{"id":1900985,"date":"2026-04-24T17:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1900985"},"modified":"2026-04-24T17:00:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:00:18","slug":"pc-makers-are-gonna-struggle-making-a-macbook-neo-killer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1900985","title":{"rendered":"PC Makers Are Gonna Struggle Making a MacBook Neo Killer"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Apple-Macbook-Neo-March-4th-7-1200×675.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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The PC industry does not have a direct competitor for Apple\u2019s hit $600 MacBook Neo\u2014at least not yet. Intel\u2019s latest low-end chips may provide PC makers their best opportunity to strike back at Apple, but it won\u2019t be easy. Apple\u2019s competitors will need to do more than focus on pure budget performance to offer something as appealing as the Neo\u2019s design.<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The MacBook Neo has \u201conly\u201d 8GB of unified memory and runs on an iPhone chip, the A18 Pro. Despite that, it\u2019s become one of the hottest-selling laptops of the year. To punch back at Apple, Intel dropped details on its new Wildcat Lake processors earlier this month. They\u2019re built on the same Intel 18a process node as the company\u2019s Panther Lake chips, aka the latest Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips you\u2019ve probably seen in a ton of laptops already this year.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

First look at an Intel Wild Cat Lake laptop in the wild. 2 Cougar Cove P + 4 Darkmont E cores 17 W PL1 and 35 W PL2 \/ 22 W PL1 Max \/ 11 W fanless
17 TOPS NPU
2 Xe cores
Thin and light design
Looks like a perfect laptop for the beach, innit \ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udfd6\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/MCsCVbpM4A<\/p>\n

\u2014 Vaidyanathan S (@Geeky_Vaidy) April 23, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

No, we don\u2019t yet have a Wildcat Lake laptop to compare with the MacBook Neo. However, Notebookcheck managing editor Vaidyanathan Subramaniam shared\u00a0images of an early reference laptop that Intel presented at a showcase in India. The chip inside that laptop features two Cougar Cove P (performance) cores and four Darkmont low-power E (efficiency) cores. It\u2019s backed by two Xe3 GPU cores and a 17 TOPS NPU, built for minute background AI tasks. The chipmaker said processors like the Intel Core 7\u00a0360 promise between 20% and two times the performance in some benchmarks compared to previous-gen Intel Core 7 150U low-end chips.<\/p>\n

Whether that\u2019s enough to take on Apple\u2019s A18 Pro chip, first featured in the iPhone 16 Pro, is an open question. But that reference laptop in the pictures is already appealing thanks to the soft cyan to white gradient on the laptop lid. A major aspect of the MacBook Neo\u2019s appeal is its subtle pink, indigo, and yellow tones. A colorful chassis is like catnip to anybody tired of the same old silver or black shell.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Windows PCs are no longer cheaper than Macs<\/h2>\n
\"Intel
\u00a9 Intel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Intel\u2019s general manager of consumer PCs, Josh Newman, said during the launch of Core Series 3-powered laptops that they were designed for \u201cvalue-oriented computing with exceptional battery life\u201d for use in schools or small businesses. All the major PCmakers have promised Wildcat Lake PCs from existing or future laptop lines. Most of these are retreads of existing productivity-class laptops with dull gray shells. Sleek \u201ccosmic blue\u201d devices like Lenovo\u2019s Ideapad Slim 5i currently cost $900. An upcoming version with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus chip will demand $850.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Wildcat Lake is designed to be cheap. For the first time in years, Intel is not in a financial hole. The chipmaker proclaimed it was its latest Panther Lake chips that made this last quarter a success. But Intel Core Series 3 PCs are some of the most expensive lightweight laptops you can buy today. You can\u2019t make a PC with a premium-feeling aluminum chassis, quality screen, powerful speakers, and solid controls and still cost $600 without a relatively inexpensive chip. At the same time, any PC that hopes to reach the MacBook Neo\u2019s price will have to take into account the cost of a Windows 11 license as well, which can add more than $100 to a product\u2019s price tag.<\/p>\n

Anshel Sag, a PC industry analyst of Moor Insights & Strategy, told Gizmodo over email that Intel\u2019s new chips are Windows PCs\u2019 \u201cbest chance\u201d against the MacBook Neo. \u201cThe memory crunch has completely changed the equation in the low end of the market so much so that I believe entire categories could disappear,\u201d he said. He added that 18A yields are \u201cimproving,\u201d and Panther Lake and Wildcat Lake may be more available \u201cif Intel doesn\u2019t reallocate even more 18A capacity\u201d for datacenters and servers.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\"MacBook
The MacBook Neo feels better than any other laptop currently does at its price point. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Apple has vertical integration on its side. Using leftover iPhone 16 Pro chips with the A18 Pro let the tech giant funnel those savings into a better-feeling laptop. Because of its dominating position in tech, Apple has more leverage over its memory suppliers. Major PC makers like Lenovo, Dell, and Microsoft itself have hiked prices across their gaming and productivity platforms, all thanks to the spiking cost of RAM.<\/p>\n

We may not have to wait long to see Wildcat Lake in action. The annual Computex tech conference in Taipei, Taiwan, is around the corner. We may see the new generation of super-cheap PCs from brands like Dell. Time will tell. The eventual price of these upcoming devices will tell us more.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/article>\n

