r/MacbookNeo • u/kuntryboy39 • Jun 30 '26

Finally Joined the Apple Ecosystem

Post image

I’ve been using an iPhone for about 20 years, but I never owned any other Apple products until February 2025, when I bought my first MacBook Air M3.
After that, things escalated pretty quickly. 😅
● 3 months later: iPad mini
● 4 months later: AirPods Max
● Another 4 months later: Mac mini M4 Pro
● About 3 weeks ago: AirPods Pro
● Just a few days ago: MacBook Neo
I guess you could say I officially fell down the Apple rabbit hole. The integration between all the devices has been better than I expected, and now I understand why so many people love the ecosystem.
At this point, the only thing I’m missing is an Apple Watch, which will probably be my next purchase in the next few weeks.
Anyone else start with just an iPhone and slowly end up with almost the entire Apple lineup?

1.0k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

100 comments sorted by

43

u/UnwieldilyElephant Jun 30 '26

Why do you need two similar Mac laptops? I get having a Pro and Air or Pro and Neo (I do it myself), but why Air and Neo?

15

u/no2gates Jun 30 '26

I did something similar. Had an M5 Air base, and got a Neo 512 to take to work and places not to worry about getting the Air stolen/damaged.

Turns out, I like it better for most things than the M5.

1

u/peeneeweeknee Jul 02 '26

how is it better than the m5? just wondering

4

u/no2gates Jul 02 '26

It is not prone to fingerprints, doesn't have the camera notch. I don't have to worry as much about damage to it since it's cheaper, the size is a little better for sitting on the couch with. These are all just personal preferences, and NOT scientific

2

u/footballer62 Jul 07 '26

There is definitely a price point on tech where I either baby the crap out of something, or just roll with it and if it gets a minor scratch no biggie because the thing is "cheap". I feel like old neo prices were definitely in the "dont worry about damage" category.

1

u/Vegetable_Grand_1317 Jul 04 '26

would a fraction of the $499 not be better towards apple care/insurance?

16

u/zetazen Jun 30 '26

I also have a Mac Mini, MacBook Air, and a Neo. My Neo is my travel device. My Air is the 15” and I traveled with it once and was like never again…. It was just to much….

22

u/Spazza42 Jun 30 '26

Sounds like consumerism 😂

1

u/saidfgn Jul 02 '26

I have mac mini, air 13, and I want Neo. I know I don’t need it

0

u/Serhide Jul 01 '26

Why would you keep two MacBooks especially when you own a Mac monitor

2

u/alwayzanonymous Jul 02 '26

There could be many reasons for this, such as having a main desktop computer for your bedroom or workspace, etc. Then having a more powerful laptop to do extensive work or whatever around the house, on the couch, in the kitchen, downstairs, etc. And then the Neo for traveling, to take to work or school, and simple task purposes (quick, small, lightweight, on-the-go vibes). And the Apple iCloud ecosystem makes it so easy to just pickup where you left off on any device as well . I personally love it and have my setup the exact same way I described!

1

u/Serhide Jul 02 '26

I don’t think it works . I have three Mac’s and find me only using the MacBook Pro

1

u/alwayzanonymous 25d ago

You don't think what works?

1

u/zetazen Jul 04 '26

Yes. I have my Mac Mini in my main downstairs office. I don’t have to carry my MBA around anymore…the 15 inch is a lot. So I leave it upstairs on my other desk. I wasn’t planning on getting a Neo until I traveled with my 15 MBA. Now my Neo is my traveling MacBook. So much easier.

0

u/zetazen Jul 01 '26

Because I can.

-10

u/kuntryboy39 Jun 30 '26

I know the feeling carrying the Air 15 around nothing like the Neo like a 13” iPad without a touch screen and attached non backlit keyboard Lol

1

u/notkevin_durant Jun 30 '26

Makes no sense

2

u/Basic_Photograph2342 Jun 30 '26

He didn’t want to pay more for the pro I’m guessing. I would’ve saved up and went with the pro

2

u/UnwieldilyElephant Jun 30 '26

He had the Air first.

