With the MacBook Neo, Apple probably wants to reach new groups of buyers: The focus is, among other things, on price-sensitive Windows users who receive an attractive overall package with Cupertino’s new laptop. However, if you don’t want to or can’t do without Windows entirely, you may want to consider virtualization software like Parallels Desktop. However, the developers point out that the compatibility of the virtual machine with the latest addition to the Apple family is currently not guaranteed. If the software works, some restrictions should also be expected. Parallels: MacBook Neo is not officially supported (yet).
The A18 Pro installed in the MacBook Neo is an ARM chip, but it does not belong to the M family: The developers at Parallels Desktop therefore consider it conceivable that the chip does not enable hardware support for virtual machines. These would require certain APIs, which in turn are tied to the architecture of the chip. To be certain, the developers have to try out the software on a MacBook Neo – but they don’t have a copy of the computer yet. Until the next statement from Parallels, the official assumption is that the MacBook Neo is not supported.
Possible problems: RAM and thermal load
The developers also mention some reservations even when it comes to compatibility: occasional use of Windows, for example to run older business tools, is probably not a problem. However, the MacBook Neo is “not the right choice” for computationally intensive applications. Parallels claims two reasons for this: The 8 gigabytes of unified memory are rather sparse for a virtualization solution, especially since Windows 11 already requires at least 4 gigabytes of RAM. The developers also mention the passive cooling system as a further limitation: If the CPU or GPU is under sustained load, the chip has to reduce the clock speeds.
For most buyers, the chip and RAM are probably enough
The developers’ information doesn’t come as a surprise. It is also questionable whether a significant number of MacBook Neo buyers are actually interested in having a virtual machine: Apple’s goal is certainly to integrate it into its own ecosystem and the marketing for the computer is aimed precisely in this direction. The comparatively small amount of RAM probably shouldn’t become a bottleneck for most users.
