ASUS Calls Apple's $599 MacBook Neo A Shock To The PC Market

Apple is poised to disrupt the lower-cost laptop market with the launch of its MacBook Neo, a $599 notebook that is the cheapest MacBook ever released. It will take some time to gauge the full impact of Apple's foray into more budget laptop territory, but here in the early going, the aggressive price point is drawing attention by Apple's competitors in the Windows space, including ASUS.

During an earnings call with investors and media analysts, ASUS Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Nick Wu talked a little bit about the Neo and Apple's strategy, calling the launch a "shock to the entire market."

"Given Apple's historically very premium pricing, launching such an affordable product is certainly a shock to the entire market," Wu said, according to a translated transcript.

There is a bit of confusion over who exactly said what, as multiple media outlets quote ASUS Co-CEO S ...