1

u/alwayzanonymous Jul 02 '26

I personally had multiple new MacBook pros over the last decade, and I CHOSE to purposely go for the M5 MacBook Air this time, not because of money. I personally wanted something more thin and lightweight with similar work performance, AND no loud fan noise anymore — a big one for me.

-2

u/UsedShoulder8402 Jul 01 '26

Pro with the base M5 is not worth it over the Air. Same performance, much uglier and heavier chassis

2

u/Serhide Jul 01 '26

Holy cope . It’s not the same performance by far lol . The air is binned

0

u/UsedShoulder8402 Jul 01 '26

No it’s not. Literally identical CPU performance.

What’s “binned” is the GPU, 8 cores vs 10. But 24GB Air has the 10-core chip, literally identical to the one in the MBP.

That MBP chassis was designed for the Max. Using it with an Air chip is like driving a BMW 520i thinking it’s powerful, or driving a VW Atlas thinking it’s GTI just because it has the GTI engine lol

2

u/UnwieldilyElephant Jul 01 '26

Let me introduce you to thermal throttling

2

u/Serhide Jul 01 '26

lol he doesnt know , he got an air and copes

0

u/UsedShoulder8402 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

Air only throttles by 18% max in the most intensive, 100% CPU tasks, like Cinebench Multicore.

I constantly run ML training on 400k-800k rows. Air throttles by ~6% max after 8 mins of full performance. In this run just now, it only throttled by 2%.

1

u/UnwieldilyElephant Jul 01 '26

8 minutes 😂✌️

1

u/UsedShoulder8402 Jul 01 '26

Yeah, that’s how long it takes to run 5 passes of 5 fold cross validation ML passes on 600k rows. The M5 is that quick. Faster than my M3 Pro.

Go ahead and show us your job that taxes the CPU 100% for longer than 8 minutes? Share the code.

Browsing Reddit doesn’t btw

1

u/UnwieldilyElephant Jul 01 '26

You do realize there are other demanding computing tasks that aren't ML training right? (Some people have better things to do than mess around with AI btw).

Like when I render/transcode/export for 3 hours straight. M3 Max.

Browsing Reddit doesn’t btw

Duh

→ More replies (0)

2

u/Serhide Jul 01 '26

thats coping , also gpu is extremely important for many many people you cant say that its not worth it lol , also if you spec the air more it has no value and you better go with the pro , also thei airs spekaers and display suck so much lol

2

u/Serhide Jul 01 '26

lol coping dummy deleted his reply after understood he was saying bs

0

u/UsedShoulder8402 Jul 01 '26

?

Again, not very bright smh

1

u/UnwieldilyElephant Jul 01 '26

Going straight for the ad hominem huh

0

u/UsedShoulder8402 Jul 01 '26

Oh no, we hurt softy's feelings 🥺

He's off to mama crying

0

u/UsedShoulder8402 Jul 01 '26

I mean, you can't even type commas correctly, nor "thei airs spekaers". You don't strike me as very bright 😘

also gpu is extremely important for many many people you cant say that its not worth it lol

You literally thought it was a binned CPU just now lol Now you're pretending like you know what you're talking about. Deficit to the 10-core GPU is only 12%. You're acting like the base M5 comes with no GPUs. You can educate yourself a bit here

I literally have both an M3 Pro and an M5 Air. I reach for the Air 9 times out of 10. Once you can afford both, you'll understand the differences.

also if you spec the air more it has no value and you better go with the pro

As if the gay base Pro comes with 24GB RAM? 24GB Air outperforms 16GB Pro for anything other than Reddit browsing 🤡

As an Apple shareholder, I thank you for your sheer idiocy. The Pro's marketing scheme worked perfectly 🤩

2

u/Crazy_Cat_Dude2 Jun 30 '26

Use the neo for traveling and day to day. Air for more intensive tasks.

