Everyone Has Their Targets Set on the MacBook Neo

所有人的目光都锁定在 MacBook Neo 上

The MacBook Neo was like throwing a giant boulder into a still, peaceful pond—and we’re still feeling the ripple effects. Thanks to its dramatic $599 price, it tossed Apple into a brand-new laptop demographic. The response from the Windows side has been soft—until now. MacBook Neo 的出现就像往平静的池塘里投下了一块巨石，我们至今仍能感受到它激起的涟漪。得益于 599 美元的惊人定价，苹果成功切入了一个全新的笔记本电脑细分市场。而 Windows 阵营对此的反应一直比较平淡——直到现在。

Cheaper laptops with only 8 GB of RAM are coming—most notably, the new Dell XPS 13 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 8. Following suit with the MacBook Neo, Dell is making its brand more accessible than ever, using many of the same tricks as Apple. Microsoft? Not so much. 配备 8GB 内存的廉价笔记本电脑正在涌现，其中最引人注目的是新款戴尔 XPS 13 和微软 Surface Laptop 8。戴尔效仿 MacBook Neo，通过采用与苹果类似的策略，使其品牌变得比以往任何时候都更亲民。至于微软？情况则不尽相同。

Going Backward

倒退之路

The MacBook Neo was rightly criticized for having only 8 GB of RAM in the base model, as it limits what this otherwise great laptop could do. Then again, this is a $599 laptop. It’s not meant for demanding workloads, and even though I think 16 GB should be the new established baseline, I don’t want laptops to get more expensive than they already are. The memory shortage that’s swept through the entire industry’s supply chain is taking effect—and not even Apple has been able to move forward without making some necessary changes. MacBook Neo 的基础款仅配备 8GB 内存，这确实受到了批评，因为它限制了这款本应出色的笔记本电脑的性能。但话又说回来，这毕竟是一款 599 美元的笔记本。它本就不是为高负载工作设计的，尽管我认为 16GB 应该成为新的行业基准，但我也不希望笔记本电脑的价格进一步上涨。席卷整个行业供应链的内存短缺正在产生影响，即便是苹果，也无法在不做出必要调整的情况下继续前行。

Either way, there should be room in the market for a device for people who don’t have heavy computing needs but want something that looks and feels premium. That’s the MacBook Neo to a T. The new Dell XPS 13 takes a nearly identical approach. It’s made entirely of aluminum; it’s half an inch thick and every bit as premium-looking as XPS laptops always have. It even uses a high-end IPS screen with a higher resolution (2560 x 1600) and refresh rate (120 Hz). Dell even says it goes up to 500 nits of brightness. This is deliberate. It matches the Neo’s sharpness and max brightness exactly, and has a faster refresh rate to boot. 无论如何，市场应该为那些没有重度计算需求，但又想要外观和质感高端的用户留出空间。这正是 MacBook Neo 的定位。新款戴尔 XPS 13 采取了几乎相同的策略。它采用全铝机身，厚度仅半英寸，外观依然保持了 XPS 系列一贯的高级感。它甚至配备了一块分辨率更高（2560 x 1600）且刷新率更高（120Hz）的高端 IPS 屏幕。戴尔表示其亮度可达 500 尼特。这是刻意为之的，它在清晰度和最高亮度上与 Neo 完全对标，甚至在刷新率上更胜一筹。

Yet it’s only $699 (or $599 for students). The XPS 13 makes similar trade-offs as the MacBook Neo. First, it starts with only 8 GB of RAM and a slower Intel Core 5 processor (note: not Intel Core Ultra). I’ll be interested to find how the performance and battery life stack up against the MacBook Neo, but Dell is clearly taking notes from Apple, which used a slower iPhone chip in the Neo instead of an M-series laptop-grade processor. 然而，它的售价仅为 699 美元（学生价 599 美元）。XPS 13 与 MacBook Neo 做出了类似的权衡。首先，它起步仅配备 8GB 内存和性能较弱的 Intel Core 5 处理器（注意：不是 Intel Core Ultra）。我很期待看到它的性能和续航表现与 MacBook Neo 相比如何，但显然戴尔正在借鉴苹果的策略——苹果在 Neo 中使用了性能较弱的 iPhone 芯片，而非 M 系列笔记本级处理器。

What’s nice about the Dell XPS 13, though, is that you can scale it up appropriately. The MacBook Neo is capped in both storage and memory, but the XPS 13 can be configured up to 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. It also starts with 512 GB of storage, whereas the MacBook Neo starts at half that much. 不过，戴尔 XPS 13 的优点在于你可以根据需求进行升级。MacBook Neo 的存储和内存上限被锁死，而 XPS 13 最高可配置 32GB 内存和 1TB 存储空间。此外，它的起步存储空间为 512GB，而 MacBook Neo 仅为前者的一半。

I’ve been testing a lot of $500 to $600 laptops recently from companies like Acer, Lenovo, and HP, many of which take a more conventional Windows approach to rivaling the MacBook Neo by offering better specs at lower prices. They all have 16 GB of RAM and use more powerful chips, too. But none challenge the MacBook Neo in display quality and chassis materials. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for something like the HP OmniBook 3, but it doesn’t play for the same audience as the Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Neo. 最近我测试了许多来自宏碁、联想和惠普等公司的 500 到 600 美元价位的笔记本电脑，其中许多采取了更传统的 Windows 策略，通过以更低的价格提供更好的规格来与 MacBook Neo 竞争。它们都配备了 16GB 内存，并使用了更强大的芯片。但在显示质量和机身材质上，没有一款能挑战 MacBook Neo。这并不是说像惠普 OmniBook 3 这样的产品没有市场，但它的目标受众与戴尔 XPS 13 和 MacBook Neo 并不相同。

