Michael Tsai’s roundup, iPadOS Post–MacBook Neo, got me thinking about how Apple’s iPad and MacBook Neo actually stack up.
As Brendan Shanks points out: for $598 you can buy a 128GB A16 iPad ($349) plus a Magic Keyboard Folio ($249) — or a 256GB A18 Pro MacBook Neo for $599. That’s a genuinely compelling comparison, and anyone spending that money should pause and think carefully about what they’re actually getting. For most people, this isn’t about raw performance; it’s about what the machine actually lets them do.
For first-time Apple buyers stepping outside the iPhone ecosystem, the choice between macOS and iPadOS is real and personal. I won’t belabor it — I’ve used both for 15 years and the split is intuitive at this point. My iPad goes everywhere; my Mac comes out when I need it. This morning I spent 90 minutes working on an iPad, then switched to Mac for a meeting that demanded heavier multitasking. It’s a balance for me.
On the merits, MacBook Neo wins the $599 matchup. More storage, more speed, a built-in keyboard and trackpad, and better build quality that will actually last. I replace my Magic Keyboards every 15 months — they crack, the nylon frays, the hinges fail. $249-349 for that? Apple’s worst product by price, full stop. That degradation penalty makes the iPad a materially worse proposition for anyone who needs a keyboard and mouse. macOS wins on the operating system front too, though that part is personal.
Here’s why I can’t fully commit to the Neo-versus-iPad framing, though: the real comparison is MacBook Air versus iPad Pro, and it isn’t even close. A 13″ iPad Pro M5 with 512GB of storage plus a Magic Keyboard runs $1,848 — the equivalent MacBook Air starts at $1,099.
That gap exposes the actual problem: Apple’s iPad pricing is broken.
iPad should start at $249. iPad Air at $399. iPad Pro at $599. Or Apple needs to stop charging $249 to $349 — effectively half the cost of the iPad itself — for a keyboard. Magic Keyboard pricing was outrageous in 2020 and it’s outrageous now. It’s a $25-to-build product sold at an insane margin.
The Magic Keyboard should retail for $99 and $149.
In a world with honest accessory pricing, iPad wins on value at the entry level and MacBook Neo becomes a clear, logical step up in price, performance, and capability. Instead, we have an iPad Pro M5 13″ with keyboard landing at $1,848 — a machine that is demonstrably less capable than a $1,099 MacBook Air, yet costs 68% more, running an operating system with worse software and limitations that are choices, not constraints.
The Neo-versus-iPad comparison is valid. It just exposes something Apple should have fixed years ago. Drop the iPad prices; drop the accessory prices and then you have a solid product line where spending $600 on a MacBook Neo is an upgrade from the comparable iPad. Just a little more money, a little more performance and MacOS.
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