Picking between the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air M4 is more than a $200 decision — it changes how you actually use the thing. I put them side by side to see which size you should actually buy.

Apple dropped two confusingly good budget machines at once: the $599 MacBook Neo and the $649 iPad Air M4. I spent a week treating each as my only computer to see which one you should actually buy.

All four MacBook Neo colors in one place — indigo, blush, citrus, and silver — so you can actually pick. Same $599 machine ($499 education): 13-inch, 2.7 lb all-aluminum, and each color has a different personality.

Last in my MacBook Neo color unboxings: silver white — Apple’s cleanest, most minimal Neo. At $599 ($499 with education), it’s the same 2.7 lb aluminum machine with a full white keyboard that looks incredible against silver.

Today I’m unboxing Apple’s MacBook Neo in citrus green — the quirkiest, most polarizing color in the lineup. At $599 ($499 with education), this all-aluminum 2.7 lb notebook is smaller than a MacBook Air and sits right between lemon and lime.

Next up: the MacBook Neo in indigo blue — and after the blush pink unboxing, this cobalt-leaning blue might be my favorite of the bunch. Same story: if you’re torn between an iPad and a Neo, I’d take the Neo unless you really need Apple Pencil.

Today I’m unboxing Apple’s MacBook Neo in blush pink — Apple’s first completely new laptop line since the MacBook Air in 2008. At $599 ($499 with education), this isn’t a toy: all-aluminum, smaller than an Air at 2.7 lb, and a trackpad that’s clickable in every corner.

I’ve been daily-driving the same M1 iPad Pro for almost five years — editing, Apple Pencil work, movies, docs, even App Store games — and it still never feels like it’s begging for a replacement. Yearly tablet upgrades look tempting, but for real tablet use the M1 leap aged so well that buying this year’s slightly refreshed iPad rarely makes sense.