Khaberni - The MacBook Neo is an entirely new kind of laptop priced at $599, making it worthy of being the first product from "Apple" to carry the "Neo" designation, meaning "new".
This new device is the first product from the company that uses three distinct technologies, according to a report by the technology news site "9to5Mac".
The MacBook Neo laptop is available for pre-order at a starting price of $599 ahead of its release on Wednesday, March 11.
A new trackpad
"Apple" has been a leader in laptop trackpad technology for nearly two decades. The original MacBook Air in 2008 featured a multi-touch mouse pointer trackpad that was a major leap forward.
While other laptops' trackpads had a tracking surface for moving and large buttons for clicking, "Apple" revamped its trackpad to become a single multi-touch surface.
However, the early years of "Apple"'s multi-touch trackpads had designated clicking areas, the bottom part of the pad. Later, "Apple" dropped the mechanical click in favor of simulated clicking using haptic feedback, making any part of the trackpad simulate a true button click.
MacBook Neo is the first laptop from "Apple" in years not to use simulated clicking. Instead, the trackpad does not revert to the traditional "diving board" design but features a brand new trackpad entirely, characterized by actual mechanical clicking with the ability to click anywhere, not just at the bottom of the pad.
A new "A18 Pro" chip
The MacBook Neo is the first Mac device running a chip first used in an iPhone, and it is also the first product from "Apple" to use this specific version of the "A18 Pro" chip.
"Apple" released the "A18 Pro" chip in the iPhone 16 Pro series in September 2024, which the company says is manufactured using 3-nanometer second-generation technology and features a new architecture with smaller, faster transistors, offering unprecedented efficiency.
The company added at the launch of the iPhone 16 Pro that the new 16-core neural engine in this chip is characterized by higher speed and efficiency than the previous generation, significantly enhancing the performance of "Apple Intelligence".
The increase in system memory bandwidth by 17% provides a faster user experience while using writing tools and "Image Playground", and contributes to delivering stunning graphics.
Unlike the "A18 Pro" chip in the iPhone 16 Pro equipped with a six-core graphic processing system, the "A18 Pro" chip inside MacBook Neo features a five-core graphic processing system.
"Apple" stated that the MacBook Neo equipped with the A18 Pro chip becomes up to 50% faster in everyday tasks compared to the best personal computers equipped with the latest "Intel Core Ultra 5.1" processor.
They added that for more demanding tasks, the device is up to three times faster for on-device artificial intelligence tasks and twice for tasks like photo editing.
The 5-core GPU unit brings life during motion gaming or creative hobbies. The 16-core neural engine also supports fast "Apple Intelligence" features on the device and daily artificial intelligence tasks.
MacBook Neo also stands out because it operates without a fan, making it a completely noiseless device.
First product with an A-series chip and multiple data ports
Another distinction of the A18 Pro chip inside MacBook Neo is its support for more than one data port, making the device the first from "Apple" to rely on an A-series chip sold with multiple data ports.
A data port is the slot in the device used to connect the device to other devices for data transfer or power.
All iPhones and iPads sold have had only one data port, whether it was 30-pin, Lightning, or USB-C.
Although MacBook Neo is not the best in terms of its ports among Mac devices, as one of its two USB-C ports is limited to "USB 2" slow data transfer speeds and does not support external displays, it is the first computer from "Apple" equipped with at least two data ports.
