"The MacBook Neo isn't the first "cheap premium" laptop. Microsoft's Surface RT was a similar product that launched in 2012, but it failed. Despite being years late, the MacBook Neo nails the execution. The branding is effective, the timing is good, and Apple is speaking to a demographic that actually exists."
"Microsoft lost $900 million dollars on it because they didn't sell. It was too early -- the ecosystem wasn't there, and the lifestyle branding fell flat. In the consumer electronics market, performance is important, but so is branding. You're not just selling a product, you're selling a lifestyle."
MacBook Neo represents a successful execution of the "cheap premium" laptop concept, though it is not the first attempt. Microsoft's Surface RT, launched in 2012 at $599, was a similar ultraportable hybrid device with premium build quality and strong battery life, but it failed commercially, costing Microsoft $900 million. The key difference lies in execution and branding. Apple leverages decades of established brand recognition and lifestyle positioning to make the Neo's market position immediately clear to consumers. Microsoft's Surface RT launched too early when the ecosystem wasn't ready and lifestyle branding fell flat. Success in consumer electronics requires more than performance; it demands effective branding that sells a lifestyle, which Apple has mastered while Microsoft struggled to establish.
Read at ZDNET
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