The 2026 iPad Air M4: Early Impressions:
The second change is memory. The M4 brings 12GB of unified memory, up from 8GB on the M3 model. More RAM means better multitasking and more headroom for demanding tasks. Transcription in Voice Memos and background removal in Pixelmator happen almost instantly. I feel it in Lightroom as well.
My primary concern about the MacBook Neo is that I don’t think the 8 GB of RAM is enough in the current AI era of personal computing. While the quote above is about the new iPad Air, I think the point about the benefit of moving from 8 GB to 12 GB is apt.
Later in his post Om also ponders whether the Neo is a better value than the Air given it includes a keyboard. I do wonder whether Neo will affect iPad sales.
One thing that would be useful is a way to share / quote text from within the item to the blog post.
Actually, the above is included, just select the text and then click New Post. An also highlight the text, although I have no idea what happens with the highlight.
Manton Reece has released his RSS reader, InkWell. Importing the OPML from Feedland to test and it imported 132 of 135 feeds. A cool feature is that it integrates with micro.blog such that when I click “New Post” it loads the micro.blog blog post page with a link to the article, which I how I originally wrote this blog post. One thing that would be useful is a way to share / quote text from within the item to the blog post. There is also an ability to reply to the item that I am guessing are items originating from micro.blog.
More Experimentation With Android Desktop
I have paired the Nillkin folding Bluetooth keyboard to my Pixel 10, connected the phone to the BenQ monitor and enabled Android Desktop mode, thus providing me a desktop computing device. The keyboard has a built in trackpad to enable me to move the mouse on the desktop and I have figured out how to run multiple (virtual) desktops at the same time. I have ordered a portable, 15-inch monitor that I have been meaning to buy for some time as a backup display and to experiment further with this idea of really portable computing. For blogging, I am writing this in Obsidian running on the phone and I will post this item to the blog later from my MacBook.
I think the whole idea of the MacBook Neo comes down to one question, is $599 a low price?
It occurs to me, that the MacBook Neo is essentially the often desired iPad that runs MacOS.
The battle between cold and warm waged across lower Michigan the last 48 hours was deadly. Fortunately we just had a lot of rain that has given way to warm winds.
Finished reading: Power Play by Cheri Baker 📚
Finished reading: The Return of the Prodigal Son A Story of Homecoming by Henri J. M. Nouwen 📚
To me most of the AI coming from the BigCos is fluff and eye candy. Google is really guilty of this, adding AI flourishes to their Pixel phones that I don’t see as useful. I tried their AI Wallpaper generation that I don’t think produces anything interesting and I have to wonder whether their new custom icons will be any different.