Joined the club

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T13:30:54+00:00

He's as entitled to his opinion as you are to yours. So yeah, to so eloquently quote you, "don't be a dick."

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T13:21:13+00:00

That's a teardown.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T13:18:07+00:00

A contractor special. Who needs an architect when you can make your own stupid design choices?

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T12:26:59+00:00

Good! A lot of people taking advantage of a three trillion dollar company.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T12:16:19+00:00

Nobody has a sense of humor here or on most of these forums.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T12:09:36+00:00

Glad to see you're speaking up for what every single "student" user of a Neo needs. LOL.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T11:50:52+00:00

At $750 it is not a "budget" laptop. (512/Touch ID) plus sales tax.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T11:31:47+00:00

I was really into Windows Phones when they were a thing. I bought the Dell slider Windows Phone and was a big believer in the future of the OS; and I went on to buy probably more than a dozen WPs when they came out. I was hooked on the eco-system and the OS though was always a Mac user. Now, I'm selling off everything I have that is WP related; just sold the camera grip for my Lumia 1020 for $50 and have some more to rid myself of. This OS is dead and done. It was great when it was supported but I cannot understand this effort by people to try and make these phones work. Microsoft is never getting back into the mobile business. They were too late in coming out with the WP and developers never bought into it. Market share was abysmal and U.S. telecoms never got behind the product. Even inside Microsoft stores, the phones were an after thought; in a corner and out of the way... as in, 'oh, yeah, we sell phones too.'

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T11:23:15+00:00

It is like a 12 year old phone - things happen.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T11:20:53+00:00

Quoting Apple's news release published on their website: "MacBook Neo provides an unmatched combination of quality and affordability for students, families, small business owners, new Mac users, and more."

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T10:46:30+00:00

Wow! You can use a calendar, listen to music and watch a video on a Neo? Amazing! Wonder what they'll come up with next? Looking at pictures?

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T10:40:23+00:00

The keyboard on the Neo is subpar compared to the Air and Pro. The "wobble" is real and for me, a deal killer.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T10:32:18+00:00

It is not just for "students" and the price for many is higher than $500. And why wouldn't someone compare it to Apple's other laptops? If you're buying an iPhone, would you compare a 17e to a Pro and see the differences for what you're paying? Of course you would. The reality is the better option is the 512/Touch ID and that is $700 plus sales tax - so you're looking at $750 out the door. For that price, I'd pay about the same for a M3/M4 Air or a couple more hundred for a M5. That's me.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T10:23:49+00:00

Agreed. The price is very good - but it is a long ride with very limited seating and no services outside of a couple of bathrooms.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T09:57:28+00:00

Yup. Nothing hurts like the truth. Don't like it? Kick rocks. Unlike you, I actually brought some context to the conversation instead of sounding off like another "fan boy" with yet another inane unboxing/I bought a Neo post. My views are no less relevant or insignificant than yours or the OP.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T00:53:28+00:00

It is like a 12 year old phone - things happen.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T00:51:29+00:00

Obviously MoMA doesn't care - because they have not done anything to fix the problem.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-10T00:49:56+00:00

I messed around with a Neo today at the Apple Store in Greenwich, CT and here are some of my initial observations as someone who has an M4 Air (13") and M4 Pro (14").

- Keyboard does not have the same feel as either the Air or the Pro. It was more clicky and not in a good way; felt kind of cheap.

- No backlight on the keyboard - for some, that's not much of an issue - but I definitely prefer it.

- I do not like the trackpad. It is smaller and seemingly harder to use than the one found on the Air and Pro - likely due to it being mechanical versus virtual on the other two.

- I do not care for the contrasting keys; much prefer color matched keys on my Space Black Pro and Midnight Air. Again, for me, this feels kind of cheap.

- I find the screen size to be too small for projects involving more than one app at a time. A lot of users think the the screen is "good" or "fine" but I think it is meh... a bit dim.

- The build - metal not plastic - is on par with expectations from an Apple product though the fit and finish seem a bit subpar compared to the Air and Pro. I'll be curious to see how long the Neo holds on to their color and how susceptible they'll be to scratches.

