I gave my wife a Mac Book Neo for 2 weeks and she’s going back to Windows, here’s why | Tech Radar
Overview
News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Details
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
I gave my wife a Mac Book Neo for 2 weeks and she’s going back to Windows, here’s why
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
"You can take the Mac Book back. I don’t have the patience to learn a new thing," said my wife as she slid the Mac Book Neo back across the kitchen counter.
It was the unceremonious end to a two-week-long experiment in which I encouraged my wife, a decades-long Windows user, to give Apple a try, more specifically, the flavor of Apple found in a lovely, citrus Mac Book Neo.
Look, I am no pusher. Ever since I started testing the $599 laptop, my wife had been eyeing it. She was becoming Mac curious. This had a lot to do with her creaky Microsoft Surface Pro 4, a decade-old system that would soon face the dreaded end of Windows 10 security updates (no TPM 2.0 on that old Surface Pro).
As a realtor, she kind of loved the old girl. It ably ran all of her Web-based business software, handled emails, basic art needs for whipping up new listing sheets, and social media materials. She also knew, however, that it was almost time for an upgrade. We both wondered if the affordable and mid-range-powered Mac Book Neo could ably step in for the Surface Pro.
My wife even told me that, if she went with the Mac Book Neo, Cirtus would not be her choice; the blush looked rather nice. Of course, Cirtus is what I had on hand, so that's what she got.
Can a Mac Book Neo handle everyday work? I tested it — and it’s very good news
Apple's going all-in with the Mac Book Neo — but Microsoft is fighting back
The Mac Book Neo has one key problem, rival says — and they might be right
I told her that, while different, mac OS would not be completely foreign. Sure, it moved some things around, but my wife was no Luddite; she picked up new tech pretty well.
One thing about her, though, should have been a warning: she hates change.
Simply buying her a Mac Book Neo — even if there are some nifty Prime Day Deals right now — without knowing if she'd take to it made no sense, and since I'd been testing and using this on-and-off for months, we decided to set her up with it as if she'd bought the system brand new.
I reset the Mac Book Neo. It's a $699 model with Touch ID and 512GB of storage, and I told her that this would likely be the one we would buy anyway since I wouldn't want her to run into storage issues.
Next, we sat side-by-side as I walked her through the setup. She took to this part quickly, though I realized that the placement of Touch ID on the power/sleep button was non-obvious. When I told her to register her finger to unlock the laptop, she stared at the system for a few seconds, clearly looking for something with a fingerprint symbol.
AMD launches misguided marketing campaign to take down the Mac Book Neo
Microsoft's unexpected Mac Book Neo challenger might be a budget laptop you've never heard of before
Mac Book Neo orders delayed by 2-3 weeks as Apple struggles with demand
The Mac Book Neo is in stock with all colors at Amazon today, with a small price cut, too. The latest Mac Book packs a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, an A18 Pro chip, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and up to 16 hours of battery life, all for under $600. It's no wonder this latest model is already proving to be a bestseller.
For the next couple of weeks, I would watch her slip the laptop into her work bag or use it at the dining room table. I did catch her occasionally trying to tap the screen, which was unsurprising. After all, she'd spent a decade with a touch-screen convertible. I'd ask her how it was going, and she'd give me a slightly less-than-enthusiastic "OK".
At work, she said she struggled to connect to the office printer and finally had a coworker step in and help her.
When she was at home, I showed her how to add her One Drive account to access work files, a move that seemed to both confound and confuse her. The Windows system automatically integrates the drive. For the Mac, there's an app and then a few steps.
Even the benefits I found in adding a Mac to my Apple ecosystem were lost on her: "Why do my i Phone notifications keep popping up on the Mac Book? That's annoying."
I kept waiting for that moment, the epiphany that triggered, "Why didn't I make this switch years ago?"
Why do my i Phone notifications keep popping up on the Mac Book? That's annoying.
Why do my i Phone notifications keep popping up on the Mac Book? That's annoying.
She found the need to use two fingers to enact right-click functions confusing and didn't seem all that thrilled with the trackpad.
It was clear she appreciated the Mac Book Neo design, and yet, she told me, “It’s nice and sleek and all of that, but I could get a new PC that’s nice and sleek and all of that."
As we walked through a Best Buy looking at both Mac Book Neo and a bunch of comparable Windows machines from Lenovo, HP, Dell, and Acer, it was clear that the Mac Book Neo had not won her over.
After she returned the system, my wife told me that she just couldn't get used to all the differences. Why was the control center at the top? Why did the dock look like that? How could they not have a Start button?
For the average Mac user, like myself, there were all good reasons for these design elements and placements, but, having been a switcher myself, I understood the confusion. Working on a Mac Book after 30 years on Windows means you are living in a constant state of "Who moved my cheese?" And when you, as my wife does, have important work to get done, you can't have a system's quirks getting in the way of your productivity.
None of this is a commentary on the still excellent Mac Book Neo, but it does say something about a certain class of users who, while Apple might try to attract them with the affordable Mac Book Neo, are unlikely to make the switch.
The reality is that the best market for the Mac Book Neo is still the back-to-school market, where it will likely have an easier time of swaying kids who've used Chromebooks or have only been on i Pads.
They'll become Apple's newest customers. As for aging Windows users, getting them to make the switch might be more than Apple can or should hope for — even with the appealing Mac Book Neo.
Processor: Snapdragon X Elite RAM: 32GB Storage: 512GB
One of the best deals on the entire Dell site is undoubtedly this discount on the latest Snapdragon-equipped Dell XPS 13. This stylish and lightweight machine is perfect for those who want battery life and performance in a premium package. This particular configuration also includes 32GB of RAM, which is a very rare thing indeed these days at this price. Note, this is a Snapdragon chipset model, however, so make sure all your obscure apps are supported.
Apple's latest base i Pad is on sale for
A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.
Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
1I gave my wife a Mac Book Neo for 2 weeks and she’s going back to Windows, here’s why
2 Trust me, I’m a computer expert, and you should jump on these affordable 2TB SSD deals before it’s too late
3 There are far too many electric toothbrushes on Amazon to choose from: I'm a toothbrush reviewer, and here are my top 3 picks
4 The best kids tablets 2026: the top picks for young users
5 Windscribe VPN CEO warns your favourite Facebook quizzes are actually stealing your bank details
Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.
Key Takeaways
- News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
- Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
- Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
- Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
- Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards
