ASUS says it straight. Apple surprised everyone

MacBook Neo caused a stir in the industry. As SY Hsu, co-president of ASUS, admitted during the conference devoted to the financial results for Q4 2025, the new Apple laptop was a big surprise for the entire market. Of course, the most emotional thing was the price. Equipment from the Cupertino company has been associated with the premium segment for years, but the Neo model debuted at only $599.

The head of ASUS revealed that information about this device reached manufacturers already in the second half of 2025. So the company had time to prepare for the premiere. The problem is that almost no one expected such an aggressive valuation. This is what made the debut of the MacBook Neo a wake-up call for the competition.

However, Hsu cools down the mood and argues that the new, cheap Apple computer is not a product without compromises. He pointed out, among others: for 8 GB RAM and not expandable. In his opinion, such a set may turn out to be insufficient in some applications, which is why the MacBook Neo itself seems to be a device aimed more at the Internet than at work.

The second barrier may be the operating system itself. Many customers have been using Windows for years and will not necessarily want to switch to macOS just because Apple has lowered the price to an unprecedented level. Hsu openly wonders whether the purchase cost alone will be a sufficient argument to convince mass consumers to change the ecosystem.

Despite these reservations, ASUS does not intend to downplay the matter. MacBook Neo also has its strengths – build quality, work culture and the screen used. According to the Taiwanese co-president, many manufacturers are already looking for a way to respond to Apple’s move, although we still have to wait to assess the real impact on the entire PC market.

This is where the most interesting thread appears. The premiere of such a cheap Apple laptop may force the industry to improve quality in the lower price range. Today, many inexpensive Windows models look like a product tailored to maximum cost cutting, especially when looking at companies like HP.