The results are in. Customers are coming in hot for Apple’s $600 MacBook Neo and they don’t seem to care that the laptop has limited memory, given its gateway price into Apple’s computing ecosystem. Now Apple has to figure out how it can get a Neo into the hands of the ravenous hordes screaming for one.
Currently, Apple is informing online buyers the wait time for the MacBook Neo is about two to three weeks. That’s across all colorways, including the less-vibrant silver edition. Long delivery times usually indicate that a new Apple product is selling well. Apple likely won’t share specific details about recent Mac sales until its second quarterly earnings report on April 30.
Apple may have underestimated just how many people would want an ultra-cheap MacBook. Tim Culpan, a former Bloomberg opinion columnist who has since gone independent, claims that Apple may be running out of chips. Based on the word from anonymous supply chain sources, Culpan says that Apple now has a “massive dilemma” whether it gets its manufacturing partner, TSMC, to produce more chips or to merely run out of CPUs from its current supply.
The MacBook Neo uses the A18 Pro chip, first introduced in 2024 on the iPhone 16 Pro. It’s built on a 3nm process node that is “effectively sold out,” according to Culpan. So Apple is stuck between a rock—surging demand for its new cheapo MacBook—and a hard place—that is, the limitations of an increasingly strained supply chain. Apple also has to source more RAM while memory prices continue to shoot through the roof.
MacBook Neo 2 will likely have more RAM
Having actually used the MacBook Neo, I can say that the limited 8GB of unified memory isn’t a major hindrance. Apple’s unified memory approach allows the Mac to funnel extra memory from the SSD toward the CPU and GPU, depending on the app you’re using. In that way, 8GB is enough for most browsing and streaming tasks. We’ve even seen it running some lower-end games and performing light video editing (any content for social will run just fine). An M5 MacBook Air will perform better. Still, there are no competing Windows PCs available at the same price point that offer as pretty a screen and as solid of a build quality as the MacBook Neo.
And yet, Apple is likely already preparing a sequel with just a little more RAM inside. Culpan further claims Apple is planning a MacBook Neo refresh for next year packed with an A19 Pro chip. This is the same processor found in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air. The one slated for the MacBook may be binned, meaning it fewer GPU cores compared to the one in the iPhone. Going with the A19 Pro chip could mean the “MacBook Neo 2” would have 12GB of unified memory—the same spec as the iPhone 17 Pro.
Whatever Apple does next, the MacBook Neo needs to maintain its identity. The surge in Neo sales is because customers have been jonesing for a bread-and-butter Mac. Apple and non-Apple buyers want good performance, a good screen, good sound, and enough juice to get through the day. To keep the gravy train rolling, Apple needs to ensure the MacBook Neo maintains its base $600 price point.
