Apple may have underestimated just how popular the MacBook Neo would be.
According to a new report, the company is now scrambling to keep up with demand. This comes after the $599 laptop quickly sold out following its March launch.
The MacBook Neo officially went on sale on 11 March 2026, but many configurations have remained heavily back-ordered ever since. Delivery estimates are stretching into weeks for some buyers. Analyst Tim Culpan now claims Apple has responded by doubling its original production run and ordering additional A18 Pro chips to keep the budget MacBook in stock.
That’s easier said than done, though.
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The MacBook Neo runs on a modified version of the A18 Pro chip originally used in the iPhone 16 Pro. According to the report, Apple initially relied on binned chips with one disabled GPU core. These were silicon that couldn’t fully meet iPhone specs, but were still perfectly usable inside the laptop. It was a clever way to keep costs low. At the same time, it helped hit that aggressive $599 price point.
The problem is that supply may now be drying up.
Culpan suggests Apple could soon need to manufacture new A18 Pro chips specifically for the MacBook Neo. Even if it means disabling a perfectly functional sixth GPU core, this may be needed just to maintain compatibility with the current design. Combined with rising DRAM prices, producing more units now could cost Apple significantly more than during the first production wave.
That led to internal questions over whether Apple can realistically keep the MacBook Neo at its headline price. One possibility floated in the report is that Apple could eventually phase out the entry-level 256GB model. Instead, Apple could focus on the more profitable $699 512GB version — similar to what it previously did with the Mac mini lineup.
Still, that move would risk undermining one of the MacBook Neo’s biggest selling points. The combination of a low price, lightweight design and Apple silicon performance has clearly struck a chord with buyers. In particular, students and first-time Mac users have responded well.
Apple hasn’t commented on the report, but one thing already seems obvious: the MacBook Neo has become much bigger than the company expected.
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