Charlie StrossMar 22

Meanwhile, a thought about the Macbook Neo:

The Neo uses an A18 Pro SOC, the 2024 iPhone Pro cpu—the iPhone 17 Pro runs on the A19 Pro. (The Neo soaks up their stockpile of high-end phone rejects.)

Apple's about to ramp up for the 2026 iPhones, which will release in September on the A20Pro.

Phones outsell laptops by a huge margin so I think the current Neo will be quietly replaced by an A19 Pro model in September, to use up the reject stockpile once as iPhone 17 sales tapers off.

/1

Show threadCharlie StrossMar 22

Implication: if you want a Macbook Neo this year, maybe wait until September—unless you expect the coming supply chain shock to hit Apple, too. Which is not impossible if TSMC can't meet their chip delivery dates.

If that happens, prices will shoot up and scarcity economics will take over, so buy now and be prepared to run it for the next decade.

/2

Show threadCharlie StrossMar 22

I don't need a Macbook Neo. My current "cheap mobile writing machine" niche is filled by a M3 Macbook Air. But my newest iPad and iPhone are two generation old Pro models.

I suspect … no new iPad for me in 2026/27, but *maybe* a spec-bumped Neo in Sept/Oct, which will cover a lot of the iPad use cases (and is cheaper).

Then aim to run it forever.

(I'm overdue for a complete re-think of what I do with my herd of computers, and therefore what I actually need.)

/3 (end)

Show threadFazal Majid
@cstross the big problem with a Neo or new iPad is they will be preinstalled with Liquid Ass with no way to upgrade back to macOS Sequoia or iOS 18.
Mar 22 at 4:54pmWeb
Show threadsbszineMar 22
@fazalmajid @cstross My experience has been that all of the Liquid stuff is completely optional on phones and conputers. It sucks but you don't have to use it unless you're a keen masochist. On AppleTV you're stuck with it but it's fairly unobtrusive.