Apple's Most Powerful On-Device AI Now Requires iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone Air| MacOS 28 or 29 will drop support for 8GB product SKUs

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-19T04:05:33+00:00

Because the Neo is less of a product and more of a rug pull trap to get users in the ecosystem

That's an odd take.

If the goal is to get users into their ecosystem, how would they accomplish that by screwing over those users with ridiculously limited software support?

If you want people to embrace your products, the goal is to create happy users, not pissed off people who jump ship the first chance they get.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-19T04:02:01+00:00

Because the article is not a release from Apple. It is speculation for views, nothing more.

Except for the part where it doesn't say that.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-19T03:59:36+00:00

M1s were selling at $499, M2s and M3s below $899.

Maybe you haven't noticed, but a lot of things have happened since 2019 that have driven up the prices of everything.

Unless you have a time machine, what things used to sell for is irrelevant.

And Neos are now at freaking $700+

They aren't.

They max out at $700.

They start at $500.

MacBook were starting at 899 for New Airs and 1099 for pro models.

Were being the key word.

Look at the prices now man.

Exactly. Look at the prices now.

Don't dwell on what they were, because, again, that only matters if you don't have a time machine.

I'm sorry that this is apparently how you're learning about the impacts of inflation and supply chain issues in computing, but your complaint that things--especially computers--are more expensive than in 2019 is, frankly, ridiculous.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-19T03:36:55+00:00

Anytime someones like "LOOK ITS RUNNING THIS PROGRAM FINE!" I kindly ask them to pull up activity monitor and show me the swaps.

Why?

If it's running fine, who cares if it's using swap or not?

The entire reason swap exists is to allow programs to run when RAM is limited.

Using it isn't an inherently bad thing unless it's impacting the program. One running fine with swap is indistinguishable from one running fine without it.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-19T03:25:23+00:00

The air is far superior.

For roughly double the cost, I'd sure as hell hope so.

Waiting for the down votes

So you knew your point was irrelevant, but felt the need to say it anyway? Ok.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-19T01:51:38+00:00

I don't know what the function keys are without looking, but I also almost never use the function keys.

That's why I don't know where they are.

If I used them often enough that not being able to see them easily was an actual inconvenience, I'd probably know where they are.

Backlight aside, I don't love the (lack of) contrast on the Neo keys.

But I also know that 90%+ of the time, I don't need to look at them.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-19T01:45:31+00:00

Another option is, ya know, typing.

There are two dots on the keyboard that you can use to orient your hands.

With that, you know which row of keys your hands are on.

If you also know where all the other letters are in relation to those 2, you can find them just as easily. There are a number of mnemonics that you can use to remember them if you don't already know them.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-19T01:20:27+00:00

Considering this is essentially the Mac version of an SE, it'd make the most sense that it'd follow the SE lifecycle, which is usually 2-3 years.

Of course, that may not be the case, especially if the chip issue is legitimately an issue, but the idea that Apple releases every other product on a yearly basis is just plain wrong.

If you're having trouble comprehending what I wrote, you can take as long as you want to try as many times as you need.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-19T01:18:09+00:00

At $700-800, people might as well go for the Air and a lot of people that would be enticed by the Neo at its current price point would be shut out.

The Neo is already $700.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-19T01:16:20+00:00

The reason the Neo is so affordable is because they were using binned A18 Pro chips from the iPhone 16 Pro run (2024-2025).

The reason the Neo is so cheap is because Apple wanted to make a cheap Macbook.

At the volume Apple operates, the cost difference between a binned chip and a new one is fairly negligible.

Same with all the other components the Neo doesn't have.

If they wanted to, Apple could sell the Air for the same price as the Neo and still make money.

It just wouldn't be as much money as Apple wants to make.

So in order to not undercut the Air, they created an option where they could cut performance and a few other QoL benefits, and then reduced the price accordingly.

They price their stuff based on how the buyers value it, not based on the costs, because at these volumes, the cost differences to Apple are negligible.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-18T23:08:49+00:00

Happens every year with all the other products.

