Apple orders new A18 Pro chips for extra MacBook Neos
Updated
Updated · 9to5Mac · May 6
Apple orders new A18 Pro chips for extra MacBook Neos
15 articles · Updated · 9to5Mac · May 6
The move covers 5 million additional laptops, lifting planned 2026 output to about 10 million, with TSMC making fresh chips after Apple exhausted leftover iPhone 16 Pro stock.
Earlier MacBook Neos used binned A18 Pro chips with one defective GPU core, but the new run will raise costs and could squeeze margins or force pricing and storage-tier changes.
Apple has already warned supply constraints will continue this quarter, after delivery times stretched to four weeks; a second-generation Neo with A19 Pro chips is expected in early 2027.
With the AI boom consuming advanced chips, can Apple's budget MacBook Neo avoid a significant price increase?
Is the AI industry's insatiable demand for chips making affordable consumer technology a thing of the past?