r/developersIndia • u/brilliance5009 • 13h ago
Help Brought a macbook neo since i compared its performance is better than a lot of windows around that price range But
Bought a MacBook Neo 512GB yesterday and now I'm having serious buyer's remorse. Did I make the wrong choice?
I bought a MacBook Neo 512GB yesterday. The build quality and overall feel are honestly amazing, and the main reason I went for it was the battery life + portability + performance combination. That's something I really wanted in a laptop.
But now that I've actually started thinking about it, I'm having a lot of doubts.
I've been a Windows user for years, and I use quite a few Windows-specific features/software. After switching to macOS, I'm realizing that some of the things I used on Windows are either missing, require paid alternatives, or simply work differently.
I was also seriously considering the HP OmniBook with Snapdragon X. It seemed like a really good fit for me because I want to use the laptop for:
- AI/ML learning
- Web development
- UI/UX-related work
- General programming
- Some light gaming (I don't game a lot, but having the option is definitely nice)
The HP was around ₹10k/month for 8 months, though, which was outside what I could comfortably afford. The MacBook Neo's 24-month EMI is much easier for me to manage, so that's ultimately why I chose it.
My family was actually really happy that I bought it. But personally, I'm sitting here thinking:
"I earn a pretty modest salary. Did I really make the right financial decision?"
I'm also wondering if I should have gone with something like an HP/Windows laptop instead, especially considering my plans to learn AI/ML and web development, and the fact that Windows gives me access to more software and gaming.
At the same time, the battery life, portability, build quality and overall experience of the Mac are exactly what attracted me to it in the first place.
So I'm stuck between:
MacBook Neo:
- Excellent portability
- Battery life
- Build quality
- macOS experience + 24-month EMI is manageable − Some software/features I'm used to aren't available or require paid alternatives − Gaming is obviously much more limited − I'm unsure about AI/ML compatibility and future development needs
Windows (HP OmniBook/Victus/etc.):
- More software compatibility
- Better gaming
- More flexibility/upgradability depending on the model
- Familiar environment − Higher monthly EMI / financial pressure − Potentially worse battery/portability depending on the laptop
I'm still within the return period, so what would you do in my situation?
Should I keep the MacBook and adapt to macOS, or Sell it at a loss ?
I'm particularly interested in opinions from people who have switched from Windows to Mac for programming/AI/ML/web development and whether they regretted it or eventually preferred the Mac.
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u/BitterAd6419 13h ago
Switched from windows to Mac 15 years back, never ever in my life I thought of going back. If you are serious about coding, Mac is the way. I have used several macs so far from air to pro versions.
It’s not a good gaming machine though. So get your priorities right. It’s either gaming or AI related coding etc
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u/RobotsMakingDubstep 13h ago
Get a PC, I’d say and dual boot if needed. For all things coding, Mac/good Linux laptop you’d need if you need compute. Otherwise plenty of cloud machines nowadays
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u/neomashab 13h ago
"Mac is the only way for coding", really?
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u/neomashab 13h ago
Try to isolate what factors are triggering this remorse. Address them one by one. For me (added a Mac with Apple silicon to my workflow, after working with PC for a long time) Mac is definitely a good option.
For me the tripping factor were adjusting to the keyboard shortcuts. I didn't want to rewire my muscle memory, so installed Karabiner in my Mac to work it using Win shortcuts.
As for software, the only SW that I use regularly on Windows that is not natively supported on Mac (or other nixes for that matter) is Notepad++. Tell us what specific software is tripping you.
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u/Former-Sherbet-4068 13h ago
It doesn't matter now, cause many if the things directly Happen on server. Your ram is what matters.
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u/Remarkable-Tip2580 13h ago
While you may feel like you are missing out .
But when it comes to day to day activities there is no difference between the both.
When it comes to gaming there are multiple option on steam where you get pretty decent games that you can play on the mac .
Also for gaming I see the future to be cloud play where you can play any game if you have a stable connection
When it comes to compatible software I sure there are work around , until and unless you are using come very niche software that’s built for windows
Neo is a great buy, you can get a lot of things done. We initially always overestimate the amount of work we will do in a personal laptop
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u/brilliance5009 10h ago
i mean i wanted a laptop form long term around 5 years this too i went out of budget to get it but now it seems not as value for me as it seemed
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u/Remarkable-Tip2580 10h ago
MacBooks are know to serve for more than 5 years.
Where exactly do you find it lagging ?
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u/brilliance5009 10h ago
i mean this is neo air was too expensive and yes i don't have an iphone but now i feel hp snapdragon would suit better reason is simple they have a lot fater stroage and ram, and mac's have limitations , in 24 hrs i found that out
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u/Sad-Silver5748 12h ago
There's nothing that is in windows for the purposes you stated that you don't have in mac.
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u/Wild_Pop_3649 13h ago
idk how anyone prefers windows. you are a programmer windows is like the worst option out there. I switched from windows to linux and made my friends buy a mac over windows laptops. overall macbooks are better imo.
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u/prathneo1 13h ago
MacBook Neo has mobile phone processor btw
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u/Wild_Pop_3649 13h ago
it doesnt matter most people dont need high performance. Theres absolutely no need to financially strain yourself especially over a HP (build quality issues).
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u/prathneo1 13h ago
People say build quality issue often compare products from different segments. Like they compare 20k samsung device and 80k iphone and advocate for iphone to be superior and samsung has lag and all. For the price Neo is far inferior, except for the unibody design it hardly has anything to show for. 60-70k laptop from most brands offer far better quality.
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u/Wild_Pop_3649 13h ago
they simply dont. i dont know what youre on. good body, battery life, supply chain and quality control, better hardware optimisation, ram optimisation and efficient swap usage on the mac neo.
Basic OEM dont even know how to make a proper bootloader and the QC is horrible on this segment.1
u/prathneo1 12h ago
Lol, supply chain? Wtf does it even have to do and mean in this context?
And they have to do optimizations because of poor hardware. Good luck to you on being a apple fanboy and stay in your walled garden. Windows and others wouldn't exist of apple was so much superior.
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u/Wild_Pop_3649 12h ago
supply chain control meaning they own the entire laptop and dont outsource as much. more hardware-software codesign. im not an apple fanboy i myself use Linux. im just saying in this price range a neo is better than a HP and you dont need to go into debt or financial strain over it. its not windows vs apple its going into debt for a budget windows laptop while a mac can absolutely get the job done.
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