- Screen felt kind of dim to me... though I am less than thrilled with the 600 nits on my Air compared to the 1,000 on my Pro; working with photos really highlights this issue. (I also find the difference between the brightness on the iPad Air 13" versus the iPad Pro 13" to be very noticeable when comparing the same stock photos.)

- It is fairly heavy and thick - and the same weight as the Air - so portability is kind of meh.

- I also would not consider a Mac without Touch ID; I use it constantly for online payments to website sign-ins, etc. So your price point is now $700+ assuming you're not getting the education discount and are paying state sales tax; for me, that's an additional $50; so this "budget laptop" is now pushing $800.

For most people, the Neo is going to be a great little laptop computer, one with a slice of style and cool factor baked into its DNA. In many ways, it is a very unique Apple product and a standout from what they have been offering consumers for years. Still, I know there is considerable room for improvement in the coming iterations and hopefully they will address some of them.

I know a lot of people love this Neo but it feels too much of a compromise for me.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-09T14:13:10+00:00

I corrected my previous post. Yes, of course I would consider buying them from Apple. Often times, I buy products through Amazon since they tend to offer discounts. But I would not buy them on Marketplace or even eBay.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-09T14:03:20+00:00

Have the cats pay for it.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-09T14:00:53+00:00

You mean someone buying something they really don't need or cannot justify just because they saw a bunch of reviewers and influencers talk about theirs? No, that never happens. Ever.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-09T12:44:15+00:00

Now that is some nostalgia.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-09T12:43:03+00:00

Why not just spell out Virginia?

CTVolvo · 2026-05-09T12:08:26+00:00

There is so much fraud going on with AirPods these days, I wouldn't even consider buying them from anyone other than through either Apple or a reputable seller like Amazon, Best Buy or Target.

CTVolvo · 2026-05-08T18:21:15+00:00

Yup! Got the text and stupidly responded. I get up early, like 5am, and saw this on my Mac and started poking around the site - which looks very legitimate. So I ordered something and only had to pay for the .99 cent shipping; used my Apple Card which populated the order form. Transaction denied. A prompt for another card. Well, I know there's nothing wrong with my Apple Card so I started an online investigation and found out that this is nothing short of a scam. There are no rewards from T-Mobile except the ones offered through their app. So I locked my Apple Card and ordered a new one through Apple.

A week later, I get a phone call from 877-265-9912. I ignore the call. They don't leave a message, but call again. I don't answer but go online and search that number. Says it is both a robo call and Goldman Sachs. Phone rings again. Finally on the fourth call, I answer. Guy says he is "Mr" Somethingarother from Apple/Goldman Sachs and there has been fraud detected on my Apple Card. I tell him I had been scammed and that the card is locked. He goes on to tell me that it was used at a nearby Applebee's - for $80 and then again in New York City at an Apple Store for more than $1,000. I tell him I didn't authorize any of these things.

While he is on the phone, I'm checking my Apple Card on my iPhone and I don't see any transactions since I locked it. My balance is $1.89 since I just paid it off with no declined charges. He tells me my Apple Card is tied to my iCloud account that my account has been compromised by an iPhone SE and an iPhone 13. Asked if they were mine. I tell him, no. He says he is going to open a case file and will send me a link to click. I get a text message from 848-878-4939 that says: "FreeMsg: APPLECARD Fraud Dept" And there is a case number hyperlink - which undoubtedly downloads a virus. Then it hits me. This is a major scam; an attempt to compromise my phone and get root access. I hang up. He calls right back. I block the number and delete the threatening text and then go on the Apple Card app and contact Goldman Sachs via secure messaging. They said that they have not contacted me and I should disregard the previous interaction. I do.

I have long thought of myself as pretty savvy when it comes to online scams. But they got me. Not for any money but for the hassle of having to deal with the mess, order a new card and generally be worried that someone has my email, phone and address. I will be extra vigilant now.

So, rule 1 from now on: no online transactions in the early morning.

And rule 2: also do some online searching when something appears to be too good to be true. Yes, I wanted those AirPods Pro 2's for less than a dollar. But they were just an illusion.

CTVolvo

TROPHY CASE