If I happened to be one of Apple’s newly-introduced M5 MacBook Pro systems, I would feel a bit as if the equally new MacBook Neo had just strutted into the party like the star of the song.

Yes, the incredibly disruptive Neo is a strong option for almost anyone who needs an affordable general purpose computer. But let’s not forget what Apple’s higher-end range brings to the (party) table with the power and performance high-end users need for the most demanding tasks. 

What’s the data?

In essence, the power they contain means you can use a MacBook Pro to build 3D models almost as easily as you use a Neo to make a spreadsheet. Geekbench proves my point. (I’ve included the M1 chip as a comparison.) Look at these Geekbench scores and you’ll see what I mean:

• M1 Mac: 2,386 single-core; 8,571 multi-core.
• MacBook Neo: 3,467 single-core; 8,668 multi-core.
• M5 Mac: 4,227 single-core; 17,802 multi-core.
• M5 Pro Mac: 4,280 single-core; 28,030 multi-core.
• M5 Max Mac: 4,268 single-core; 29,159 multi-core.

The data shows, that for the toughest multi-core tasks, Apple has more than tripled computational performance in just five years. It is also relevant to note Apple’s statement that the M5 Pro/Mac systems deliver over six times the peak AI compute we got from the original M1 systems.

That’s faster progress than Moore’s Law, which says computational performance should double every 18-24 months, and that trajectory shows how quickly Apple’s Macs have become highly competitive at the highest reaches of the PC industry. Gone are the thermal throttling limitations that plagued Intel Macs during high-end tasks, in comes the capacity to use Apple’s computers when sustained performance is required.

Macs were always good, which is why millions made use of them, But the introduction of Apple Silicon improved them with a degree of hardware excellence they had lacked.

This is formula one

Together, this meant that the performance of an entry-level MacBook Air was better than an Intel-based MacBook Pro, while — like the F1-series vehicles currently turning Apple executives eyes — MacBook Pro performance, including in the new M5 Pro/Max systems, sped ahead on the autobahn. 

The truth is that performance on both pro and the entry-level Macs has accelerated to the point that it has created a big gap at the low end, which MacBook Neo and its iPhone chip can easily fill. That means Apple’s traditional two-part Pro/Consumer product matrix has been transformed into Good, Better, and Best options. 

Furthermore, Apple’s silicon development seems to be accelerating so swiftly it is creating space for an all-new ‘Ultra’ tier for the most demanding users, recent reports claim. 

As a result, the number of people Apple can offer a Mac to is growing as rapidly as the product matrix. Future Ultra Macs will take that reach all the way up to the very, very top tiers currently served by furiously expensive PC workstations, while the Neo range (which I’m willing to bet gets a backlit keyboard and more memory next year) extends its hand all the way to students and general purpose computer users.

General purpose doesn’t mean average

Don’t neglect that — despite being an entry-level, $599 system — the MacBook Neo is faster for general purpose (single-core) tasks than the M3 Macs Apple introduced in October 2023. Here are the Geekbench numbers:

• MacBook Neo: 3,467 single-core, 8,668 multi-core.
• M3 Mac: 3,135 single-core, 12,042 multi-core.

The M3 retains the edge for complex tasks, of course, and it will always be true that if your work involves anything more than casual video or image editing, you should aim for a more advanced Mac than a Neo.

The thing is by pointing out just how powerful the iPhone chip inside a MacBook Neo has become in Mac performance terms, I’m also attempting to illustrate the phenomenal advances Apple has made at the high-end of its range. If you want to surf the web and write emails you’ll get a Neo; if you need to research and develop AI models, or run any kind of workloads that demand maximum GPU compute and high unified memory bandwidth, the M5 Max MacBook Pro can deliver.

Apple is becoming cheap

Another slice of context: 

A TrendForce report earlier this week tells us to expect steep (40%) price increases for PC notebooks as manufacturers grapple with dramatic cost spikes for memory and CPUs. This is a much bigger problem for Windows OEMs than for Apple, in part because Apple controls manufacturing of its own processors. That makes them cheaper to obtain, and while the company is putting more memory in some Macs, it can still deliver these high performance experiences with less RAM than an equivalent PC would require.

Apple has always worked to get more from less memory. But as the AI evolution causes memory prices to spike, that lean approach leaves the Mac maker more resistant to component-driven price increases than competitors. 

Never been a better time to offer up Mac

In short, Macs no longer seem so expensive, and for IT purchasers it suggests that there has never been a better time to introduce Macs to your employee tech preference schemes. And, of course, with Apple Silicon, the future should look even better tomorrow.

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