price, I definitely plan on picking one up but probably not this year. My iPad is central to my music production, but there are times where it'd be really nice to have more than one audio interface hooked up at the same time. Not to mention I still have some editors for my guitar pedals that only work on Win/Mac over a USB cable. At the Neo's price point I can justify putting one alongside my iPad Pro.

oldsynthguy · March 11

Be interesting to see how it copes with Ableton. Might then provide an option for live gig use (with a bit of plugin/track optimisation), without the worry of a pricey MacBook Pro getting damanged or nicked.

Telstar5 · March 11

Ok, that’s impressive but I still say wait until the next a19 16 gig iteration.

bigcatrik · March 11

@cabo said:
Good to know, thx bigcatrik. Could you see (as an example) if the iZotope Spire app would work? I've got the mobile Spire recorder. Would be nice if I could still use that then.

If you click the compatibility drop-down it doesn't have Mac listed, but that app is old and there is nothing on Izotope's product page about Spire. Old pages about Spire can be found by Googling, some from before the M1 chip was released and Mac/iOS compatibility was announced, so you'd have to contact Izotope about that.

https://www.izotope.com/en/products.html/

FordTimeLord · March 11

@Telstar5 said:
Ok, that’s impressive but I still say wait until the next a19 16 gig iteration.

I thought the A19 maxed out at 12GB?

cabo · March 11

@bigcatrik said:

@cabo said:
Good to know, thx bigcatrik. Could you see (as an example) if the iZotope Spire app would work? I've got the mobile Spire recorder. Would be nice if I could still use that then.

If you click the compatibility drop-down it doesn't have Mac listed, but that app is old and there is nothing on Izotope's product page about Spire. Old pages about Spire can be found by Googling, some from before the M1 chip was released and Mac/iOS compatibility was announced, so you'd have to contact Izotope about that.

Thx again. Yeah, the recorder and the app were discontinued a while back. I guess sales haven't been as good as expected. They're both quite good though. As long as they keep working with my old iPad, I won't complain.

.. it's just when being on holiday, I wouldn't want to take too many devices with me (old backpacker, no car).

This was the introduction of the Spire on the iZotope page ..

https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/introducing-spire-studio-portable-professional-quality-recording-made-simple.html

eight and a half years ago .. oh my .. got mine two years later (2019)

cyberheater · March 12

I just watched the Marques Brownlee video. Basically this thing is around the power of the original M1 Mac Air which I’ve got. More than enough. Very impressive.

bigcatrik · March 12

I've seen two videos where they run Logic Pro. One downloaded a Beck project with 130 tracks and it ran fine. Another loaded 50 MIDI tracks and it ran fine.*

So, I stick with my response above... "It will be a boon for the nascent bedroom producers who just happen to have a Neo and make their first beats on Garage Band."

But if they then open the FL Studio desktop, Ableton, Reaper, or Logic Pro demo (still one month?) it will probably run well enough to get them hooked. And then they can get on the upgrade train after they max it out (or learn to work around the limitations until they can upgrade, remember bouncing tracks on a cassette 4-track???)...

*EDIT: IIRC the Beck project was not playing all 130 tracks at once, but the 50 MIDI tracks were all playing at once.

bigcatrik · March 14

Here's a video specifically about Logic Pro running on the Neo (and the top-of-the-line M5 Pro). The Neo runs 150 simultaneous tracks at once (audio or stock MIDI plugins), or 32 tracks of the 3GB sample library Cloud Supply in Kontakt at once, or 50 tracks of Serum 2 at once.

All of the other functions he has it perform are, naturally, slower than the M5 Pro, but at no point does it fail. It's simply slower than the other MacBook that costs 9 times more.

wim · March 14

I’d go for a 17” version in a minute. Shouldn’t have to be too much more expensive, but … Apple …

a.rabbit · March 14

Love the idea. I’ll probably pick up one when my current MacBook craps out, which I hope won’t be until the 2nd or 3rd gen Neo.

bigcatrik · March 16

Professional DJ weighs in. He wanted to make a detailed video about what works and what doesn't, but found that just about everything works as expected so...

u0421793 · March 16

I’ve been using Macs since the very first one, in fact I still have a 128K original Macintosh plus the external floppy drive, rotting away up in the attic somewhere.

I’ve created magazines with the early ones, then with the Macintosh II series things got even better doing design and art for a living with them, I’ve created music with my IIsi in the 90s. In the 2000s I wrote books and made music and did art with my iBook (G3 and G4), then the white core duo MacBook.

In all cases, suddenly having a Neo would have been felt as a noticeably fundamentally higher plateau by comparison.

u0421793 · March 18

Also, if anyone actually gets a Neo, please post here and inform us all, thanks

bigcatrik · March 19

I was at Best Buy a couple days ago and checked out the MacBook section, where they had a citrus Neo out. It looked and felt exactly like a MacBook. If I didn't already have a MacBook (the legendary M1) and various iPads I would have snapped one up in a hot-Hollywood-second.

bigcatrik · March 24

They all do 40+ tracks before breaking a sweat. Except Pro Tools, which runs but chokes quickly.

"Testing every DAW on the MacBook Neo for Music Production!"

Loopy Pro: Create music, your way.

Any interest in the Macbook Neo?

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