John Gruber reviews the MacBook Neo, a $600 Mac laptop powered by the A18 Pro chip (the same SoC as the iPhone 16 Pro). After a week of daily use, he finds it surprisingly capable despite 8 GB RAM, praising its display, speakers, battery life, and keyboard. He notes trade-offs like a mechanical trackpad, no ambient light sensor for auto-brightness, a slow second USB-C port, and a 20W charger, but concludes these are minor for the price. He argues Apple's A-series chips have long been capable of powering Macs, and the Neo proves it definitively. Gruber positions the Neo as a compelling alternative to an iPad + Magic Keyboard setup, and declares he may be done with iPads entirely. He sees the Neo as both a great first Mac for PC switchers and an excellent secondary Mac for power users.
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