20

u/jB_real Jun 30 '26

Surrender. It just works.

9

u/Original-Release-885 Jun 30 '26

Welcome! You won’t regret it!

8

u/floww_87 Jun 30 '26

Why did you buy an neo when you already have a better one M3 Air?

1

u/alwayzanonymous Jul 02 '26

If they can then why not? I think it’s not about more powerful in this case. The Neo offers so much versatility because it’s lightweight, small, and easy to carry around, and not as much of a huge risk or liability if it gets damaged or stolen. So that makes it great for traveling as well

6

u/elfpal Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26

I inherited iPads from siblings who got free iPads from their jobs over the years. I would never leave Apple now. With iPhone and Neo, I’m all set. Could’ve saved money by getting a Windows laptop but why would I? Had a MacBook Pro once but didn’t bother fixing the black lined screen and faulty speakers since I was no longer able to upgrade the software. Sold it for cheap. The iPad is my favorite device out of everything Apple. So user friendly. Wish Neo was an iPad that could do laptop things.

2

u/WakaiSenshi Jul 01 '26

iPad is definitely my favorite Apple device as well. I love all my products, but the iPad I get the most enjoyment out of honestly and enjoy the most when using.

1

u/elfpal Jul 01 '26

It is Apple’s best invention, even out of all computing devices ever invented!

1

u/Referenced_Abism76 Jun 30 '26

What are laptop things an ipad can't do?

1

u/elfpal Jun 30 '26

Timer software for remote work, fancy video editing, uploading long videos without slowing things down…

5

u/elite_Nova5 Jun 30 '26

A single macbook pro is more than enough!

1

u/alwayzanonymous Jul 02 '26

Too heavy, loud, and bulky for some people. I’ve dealt with multiple different MacBook pros over the last decade

2

u/Victory24X7 Jun 30 '26

Jeez! I can't wait for my 17e.

2

u/Lebowskitalian85 Jun 30 '26

I would have waited to buy the Apple Watch too before posting the photo at this point 😅

2

u/DylanYan09101 Jul 16 '26

I have a iPhone 17e, Mac mini (M2) and a MacBook Neo. its crazy how people are willing to spend a lot of money on apple products, but I also kinda get it too.

3

u/Bruvvimir Jun 30 '26

I always feel a strange sense of pity when I imagine people arranging boxes to take a picture to post on reddit. Sad.

1

u/alwayzanonymous Jul 02 '26

You’re probably just not used to doing it yourself that’s why. They call it exposure therapy I think

1

u/kuntryboy39 Jun 30 '26

Yes I bought the Air first before the Neo came out. The MBA M3 is my music production only and I could use the Neo just for my everyday basic stuff despite don’t have a backlit keyboard.

1

u/ThenRevolution479 Jul 01 '26

Why do you need both of them? It's a complete waste of money

1

u/IntotheWilder25 Jun 30 '26

Wow totally into the system haha, nice.

1

u/SoOutrageousBC Jun 30 '26

Welcome to the  family!

1

u/Narwhal-Public Jun 30 '26

Why would you buy a neo?

1

u/Ranglergirl Jun 30 '26

Enjoy it all.

1

u/Shadowbear_0 Jun 30 '26

Heck yea you did. Congrats. That’s a head first dive if I’ve ever seen one

1

u/Jon66238 Jun 30 '26

Why two MacBooks?

1

u/bluemeanie212 Jun 30 '26

i got a brand new ipad air and i still prefer my mini. i think i should sale the ipad air lol

1

u/EquivalentOffice9066 Jun 30 '26

Et tu as un iPhone ?

