- All MacBook Neo flavors are 2-3 weeks late in the Apple online store
- You’ll also be lucky to buy one at a physical Apple store in the US, although some outlets have it in stock.
- The popularity of the laptop seems to have taken Apple by surprise and it is rumored that supply issues could be a real problem in the future.
The MacBook Neo is apparently a victim of its own popularity, and if you order the laptop online, it won’t be delivered for quite some time, and there are rumors that Apple will struggle to meet demand in the future.
First, 9 to 5 Mac noted that no matter what MacBook Neo configuration (model or color) you select from Apple’s US online store, there is a 2-3 week wait time before the laptop ships.
Even if you head to a traditional Apple store, chances are you won’t be able to buy a MacBook Neo right there. While availability varies as you can imagine, you’ll typically have to wait 3-4 weeks for in-store pickup to be ready. That said, some stores have same-day availability for Neo, if you’re lucky.
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Checking in the UK, I can see that it’s a similar situation for online orders through Apple’s website, although you can buy a MacBook Neo straight away at most Apple stores in the country. And in Australia, the official Apple store also indicates a wait time of 3 to 4 weeks, although some other third-party retailers with physical stores appear to still have some models in stock.
Here’s where this gets really interesting, in a very complicated way for Apple, because, as MacRumors discovered, we heard from a technology writer in Taiwan (a former Bloomberg reporter, Tim Culpan) that the Neo has been much more popular than anticipated. It has apparently “exceeded expectations” in terms of how quickly the laptop has changed drives, posing a “big dilemma” for Apple, the writer believes (based on the usual anonymous sources).
The theory is that Apple incorporated A18 Pro chips that couldn’t be used in the iPhone 16 Pro due to a defective GPU core. Instead of a 6-core GPU as was needed in the iPhone, these chips only had 5 cores, but were otherwise good, so with the bad core disabled, they were put in the MacBook Neo.
This is a common strategy for chips that are not of a certain grade, as it prevents silicon from being wasted. However, it means that Apple only had a certain amount of CPUs due to the shortfall of these iPhone chips. That won’t be enough, Culpan informs us, now that Neo sales have taken off so strongly, and therefore Apple could be in trouble here, or so the rumor goes; Obviously, add a lot of spice to this statement.
MacRumors also found that Culpan believes Apple will have an updated MacBook Neo next year, built around the A19 Pro CPU (the chip in the current iPhone 17 Pro) and equipped with 12GB of system RAM. It will be a useful upgrade from the current 8GB load, which while sufficient for daily computing on the Neo, doesn’t seem so great in terms of future-proofing.
It’s also worth noting that the Mac mini and Mac Studio are now experiencing serious delays (months in some cases) when ordered from Apple’s online store, although these delays are reportedly due to the current RAM crisis, rather than demand outstripping supply.
Analysis: Will Apple need to get creative here?
While these rumors fit quite well, we should be careful not to make too many assumptions. Although there is clearly an issue with supply not meeting demand for the MacBook Neo, as evidenced by the laptop’s already long delivery times.
The question is whether this is more of a problem in the flow of stock to retail, or whether the rumor about losing moorings in terms of CPU shortages for the Neo is actually true. We’ll only know if we keep an eye on the availability of the MacBook Neo and see if the current situation continues (or even worsens).
If Apple faces a supply problem with its A18 Pro chips as suggested, the company will have to live with disappointing its customers (not a great idea, especially considering how well the Neo has done) or increase the production of the CPUs (also with the sixth GPU core disabled, because Apple would have to keep the integrated graphics the same as with the existing models).
However, as Culpan points out, the latter is easier said than done, given what it will cost to secure production capacity with TSMC in the blink of an eye. It won’t be easy to balance Apple’s bank balance considering that the Neo’s profit margins are already slim.
There could be creative ways around that problem, such as the decision to simply produce the more expensive (512GB) model of the Neo, which certainly has a bit more profit margin. But what Apple doesn’t want to do is lose the momentum it quickly gained with the Neo, which is a threat that Microsoft apparently recognizes in terms of making macOS a more significant force in the Windows-dominated laptop world.
Once again, it all comes down to the MacBook Neo being something of a victim of its own success; And while we can’t jump to conclusions, the theories behind what could be unfolding here seem quite plausible. Maybe that 12GB 2nd gen model of the Neo will come out as quickly as possible…
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