[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee (이윤서)] Sales of Apple's low-priced laptop, the MacBook Neo, are rising quickly, prompting criticism that Apple should revisit its pricing strategy for entry-level iPhones.

On April 8, local time, IT outlet TechRadar pointed out that the MacBook Neo's success shows Apple needs to launch a cheaper iPhone.

The key is price. The cheapest iPhone Apple currently sells is the $599 iPhone 17e, which retails in South Korea for 990,000 won. The model is classified as entry-level, but users have been praising it as "one of the most polished and modern-feeling iPhones."

The problem is that the iPhone 17e costs the same as the MacBook Neo. The iPhone 17e uses an A19 chip and the MacBook Neo has an A18 Pro, but the perceived performance gap may not be large. Both devices also come with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage.

The MacBook Neo is drawing more demand than expected by maintaining Apple's premium image while also offering price competitiveness. Apple is also adjusting production accordingly. This again shows that price remains one of the most important standards in consumers' purchase decisions.

This trend directly intersects with iPhone pricing. When the iPhone first launched in 2007, the base 8GB model was $499, about 730,000 won, and a year later the iPhone 3G came out at $199, about 290,000 won. The pricing reflected carrier subsidy structures at the time, but it also fell into the "magical price" range, a term Steve Jobs coined when launching the iPod mini. As carrier installment plans became common, the perceived burden of the launch price was diluted somewhat, but criticism has been raised that in practice consumers became locked into a structure of paying $600, about 890,000 won, to more than $1,000, about 1.48 million won, to buy the iPhone they want.

Price competitiveness has also been cited as Apple's weakness in terms of market share. According to market research firm Counterpoint, Apple's global smartphone market share is about 25 percent. By contrast, the "others" category is higher at 30 percent. Analysis has suggested that a large part of that share is likely filled by low-cost manufacturers supplying smartphones priced at $300 or less.

As a real-world example, Tecno was cited. Tecno is not sold in the United States, but it is promoting a 50-megapixel camera and shock resistance with the Tecno Spark 50 5G, priced at about $200, or about 296,000 won. The Tecno Camon 50 Pro, at about $380, or about 560,000 won, offers three cameras and a 6.7-inch display. Such manufacturers are being assessed as rapidly expanding their consumer base in emerging markets on the back of price competitiveness.

In regions with strong purchasing power, such as the United States market, it may be effectively natural for Apple and Google to set high prices. Still, while the burden may have been obscured as consumers grew used to monthly payments, the MacBook Neo case is said to show that demand remains strong for a "good deal." Consumers still rate the MacBook Neo as beating competing products "without conspicuous compromises" and say it is a product that can be described as "worth the money."

The argument raised is not that all iPhone prices should be cut across the board. It is that the starting price of the cheapest new iPhone should be lowered to $199, or, if that is difficult, to around $299. Analysis suggests that if an entry path to an Apple smartphone opens under the $300 price range, it could bring significant changes to global market share.

A key point to watch is whether Apple will reflect the MacBook Neo's success in pricing strategies for other product lines. With the MacBook Neo expected to outperform rivals' entry-level PC products for the time being, attention is on what impact this trend will have on pricing policies for other Apple products, including the iPhone.