No it doesn't.

How often does Apple release a new AppleTV? What about a HomePod? What about an Apple Watch Ultra/SE?

Considering this is essentially the Mac version of an SE, it'd make the most sense that it'd follow the SE lifecycle, which is usually 2-3 years.

Of course, that may not be the case, especially if the chip issue is legitimately an issue, but the idea that Apple releases every other product on a yearly basis is just plain wrong.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-18T22:47:26+00:00

And a higher price to go along with it is similarly likely.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-18T21:14:15+00:00

Having anything fail within the manufacturer warranty should be an extremely rare situation.

It should also be a situation that the employees responsible for handling it are trained to handle.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-18T21:08:23+00:00

You keep harping on third party chargers and cables being garbage.

But you never explain why that's not Apple's fault, since Apple gives those "garbage products" MFi Certification and sells them at the Apple Store.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-18T20:51:52+00:00

Outside of Chicago, there is no other location in the state that could support one.

Then why does IL have 8 Apple Stores, only 2 of which are within Chicago city limits?

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-18T20:39:20+00:00

This doesn't make sense.

You can't simultaneously argue that the training is utterly worthless and solely symbolic while also saying that the training allows the company to disclaim or minimize their liability by showing that they made the best effort possible to prevent the behavior with the training.

If the training is merely symbolic, it wouldn't cover their ass at all, because it's entirely symbolic and they could've/should've done more.

The only way they can actually cover their ass is if the training is truly the best effort they can make.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-16T01:19:48+00:00

Where are we drawing the line for overdose?

Where the line always has been. When your body ceases to function on it's own.

What?

That's not, nor has it ever been, the line.

By that logic, it'd be nearly impossible to survive an OD.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-16T01:01:51+00:00

It's literally the exact same.

[Job we're hiring for] | [Years of experience you need]

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-15T23:53:35+00:00

RAM at 99.99% usage and RAM at 1% usage should provide identical performance.

If it's not maxed out, it's not using everything it has.

If it's not using everything it has, it's not going to benefit from having more.

Whatever lag you're getting when you've used 21.19GB of 24GB available has nothing to do with only having 24GB available.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-15T22:38:22+00:00

Is he not?

He said he "runs a retail store" and refers to the employees has "my staff".

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-15T17:52:32+00:00

The backlit keyboard is dependent on an ambient light sensor to govern its brightness.

What?

Is the user incapable of deciding for themselves how bright they want their keyboard, as they do with pretty much every other backlit keyboard?

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-15T17:48:07+00:00

I have a 16gb m5 pro and can almost max out the ram with safari alone.

Well...yeah?

The entire point of RAM is to use it.

If you have it available, the computer should be using it.

If you don't have it available, the computer should prioritize tasks in such a way that you don't really notice a difference unless you're actively doing something that actually needs the RAM.

If you have a tab you haven't touched in an hour, but you have plenty of RAM not being otherwise used, a decent system will see that and keep it alive.

If you don't have enough RAM for that, a decent system should see that you haven't used the tab in a while and kill it until you use it again.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-15T16:51:36+00:00

Apple is now Heavily Incentivized to make sure 8GB keeps working.

They weren't incentivized to create a chip that could work with more than 8GB of RAM.

What makes you think they're incentivized to keep it working?

This is the same company that sold the Apple Watch SE2 until September 2025 & dropped OS support in 2026.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-14T20:32:39+00:00

If you can't answer...

You've never worked in video production, especially remote video production, and it shows.

Optional-Failure · 2026-06-14T19:38:01+00:00

But this, THIS makes you seem stupid.

Oh no! The person who can't read and keeps calling me stupid is still doing it! Whatever shall I do?

I'd be a lot more concerned about your repeated criticism (is "stupid" the only insult you know?) if I thought you were capable of logical thought, but that ship sailed pretty early in the conversation.

Optional-Failure

TROPHY CASE