The MacBook Neo marks Apple's return to basics with the A12Z chip, a key step in the long journey from iPad to Apple Silicon Macs. This chip, originally designed for the iPad Pro, powered the first experimental Apple Silicon Mac, the 2020 Developer Transition Kit (DTK). The DTK, essentially a custom Mac mini logic board with an A12Z chip, was Apple's crucial bridge between its iPad A-series chips and the M1 chip that launched the mainstream Apple Silicon era. A12Z chip was the first Apple Silicon chip to run macOS outside labs, running Big Sur on the DTK.