HP's new Omnibook 3 lands at $600 and outperforms Apple's comparable option on raw power - if you're willing to live with whatever HP traded away to get there.
A hands-on review concluded that both Apple and HP make compromises to hit $600, but they make them differently. HP's bet is processing power. The Omnibook 3 delivers more performance than the Apple option at this price, which means something else took the hit - whether that's build materials, display quality, or battery life. The review frames this as a win for HP, though the full accounting of what was sacrificed shapes that verdict considerably.
The $600 tier is where most real-world buyers actually shop, and it's long been the price point where Windows machines have their clearest argument against the reflexive advice to just save up for a Mac. If the Omnibook 3 holds up on everything besides raw specs, it's a genuine challenge to Apple's value story - and worth noting that Apple doesn't sell any new laptop at this price point at all.
More performance is a fine pitch for a budget machine, but most $600 laptop buyers open a browser and a spreadsheet, not a workload that stresses a processor. Whether HP made the right trade-offs depends entirely on what it quietly gave up.