[marssaxman]

> if someone isn't choosing by OS first.

What a surprising idea! I have always and only ever chosen by OS first. Are there really a significant number of people willing to buy a computer with no concern for the type of software it will be able to run?

[Aurornis]

> Are there really a significant number of people willing to buy a computer with no concern for the type of software it will be able to run?

Most common software that typical buyers use is available on Mac or Windows: Web browsers, office software, maybe an e-mail client.

This is why Chromebooks are a viable option, too.

Even my software development workflows are mostly cross-platform when I think about it. I can run all of my IDEs and text editors on my Mac, Windows, and Linux computers.

[dheera]

> Most common software that typical buyers use is available on Mac or Windows

That's not how most people think. Most non-techies are either fluent with "how to use a Mac" or "how to use Windows" and they will just stick with that inertia.

For a lot of people, learning a new OS is an ordeal.

[MBCook]

IDK. Until the Neo you basically didn’t have a choice unless you were in the $1k+ bracket, which is not where most machines are sold.

You could buy Windows, or a very cheap Chromebook that felt like it.

People in that $600-700 range have never had a choice like this.

[dheera]

People had plenty of options in the $600-700 range. If you really wanted a Mac and price was the only thing holding back, buy used.

[blacksmith_tb]

Also possible that people have paid for licenses / apps and thus want to stay with the OS those will run on, instead of having to pay again (if it's even an option).

[stkdump]

Which is probably why Apple is now selling to students at what appears to be below cost.

[dude250711]

Besides, the Linux app is available for Windows - no need to run it bare-metal: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install

[ndsipa_pomu]

Depends on how much control you want over the hardware. I find that laptop/desktop windows installs tend to force reboots when it might not be convenient and of course there the issue of unreliable software updates.

I'd much rather have Linux be in control of the hardware and run Windows as a VM on it.

[mingus88]

Outside of tech professionals, yes.

It’s 2026 and what people don’t do in an app, they mostly do in a browser. An entire generation of “digital native” people are now adults who don’t even understand what a file system is, don’t understand folder structures, and don’t care what OS they run.

That said, having a computer that seamlessly integrates with their mobile device is a huge feature. So the MacBook neo not only being so affordable but fitting into the Apple ecosystem is a slam dunk for normal people

[jerlam]

Most regular users do everything via the web, where there is little difference between the OSes. Gaming is the only thing that comes to mind where regular users notice a dramatic difference.

[theshrike79]

I'm not exactly living paycheck to paycheck and I support FOSS where I can.

But it's really hard to justify the cost of a Framework compared to a similarly priced Macbook =(

Yes, the Framework is updateable and repairable, but on the other hand I'm regularly daily driving 4-5 year old Macbooks with zero issues. Especially when the M-series dropped, the competition is just so far behind. Even more so when considering the ability to run local LLMs on a non-gaming laptop.

[aldanor]

What type of software will you not be able to run? Your browser will work just the same, and your dev env and devtools will be just the same, and it's a posix environment. If that's what I need most and it runs just about the same on macos/linux then why not prioritize the hardware?