Macbook Neo

Dorico
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I am considering to take a Macbook Neo as an iPad replacement, when I am on tour. Just to do the odd little Dorico job, if one is needed.
Advantage, I wouldn’t be limited to the Elements(iPad) version, and have a keyboard at hand. Is this idea utopian? Will the processor manage Dorico Pro with some basic sound selections? Has anyone tried yet?

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8Gb of RAM is certainly the same as many iPad Air or Pro models that are supported. And the A18 CPU is a step up (or two) from the A16 in the “standard” iPad.

But yes: I’d stick with basic sounds: either Noteperformer or the bundled HALion samples. Your biggest obstacle will be the small disk storage.

As long as you’re not working on enormous projects, it should be fine as an “auxiliary”.

TBH, I much prefer my laptop to my iPad, which I normally only reach for as a digital view-screen (e.g. reading music on a piano, or reading/viewing content in my hand), or when I need to sketch with the pencil.

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Well, for “emergency Dorico Pro away from home,” the Neo is a realistic idea.
But as you know, for “portable main machine for serious scoring,” you’d maybe stretch to a 16 GB Air or a used/refurb M-series Mac with more memory.

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If you do purchase and have a moment to report back, some here might be interested in its performance. I was wondering this myself, my assumption was it would work for my small notation projects very well. I have a large iPad, but prefer a laptop form/function for most things.

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Thanks for your considerations.
I do actually own a powerful Macbook Pro, but it is more of a sleeping beauty, since I value the readiness and simplicity of the iPad and do not feel comfortable safeguarding an expensive computer while on the road. That is why the Neo seems like a favourable option - if it would work.

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I’m interested, too. I would prefer Dorico for iPad was Dorico Pro minus the advanced playback functions, but as it is it has too many limitations for me. So, the Neo could be a viable solution to do editing/composing away from the studio.

Hey, I did use Dorico in multiple situations with my old MacBook Pro 13” from 2015!

Paolo

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I watched a YouTube video in which the creator (who has a solid reputation) fired up a Macbook Neo, opened up every application at once (Select all, etc), including Final Cut Pro, and proceded to smoothly edit 4K video, filters and all. Rapid sweeps of the timeline with no stutter.

I haven’t tried Dorico on the Neo I just bought for one of my teens, but I’d venture to say it’s going to do just fine.

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