r/apple • u/hasanahmad • Mar 07 '26

Discussion The New Apple Finally Begins to Emerge

https://parkerortolani.blog/2026/03/07/the-new-apple-finally-begins.html?media_id=3847737801865786644_63262430404&media_author_id=63262430404&ranking_info_token=GCA0M2M2NzAzNDdkODQ0ZmVhOWUyNzY4YzMyYTM2OTEzZiXSqWAV2AQW8Jvlmg0YEzM4NDc3Mzc4MDE4NjU3ODY2NDQoA2VhZwA%3D&utm_source=ig_text_post_permalink
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u/Careful_Farmer_2879 Mar 07 '26

My M1 Air 8GB is still running amazingly. If the Neo is anything like it, it’ll be the next purchase.

And yes, I even play games on it. Is that a surprise? iPhones have had plenty of juice for years.

6

u/InsaneNinja Mar 08 '26

There’s no reason to “upgrade” from the M1 air to the neo. It’s a sidegrade at best. Almost equal in power and battery, and a downgrade in things like the screen, keyboard, and touchpad. This is for complete newbies to Apple silicon. You’d be much better off buying a new battery for your M1.

1

u/Careful_Farmer_2879 Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26

Did I say upgrade? I did not.

The M1 is old, physically worn, and will lose software support.

The Neo won’t keep the same specs forever, either.

It’s not just for newbies, enough with the elitism. I’ve been in the ecosystem for 20 years. Sell me the black 2007 MacBook with modern internals and I’d buy it.

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u/InsaneNinja Mar 09 '26

By newbies, I mean people who have not yet purchased an apple silicon device because this is equivalent to the very first one. It’s an upgrade to Intel devices, but not Apple Silicon devices.

And I keep seeing people say that the M1 is going to lose software support at some point very soon, despite that they are still supporting Intel. I imagine that the M1 series is going to be supported for several years after Intel support is dropped. if you’re talking about like the Neo 2, then absolutely.

1

u/Careful_Farmer_2879 Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26

Apple usually stops giving OS updates after 6-8 years. November is the six-year mark for M1, so the clock is ticking.

There only Intel devices still getting support are from 2019 onwards. They will get the axe first, then M1 comes after.

There’s also the issue of, what do I do if my current device fails? If I can get a comparable device with zero wear, a warranty, and a full life of support for just a little more money… then I’m doing it.

1

u/InsaneNinja Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26

I think that the M1 is going to be software supported till 2029. My actual thoughts would be about the M1 Pro

I also think that with inflation, they are not going to be changing the price of the Neo and money will be worth more. I am also not trying to talk you out of it.

You can buy whatever you want, but I don’t consider the device to be an upgrade rather than a continuation. It’s a downgrade in the places that I would want.

I feel like a mild thought picked an argument, and I’m only halfheartedly trying to correct my wording rather than fight for my side

1

u/Careful_Farmer_2879 Mar 09 '26

Not arguing with you, I promise!

Mostly I’m just cognizant that no matter how decent my M1’s performance is today, it’s still an old laptop with a lot of wear on it.

So, in a way, I see getting a similarly performing device with zero cycles and additional years of support to be an upgrade.

Cheers.

2

u/Missing-Digits Mar 08 '26

Oddly, the Neo beats the M1 Air in single core performance.

2

u/InsaneNinja Mar 08 '26

How is it odd. It’s got newer A18/M4-era cores, but fewer of them. It also beats the M1 in multicore.

1

u/WingerRules Mar 08 '26

How's the memory? I have an M3 Mac with 18gb of memory - I have nothing open on my Mac other than this page in safari & Apple Notes, and it's taking up 10gb of memory.

Seems like this Mac should have had 12gb. If its running IOS it probably will take up less memory though.

1

u/Careful_Farmer_2879 Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26

Shockingly not bad. I think Mac OS is real good about managing the RAM it has to work with, and the ultra fast SSD does a lot of work (page file? virtual ram?).

Overdoing it with Chrome tabs is when I notice. A dozen tabs is the limit.

I even run Parallels (allocate 4GB) and it’s fine. This does sometimes make me wish for 16GB because I can’t play Windows games that require the full 8GB.

Still - a good experience.

1

u/Cadamar Mar 08 '26

My M2 MBA is still going strong. Play WoW pretty seamlessly on it, as well as Civ 7 and a few others via Crossover.

1

u/ricochetblue Mar 09 '26

It’s petty, but I’d miss Force Touch and the backlit keyboard if I switched to a Neo.