A Mac by Any Other Name

You know what they say about something that quacks like a duck… If a computer builds apps in Xcode like a Mac, efficiently calls built-in device models like a Mac, runs terminal commands like a Mac, browses the web in Safari like a Mac, and plays Apple Music, and syncs Notes through iCloud, and my fifteen year old Ulysses library, and messages to my friends like a Mac, then it’s probably a Mac. But when it finally runs out of power, and I go back to the box, and find an iPad charger, maybe this isn’t your ordinary Mac.

An iPad loses charge after a day of doing less. “But Rob,” you say, and you’re right. I’m being silly. If I use the 35W charger from my MacBook Air, this Mac will charge faster. So the iPad charger doesn’t mean anything… right? Yet another cost saving measure. Perhaps¹, but the Mac will still last me most of the week on a single charge. “But so could the MacBook Air” and you’re right again.

Here’s the point.

The MacBook Air has a 53.8 watt-hour battery, while this Mac only has a 36.5 watt-hour battery. The iPad (Air 13”) has a comparable 36.59 watt-hour battery. This Mac has an iPad battery, and an iPad power supply, but the battery life you’d expect from a Mac.

I’ve been exuberant about the MacBook Neo online, buying my own the moment the stores opened. Since rumored, I’ve been curious to know a particular dimension of the device: its depth. The MacBook Neo measures 11.71 inches by 8.12 inches (29.75cm x 20.64cm) according to its marketing page. The width, almost 12 inches, is a familiar measurement.

Consider comparable “small” machines:²³⁴⁵⁶

The “nearly 12 inch” width appears to be a magical threshold, likely due to the width of a full-size keyboard. The differences in depth appear negligible, until you use one on an airplane. Those who owned the 11” MacBook Air knew it was a champ for air travel. It was narrow enough you could place a drink next to it on the tray. And the screen didn’t sit very high. You wouldn’t worry about the person in front suddenly reclining their seat. In contrast, I can’t fully open a 13” MacBook Air on most airline trays.

The MacBook Neo sits between the 11” MacBook Air and the modern 13” MacBook Air in height. While I haven’t had a chance to test on a plane, by measured height at least, the Neo is short enough to survive a trip across the continent. As the table shows, the Neo isn’t “very small” when compared with the likes of the 12” MacBook and Surface Laptop Go 3. Why isn’t it smaller? My hunch is the aspect ratio of the display.

The 11” MacBook Air had a novel 16:9 display, which many believe was its Achilles’ heel.⁷ The Neo sports a more conventional 16:10 display, forgoing the notch, with a pleasant black bezel along the edge. 16:10 is a more common ratio for displays, and is considered more useful for normal computer tasks. And while I would love a half-height top row like the 11” MacBook Air, and the commiserate savings in device depth, I appreciate that could compromise the Touch ID button, and I’m rather fond of Touch ID on Macs.

Even with the full height top row, the Neo gives off serious 11” MacBook Air energy, perhaps because they share a dimension, and an aspect ratio more cinematic than their contemporaries. And while the Neo doesn’t have the wedge shape, Hemingway might remark “[Neo] was built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht”.

Maybe it’s nonsensical to consider a Mac solely on its ability to fit on an airline tray. Or its ability to recharge from a tiny phone battery I can carry in my pants pocket. Only that’s exactly the computer I’ve always wanted. Any computer, but all the better it’s a Mac with gorgeous typography, clear and vibrant screen, excellent trackpad, keyboard shortcuts I’m used to, and all of the tools, apps, and compilers I need to build things.

I would have sacrificed more speed or have paid more money to get this computer, but here again the Neo impresses. Maybe you wrote it off as the cheap computer that doesn’t give you everything you need. I found a computer that asks for less from me, less desk space, and less space in my bag, and less power, and less money. Despite asking for less, it gives me more.

And that is a computer worth celebrating.