The Neo is nice, Who is it targeting?
Katie
Could be Chromebook users?
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My wife 
. Probably replacing her beloved 12“ rose gold MacBook as a secondary on the go writing machine. She doesn’t want/need power for that device - a display, proper keyboard and pink color and she is basically happy .
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I’m waiting to see the reviews, but if it’s targeting Chromebook users (e.g students), the major thing holding this back is the ram. Every other shortcoming seems acceptable in my mind. But for longevity purposes, 8 GB seems low, given how much RAM modern websites and browsers consume.
- Storage - most Chromebook users live in the browser, so local storage isn’t a major concern
- USB C - students aren’t likely hooking this thing up to a bunch of peripherals. The difference in calibre is between the ports sucks, and a label on the device to tell which one is which also would mitigate this, but alas no.
- RAM - see above.
- Touch ID on more expensive model - acceptable compromise. You don’t lock and unlock a laptop as frequently as you do a phone. Not great, but fine.
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You don’t need more than 8GB of RAM for basic student tasks.
We’re not going to be using Davinci Resolve or rendering 3D images or AI MCPs on this thing.
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High school students, and undergrads in the first two years, longer if they are Humanities majors.
To be perfectly honest, it’s all I need. I create and manage text, with some very light image editing.
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It’s targeting the people who had been buying the M1 MacBook Air at Wallmart. And it is better than that one.
It’s fine for “casual” users who really don’t need to run any software beyond what Apple already supplies like Safari, Mail, Photos, Pages…
Frankly, it would be a fine second computer for me, for when I can’t be at my desk. I’ve got an M3 MacBook Air for that now, which easily outperforms my previous Intel MacBook Pro, and hardly gets taxed at all.
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I agree. I run Google Workspace in Safari on my M2 iPad Air, which the specs says has 8GB. And several years ago, I tested a 4GB Chromebox and found it could replace an iMac for the majority of our employees. Most of them just needed a browser and a terminal emulation program.
What I consider typical office workers have never needed a powerful processor or a lot of ram. I would think that would still be true considering how many business solutions now run in the cloud.
I think there’s a useful distinction to keep in mind between “run in the cloud” and “run in the browser,” especially in the modern environment. Looking in Brave, a fresh Gmail tab is 500 MB. YouTube is similar. And I’ve seen tabs left open that balloon to much more than that. Sure, there’s way more going on behind the scenes on the server side - but the browser component isn’t trivial.
Basically, 8 GB is fine for somebody who has reasonable tab hygiene and knows how to close apps. 
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8GB was the spec which surprised me alongside the lack of TouchID. I’d have expected them to add 12 or 16GB memory and TouchID for $650 or $700, but I suppose they need to differentiate with the Air.
Apple used to produce Laptops which were Good, Better, Best. I don’t think that the Neo classes as Good.
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My daughters, 100%. 14 year old will definitely benefit when the Intel iMac i refuse to upgrade for her goes, and my undergrad will love it when her current Air dies. Doesn’t need any more than that and she definitely has good tab hygiene (love that phrase!)
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I guess that’s me. My current MacBook Air is the first computer I’ve owned with 16 gb ram. All my work computers had 8 or less.
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I agree. Apple wanted to be able to advertise Macs “starting at less than $600” while raising the price of the MacBook Air. The main reason they left TouchID off the $600 Neo, is to make it easier to sell more $700 Neos. IMO.
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It’s a very clever move. They made a new category “low cost premium”, and it connects to your iPhone!
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This is for Children… those in Elementary or Middle School. Chromebook replacement is the target audience with Apple Reliability.
Not for High School or College students who might do “heavy lifting” or Professionals. Most definitely NOT for Power Users!
Is it a 12" MacBook replacement?
I don’t think so.
Is it an iPad with a physical keyboard?
Probably.
I doubt there is anyone on this Forum that will purchase one for day to day use. There are just soooo many limitations with it.
Is it interesting???
Maybe?
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We helped our young adult choose a laptop last year. Their purchase, so their final choice. The 512GB Neo might’ve been picked if it was available. Half the price is appealing, and they don’t know what they like in a computer yet. Before our next child buys a laptop, I’ll have hands-on experience with the Neo to have a better realistic idea of the tradeoffs.
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Mixture between education and budget conscious demographic.
My Middle School Age grandchildren (if they’re very, very good)
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The Neo would have been perfect for my retired customer, but she upgraded her 2013 MacBook Air to an M4 MacBook Air last autumn…
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My 83+ dad, he uses a Macbook Air for just web browsing. And I love that “IT support”, which is me, doesn’t receive much ticket requests.
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