The Wrong Direction

错误的方向

Inevitably there would be a company that thinks it can ride on the success of the MacBook Neo without understanding what makes it tick. Last week, Microsoft announced two versions of its Surface Laptop for Business PCs: a higher-end 13.8-inch model and a cheaper 13-inch device. The 13.8-inch model is a more standard refresh, implementing Intel’s new Core Ultra X7 368H Panther Lake chip—and most notably, it still starts with 16 GB of RAM. 不可避免地，总会有公司认为自己可以借着 MacBook Neo 的成功顺势而为，却又不理解其成功的核心逻辑。上周，微软发布了两个版本的 Surface Laptop 商用电脑：一款是高端的 13.8 英寸机型，另一款是更便宜的 13 英寸机型。13.8 英寸机型是更常规的更新，搭载了英特尔新款 Core Ultra X7 368H Panther Lake 芯片，最重要的是，它依然以 16GB 内存起步。

The smaller 13-inch model is where things get problematic. Despite its starting price of $1,200, that configuration only comes with 8 GB of RAM. Don’t get too caught up in the price, since business PCs always come with an up charge. The starting RAM is the eyebrow-raising spec. Unlike the new Dell XPS 13, Microsoft isn’t tricking this out with a thinner chassis and an upgraded screen—it’s just giving you less computing power and calling it good. 较小的 13 英寸机型则出现了问题。尽管起售价高达 1200 美元，但该配置仅配备 8GB 内存。不要太纠结于价格，因为商用电脑通常会有溢价。令人惊讶的是它的起步内存规格。与新款戴尔 XPS 13 不同，微软并没有通过更轻薄的机身和升级的屏幕来作为补偿——它只是单纯地降低了计算性能，却认为这样就可以了。

And to be fair, this “optional” 8 GB model is coming later this year, separate from the 16 GB and 24 GB versions. But it’s hard to imagine Microsoft being willing to sell an 8 GB laptop in 2026 if Apple hadn’t paved the way. While there’s no 2025 Surface Laptop 13 for Business for direct comparison, the consumer version of the Surface Laptop 13 started with 16 GB of RAM. This feels like a straight generational downgrade. 平心而论，这款“可选”的 8GB 机型将于今年晚些时候推出，与 16GB 和 24GB 版本分开销售。但如果不是苹果铺平了道路，很难想象微软会愿意在 2026 年销售 8GB 内存的笔记本电脑。虽然没有 2025 款 Surface Laptop 13 商用版可供直接对比，但消费版的 Surface Laptop 13 是以 16GB 内存起步的。这感觉就像是一次彻头彻尾的代际降级。

We’ll know for sure once Microsoft announces its new consumer Surface Laptop 8th Edition—possibly sometime in June, around its Build developers conference. If the company announces a Surface Laptop 13 with only 8 GB of RAM, that’ll be the final proof that Microsoft is taking the wrong cues from Apple. Even if Microsoft lowers the price to $600 to match Apple, it will be gleefully taking the bait of dropping to 8 GB without realizing what makes the MacBook Neo work. 一旦微软发布新款消费级 Surface Laptop 8，我们就能真相大白——时间可能在 6 月左右，即 Build 开发者大会期间。如果该公司发布了一款仅配备 8GB 内存的 Surface Laptop 13，那将是微软从苹果那里学错策略的最终证明。即使微软将价格降至 600 美元以对标苹果，它也只是在盲目地掉进“降至 8GB 内存”的陷阱，而没有意识到 MacBook Neo 成功的真正原因。

You can still buy the 2024 Surface Laptop 7th Edition with 16 GB of RAM for under $800, and that remains a really good deal. I really like this laptop and still find myself recommending it. Unfortunately, Microsoft will almost certainly not be selling its next-gen refresh at prices that low. We’ve already seen many Snapdragon X2 laptops being sold at a premium, while keeping the previous-gen model available at retailers on discount, such as the Asus Zenbook A16. 你现在仍然可以以不到 800 美元的价格买到配备 16GB 内存的 2024 款 Surface Laptop 7，这依然是一个非常划算的选择。我非常喜欢这款笔记本，至今仍会向他人推荐。遗憾的是，微软几乎肯定不会以如此低的价格销售其下一代新品。我们已经看到许多搭载 Snapdragon X2 的笔记本电脑溢价销售，同时零售商仍在打折销售上一代机型，例如华硕 Zenbook A16。

All of these companies will have to deal with the memory shortage and the challenge of Apple’s attack in their own ways. Some companies will be forced to pivot and follow Apple’s lead, like the Dell XPS 13, while others will be able to slash prices and stick to their guns. Either way, diversity is one of the greatest strengths of the Windows ecosystem, and the range of responses will give laptop buyers lots more options at this price. And this is only the beginning. On Thursday, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon C, an even lower-priced chip designed for Windows laptops starting at $300. Strap in, because the competition… 所有这些公司都必须以自己的方式应对内存短缺和苹果带来的挑战。一些公司将被迫转型并效仿苹果，比如戴尔 XPS 13；而另一些公司则能够通过降价来坚持自己的路线。无论如何，多样性是 Windows 生态系统最大的优势之一，各种各样的应对策略将为笔记本电脑买家在这个价位提供更多选择。而这仅仅是个开始。周四，高通发布了 Snapdragon C，这是一款专为 300 美元起步的 Windows 笔记本电脑设计的更低价芯片。系好安全带吧，因为竞争……