Even earlier than the MacBook Neo evaluations had been out, we predicted two issues. One was that the 8GB RAM could be a bottleneck for the price range MacBook, and judging from the “evaluate unit” movies, at the very least among the creators, like MKBHD, had been sincere sufficient to let the folks know that this isn’t a magic RAM that punches above its 8GB capability.
The second factor we predicted was that the $599 MacBook Neo would problem Home windows PCs in the identical worth vary, but it surely wouldn’t trigger a substantial decline in Home windows market share, as some consider. We didn’t arrive at that conclusion out of pure optimism; we simply knew how the market would reply, and it seems, we had been proper.
Throughout ASUSTeK’s This autumn 2025 earnings name, Chief Monetary Officer Nick Wu replied to a query about Apple’s new price range MacBook Neo and its potential affect on the PC market. Wu acknowledged that the product had caught the eye of the whole ecosystem. In truth, he described Apple launching a $599 MacBook as “a shock to the whole market.”
However Wu’s extra basic level was not that Apple would all of a sudden dominate the PC business. As an alternative, he steered the other final result.
In response to ASUS, PC distributors, together with upstream companions like Microsoft, Intel, and AMD, are already discussing how to answer Apple’s transfer. Wu mentioned the business is actively evaluating the way to compete with the MacBook Neo, and that the PC ecosystem will in the end launch competing merchandise.
As we mentioned months earlier than its launch, the MacBook Neo might not destroy the Home windows laptop computer market. Nevertheless it might drive the PC business to construct higher machines on the similar worth level.
ASUS CFO says the MacBook Neo shocked the PC business
On the firm’s This autumn 2025 earnings name, Yuanta Securities requested how ASUS views the affect on the 2026 PC market from Apple’s just lately launched inexpensive model of the MacBook, the MacBook Neo. The reply was, in reality, given by Nick Wu, the Chief Monetary Officer at ASUS, in contrast to the social media drama that mentioned it was the CEO of ASUS.
Wu’s response was additionally far much less dramatic than the headlines that adopted.
“We heard concerning the MacBook Neo shipments coming on-line again within the second half of final 12 months. We made some inside preparations, however after the product formally launched, we discovered the specs to have some limitations”
Wu additionally made it clear that the MacBook Neo isn’t essentially designed to interchange the everyday Home windows productiveness laptop computer.
In response to the CFO, the machine comes with 8GB of reminiscence that can not be upgraded, which can restrict sure workloads. He steered that Apple might have positioned the Neo extra for content material consumption.
And, after all, the assertion that made all of the headlines, making folks assume that the PC business is in a state of panic:
“Given Apple’s traditionally very premium pricing, launching such an inexpensive product is actually a shock to the whole market.”
The true message from ASUS is that the PC ecosystem will reply
Probably the most attention-grabbing a part of Wu’s response got here when he mentioned how the remainder of the business is reacting. In response to him, Apple’s transfer is already being taken critically throughout the PC ecosystem. Distributors and expertise companions are actively discussing the way to reply.
“I consider our PC distributors, together with upstream distributors like Microsoft, Intel, and AMD, they’re all taking this very critically, discussing the way to compete with this product in the whole PC ecosystem.”
The CFO reassured buyers that there are a whole lot of ongoing discussions about how the PC business can compete with the Neo, and likewise talked about that it’s not simple for customers to all of a sudden change from Home windows to macOS. Nonetheless, Wu concluded by saying that Home windows OEMs will launch PCs which are much like the MacBook Neo, which is certainly what excites me essentially the most.
“the whole PC system will launch corresponding merchandise to compete with Apple.”
What’s occurring within the PC business?
In response to Gartner’s worldwide PC cargo estimates, the worldwide market shipped roughly 270 million PCs in 2025. The market stays extremely aggressive, with a number of main producers sharing international demand.
The estimated vendor market share for 2025 appears roughly like this:
- Lenovo – 27.2%
- HP – 21.3%
- Dell – 15.3%
- Apple – 9.2%
- ASUS – 6.9%
Crucial takeaway right here is that even after 6 years with glorious M-series chips, the MacBook Air, and the MacBook Professional that YouTubers rave about, Apple nonetheless represents lower than 10% of the worldwide PC market.
So, for the MacBook Neo to all of a sudden trigger the demise of Home windows laptops within the already extremely aggressive $600 to $800 worth vary could be an overestimation.
Gartner estimates that international PC shipments grew about 9% 12 months over 12 months, because the market steadily recovers from the pandemic-era slowdown.
A number of elements are contributing to this restoration:
- company PC refresh cycles
- Home windows improve waves
- the rise of AI PCs
- continued demand for gaming {hardware}
In truth, the PC market is stabilizing once more, however not for lengthy, and never due to Apple.
The true strain on PC distributors isn’t Apple, however the part costs
If there may be one issue that’s genuinely worrying PC producers proper now, it’s the price of parts.
Throughout the earnings name, ASUS executives mentioned the rising value of reminiscence and different {hardware} parts. Nick Wu defined that reminiscence costs have already elevated greater than 100% between the fourth quarter and the primary quarter, and shortages might persist for a number of years.
In response to ASUS, provide constraints within the reminiscence market might final till at the very least 2027, largely as a result of semiconductor capability growth takes time.
Producers are at present dealing with strain from a number of instructions:
- DRAM provide constraints
- large demand from AI servers and knowledge facilities
- restricted manufacturing growth throughout the semiconductor business
This implies OEMs should always stability part prices and laptop computer pricing to stay aggressive.
Why Apple getting into this phase may very well assist customers
Many options that are actually commonplace in Home windows laptops turned widespread after Apple launched them first. Excessive-resolution shows turned widespread throughout Home windows units after Apple launched Retina shows. Precision touchpads improved dramatically after the MacBook trackpad set new usability expectations. Extra just lately, Apple Silicon accelerated curiosity in ARM-based laptops throughout the Home windows ecosystem.
The MacBook Neo might set off the same impact within the price range phase.
Home windows OEMs might introduce machines that ship stronger worth on the similar magic $599 vary because the MacBook Neo. The impact I’m hoping for is best design and construct high quality within the $600 vary Home windows PCs.
The actual fact is that there are already many Home windows PCs on this worth phase that provide a lot better worth than the MacBook Neo, however what’s missing is Desirability.
My sincere suggestion to PC producers is to model their merchandise higher. With a ton of laptops, a number of manufacturers, quite a few processor names and SKUs, folks can’t be anticipated to recollect which of them are the perfect for a worth phase, and I’m not even speaking concerning the price range phase.
For instance, the Lenovo Yoga Professional 7i Aura Version is a superb piece of {hardware}, minus the awfully lengthy identify.
Years of competitors within the $600 vary have given us Home windows laptops with glorious worth, now the subsequent half is determining a solution to make them fascinating just like the MacBooks.
