MacBook Neo has a chip supply problem, here’s how Apple can fix it

Apple has a chip problem. The MacBook Neo is selling much better than the company expected, and now it seems that there aren’t enough A18 Pro chips to keep production going for another 6-12 months before a new version is released.

Some have floated the idea of ​​Apple axing the 256GB trim, and using the unbundled A18 Pro chip in the 512GB trim. That is obvious. So I wonder, how can Apple prevent this from happening with every upcoming MacBook Neo?

MacBook Neo boom

We already know that Apple is making another version of the MacBook Neo with the A19 Pro chip and 12GB RAM in about a year.

What if, however, there were more variations to it? Obviously, relying on one trim of the bound chip does not mean that it will cut it in the amount of the existing demand for the MacBook Neo.

You might argue a lot of this could be hype to boot, but I also think the MacBook Neo is an absurdly good deal compared to the rest of the PC industry, and people will continue to want to buy it. Especially if they already have an iPhone.

Currently, there are two types of MacBook Neo, with no difference in chip:

• $599 ($499 edu): 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, A18 Pro chip with 5 core CPU and 6 core GPU
• $699 ($599 edu): 512GB SSD, 8GB RAM, Touch ID, same A18 Pro chip

Apple only uses one chip in the MacBook Neo, at least for now. With the A19 version, I think there is room for them to move up and down.

A19 version

Apple can go higher, in the sense that the highest trim MacBook Neo is $699, while the lowest trim MacBook Air is $1099. And it can go down, in the sense that people are clearly okay with 8GB of memory at this price point.

So, I can imagine this list with the A19 update:

• $599 ($499 edu): 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, A19 chip (6 core CPU, 5 core GPU like iPhone 17), no Touch ID
• $749 ($649 edu): 512GB SSD, 12GB RAM, A19 Pro chip (6 core CPU, 5 core GPU like iPhone Air), Touch ID
• $899 ($799 edu): 1TB SSD, 12GB RAM, A19 Pro chip (6 core CPU, 6 core GPU like iPhone 17 Pro), Touch ID

That gives diversity to the supply of chips, and creates a new incentive for people with more room in their budget to buy a less available chip. I’m not sure if I see these prices sticking literally, but I think the general structure is usually sound.

Another downside to the baseline A19 chip is the fact that it doesn’t embed a USB 3 controller. Apple can embed an external one on the board, returning the USB 3 port to the base model. An added advantage to this is that the A19 Pro chips have an embedded USB 3 controller, so the external one can make both USB-C ports support USB 3 speeds. This is all speculation of course.

Finish it

I’m sure Apple wants a Chromebook and low-end Windows laptop competitor to always be around, and the lack of the A18 Pro isn’t something it thought it would have to deal with anytime soon. In a way, I think more diversity with the upcoming A19 model is almost inevitable.

How do you feel about the MacBook Neo? Have you bought it yet? Sounded off in the comments.

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