Apple has never been known for making affordable products. When the company launched the MacBook Neo for $599, it surprised everyone, including its biggest competitors. With the educational price of $499, the MacBook Neo is an even more attractive product for students.
As PCMag reported, Asus co-CEO SY Hsu didn’t mince words during the company’s latest earnings release, calling it a “shock to the entire industry.” He believes the entire Windows PC ecosystem, including Microsoft, Intel and AMD, is actively discussing how to respond. That’s quite a statement.
The PC industry is already feeling the heat
Hsu tried to downplay the threat a bit. He described the MacBook Neo as a “content consumer” device and compared it to an iPad rather than a traditional laptop. His argument is that it can’t handle more demanding, computationally intensive tasks and the 8GB of RAM can’t be upgraded.
He may be right about the specifications on paper, but the reality is different. Most reviewers post glowing reviews of the MacBook Neo, noting that while 8GB of RAM is a bit disappointing, it doesn’t affect performance in everyday use.
I agree with this opinion. I drove the 8GB variant of the M1 MacBook Air daily for three years and never had any problems. I didn’t upgrade to the higher RAM Apple Silicon Pro chips until I got serious about video editing.
For its target audience of students and older people, the MacBook Neo offers more than enough power and performance.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Windows PC makers
Here’s the part that’s worrying PC makers. The industry is already struggling with a memory shortage caused by AI demand, and memory prices have increased over 100% quarter over quarter. Asus itself has warned that laptop prices are likely to rise once the current storage supply runs out.
While Apple has launched a laptop for $599, Windows PC makers are expecting price increases. The storage shortage is expected to last until the end of 2027, when new storage factories finally come online.
The MacBook Neo may not be for everyone, but it’s coming at exactly the wrong time for the competition.
