Apple Was Caught Off Guard by MacBook Neo's 'Off the Charts' Demand

[MacRumors]

Apple's most affordable MacBook ever appears to be a resounding hit with customers, based on comments shared by CEO Tim Cook this week.

On an earnings call on Thursday, Cook said that customer response to the MacBook Neo has been "off the charts" since the laptop was unveiled in March.

"We could not be happier with how things are going at the moment," he said.

Apple was very optimistic about the MacBook Neo before announcing it, but the company still "undercalled" the level of enthusiasm that the laptop would generate, according to Cook. He said that MacBook Neo demand has exceeded Apple's expectations and helped to drive a record number of first-time Mac buyers last quarter.

"We're very focused on customers new to the Mac and customers that have been holding on to their Mac a very long period of time," said Cook.

As a result of high demand, Cook added that the MacBook Neo is currently "supply constrained." For orders placed today, Apple's online store in the U.S. currently shows a 2-3 week delivery estimate for all configurations of the laptop.

Apple released the MacBook Neo on March 11, following a week of pre-orders. In the U.S., pricing starts at just $599 for the general public and an even lower $499 for college students and qualifying educational staff. Powered by a version of the iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro chip, the laptop is available in Citrus, Blush, Indigo, and Silver finishes.

Article Link: Apple Was Caught Off Guard by MacBook Neo's 'Off the Charts' Demand

 

[smeagol]

Don't know how Apple didn't anticipate the Neo being a hit, at that price point, in today's economy. Price is the number one barrier to Apple capturing more marketshare.

 

[CEmajr]

Surprised they didn’t realize this. Price was always the top factor in why more people didn’t buy Macs.

 

[Spock]

One of the most common complaints that people have about the Mac is the price point, of course it will sell well to people that were previously priced out of the Mac. Even $999 is a lot for some people to spend on a computer.

 

[Nyx1]

What's the back up plan new series Neo end of the year

 

[Macalway]

They are being coy

 

[dwaltwhit]

Are there any estimates on number of units sold? I know apple rarely publishes such things especially for new devices.

 

[triumvirate]

Interesting they felt the iPhone Air would be a success and a more affordable Mac wouldn’t be such an appealing item.

Are they that oblivious to the state of the world and the average persons’ finances right now? Kind of feels out of touch.

 

[JPack]

The theme with this earnings call is, don’t listen to tech bros.

Most people want the basic stuff. They don’t care if their MacBook has 8GB or 16GB RAM. They don’t care if their iPhone is the thinnest on the market.

 

[Metrognome]

Everyone, apart from Apple, was saying it would fly off the shelves! Personally, I want a Mac Neo. Can’t see it being manufactured though

 

[BlueShirt11]

I'm a sales manager for Best Buy and indeed the number of people that come in asking for them is insane. It's an incredible little machine and anyone that comes in to look at the value wall ($300-500 windows that don't last long) see the immediate value difference when they can get a mac for "only" $600. The fact that its also faster than any $600 windows machine also helps. When they already likely have an iphone the thought of switching over isn't as scary.

 

[Shalev Lazarof]

Windows PC's getting hammered, music to my ears.

 

[KaplanMike]

Everyone, apart from Apple, was saying it would fly off the shelves! Personally, I want a Mac Neo. Can’t see it being manufactured though

Isnt the Mac Mini sort of the Mac Neo?

 

[now i see it]

iPhone Air is a flop but Mac Neo is a blockbuster.
Figure that one out.

 

[Metrognome]

Isnt the Mac Mini sort of the Mac Neo?

Well, the Mac Neo would be to the Mini what the MacBook Neo is to the MacBook Air I suppose. i.e. it would have a mobile chip in it, rather like a Raspberry Pi

 

[tribeaumes]

Isnt the Mac Mini sort of the Mac Neo?

A mini isn’t a laptop.

 

[kemal]

let's hope MacOS 26 doesn't turn off new customers.

 

[RealKeishav]

Are there any estimates on number of units sold? I know apple rarely publishes such things especially for new devices.

I saw somewhere around 5-6 million though I am not sure

 

[randomnut]

‘We made a reasonably priced laptop with great build quality and were shocked people wanted to buy it’

I’m the first to call out Apple on a lot of their reality distortion field nonsense but there’s no denying the neo is excellent value for the market segment it’s aimed it. Absolute smash hit. Hopefully it encourages Apple to go back and produce more well made but cheaper products .

Build quality of windows laptops especially at that price point is ropey at best. Apple build quality at that price is outstanding.

 

[I7guy]

let's hope MacOS 26 doesn't turn off new customers.

It’s not.

 

[Agent007]

These are available immediately from Amazon. Only silver has a wait time. And they're $10 off lol.

These are not "supply constrained" at all.

 

[Bones402]

Tech at that price form Apple, should have known it would fly off the shelves.

 

[DaveTheRave]

iPhone Air is a flop but Mac Neo is a blockbuster.
Figure that one out.

Neo is meant to be more affordable than a MacBook Air.

iPhone Air was never intended to be affordable and instead is just a big public beta test for one-half of the folding iPhone.

 

[CalMin]

Don't know how Apple didn't anticipate the Neo being a hit, at that price point, in today's economy. Price is the number one barrier to Apple capturing more marketshare.

Surprised they didn’t realize this. Price was always the top factor in why more people didn’t buy Macs.

Oh Apple totally knew it realized that it would popular - but I know people who added it to their shopping list just because it was 'cheap'. Not because they needed a another Mac but rather because they could get it as a spare laptop for the couch, kitchen, or for travel etc.. It's harder to anticipate that sort of demand.

 

[SactoGuy18]

Unfortunately, I have this feeling that Apple may be phasing out MacBook Neo sales on a temporary basis fairly soon because they may be on the verge of running out of "binned" A18 Pro SoC's. They may switch to an updated version with the "binned" A19 Pro SoC chip and N1 I/O chip late this year.