Apple's MacBook Neo has been such a runaway hit that new buyers face a weeks-long wait for delivery, and the company has now doubled its planned production run and ordered new A18 Pro chips to keep up.
The $599 MacBook Neo officially went on sale on March 11, 2026, and has been hard to find ever since. Many combinations of color and configuration are considerably back-ordered.
Now, Apple is reportedly taking steps to ensure it can sell MacBook Neo laptops to everyone who wants one. In fact, Apple has been caught so flat-footed by the MacBook Neo's popularity that it's now doubling its initial production run.
That's according to analyst Tim Culpan, who also reports that Apple will have to order more A18 Pro chips, too.
Too many Macs, not enough chips
The huge popularity of the MacBook Neo has left Apple in something of a quandary. Selling out of its initial run of laptops will preserve the company's original margin projections, which is good. But more sales are better.
However, ordering more MacBook Neo laptops could well be a costly endeavor. Ever-increasing DRAM prices will likely ensure it costs more to make a MacBook Neo today than it did during its initial production run.
But Culpan notes that there's an additional wrinkle that needs to be considered. Apple simply doesn't have the chips on hand to build more laptops.
More MacBook Neos are on the way, but at what cost?
The A18 Pro chip that powers the MacBook Neo is a version of the same chip that powered the iPhone 16 Pro. In fact, they're chips that didn't have the six functional GPU cores required for use in the iPhone.
Rather than scrap those chips, Apple saved those with five GPU cores for use in the MacBook Neo. Culpan believes that the well is running dry, and buying new chips could be costly.
The analyst believes Apple will now need to order more A18 Pro chips and that they will have six functional GPU cores. Apple would then be able to disable the extra core, leaving five available. maintaining the $599 price.
Culpan suggests that Apple may take another approach, though. He thinks it's possible Apple may choose to ditch the $599 starting price to accommodate the extra expense. The move would see only the $699 512GB model sold from here on out.
Apple already followed the same playbook with the Mac mini, ditching the entry-level model entirely.
A similar approach here seems unlikely, however. Apple is well aware that a key part of the MacBook Neo's success is its $599 price point.
Ultimately, it's difficult to know exactly what Apple's plans are, nor how many chips it does or does not have. But one thing is clear, the MacBook Neo is incredibly popular. Apple will want to capitalize while it can.
