Out of the box
The MacBook Neo is available in silver, blush, indigo, and citrus; I’ve worked with a silver model (provided by Apple for testing). Encased in recycled aluminium, there’s something about this model that reminds me of older MacBook Pros, which makes it a true tech story of how computing once beyond people’s reach is steadily becoming widely available.
I was immediately taken by a small detail in the internal packaging where the tag you had to pull to open everything up was emblazoned with the word, “Hello.” This was a nice welcome gesture to any new owner, while also hardening back to the first ever Macintosh to make an Apple watcher’s eyes smile. Inside the box you’ll find the Mac, a USB-C cable and, in some markets, a power brick.
Open it up, and the display springs to life, and after a few moments you’ll be set up with your new Mac system and ready to go. Everything is simple and thought out for you, and you shouldn’t encounter friction as you begin your MacBook Neo journey; it uses the same first start- routine Apple has perfected over years of Mac development. I was ready to go inside five minutes, and while it takes a little more time to repopulate all your apps and files, if you use iCloud you can pretty much get started with tasks immediately.
