I’m looking to buy a new Apple device, I hesitate between the new Mac Book Neo, is it really enough powerfull in terms of features (only 8 Go) and CPU, or should I go to a Mac Book Pro or Even a Mac Studio. What could be your advices ?
Get a MacBook Air.
Budgetwise: I would consider en MacBook Air or a Mac mini. With a bigger budget I would go for a MacBook Pro….
I would agree with Mattheus.
I purchased a Mac Mini last year to replace my 2019 iMac. Have been a Mac user for 30+ years and this Mini continues to amaze me! So quiet! So powerful, M4.
Rich the Weather Guy
I purchased a MacBook Air last month to replace my 2019 MacBook Pro. The Blocsapp work more smoothly than on my 2019 MacBook Pro.
What will you do on it? Neo will be good for most things, but depending on what you do I might look at something more powerful.
Also, take a look at previous generation MacBook Airs with M chips. I don’t know what country you are in, but I have seen MacBook Air with M4 chip with 16GB of RAM for a price similar to the MacBook Neo in the US. A much better deal.
Thank you all for your feedback. I see that some of you are recommending a Mac Mini or a MacBook Air, but I prefer working on a large screen for greater comfort. As I already own an iPad Pro, I was looking to buy a Mac Studio M5 when it comes out. I think a MacBook Air might also suit my needs, but the downside for me is the RAM – a maximum of 32 GB – and I think it would also overlap with my iPad… In short, I’d like to keep this new Mac for several years. Don’t…
In short, I’d like to keep this new Mac for several years. Won’t it be a bit underpowered in a few years’ time? Especially with AI? I’d mainly use it for a bit of photo editing in Pixelmator Pro, some AI tasks, video conversion, and possibly a bit of video editing. What specs do you have, and what do you think of your computer?
Sounds like Mac Mini M5 is the right choice.
I use a MacBook Air for travel and working on the go. It’s the best Apple laptop I have ever owned (I’ve had two Intel MacBook Pros). I have the 15", M2 model. Very capable, for software / web development, running Blocs, Photoshop etc.
Its battery is amazing, it lasts a long time on a single charge and its super light.
I’ve never tried to edit video or work with After Effects in it, but I would imagine it may slow down a little for that.
P.S. I love the Neo, but it’s an entry level computer, so you will likely hit the limits faster.
P.P.S @Helen uses the new Mac Mini and it’s
for the price.
With Apple Studio Display XDR? I wonder if you guys tried it yet.
Not yet, but I’m very tempted!
It is plenty fast enough testers have had the whole suite of heavy apps running with no speed hit only until you get to some really massive intensive files is there any noticeable hit to the speed. Web creation will be fine the blocs on a iPad has no problem on the same or older chip.
Cheers
Bit of a tangent and don’t want to spin it off, but the thing I like about Macs is, it is like going back to the days of Spectrum/Commordore 64, Atart ST/Amiga. Those models updated with some iterartion roughly every five years, Spectrum 48K as a kid, Atari ST late teens for MIDI music. Then the Atari came in different flavour STE, STFM. The key thing is, you knew software worked on them, some degrees slightly better depending on model. You didn’t have to change model as such but there was an advantage if you did for some things so it was more choice than neccesity. Then in the 90s for MIDI music it went horrible with the PCs you needed a 486 processor for this and iIntel for that, a certain type of soundcard for this and that, a graphics card for that, a minimum RAM for this, Windows 95 for that, Windows 98 for this, it was like a regular occuring upgrade of something that always overlapped, to me PCs don’t seem to have changed that bit of the equation.The PC is better etc if you have this, this, this and that installed, but the whole concept is a pain in the backside. It’s like the old record or CD debate when people compared a £3000 Arcam HiFi setup for vinyl to a £100 CD setup, I look at the Neo and think, great idea for out and and about, a Time Machine copy and Cloud sync. If it gets nicked or broken it’s a gutter but not the end of the world at half the cost of my main Mac. Just like the Spectrum/Commodore 64, Amiga/Atari I upgrade my macs roughly the same, about every 4 years or when battery has had it. I would look at the Neo for a travel Mac, I would go even further and say I wish they had an 11” version.
Me too! I’ve been working with Macs since around 1990, and my last two computers were Minis. No problem with Photoshop, InDesign, etc. Although I prefer using Affinity these days. Go for the Mini!
Mac user for many years. Mac Mini my choice. Get the monitor you want and peripherals you want. Change the Mini as power demands dictate. Power, power, power.
If it’s not important to have a laptop, then a Mac mini is an excellent value for money, I just replaced my M2 Mini with an M4.