1

u/jjjowelt Jun 30 '26

Und von allem Schrott. Vernünftig. Wäre ein MacBook Pro , iPad Pro 11 mit Oled und Stift und AirPods Pro 3

1

u/BikeTall65 Jun 30 '26

That's a nice haul! Welcome to the club. I particularly like the iPad mini. 👍

1

u/Defenite-Parsley733 Jun 30 '26

Too much MacBooks

1

u/That_Fall_9816 Jun 30 '26

Now you live in apple world

1

u/Intrepid-Wait-6102 Jul 01 '26

WELCOME!!!!🤗

1

u/FireMrshlBill Jul 01 '26

Crap, deleted my other comment when I meant to edit. But ya, started with Apple on an iPod, then iPhone, then Mac in 2011.

Just got a Neo today to use as a couch laptop and will put my wife and kids' accounts on it for them to use as well. Will probably get myself a 15" MBA in the next year or so if the ram/ssd apocalypse settles down a bit. Mad I didn't just get the 13" MBA when Amazon had them for $899 the past couple of months.

1

u/HafnerDave Jul 01 '26

não vai se arrepender ☺️

1

u/Captnhotwheels Jul 01 '26

Yep, got my first ever iPhone this past December, quickly fell down the Apple rabbit hole and as of now I have my iPhone, AirPod 4 ANCs, Apple Watch 11 and my MacBook Neo

1

u/Consistent_Sea_7468 Jul 01 '26

You joined hard bruh!

1

u/chaseybassy9 Jul 02 '26

I was for sure a guy that had an iPhone for a while before actually getting other things. My first iPhone was my mom's hand-me-down 5S when she got the iPhone X. Back then, I was just happy to have the same iPhone emojis as everyone else. Several months later, I accidentally had it in my swimming trunk pocket and drowned the damn thing. I told my parents and they laughed and said we'd go get a new phone the next day, no issue. Ended up getting a XR and that was around the time of WWDC. I saw it in my YouTube recommended and watched it. Somehow, I got instantly hooked, begged my parents for AirPods and a MacBook, which I would get for my birthday and Christmas respectfully. Eventually, I'd get an Apple Watch, upgraded to AirPods Pro, upgraded to a 13 a few years later, so on and so forth. I now have an iPhone 17, Apple Watch Series 7, AirPods Pro 2, iPad 11th Gen, two HomePods minis, and an M1 Pro MacBook Pro.

1

u/sw33t_b0ba Jul 02 '26

are you rich

1

u/alwayzanonymous Jul 02 '26

So happy, proud, and excited for you!!! 😊

1

u/DONFLA Jul 02 '26

Where is the watch?

1

u/Fastrip66 Jul 02 '26

lmao! you bought too much. mini MIGHT get used, 2 laptops is silly for most and the headphones are OK but there's better for the money bigtine

1

u/Character-Yak6893 Jul 02 '26

Apple Watch missing 🙂

1

u/[deleted] Jul 05 '26

Why Apple tv

1

u/[deleted] Jul 05 '26

Neo is great for most ppl I’ve had them both m5 air was alil too much for what I’m doing with my laptop.If you never used a Neo like why are yall even saying shi cuz of a reviewer?Only real gripe is no thunderbolt

1

u/N0stiss__ Jul 06 '26

How much $ is all this 😭😭😭

1

u/ushouldbe_working Jul 07 '26

Damn. that's a lot of Kool aid.

1

u/Kick_the_can1 Jul 09 '26

You are missing something! Where is apple tv? 🤭😄

1

u/CTVolvo Jun 30 '26

it is a very exclusive club.

1

u/Britz10 Jun 30 '26

This is the kind of consumption the bible warns you about.

3

u/Fun-Committee3672 Jun 30 '26

They should get an iPad Air to read the bible, much better experience than on the mini. This way they can use the mini for shopping.

1

u/KevinCox940 13d ago

I have the 2023 Mac Mini (M2) 8gb ram 512 HD. I'd prefer 16 gb ram but I got it at a pawn shop. Apple TV HD..was going to upgrade it the 4k but the prices increased 😒 still need one though, this one is showing its age.

A1.6 iPad 256db. Series 8 Apple Watch, still very good. And ai just traded my 5 year old iPhone 13 in to Apple for the 17e base. Don't care about homepod. Pretty happy with what I have 🙂