Budget MacBook Neo 'Shocks' Asus Chief, Says PC Industry Discussing 'How To Compete'

Apple's entry into the budget-level market with the MacBook Neo has sent shockwaves through the PC industry, especially the Windows ecosystem. Speaking at a recent earnings call, Asus Co-CEO SY Hsu noted that the aggressive starting pricing of MacBook Neo may force the PC industry to respond, which did not previously have to compete with Apple in the low-end market segment.

“In the past, Apple's pricing situation has always been high, so for them to release a very budget-friendly product, this is obviously a shock to the entire industry,” said Hsu in Chinese, as per PC Mag.

"In fact, in the entire PC ecosystem, there have been a lot of discussions about how to compete with this product," he added.

While Hsu pointed to limitations like the non-upgradeable 8GB RAM, he acknowledged that the industry is now scrambling to respond to Apple's newfound price competitiveness.

“For example, the memory is not upgradeable, and it only has 8GB of memory. This may limit certain applications. So, I think when Apple petitioned the product, it's probably focused more on content consumption. This differs somewhat from mainstream notebook usage scenarios, because in that case, the Neo feels more like a tablet," Hsu said.

“How big of an impact [the MacBook Neo] will have on the PC industry will still require some time for us to observe. Of course, the entire Windows PC ecosystem will push out products to compete against Apple," he added.

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MacBook Neo

The brand new entry-level MacBook Neo made its debut at the in-person event last Wednesday (Mar 4). This new 13-inch laptop comes packed with Apple's A18 Pro chip (also found in the iPhone 16 Pro), 256GB of storage, two USB-C ports and 8GB of RAM. The upgraded 512GB model includes a Touch ID sensor.

MacBook Neo: India Pricing

The MacBook Neo is priced in India at Rs. 69,900 for the base configuration with 8GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage. The variant with 512GB of storage costs Rs. 79,900. Apple offers the laptop in Blush, Citrus, Indigo, and Silver colour options. It is available through the Apple online store and authorised retailers starting March 11.

With the Neo, it's apparent that Apple is trying to gain a foothold in the budget laptop field, which is currently flooded with Google Chromebooks and economy Microsoft Windows machines.