\n

The PC industry does not have a direct competitor for Apple\u2019s hit $600 MacBook Neo\u2014at least not yet. Intel\u2019s latest low-end chips may provide PC makers their best opportunity to strike back at Apple, but it won\u2019t be easy. Apple\u2019s competitors will need to do more than focus on pure budget performance to offer something as appealing as the Neo\u2019s design.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The MacBook Neo has \u201conly\u201d 8GB of unified memory and runs on an iPhone chip, the A18 Pro. Despite that, it\u2019s become one of the hottest-selling laptops of the year. To punch back at Apple, Intel dropped details on its new Wildcat Lake processors earlier this month. They\u2019re built on the same Intel 18a process node as the company\u2019s Panther Lake chips, aka the latest Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips you\u2019ve probably seen in a ton of laptops already this year.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

First look at an Intel Wild Cat Lake laptop in the wild. 2 Cougar Cove P + 4 Darkmont E cores 17 W PL1 and 35 W PL2 \/ 22 W PL1 Max \/ 11 W fanless
17 TOPS NPU
2 Xe cores
Thin and light design
Looks like a perfect laptop for the beach, innit \ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udfd6\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/MCsCVbpM4A<\/p>\n

\u2014 Vaidyanathan S (@Geeky_Vaidy) April 23, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

No, we don\u2019t yet have a Wildcat Lake laptop to compare with the MacBook Neo. However, Notebookcheck managing editor Vaidyanathan Subramaniam shared\u00a0images of an early reference laptop that Intel presented at a showcase in India. The chip inside that laptop features two Cougar Cove P (performance) cores and four Darkmont low-power E (efficiency) cores. It\u2019s backed by two Xe3 GPU cores and a 17 TOPS NPU, built for minute background AI tasks. The chipmaker said processors like the Intel Core 7\u00a0360 promise between 20% and two times the performance in some benchmarks compared to previous-gen Intel Core 7 150U low-end chips.<\/p>\n

Whether that\u2019s enough to take on Apple\u2019s A18 Pro chip, first featured in the iPhone 16 Pro, is an open question. But that reference laptop in the pictures is already appealing thanks to the soft cyan to white gradient on the laptop lid. A major aspect of the MacBook Neo\u2019s appeal is its subtle pink, indigo, and yellow tones. A colorful chassis is like catnip to anybody tired of the same old silver or black shell.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Windows PCs are no longer cheaper than Macs<\/h2>\n
\"Intel
\u00a9 Intel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Intel\u2019s general manager of consumer PCs, Josh Newman, said during the launch of Core Series 3-powered laptops that they were designed for \u201cvalue-oriented computing with exceptional battery life\u201d for use in schools or small businesses. All the major PCmakers have promised Wildcat Lake PCs from existing or future laptop lines. Most of these are retreads of existing productivity-class laptops with dull gray shells. Sleek \u201ccosmic blue\u201d devices like Lenovo\u2019s Ideapad Slim 5i currently cost $900. An upcoming version with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus chip will demand $850.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Wildcat Lake is designed to be cheap. For the first time in years, Intel is not in a financial hole. The chipmaker proclaimed it was its latest Panther Lake chips that made this last quarter a success. But Intel Core Series 3 PCs are some of the most expensive lightweight laptops you can buy today. You can\u2019t make a PC with a premium-feeling aluminum chassis, quality screen, powerful speakers, and solid controls and still cost $600 without a relatively inexpensive chip. At the same time, any PC that hopes to reach the MacBook Neo\u2019s price will have to take into account the cost of a Windows 11 license as well, which can add more than $100 to a product\u2019s price tag.<\/p>\n

Anshel Sag, a PC industry analyst of Moor Insights & Strategy, told Gizmodo over email that Intel\u2019s new chips are Windows PCs\u2019 \u201cbest chance\u201d against the MacBook Neo. \u201cThe memory crunch has completely changed the equation in the low end of the market so much so that I believe entire categories could disappear,\u201d he said. He added that 18A yields are \u201cimproving,\u201d and Panther Lake and Wildcat Lake may be more available \u201cif Intel doesn\u2019t reallocate even more 18A capacity\u201d for datacenters and servers.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\"MacBook
The MacBook Neo feels better than any other laptop currently does at its price point. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Apple has vertical integration on its side. Using leftover iPhone 16 Pro chips with the A18 Pro let the tech giant funnel those savings into a better-feeling laptop. Because of its dominating position in tech, Apple has more leverage over its memory suppliers. Major PC makers like Lenovo, Dell, and Microsoft itself have hiked prices across their gaming and productivity platforms, all thanks to the spiking cost of RAM.<\/p>\n

We may not have to wait long to see Wildcat Lake in action. The annual Computex tech conference in Taipei, Taiwan, is around the corner. We may see the new generation of super-cheap PCs from brands like Dell. Time will tell. The eventual price of these upcoming devices will tell us more.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Apple-Macbook-Neo-March-4th-7-1200×675.jpg”] The PC industry does not have a direct competitor for Apple\u2019s hit $600 MacBook Neo\u2014at least not yet. Intel\u2019s latest low-end chips may provide PC makers their best opportunity to strike back at Apple, but it won\u2019t be easy. Apple\u2019s competitors will need to do more than focus on pure budget performance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,53],"class_list":["post-1900985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-gizmodo-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1900985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1900985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1900985\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1900985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1900985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1900985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}