Apple MacBook Neo is too successful
The brand-new Apple MacBook Neo was such a success that, according to the Taiwan-based technology columnist and former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan, Apple faces a “massive dilemma”.
In the iPhone 16 Pro models the A18 Pro chip is equipped with a 6-core GPU. However, during the chip’s manufacturing process, it’s possible for a CPU or GPU core to be defective. Instead of discarding the remaining A18 Pro chips with only a 5-core GPU, Apple decided to use them in the MacBook Neo to optimize the supply chain and reduce costs.
These so-called “rejected” chips with 5-core GPUs are practically “free” for Apple, since they would otherwise have been discarded. And that’s precisely the problem.
Apple MacBook Neo consumes Apple’s CPU reserves
In his Culpium newsletter, Culpan explained that the Apple MacBook Neo was selling so well that Apple’s stock of surplus A18 Pro chips with 5-core GPUs would “run out” before the company could fully meet the demand for the laptop.
Apple’s original plan was for suppliers to build around five to six million Apple MacBook Neo units before production of the model with the A18 Pro chip was discontinued. However, it sounds like demand is so strong that Apple could run out of A18 Pro chips for the MacBook Neo before the second generation with an A19 Pro chip is ready to start next year.
It is unlikely that the Apple MacBook Neo will be temporarily marked as sold out, so the company may be forced to take action, which could, however, affect profit margins.
The A18 Pro chips are manufactured using TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process, known as N3E. According to Culpan, TSMC’s N3E production lines are currently operating at full capacity. Therefore, the American company might have to pay a premium to resume production of the A18 Pro chips for the Apple MacBook Neo, which would reduce profit margins.
5-core GPU
Furthermore, Apple would have to disable one GPU core on these chips to ensure they only have a 5-core GPU, like all other MacBook Neo notebooks sold to date. Alternatively, Culpan said Apple could reallocate some of its chip production originally intended for other devices. However, the cost would still be higher than what Apple paid for its initial batch of A18 Pro chips.
Culpan speculated that Apple might also discontinue the €699/$599 model with 256GB of storage, leaving only the €799/$699 model with 512GB of storage and Touch ID available. However, given Apple’s strong emphasis on the affordable price of the MacBook Neo, we consider this unlikely in the near future.
Apple might also launch a MacBook Neo with the A19 Pro chip of the iPhone 17 Pro, but that too would be a more expensive option, at least until the company has a sufficient supply of selected A19 Pro chips with 5-core GPUs.
Apple could in any case choose to keep the starting price of current and future MacBook Neo models at €699/US$599 and simply accept lower profit margins on the laptop, especially since it attracts customers to macOS and the wider Apple ecosystem.
Two weeks after the start of pre-orders for the Apple MacBook Neo last month, the CEO Tim Cook stated the new MacBook has had its “most successful launch week ever for first-time buyers,” suggesting a resounding success for the MacBook Neo. This news is hardly surprising, as it is the most affordable MacBook ever released.
All MacBook Neo configurations currently have an estimated delivery time of 2-3 weeks in the Apple Online Store in the USA and many other countries.
