Overview
- Surging demand has drained Apple’s stock of binned A18 Pro chips that early Neo units borrowed from iPhone production.
- Apple has asked TSMC to run fresh A18 Pro silicon dedicated to the laptop to restart supply.
- Retail delivery dates have slipped as assembly ramps, with analysts reporting Apple may lift output goals toward about 10 million units.
- Costs are rising because the Neo’s design stacks RAM on top of the processor, so pricier LPDDR5X memory and tight foundry capacity raise each unit’s bill.
- Supply-chain reports say Apple is weighing a price increase or dropping the $599 configuration, but no change is announced and a higher entry price could steer buyers to MacBook Air deals or rival Windows laptops.