I’m glad I wasn’t the only one a bit shocked by Apple using the worst memory crisis in recent history to put out the most affordable MacBook it has ever launched. The Asus CFO, Nick Wu, seems similarly surprised. In a recent earnings call, he was asked about the MacBook Neo and had quite a bit to share. As spotted by PCMag, Wu said: “Given Apple’s historically very premium pricing, launching such an affordable product is certainly a shock to the entire market.”He does clarify that its rather low 8 GB of un-upgradable memory does limit its applications. He argues that, as a product, it is one more focused on content consumption. Wu clarifies that the Neo is a tad different to standard MacBooks, whose silicon M chips are capable of powerful video/audio/image editing, and even some gaming. “The Neo feels more like a tablet,” he says, “because tablets are mostly for content consumption.”The MacBook Neo is an interesting device. Looking like a traditional MacBook (though with a few neat colourways), it’s kitted out with the A18 Pro chip that found in the iPhone 16, plus 8 GB of what Apple calls ‘unified memory’. That’s to say it’s got specifically designed memory that implements software/hardware handshakes to get a little more performance out of the specs. The base model (available for $599) comes with 256 GB of SSD storage, and the 512 GB device costs $100 more.

Though we haven’t got ou hands on it, our pals over at Tom’s Hardware say it’s a “budget-priced game changer”, praising its design and feel. Despite its relatively low specs, it seems like a bit of a home run for Apple, and it arriving in the middle of the RAMpocalypse must catch the attention of manufacturers. Wu says, “I believe all PC vendors, including upstream vendors like Microsoft, Intel and AMD, they’re all taking this very seriously, seriously discussing how to compete with this product in the entire PC ecosystem.”One thing worth noting with the MacBook Neo is the convenience of it all. I think, if I were given $600 and told to pick up a device, I’d likely hold out for a refurbished M chip MacBook, or even a Mac Mini, which I contend is one of the best hardware packages out there for the price right now. Otherwise, we’ve seen recent Snapdragon-based laptops come down to similar prices. But the fact that you can buy a pretty, new MacBook directly from the Apple store, without having to shop smart or worry about stock, is certainly part of the charm here. Wu reckons “the entire PC system will launch corresponding products to compete with Apple”, but Apple is a company that gets away with lower specs like no other. The M4 MacBook Air (from March 2025) was the first MacBook to launch with a base 16 GB of memory. Before that, base models of MacBook came with 8 GB. The M3 MacBook also came with a base storage of 256 GB, which would be almost unheard of for comparably priced devices. It will be interesting to see how companies plan on competing with that price point, and what compromises they will make themselves. Though it may be a shock, Wu doesn’t know if it will be enough to tear people away from their beloved Windows / AMD-based laptops. “Apple’s faction versus the Intel faction have a somewhat segmented customer base due to software differences. It’s not as easy for users to switch between these 2 ecosystems,” Wu says. “Is the price of that product entering the mainstream sufficient for incentive? That really remains to be seen.”