Exactly. If you start immediately, you might be able to move the launch date up by a few months. Chip shortage and capacity constraints are real, mild re-tooling and human labor is less constrained. Switching to the next chip gives you a runway to increase capacity for A19 instead of trying to hold capacity for A18 Pro (or whatever it's called).
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Apple is Reportedly Facing a 'Massive Dilemma' With the MacBook Neo
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Put the 5 core-GPU chip in the base model and the 6 core version in 512 with Touch upgraded model.
Obviously it depends on the contract but I imagine there'll be a clause saying if Apple take the chips instead of ignoring them then a lower price will be paid. Every foundry contract I've seen in 35 years has something like that in it, TSMC aren't idiots.
But then you'll be waiting longer than a year for the A20 Pro-fitted Neo v3 - Apple like their annual updates.
They should go with the binned A19 Pro since there should be plenty to go around thanks to the iPhone Air. That said Apple is not going to create a new SKU a month or two after releasing its most successful recent product. I don't think Apple will create a third Neo SKU because that creates more confusion between the Neo and the Air. They started with only two Neo configurations to keep it simple. There's little reason to stray from that considering the target audience.
JPack
macrumors P6
If we work backwards from the November 2025 date codes on the A18 Pro chips found in Neo, it suggests the chips were fabbed in July 2025, or two months before EOL of iPhone 16 Pro/Max.
I don’t believe the Neo chips are “binned” at all. Rather, Apple specs for Neo call for a disabled a GPU core to maximize yield and decrease power consumption.
I don’t see any scenario in which a November 2025 packaged A18 fits into the “binned” story.
1) if the wafers were etched in early 2025 or earlier, why would Apple wait so late to package and fully test A18 chips for Neo? Why wait so late to know the full test results?
2) If we assume the chips are for iPhone 16 Pro/Max warranty replacements, Apple can simply substitute with iPhone 17 Pro/Max if they really ran out of chips.
3) Who the heck would launch a brand new product line based on binned chips? The supply has to exactly match demand. That’s nuts knowing it’s a $599 MacBook.
That's not exactly right - Apple doesn't have to pay new for them because they've been holding onto them. I'm sure Apple doesn't get lower bins for free. TSMC doesn't have to suckle at Apple's teat; they can tell Apple to pound sand if they try to strongarm them on prices for natural binning rates.
WarmWinterHat
Suspended
Could they have been destined for other things, like the long-awaited (and probably long-delayed) Apple TV or similar?
Legally they can upgrade the product at any time. If they promised 5 and delivered 6 no harm has fallen on the customer.
Neil J. Squillante
macrumors 6502
The challenge with using binned chips is that you cannot predict exactly how many you’ll get. Apple might be better off launching the new Neo at the same time as new iPhones so that the iPhone chip it uses remains in production for its entire run.
Apple has dealt with this problem many times. I'm sure they had plenty of foresight on this. This isn't news.
kagharaht
macrumors 68020
Someone at Apple needs to get this cleared up. Selling defective components to consumers without disclosure is absolutely WRONG. If this is true from the sources, then Apple is selling these products with defective components and no full transparency to the consumers...
JPack
macrumors P6
A $129 product using a Pro chip? I just don’t see it happening at all. Even $349 iPad doesn’t make sense.
If Apple had so many A18 Pro binned chips, why not put them in Studio Display/XDR instead of using A19/Pro?
In my opinion, there is no story that makes sense where Neo is using binned chips. These A18 Pro chips were purpose-made for Neo.
WarmWinterHat
Suspended
Binned chips.. if they were going to be recycled/trashed anyway? They can always be down clocked and have disabled cores. Seems like a good use would be in a low-volume product since the supply is constrained.
I obviously have no idea, just speculating, but I'm sure Apple has sold less 4k Apple TVs in its lifetime than the Neo has sold in these few months.
Mousse
macrumors 601
Meh. Just sell a 6-core Neo at a slightly higher price. Newbies aren't the only fans of the MB Neo. It's a great auxiliary machine for those with iMacs or Studios.
Will Co
macrumors 6502a
Possibly, but we don't know what that contract says. The article claims that the lower bins are "free", which could mean that the contract for supply was negotiated such that rejects are priced into the full spec chips, given a known yield rate, and that discards are indeed at no cost to the Neo line. Their price has already been amortised into the price of fully functional chips. If that is the case, then the point of the article is indeed valid. But who knows.
I take the point that even if Apple has to purchase extra silicon to provide full spec chips that have been hobbled down to Neo spec, and take the hit on margin to continue satisfying Neo demand, it's not going to break 'em.
So the "massive dilemma" really isn't!
klasma
macrumors G4
Okay, but regardless of binned or not (maybe they disable one core whether it’s defective or not), it’s plausible that the fab run from which these chips were produced concluded sometime last year, and Apple expected it to be enough for the Neo 1 production, but underestimated its success. In consequence, the stated dilemma arises of whether to order a new run (more costly) or to run out of Neo 1s before the Neo 2 launches.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Intel did it a few years ago for AVX-512.
Is AVX-512 Fused Off on Alder Lake Client Products?
AVX-512 will be fused off on Alder Lake.
www.intel.com
JPack
macrumors P6
So what’s the logic here?
The A18 Pro wafers were etched in early 2025 or earlier. They were intended for iPhone 16 Pro/Max. Didn’t make the cut for iPhone or Apple TV or iPad. Apple waited until November 2025 to package and fully test those chips for Neo. They gathered just enough scrapped chips to launch the brand new product line in March 2026.
Contrast that with the fact all the parts for Neo are brand new, especially the newly forged chassis. It just seems very unlikely Apple would be so laissez-faire with the chip but not every other component.
klasma
macrumors G4
There is a game of Chinese whispers going on here. The original quote two sources away was: “You could make the case that some number of these [binned] chips are effectively free for Apple!” This was already slight hyperbole, and it has been further distorted by the second-level source and by MacRumors.
With MacRumors, you always have to check what the sources are actually saying!
ProbablyDylan
macrumors 68040
This happens surprisingly frequently. I remember flashing the VBIOS on my AMD Vega 56 over to the one for 64 to enable the 8 extra compute units that were disabled. Good times.