2026-03-23 00:16:31
Matt Birchler sort of doesn’t like the MacBook Neo:
Because this is a Mac, it can do effectively anything you want to throw at it. I have been editing video on it and doing web and Xcode development with very little issue. Yes, my Xcode builds take longer than they do on my M4 Pro Mac, and rendering video runs slower too, but it can do it. If this is the computer your budget allows, don’t think that you can’t.
However, you’ll notice I’m not including any benchmarks in this review. I don’t think benchmarks properly express the experience of using a computer, particularly on the lower end of products. On the high end, when everything basic is child’s play, benchmarks can be helpful to understand differences at the margins. But one of the charts I’ve been seeing go around since this was announced was Geekbench single-core performance, which showed the Neo as effectively as fast as an M4. Let me tell you, if you’re using that chart to understand the performance of this computer, you are being misled.
You certainly are, if your definition of ‘use’ is Xcode builds and video editing. Matt is not technically wrong when he suggests later in his post that, in workflows requiring lots of RAM and speedy disk access, even the oldest Apple silicon MacBook Air will perform a bit better than the MacBook Neo.
When performance is in the ballpark of a five-year-old computer, you have to consider what this machine costs compared to refurbished models from that era…. I can get a refurbished M2 MacBook Air with 512GB storage and 16GB RAM for $50 less than the maxed out MacBook Neo. That M2 Air gets you significantly better performance, a better screen, a better trackpad, better USB-C ports, MagSafe, and faster SSD speeds. I feel very confident saying that the M2 Air is a meaningfully better computer the Neo.
Again, Matt’s not wrong. If you are a savvy shopper with a very limited budget and need that push beyond what the MacBook Neo can give you, you are probably better off searching for a used or refurbished MacBook Air. Last week on MacBreak Weekly, Christina Warren made a strong case for picking up a refurbished or used M3 or M4 MacBook Air, which would cost slightly more than a MacBook Neo but far outclass it in terms of features.
But this entire conversation misses the most important thing about the MacBook Neo: It is sold in every Apple Store, on Apple’s website, and in every Apple sales channel. Most people won’t think to cruise for a refurbished Air—they will just go down to their local store, or pop onto Amazon, and shop for a computer. That’s why the MacBook Neo is important. It’s available to everyone, everywhere, and Apple will stand behind it as a new product.
2026-03-22 23:51:18
David Sparks appreciates the MacBook Neo, but he’d like something smaller:
Think about it. Apple has covered the pro market with the MacBook Pro lineup. The Neo is about to cover the mainstream and budget-conscious buyer.
But there’s a gap at the top. A premium ultralight for people who travel constantly, who want the absolute minimum weight and footprint, and who are willing to pay for it. A MacBook that weighs two pounds or less, with a stunning display and all-day battery life. Not a compromise machine. A showcase.
I would question the premise that you can get “the absolute minimum weight” along with “all-day battery life” (depending on how you define that)—but I do not doubt that Apple could create a laptop with M-series performance and good enough battery life, but with an emphasis on compactness.
But is there enough of a market for a fourth class of MacBook? As someone who has known and loved the 12-inch PowerBook, 11-inch MacBook Air, and even the 12-inch MacBook, I am sadly not convinced that this is a big enough segment for Apple to target when the MacBook Air exists.
And here’s the biggest reason I think a smaller laptop may never happen: Over the last decade, everything in macOS has gotten a bit bigger—not just OS elements, but even fundamentals of app design. When I was still using an 11-inch Air, I would often discover apps that couldn’t be resized to fit on my screen. The same happened with the retina MacBook. I’m afraid that the 13-inch display in the MacBook is probably as small as modern macOS and today’s Apple will reasonably go.
2026-03-21 00:00:39
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2026-03-20 23:30:12
When it comes to smart locks, the goal is “Star Trek,” right? You should be able to walk up to your door and, swish!, it opens to greet you.
When I was a kid, “Star Trek” doors were amazing technology, but not too many years later, even the run-down supermarket in my hometown had automatic doors that opened when you approached them. Still, the dream lives on for the home. Most homes aren’t plausibly designed to have pocket doors that slide out of the way (and I have to think it wouldn’t be up to code), or even automatically swing open.
Okay, then, a dream downgraded: When it comes to smart locks, the goal is sort of “Star Trek,” in the sense that I’d like my door to unlock itself as I approach.
A few generations into this technology, we’ve bought and reviewed a bunch of smart locks, but the ultimate dream has not been fulfilled. Bluetooth-based locks can sort of do the trick, but since Bluetooth is a non-directional technology, there were all sorts of tricks (use geotagging, wait for the phone in question to leave the area, then enable lock-on-view) to make it happen. And it wasn’t very reliable.
