During a recent earnings call, ASUS Co-CEO S.Y. Hsu did not hold back, describing Apple’s affordable new MacBook Neo laptop as a “shock” to the entire PC industry, according to PC Mag.
For years, Apple has been synonymous with premium pricing, but the launch of a CAD $799 machine is forcing the Windows ecosystem to rethink its strategy. In comments translated from Chinese, Hsu noted that the PC industry, including giants like Microsoft, Intel, and AMD, is taking the MacBook Neo threat very seriously.
“In the past, Apple’s pricing situation has always been high,” Hsu said. He explained that releasing such an affordable product is a major shift that has already sparked numerous discussions within the PC ecosystem about how to remain competitive.
Despite the initial surprise, the ASUS executive was quick to point out what he sees as the Neo’s limitations. He described the device as being geared more toward “content consumption” rather than heavy productivity, comparing it to an iPad or a tablet. This perspective is largely based on the laptop’s fixed specifications. The MacBook Neo ships with 8GB of unified memory that cannot be upgraded by the user, a move that Hsu suggests might limit its appeal.
However, many industry analysts and reviewers disagree with the idea that the Neo is just a media player. The laptop is powered by the A18 Pro chip, the same powerful silicon found in the iPhone 16 Pro, and has earned high marks for its performance in everyday tasks, light photo editing, and student workflows.
The timing of the MacBook Neo’s release is also creating a storm for the PC market. The industry is currently grappling with a significant AI-driven memory shortage. This supply chain crunch has caused the price of RAM to skyrocket, which in turn is pushing up the retail prices of Windows laptops.
With a starting price of $799 in Canada (and an even lower for education), the MacBook Neo hits a price point where Windows laptops often struggle to provide a premium build quality.
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I know that more RAM is always better, but the nagging complaint by some of the Mac fan base that 8GB RAM is unworkable for all but the simplest of tasks is perhaps a bit simplistic.
There’s a YouTube out there where the reviewer opens every app in a Neo, and then starts up his video editor. To his surprise, no stuttering or freezing or crashing. Opens Photoshop and works on a couple of images. Slowing down, but no crashes.
Yeah, loads of RAM would be lovely – but Neo with 8GB may prove to be more capable than even Apple wants to acknowledge.