No offense, but this could be the dumbest thing any tech executive has ever said about an Apple product. This is a direct quote from Asus CFO Nick Wu during the company’s Q425 earnings call last week when he was asked about the $599 MacBook Neo.
“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 — because tablets are mostly for content consumption.”
I’ll let that sink in. The MacBook Neo is absolutely not an “iPad with a keyboard” as many have labeled this device. It runs the full macOS 26 and based on my own testing for Tom’s Guide’s MacBook Neo review, this device should spell trouble for PC makers who are now scrambling for an answer.
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It’s true that the MacBook Neo can be used for content consumption like watching videos and surfing the web, but it is a real productivity tool for work, from getting research done and editing photos to doing presentations and just multitasking with several apps open.
You also get other things from the Neo that cheap Windows PCs lack, including an aluminum design, bright 500-nit display, and side-mounted speakers that don’t suck.
MacBook Neo vs my MacBook Pro
I actually replaced my MacBook Pro M4 during my week with the MacBook Neo and I was shocked at how much I didn’t miss. My MacBook Pro is definitely better at handling more than 25 tabs at any given time because it has 16GB of RAM, compared to just 8GB on the Neo. I also missed the MacBook Pro’s anti-glare display when working outdoors.
But generally speaking, the Neo handled my daily workload just fine. This laptop had no problem juggling multiple conversations in Slack, doing quick photo edits in Pixelmator and editing articles in our CMS or in Google Docs. And I oftentimes had Spotify playing in the background.
MacBook Neo vs iPads
As for the tablet comment, Asus‘ CFO is missing the point. Apple had just updated the iPad Air with the M4 chip, which is much more of a content consumption device than the MacBook Neo. You have to pay extra for the keyboard, and while the multitasking has improved in iPadOS 26, macOS 26 is still not as intuitive as a desktop OS.
The iPad Air M4 starts at $799 for the 13-inch model, and once you add a keyboard it balloons up to $1,118. That’s even pricier than the new MacBook Air M5.
Plus, the iPad Air M4 starts at $799 for the 13-inch model, and once you add a keyboard it balloons up to $1,118. That’s even pricier than the new MacBook Air M5 ($1,099).
What about the regular iPad? That starts at just $349 and you can get add a keyboard for under $600, but that’s with an underpowered A16 chip and a small 11-inch display compared to 13 inches for the MacBook Neo.
MacBook Neo a real threat to budget Windows laptops
If you’re on the fence about the Neo, I would check out our MacBook Neo benchmarks story vs Windows laptops. You’ll find that the A18 Pro chip inside this machine punches well above its weight.
You can even play some AAA games on the MacBook Neo like Cyberpunk 2077 — if you’re willing to dial the settings way down.
To be fair to Asus’ Wu, he acknowledged that the Neo is a threat, saying that all major PC vendors are now “seriously discussing how to compete with this product in the entire PC ecosystem.”
But in order to seriously compete with the MacBook Neo, you need to understand what it is. And I’d argue that Asus does not based on the CFO’s comments.
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