The MacBook Neo is shaking up the notebook market: such a high-quality device in a chic all-metal case and with a good screen used to cost significantly more than the 700 or 800 euros Apple charges, depending on the configuration. Sales figures have been correspondingly high so far, which in turn has sparked desire among other manufacturers: Both Acer and Dell explicitly introduced their new Swift Air 14 and XPS 13 models as Neo competitors at the beginning of the month.
It was already clear at the announcement that both would not attack the lower of the two Apple price points, i.e., the configuration with 8 GByte of RAM and a 256 GByte SSD. However, the stated goal for both was to hit the higher price point – also with 8 GByte of RAM and a 512 GByte SSD, but also with additional plus points such as backlit keyboards, several fast USB-C ports, and matte screens.
However, Dell only delivers on its promise in its home market of the USA: there, the XPS 13 starts at 700 US dollars, which corresponds to the 800 euro level here. Students get a 100 US dollar discount from both Apple and Dell. In Germany, Dell's webshop has shown an entirely different picture since this week: here, the XPS 13 can only be pre-ordered from a hefty 1050 euros – which is one and a half times the starting price with which the MacBook Neo competes.
