Today was another brutal day in the world of tech. Layoffs are becoming the norm, not the exception, in this industry. Meta just parted ways with roughly 10% of its workforce—about 8,000 people. Coming after multiple previous rounds of cuts, today’s news has left me reflecting on what these companies actually owe their employees.

I know few people are shedding tears for the “beleaguered tech worker.” Many are extraordinarily well-compensated, especially when compared to the average American. But that doesn’t change the reality that 8,000 people are now without a steady source of income. It’s stressful, it’s painful, and it can take a deep emotional toll on the people impacted.

I understand the business cycle, and I get that companies feel intense pressure to keep up with the expectations of Wall Street. I just wish they didn’t treat people as disposable assets.

Leadership has a responsibility to the people they employ and to their families. Executives should weigh that responsibility heavily before setting hundreds of billions of dollars on fire chasing AI superintelligence, “pivoting to video,” or whatever the next trend might be. If you are going to make those massive bets with human livelihoods on the line, you had better be right.

Overview

I couldn’t help myself—I picked up a “high-end” MacBook Neo on launch day.

As the unofficial tech support person for friends and family, I justified it by telling myself, “I need to be able to give informed opinions on this thing.” Totally reasonable. Definitely not an excuse to buy a new laptop.

After about a week of using it on and off, I can say this confidently:

The MacBook Neo is really, really good.

Design: Shockingly Premium for the Price

Starting at $499 with education pricing, I expected this thing to feel like Apple’s “budget” laptop.

It doesn’t.

The Neo feels surprisingly premium—much closer to a MacBook Air or even a lower-end Pro than I expected. The chassis is solid, the keyboard feels excellent, and overall it doesn’t scream “cheap” in any way.

Apple apparently cut a few corners with the display. No True Tone. No DCI-P3 color gamut.

If you’re a photographer, video editor, or someone who color grades for a living, maybe that matters.

For me? I genuinely can’t tell.

The screen still looks sharp, bright, and exactly what I’d expect from a modern Apple laptop.

The trackpad is another pleasant surprise. Apple went back to a mechanical mechanism here, and yes, I can feel a slight difference compared to the higher-end MacBooks. But it’s tiny. More importantly, it still feels better than basically EVERY Windows laptop trackpad I’ve used.

One thing that really surprised me: this laptop feels dense.

I actually expected it to weigh less than a MacBook Air before Apple announced it. Instead, it has a little heft to it—and weirdly, I think that helps. It makes the whole thing feel more substantial and premium.

Also: COLORS.

I went with Citrus, and I love it. But Blush and Indigo are both really fun too. It’s honestly refreshing to see Apple offer brighter, more playful colors in the Mac lineup again.

Performance: Better Than Most People Need

By now, everyone knows the Neo ships with the A18 Pro chip from last year’s iPhone.

That sounds like a compromise on paper.

In real-world use? For most people, it really isn’t.

I tried to evaluate this machine like a normal user—not like someone benchmarking export times or stress-testing thermals.

And honestly, I only noticed performance issues twice.

The first was setup.

Getting everything installed took longer than it does on more expensive Macs. My guess is that the slower SSD is doing most of the damage there.

The second was Xcode—specifically running the iPhone simulator.

It works, but it’s the one thing that felt noticeably sluggish and kind of unpleasant.

Outside of that? This machine handled basically everything I threw at it.

Multiple Chrome windows. Too many tabs. Xcode. VS Code. Discord. Ivory. Random background apps. The usual chaos.

It was fine.

And that’s what makes this laptop so compelling.

For $600–$700, I honestly think this might be one of the best computers you can buy.

Even the 8GB RAM configuration held up better than I expected.

Verdict: Easy Recommendation

If you want a Mac and you’re trying to stay under $1000, I can recommend the MacBook Neo without hesitation.

If your budget allows it, I’d absolutely go for the 512GB model with Touch ID. The extra storage is worth having, and Touch ID is one of those small conveniences you miss immediately when it’s gone.

For high school students, general college use, everyday productivity, browsing, writing, coding, and normal work? This thing makes a ton of sense.

Unless you’re doing heavier engineering, serious creative work, or something particularly demanding…

The MacBook Neo is kind of a killer value.