When Apple unveiled the MacBook Neo in March, it felt like just another MacBook launch. But within days, it became clear this wasn’t a typical release cycle. The $599 price tag, the colourful design, and the promise of a full macOS experience at Chromebook price range combined provoked sales numbers Apple hadn’t seen in years. The laptop started flying off shelves so fast that even Tim Cook reportedly highlighted the launch week as the best ever for first-time Mac buyers. "This is the best week for new Mac sales in history," he said.
More than a month later, the momentum hasn’t slowed. In fact, it has turned into a supply problem. New reports now claim Apple’s March inventory has effectively sold out, and anyone ordering online today is being quoted delivery windows stretching into May. That’s unusually long for a Mac this early in its lifecycle, the kind of backlog usually seen with new iPhones, not laptops.
Louis Eriakha
According to Economic Daily News, a Taiwanese website, the two major contract manufacturers for Apple, Foxconn and Quanta, have had to spring into action to meet the demand after Apple raised its shipment outlook from a few million units to over 10 million.
That’s a massive revision so early in the product’s life and shows Apple may have underestimated just how strong demand would be for a truly affordable Mac.
Yet many media outlets report that Apple hasn’t had time to catch up with demand since launch. Inventory has remained tight, with shipping dates slipping further out week after week. Some configurations occasionally appear for in-store pickup, but they vanish quickly. That means the smartest move for buyers right now might not be refreshing Apple’s website, but walking into a physical Apple Store and trying their luck there instead.
Meanwhile, a few third-party retailers like Amazon and Walmart have shown sporadic stock with earlier delivery dates and even slight discounts, but availability changes almost daily.
But there is also more. The Economic Daily News also reports that “inventory of A18 chips for the MacBook Neo is also running out, facing a shortage, and it's uncertain whether chips will be supplied at a lower price in the future.”
The A18 chips, which are cheaper than the M1 chips that power the MacBooks, were initially made for iPhones, but over time, they have become so powerful that Apple put them in a laptop. It contributes significantly to why the Neo cost is as low as it does.
When the Neo launched, many tech industry watchers emphasised how easy it would be to produce tonnes of the A18 chips because of its affordability. But that seems to be both a blessing and a curse.
The bigger shockwave, though, is industry-wide. Chromebook makers were reportedly surprised by the Neo’s unveiling because it directly targets the price band they’ve dominated for years. But they might even be more shocked next year. According to Tim Culpan, who writes the tech Substack, Culpium, Apple is expected to launch a more advanced Neo next year, “with no significant changes in appearance, possibly equipped with an A19 chip, and the DRAM capacity increased to 12GB.”
If it also comes with a backlight, it could change the game totally for both the MacBook Air and other midrange computers.
Louis Eriakha
