Apple is Reportedly Facing a 'Massive Dilemma' With the MacBook Neo

[Lounge vibes 05]

The math is not mathing here.
“Apple's initial plan was to have suppliers build around five to six million MacBook Neo units before ceasing production of the model with the A18 Pro chip”…
Except it has already been reported that Apple expected the MacBook Neo to be over 40% of Mac sales in 2026 alone, meaning at least 9 million units in 2026.
Also reports have been that an iPad 12 with the exact same binned A18 is basically ready to go at any point now, the smart home display has been rumored to use a binned A18 for two years now.
They wouldn’t have decided to use that same chip in so many products if supplies were really that limited, once again the math is not mathing.

Also, and most importantly, what does it matter? Literally, the conclusion of this article is that nothing is going to change for consumers. Apple is obviously not going to discontinue the product or jack up the price a month after launch, and eventually supply will catch up to demand as usual.
Really feels like a nothing burger of a story.

 

[Chopper3]

Deliberately handicapping the chip sounds crazy to me, though Apple can't just give people different chips in the same laptop model.

Every chip manufacturer does this though, especially after process yields start to increase - this is one of the side benefits for AMD of their chiplet design, in that if they have too many perfect 8-core CCXs and yet far more orders for 6-core ones they can just set a bunch of the 8-core one to be 6-cores and it costs them nothing. The same is true for Intel and others, what matters more is that you match the order-book.

 

[CharlesShaw]

Seems pretty smart. Like making croutons from stale bread. And people do seem to love the Neo.

-bdd

French toast is the best use for stale white bread, hehe. I'm happy about the Neo success.

 

[Le0M]

It doesn't seem credible that a company as big as Apple wouldn't consider well in advance strategies for producing more or less of a specific product based on its popularity.

 

[code-m]

The math is not mathing here.
“Apple's initial plan was to have suppliers build around five to six million MacBook Neo units before ceasing production of the model with the A18 Pro chip”…
Except it has already been reported that Apple expected the MacBook Neo to be over 40% of Mac sales in 2026 alone, meaning at least 9 million units in 2026.
Also reports have been that an iPad 12 with the exact same binned A18 is basically ready to go at any point now, the smart home display has been rumored to use a binned A18 for two years now.
They wouldn’t have decided to use that same chip in so many products if supplies were really that limited, once again the math is not mathing.

Also, and most importantly, what does it matter? Literally, the conclusion of this article is that nothing is going to change for consumers. Apple is obviously not going to discontinue the product or jack up the price a month after launch, and eventually supply will catch up to demand as usual.
Really feels like a nothing burger of a story.

One could only hope the Neo gets updated more than once annually.

 

[Chopper3]

It may push some Neo potential buyers to consider buying the Air, maybe it was all planned from the start. 😉

Of course it is, Apple, and several other companies, create a 'ladder' product scheme - each step up being enticing and for many affordable - it's worked great for them!

 

[JM]

This is the best written “hurry don’t wait!” commercial I’ve ever experienced.

What apple could do, is in 6 months offer a Neo at full capability A18 chips, with the offer “Buy five cores, get one free”

 

[groove-agent]

I wonder if public knowledge of the Neo being designed around a defective iPhone chip will mitigate the demand.

 

[code-m]

It doesn't seem credible that a company as big as Apple wouldn't consider well in advance strategies for producing more or less of a specific product based on its popularity.

Considering there were rumours and reports prior to Neo launch that the physical Apple Stores will be busy due to it.

 

[dmx]

Definitely don’t see a price increase of any sort coming anytime soon. Apple is clearly in it for market share. They’ll sacrifice margins in the short and medium term, even if that means putting a higher cost chip in earlier than planned, while they have the best opportunity to win the low cost consumer market.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

It's been done forever. I recall buying a Slot-A 700mhz AMD processor years ago, but when I later pulled off the heatsink, it was a 900mhz chip.

Fun fact, the original iPhone had a 620 MHz Samsung chip… Deliberately underclocked to 412 MHz.
The three GS upgraded the chip to an 800 MHz one… which was then again underclocked to 600, even lower than the initial clock speed of the chip used in the first generation.

 

[BGrifter]

They could slow demand a little by releasing the new base iPad?

 

[Chopper3]

Well, now we know why they were able to get the price point so low on these. Here, have a discarded chip in your machine that we paid $0 for. We think you're going to love it!

But this happens all the time, unless you have the top-spec/perfect CPU in your laptop right now then you're benefitting from this 50+ years old industry-wide practice.

 

[code-m]

Of course it is, Apple, and several other companies, create a 'ladder' product scheme - each step up being enticing and for many affordable - it's worked great for them!

I tried the Neo in-store and for someone considering it, it’s a viable option while not having that budget plastic build quality. If I were to consider a Mac as a gift it would be a MBA but everyone has to make their own financial compromises. 😊

 

[boswald]

So you're suggesting a low-cost option in an economy headed for recession actually took off?! I'm blown away.

 

[t0rqx]

In other words this confirms what I said all along. they make products to get rid of leftover components.

 

[JPack]

This is such a fake, made up story.

You literally see the date code on the Neo’s A18 Pro as 2545, meaning November 2025. These chips were made well after iPhone 16 Pro ended production.

So, no these are not “binned” or leftover chips. The A18 for Neo are brand new.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I wonder if public knowledge of the Neo being designed around a defective iPhone chip will mitigate the demand.

People don't know or care, especially in the demographic buying the Neo.

The product does what people need, superbly and for an incredibly low price point, which is all that matters.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

This is such a fake, made up story.

You literally see the date code on the Neo’s A18 Pro as 2545, meaning November 2025. These chips were made well after iPhone 16 Pro ended production.

So, no these are not “binned” or leftover chips. The A18 for Neo are brand new.


View attachment 2620608

The packaging is dated with that. The actual silicon could have been binned and sitting in storage for a long time.

 

[klasma]

Alternative option is to just put a 6 core-GPU A18 Pro chip in them, charge something like $50 more and call it the Macbook Neo Plus / Neo Pro

The regular version would still sell out and people would be disappointed they can’t buy it anymore.

 

[Chopper3]

I wonder if public knowledge of the Neo being designed around a defective iPhone chip will mitigate the demand.

Has it stopped the sale of Intel i3's, or i5's or i7's - or any of AMD's non-top-of-tier CPUs? This process is decades old.

 

[apparatchik]

Well, now we know why they were able to get the price point so low on these. Here, have a discarded chip in your machine that we paid $0 for. We think you're going to love it!

They're not free, Apple pays TSMC who has to deliver a certain chips per waffer quality rate, it's more like these chips have already been paid for, and Apple uses them for other devices such as non-pro iPhone's, regular iPad and iPad Mini's, and yes now Mac Neo's.

 

[Channan]

Well, now we know why they were able to get the price point so low on these. Here, have a discarded chip in your machine that we paid $0 for. We think you're going to love it!

If that’s what keeps the price low, who cares? The alternative is they trash all of those chips, make more that aren’t faulty, and charge more for a laptop with negligible performance improvements.

 

[onenorth]

The math is not mathing here.

Really feels like a nothing burger of a story.

It is inside baseball. The underlying issue is constrained resources because the production line is supposedly operating at maximum capacity. More foundries are needed.

 

[sw1tcher]

It's been done forever. I recall buying a Slot-A 700mhz AMD processor years ago, but when I later pulled off the heatsink, it was a 900mhz chip.

AMD Duron?

So many enthusiasts back in the day would buy a Duron chip and then do the pencil bridge hack on them to turn them into Athlon's