Everyone’s been talking about the MacBook Neo, but what I actually wanted to dig into is what the iPad looks like in a post‑Neo world. In this video I compare the MacBook Neo to Apple’s M4 iPad Air, because the weird part is they can start at basically the same price: $600. But once you factor in what the iPad actually needs to feel complete—Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil—you’re suddenly around $1,000, while the Neo is a full laptop with a keyboard and trackpad starting at $600 (and more storage, too). From there it becomes a very “human” decision. The iPad Air is more flexible: touchscreen, Apple Pencil, better speakers, better front camera, and that magical tablet feeling you can use anywhere—bed, couch, plane. But the Neo wins on pure laptop practicality and, honestly, software. macOS is the full desktop experience with a real file manager, full browsers, easy downloads, and pro app support—while iPadOS, even though it’s the best it’s ever been, still feels like a supercar stuck with bicycle tires. My takeaway: if you want touch + Pencil + specific iPad apps, get the iPad. If you want a real computer that can handle daily life (and more than you expect), the Neo makes the iPad a harder sell.