The first Neo model in the MacBook family is reportedly bearing the cost of its own success. A Taiwanese tech columnist and former Bloomberg reporter, Tim Culpan, reports that the MacBook Neo is selling so fast that it has led to the A18 Pro chipset shortage. Apple hasn’t officially commented on the same, but it has hinted that its most affordable laptop, which was launched just a month ago, has been a massive hit.
The report suggests that Apple has a few options to avoid listing the MacBook Neo as out of stock. According to Tim Culpan, the Cupertino-based Apple had initially planned to sell around five to six million units (roughly 60 lakh) before winding down production and transitioning to a next-generation model. The challenge, however, is timing, since the successor isn’t due at least for a year. Apple now finds itself in a difficult position as demand continues to outpace the available supply.
To recall, the MacBook Neo uses the same A18 Pro chipset as the iPhone 16 Pro, but it has been binned down to a “5-core” GPU as opposed to the 6-core from the original. The chipset is being manufactured with TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process, aka N3E. The production lines of TSMC’s N3E are said to be operating at their maximum capacity. Culpan claims that Apple may have to pay a premium to restart A18 Pro chip production for the MacBook Neo, which would lower its profit margins.
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What could this chipset shortage mean for buyers?
The issue is likely to further extend wait times for the MacBook Neo. On the Apple Online Store in India, the device is currently showing delivery estimates of over two weeks, noticeably longer than most other Apple products, which are shipping sooner. Similar delays have also been reported in the US and other global markets, pointing to a broader supply constraint rather than a region-specific issue.
Furthermore, it is being reported that there might be limited availability for certain configurations. The entry-level model, with 256GB storage, which is priced at Rs 69,900, could also become harder to find. While highly unlikely to happen anytime soon, Culpan speculate that Apple could discontinue the base model and instead keep only the top-end 512GB storage and Touch ID variant available.
Tim Culpan also suggests that Apple could reallocate chip resources from other products, though this risks impacting their availability across the lineup. Another option is to fast-track a refresh with a newer model, which could ease supply constraints in the long run, but would likely come at a higher cost.
About the MacBook Neo 2
While it is not official yet, it is being stated that the alleged MacBook Neo 2 may feature a faster chipset and more RAM. The laptop is speculated to rock iPhone 17 Pro’s A19 Pro chipset under the hood, along with up to 12GB of RAM. This is likely to improve the processing power of Apple’s more affordable laptop, appealing to a wider range of audiences and giving the Windows laptops a run for their money.
That’s everything we know so far! We shall be keeping a tab on all the developments around the Neo, so stay tuned to 91mobiles.
