Windows-Based Laptops Filled a Significant Gap Left by the Demise of the MacBook Neo.
To say the MacBook Neo revolutionized the laptop market would be an understatement. When the Neo launched, former Apple CEO Tim Cook claimed Apple had the best-ever launch week for first-time Mac buyers , and the company reportedly plans to double MacBook sales by 2027. It’s easy to see why the MacBook Neo has been such a hit: Apple offers the essential Mac experience at a fantastic price. You no longer need to spend $1,000 or more on a MacBook if you’re willing to make some sacrifices—and it appears many buyers are.
While the MacBook Neo was a boon to Apple and its fans, I can only imagine the stress it caused PC makers—especially those producing budget and mid-range models. Windows PCs had long been winning the price war against Apple. While the MacBook has its loyal following, buyers looking for the best value had to compare Apple’s expensive laptops with a multitude of much cheaper options from companies like Dell, HP, ASUS, and Lenovo. But with the Neo, the MacBook suddenly became a serious competitor in this segment.
One of the challenges for PC makers was Apple’s control over its own ecosystem. Unlike most PC makers, which only produce the hardware for each machine, Apple produces both hardware and software for its MacBook line. This gives the company an advantage in hardware optimization. It can develop macOS that runs more efficiently on lower-end devices, something companies like Dell or ASUS cannot do. You can compare the MacBook Neo to a Windows laptop with similar or even better specs, but since Windows is developed by Microsoft, not a laptop maker, it’s entirely possible that the Neo will ultimately provide a better overall experience. While this may be true, Microsoft may have significantly narrowed the gap.
Microsoft just gave Windows an efficiency boost.
This week, Microsoft announced key improvements to memory management, especially for machines with 8GB of RAM. That’s the amount of memory found in the MacBook Neo, as well as many budget and mid-range Windows laptops. That’s not a lot of memory for 2026, regardless of platform, but Apple appears to have squeezed the most out of it in the Neo. Now, Microsoft may have done the same for PCs, as Windows is reportedly 20% more responsive and multitasking is 40% faster.
In its blog post, Microsoft outlined the improvements that users with 8GB of RAM can expect from Windows in the future. First, Microsoft says it’s focused on using existing RAM more efficiently. The company compares memory management to a desk: everything on the desk is stored in RAM; everything in your drawer is stored on your hard drive. Previously, when you used your PC, Windows would move more apps and tabs to your drawer to free up more RAM for other things, meaning you had to reload those items every time you returned to them. In the future, the company says, Windows will be able to store up to 2GB more active data in RAM, rather than moving it to slower storage elsewhere. This means apps and tabs should refresh less frequently when you leave and return to them.
Microsoft also claims that small actions should perform faster overall. Opening the Start menu, searching the entire PC, right-clicking, opening Settings, launching the Snipping Tool, and opening File Explorer can all perform up to 20% faster than they did in January. Microsoft Edge can open up to 33% faster, and Teams can enable Efficiency Mode by default on PCs with 8GB of RAM, meaning it can also launch up to 20% faster. Microsoft ran an interesting stress test to compare multitasking performance between today and January. The test involved opening 20 tabs in Edge, a 4K video, large Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files, then Outlook and File Explorer, all without closing any windows. After the latest update, performance has increased by 40%.
Microsoft also claims to have improved memory efficiency in its apps, reducing the memory overhead by 900 MB and saving up to 360 MB of RAM in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook. This extends to third-party apps as well: Microsoft claims WhatsApp now shows a double-digit improvement in memory usage. Widgets are also loaded only when the app is opened, saving 200 MB of RAM when closing the app, and Edge tabs become inactive after 15 minutes instead of two hours.
PCs with 8GB of RAM are competitive again.
Microsoft isn’t making these updates in a vacuum. The cost of hardware, especially RAM, has risen sharply in the age of artificial intelligence . Microsoft understands that people are likely to hold onto existing hardware longer than usual or opt for cheaper configurations, such as computers with 8GB of RAM.
Before the latest Windows update, PCMag’s Chris Hoffman categorically argued that buyers should avoid PCs with 8GB of RAM. Now, he’s slightly modified his stance. In his testing, Hoffman noticed improvements in multitasking on a PC with 8GB of RAM compared to similar tests conducted several months ago. He could run multiple Chrome tabs, a Microsoft Word window, and Spotify simultaneously without significantly slowing down the computer. Hoffman isn’t a light user, so he personally wouldn’t choose a PC with 8GB of RAM anyway, but he admits, “If I were a typical PC buyer looking for a reasonable desktop and could save hundreds of dollars by going with 8GB of RAM, I might be satisfied with the performance.”
In this regard, I think the new Windows update makes PCs with 8GB of RAM competitive, especially compared to the MacBook Neo. We’ll still need direct comparisons to understand how well the new version of Windows performs overall, but these updates are promising. Users of PCs with 8GB of RAM received a free and valuable upgrade virtually overnight; new customers can choose a more affordable PC without fear of a performance hit due to opening too many Edge tabs.
As Hoffman points out, 8GB of RAM isn’t ideal for anyone who requires serious multitasking or professional workflows, whether they choose a Mac or a PC. But for the average computer buyer looking for a reliable machine at an affordable price, I no longer consider the Neo a necessary default choice. After all, Apple has also gradually raised the price, from $599 to $699. If you’re not tied to a specific platform or even prefer Windows over macOS, these updates from Microsoft are quite promising. If you’re in the market for a laptop, check out PCMag’s excellent list of budget laptop recommendations .