Acer, Dell mount challenge to Apple’s MacBook Neo at Computex 2026 expo
Apple came out with the budget laptop called MacBook Neo in March 2026. Launched at the company’s event in New York, it’s described as Apple’s cheapest-ever new model. The MacBook Neo is the first Apple laptop to run on a chip typically used in the iPhone. Apple is straying from its typical playbook by appealing to cost-conscious consumers.
Well, the battle for the share of the entry-to-midrange market is on and Windows laptop makers are scrambling to mount a defense. Acer and Dell both arrived at the Computex 2026 expo in Taipei and showcased their freshly designed weapons aimed at Apple’s newest armor. They seek to prove that you do not need to spend a lot to get a premium, highly portable machine that can handle modern workloads.
Acer leads the charge with the ultra-portable Swift Air 14, a machine that aims to democratize AI hardware. Instead of hoarding neural processing units for high-end flagships, Acer is packing Intel’s new Core Series 3 processors into a chassis that weighs a featherlight 1.19 kg and measures just 12.9 mm thin. It comes with a smooth 120 Hz WUXGA display and a promised 19 hours of battery life.
Acer also introduced the Aspire Go 15, a 15.6-inch laptop powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon C processor. It brings fanless, quiet efficiency and a chassis built from post-consumer recycled plastics to the student crowd. However, an official said that the company’s two new models were not developed with the MacBook Neo in mind, as he was “shocked” that Apple came out with the budget laptop.
For its part, Dell answers to the challenge with a stunningly refreshed XPS 13. This laptop swings right up there with the MacBook Neo on the basis of sleekness. Dell is pivoting the XPS brand to capture young professionals and students who are tired of heavy bags and compromised specs. At just 1 kg and an impressively thin 12.75 mm, it is one of the thinnest and lightest XPS ever made.
Under the hood, it pairs Intel Core Series 3 chips with cutting-edge Wi-Fi 7 and up to 17 hours of video streaming. Every configuration boasts a vibrant 2.5K display that covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, paired with a variable refresh rate that scales up to 120 Hz to save battery. This is proof that Dell isn’t cutting corners to get there.
Meanwhile, Asus, the other big Taiwanese PC maker, did not showcase a new model to compete with the MacBook Neo. Instead, Asus posted a guide on its website about “what makes a good value laptop.” Asus seems to be carrying on with its Zenbook, Vivobook, Expertbook and Pro Art lineup, with no clear challenger to the Neo.
The Computex 2026 expo in Taipei is one of the most significant and influential trade shows for information technology and electronics worldwide. Since its inception in 1981, it has evolved into a central hub for technological innovation and global business networking within the IT industry. Held from June 2-5, at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center in Taiwan, thousands of tech enthusiasts attended the event.
Reference: Acer, Dell push challengers to MacBook Neo | ABS-CBN News
Flip Phones. Flip phones have become a small escape hatch for people who want calls and texts without carrying every app they’ve ever regretted downloading. The Motorola Razr still has that snap-shut satisfaction, and newer basic phones give people a way to be reachable without being fully swallowed by a screen.
iPods. Used iPods are getting attention again because they do one job and one job only. Loading a Nano, Classic, or Touch with your own music library feels more personal than letting an app decide what you should listen to.
Instant Cameras. Polaroid and Fujifilm Instax cameras keep showing up at parties, weddings, dorm rooms, and weekend trips because the photo provides a tangible memory. The colors can be strange, the flash can be harsh, and someone will probably blink, but it’s still more fun than uploading memories to Google Photos.
Point-and-Shoots. Canon PowerShots, Sony Cyber-shots, Nikon Coolpix cameras, and other small digital cameras from the 2000s are back in purses and jacket pockets. They make photos look less polished than iPhone shots, with red-eye, blur, and flash glare that somehow feel closer to how the night actually felt.
Wired Headphones. Apple EarPods and other wired headphones have gone from boring backup gear to an actual style choice. They don’t need charging, they don’t vanish into couch cushions as easily, and they’re much more budget-friendly.
Cassette Players. Cassette players and tape decks are getting attention from people who like music that takes a little effort. Rewinding, flipping sides, and dealing with a worn-out case can be annoying, sure, but the whole process feels more involved than tapping shuffle for the 400th time.
Boomboxes. The modern boombox comeback is more of a compromise than anything else, since plenty of new models look old while offering Bluetooth connection. That mix gives people the chunky 1980s and 1990s look without asking them to fully return to D batteries, warped tapes, and radio static.
Reference: 20 signs the internet is falling back in love with old tech
Paul Chen, Altos Senior Business Development Manager, said: “Across a three-year timeline, an on-premises AI development system could pay for itself in the first year, and may end up being as little as a third of the total cost of ownership of subscribing to cloud-based AI services.”
Chen gave tech journalists a glimpse into its workstation and server offerings, bannered by the BrainSphere GB10 F1 mini AI workstation powered by the NVIDIA G810 Grace Blackwell Superchip. During the launch, he said: “For enterprises, government agencies and educational institutions, this represents substantial savings.”
According to Altos, the mini desktop delivers up to 1 PetaFLOP of Al computing power, and can handle even the most demanding Al workloads with ease. The system already includes a 10 Cortex X-925 and 10 Cortex A725 CPU, paired with 128GB of LPDDR5X unified memory and up to 4TB of NVMe storage.
Moreover, Altos said the mini AI workstation can handle model development and prototyping to fine-tuning and real-time inference, and is ideal for Al developers, startups, researchers, and educational institutions. It also comes with the Altos aiGeni. Two mini workstations can also be interconnected for more demanding workloads.
Large enterprises and institutions that need to train and run complex AI models meanwhile can tap Altos’ line of BrainSphere R680 F7 servers that can use eight Nvidia H200, RTX PrO 6000 Blackwell or L40S GPUs paired with Intel Xeon 6 series CPUs. The servers run Altos’ aiWorks platform.
The Acer unit said their systems can be used in healthcare, with medical imaging and voice-to-text clinical documentation as two of several applications. They can also be used in education and research, with centralized GPU management for classrooms and labs, one-click JupyterLab and Al course environments, and role-based access for professors, TAs, and students.
Acer carefully consider environmental factors in every stage of the product life cycle. This includes selecting materials during design, through packaging and shipping, to usage and recycling to reduce environmental impacts.
