3 ms·

Hopefully the Neo is the beginning of Apple making useful and affordable products for all users, instead of walling their garden to squeeze out every last penny

Hopefully the Neo is the beginning of Apple making useful and affordable products for all users, instead of walling their garden to squeeze out every last penny via Cook's 'premium'-upwards-screwdriver tactics ... the history of market-dynamics suggests otherwise, but let's hope and wait there's a mindset change as well.

dash2 6mo ago
I think it might be the opposite. You make cheap products for everybody because you are going to make money off subscriptions. Personally, I think it's a reasonable strategy, but it might mean they lose their focus on high-end craftsmanship.
- ezst 6mo ago
  > craftsmanship What marketing does to people
  - sumedh 6mo ago
    Have you used Windows?
    - kombine 6mo ago
      what does Windows have to do with this? It sucks as much as MacOS
  - dahcryn 6mo ago
    the M line of macbook pro's are beautiful, well crafted, long lasting machines. MacOS might not be your preferred way of working, and you might prefer cheaper options or USB-A ports, but there is really nothing you could arguably call bad craftmanship in those machines.
    - diegolas 6mo ago
      they're very well designed and built products, craftmanship is something else.
      - deleted 6mo ago
        [deleted]
      - choudharism 6mo ago
        What is it?
        carlosjobim 6mo ago
        They are mass produced in factories, not made by craftsmen.
    - hansvm 6mo ago
      I mean, they're not bad, but they have spicy chargers, the corners are uncomfortably sharp, the keyboard often doesn't register, the LCD is prone to vertical bars and other issues even without physical damage and is extremely sensitive to bumps and other minor damage elsewhere on the laptop (not even the display itself), and so on.
      - pxc 6mo ago
        Some of these are consequences of what makes them feel "premium" or even "solid". Aluminum is a terrible material for bumps and drops because it dents, and that often damages the internal components.
    - inatreecrown2 6mo ago
      >> nothing you could arguably call bad craftmanship in those machines my 2 bad craftsmanship cents: laptop keyboard leaves marks on screen. laptop's sharp edges leaves marks on wrists.
      - alsetmusic 6mo ago
  - doodledoodahs 6mo ago
    Have you actually looked at apple products and compared them to the competition? The different in quality of finish is really stark in my experience. Some other manufacturers have some products which have some nice features. Whatever you think of the software or ecosystem, almost Apple hardware is just nicely made.
  - alsetmusic 6mo ago
    >> craftsmanship > What marketing does to people I'm sorry, are my MacBooks Pro, Air, and (my spouse's) Neo not some of the best built laptops you can buy? Maybe there's something better, but these are inarguably some of the best. Absolute top of the line. See the Verge (I think) reviewing similarly priced laptops priced around the Neo. They were plastic crap, even if they had better specs elsewhere.
  - deleted 6mo ago
    [deleted]
  - ecshafer 6mo ago
    I've never bought a Mac, I have used them for work. They are the best built laptops on the market, bar none. Too bad their OS is awful. Its not just marketing.
linhns 6mo ago
Neo is a good product, but they're making their better products (Macs) more out of reach for a whole class of customers.
- JoshTko 6mo ago
  Mac Mini is a stellar product...
- pwthornton 6mo ago
  Is that really true? The price of Macs today is far lower than it used to be when adjusted for inflation. I know this is true of all computers, but you can get a really good Mac computer without spending a lot of money, historically speaking. The Macbook Air, the best computer for most people, starts at $1099. I paid something like $2,700 for my computer, which I brought to college in 2002. That's about $5,000 in today's money.
netdevphoenix 6mo ago
> making useful and affordable products for all users, Affordable, ethical. You can only choose one.
- mentalgear 6mo ago
  Interesting, but is Apple as ethical yet as its premium price point could suggest? Fairphone (material sourcing) and Framework (repairability) would suggest otherwise.
keepamovin 6mo ago
Honestly i think it will bifurcate. More Neo more high end

dash2 6mo ago

I think it might be the opposite. You make cheap products for everybody because you are going to make money off subscriptions. Personally, I think it's a reasonable strategy, but it might mean they lose their focus on high-end craftsmanship.

ezst 6mo ago
> craftsmanship What marketing does to people
- sumedh 6mo ago
  Have you used Windows?
  - kombine 6mo ago
    what does Windows have to do with this? It sucks as much as MacOS
- dahcryn 6mo ago
  the M line of macbook pro's are beautiful, well crafted, long lasting machines. MacOS might not be your preferred way of working, and you might prefer cheaper options or USB-A ports, but there is really nothing you could arguably call bad craftmanship in those machines.
  - diegolas 6mo ago
    they're very well designed and built products, craftmanship is something else.
    - deleted 6mo ago
      [deleted]
    - choudharism 6mo ago
      What is it?
      - carlosjobim 6mo ago
        They are mass produced in factories, not made by craftsmen.
  - hansvm 6mo ago
    I mean, they're not bad, but they have spicy chargers, the corners are uncomfortably sharp, the keyboard often doesn't register, the LCD is prone to vertical bars and other issues even without physical damage and is extremely sensitive to bumps and other minor damage elsewhere on the laptop (not even the display itself), and so on.
    - pxc 6mo ago
      Some of these are consequences of what makes them feel "premium" or even "solid". Aluminum is a terrible material for bumps and drops because it dents, and that often damages the internal components.
  - inatreecrown2 6mo ago
    >> nothing you could arguably call bad craftmanship in those machines my 2 bad craftsmanship cents: laptop keyboard leaves marks on screen. laptop's sharp edges leaves marks on wrists.
    - alsetmusic 6mo ago
- doodledoodahs 6mo ago
  Have you actually looked at apple products and compared them to the competition? The different in quality of finish is really stark in my experience. Some other manufacturers have some products which have some nice features. Whatever you think of the software or ecosystem, almost Apple hardware is just nicely made.
- alsetmusic 6mo ago
  >> craftsmanship > What marketing does to people I'm sorry, are my MacBooks Pro, Air, and (my spouse's) Neo not some of the best built laptops you can buy? Maybe there's something better, but these are inarguably some of the best. Absolute top of the line. See the Verge (I think) reviewing similarly priced laptops priced around the Neo. They were plastic crap, even if they had better specs elsewhere.
- deleted 6mo ago
  [deleted]
- ecshafer 6mo ago
  I've never bought a Mac, I have used them for work. They are the best built laptops on the market, bar none. Too bad their OS is awful. Its not just marketing.

linhns 6mo ago

Neo is a good product, but they're making their better products (Macs) more out of reach for a whole class of customers.

JoshTko 6mo ago
Mac Mini is a stellar product...
pwthornton 6mo ago
Is that really true? The price of Macs today is far lower than it used to be when adjusted for inflation. I know this is true of all computers, but you can get a really good Mac computer without spending a lot of money, historically speaking. The Macbook Air, the best computer for most people, starts at $1099. I paid something like $2,700 for my computer, which I brought to college in 2002. That's about $5,000 in today's money.

netdevphoenix 6mo ago

> making useful and affordable products for all users, Affordable, ethical. You can only choose one.

mentalgear 6mo ago
Interesting, but is Apple as ethical yet as its premium price point could suggest? Fairphone (material sourcing) and Framework (repairability) would suggest otherwise.

keepamovin 6mo ago

Honestly i think it will bifurcate. More Neo more high end