Next came NFC locks, which work remarkably well but require you to press your phone or watch up against the lock. It works—I never carry a key for my house anymore, because my Apple Watch is my key—but it’s not exactly the Star Trek dream.
Finally, the future is here: locks with support for ultra-wideband (UWB) technology have begun to arrive, and since UWB offers precise positioning, it’s the first technology that truly offers the potential to have rock-solid support for walking right up to the door and having it unlock before you begin to reach.
I’m all in on the dream, so I bought the $270 Aqara UWB Smart Lock U400 (Amazon affiliate link) and installed it in my front door as my deadbolt, replacing an older NFC-focused smart lock. It’s been there for a couple of months now, and I’m happy to report that the “Star Trek” dream feels real.
After having owned a bunch of these, I’m struck by how robust Aqara’s lock motor is. It forcefully slides the deadbolt into place, which is helpful since my door can sometimes be slightly misaligned, and a little force from the bolt helps push it into place. (If it fails to mechanically lock, it makes a loud beeping noise to alert you that something’s wrong, which is very important if you’re walking out the door!)
I love the options the Aqara lock provides, too. Some smart locks I’ve used haven’t come with real keys, but Aqara’s does—the keyhole is normally hidden, but just drops down from the bottom of the entry panel. There’s a fingerprint sensor on the panel that can give you the Aqara equivalent of Touch ID, but only if you use the Aqara app itself. I added my print to the lock, but have never actually needed to use it. The lock also supports NFC, like my old lock, so older devices can be tapped against the pad to unlock the door. And yes, the display lights up so you can input a multi-digit code if you like.
But the star of the show is UWB unlocking, which uses your absolute positioning in space to unlock the door only when you approach it from the outside. (There’s a clever setting that lets you set what directions it will auto-unlock from, so that if a portion of your house is in front of your front door, it won’t unlock every time you walk toward the door in your garage.) Most of the time, the door audibly unlocks when I’m maybe a foot or less away from the door. Occasionally, I need to stand at the door for a moment, but rarely longer than a second or two. It worked just as well with my iPhone and with just my Apple Watch. It never unlocks accidentally when I approach it from other directions. It really does just work.
I also appreciate the Aqara lock’s approach to batteries. A not-so-fun fact about smart locks is that they require batteries. My previous smart locks have chewed up AA batteries over the course of a few months. Aqara has instead built a rechargeable battery into the lock that’s basically the size of an iPhone power bank. It’s been months, and my battery is still at 85%, so it is going to last a long time. But beyond that, it’s just an easy USB-C charge to top it back up.
You can either remove the battery and charge it wherever (while your lock stops working), or just plug in a power bank to the lock itself. Aqara cleverly suggests just putting the power bank in a bag and hanging it on the interior door latch while it charges the lock back up, which worked perfectly when I tried it.
As with many other locks, once you’ve got a smart lock attached to HomeKit, there are various automations you can run, though I haven’t ever found any of them to be particularly useful. For me, a good smart lock gives me confidence that the door is locked or will lock itself automatically (and I can check on my phone to confirm this), and opens easily.
I’ve never had a smart lock that opens more easily than the Aqara UWB Smart Lock U400. It’s not “Star Trek,” exactly, but it’s probably as close as I’m ever going to get.
2026-03-20 06:45:51
In the aftermath of an Apple product briefing for the original iPhone at Macworld Expo 2007, here’s what I wrote:
Yes, I’ve touched it.
Although the undisputed winner of the most-talked-about product award at this year’s Macworld Expo is Apple’s new iPhone, it’s actually quite a rare commodity… I don’t have an exact count, but as far as I can tell there aren’t very many real iPhones out there in the world. (And since the iPhone is still six months away from its arrival, that’s not too surprising.) And it’s too bad… let me tell you with personal experience, it’s much more impressive when it’s in your hand—or more to the point, when your finger’s running across its multi-touch screen….
I can admit that I found it quite difficult to form complete sentences while I was holding the iPhone. In terms of sheer gadget magnetism, its power can not be overstated.
I’ve always wondered what my contestant-interview anecdote would be if I were ever a contestant on “Jeopardy!”. This one would make a pretty good one, I think.
2026-03-20 05:04:28
Sports Corner! Jason and Will discuss Apple and F1, the FCC and “free” TV sports, World Cup issues, and then we make some TV picks. [Downstream+ subscribers also got to hear us talk a lot about baseball!]
