Quinn Nelson on the MacBook Neo

Here's a quote from Quinn Nelson's latest video about the MacBook Neo:

The Neo is dominating in its segment because of price, and surrendering that advantage to protect margin would forfeit this entire strategy. Cracking the low end of the market is just the cost of doing business. If they want this beachhead, and I wager that they do, they're willing to pay for it.

Which also means that the recommendation I give is a little bit different than what I had planned. Past Quinn would have said, "Well, just hold off on the Neo because a refreshed 12GB model is right around the corner, probably before a year's end. It's all but inevitable."

Well, but now I don't think that's happening, and the gap in between an 8GB and a 12GB machine that you intend to keep for many years is significant. Now that that bets off the table, it seems that the Neo that you can buy today is the Neo that you'll be able to buy the foreseeable future. So either pull the trigger and suck it up, or, as my recommendation has always gone, find a used MacBook Air or MacBook Pro with more memory, a better chip, faster disk, and frankly, longer-term support for similar amounts of money.

Having said all that, this is a very important computer, and people who buy one will like it.

This can't help but remind me of one of my most controversial reviews I've written in years:

Do I recommend people buy this computer? Sure, it's a capable machine that feels outstanding in the hand, but I’d encourage anyone considering it to also look at the refurbished market. If performance and overall features matter more to you than having the newest thing from Apple, you might find something that better fits your needs for a similar, if not better price.

I still think we're both right here. If your requirement for a new Mac is that you can buy it from an Apple Store, then this is a good Mac you'll enjoy, but if your requirement is more that you want to spend around $600-700 on a Mac, look around at the few year old models you can get. Seriously, just search "MacBook" on Amazon and you might be surprised what other Macs you can get for that money.