Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Today's Edition

EveryNews

Stories that matter, signal over noise
Technologies

MacBook Neo at $599 Already Running Out of Chips — Apple Already Preparing Successor

Apple has faced a shortage of A18 Pro chips for its newest MacBook almost immediately after sales began. The company's response is not to slow down, but to accelerate the cycle: it is already known that the successor will feature an A19 Pro and 12GB of memory.

Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik

By Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik

April 8, 2026 · 2 min read

MacBook Neo at $599 Already Running Out of Chips — Apple Already Preparing Successor
MacBook Neo (Фото: Apple)

MacBook Neo went on sale on March 11, 2026 — and appears to have immediately depleted warehouses. Apple has faced a shortage of A18 Pro chips for its cheapest laptop just weeks after release, according to Culpium.

The reason for the shortage is technical and telling: to sell the MacBook Neo for $599, Apple used so-called binned chips — rejected A18 Pro processors with 5-core graphics instead of full 6-core versions found in iPhone 16 Pro. This practice is standard in the industry, but supplies of "second-rate" chips are exhausted. Now the company is negotiating with suppliers: either order a new batch or limit sales.

What's inside the current model

The current MacBook Neo is the first Mac based on an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro here runs with 6 CPU cores, 5-core GPU, and only 8GB of RAM — while all other 2026 Macs start at 16GB. Memory bandwidth is 60 GB/s, compared to 153 GB/s in the M4 MacBook Air. Apple Intelligence is supported.

"MacBook Neo with A18 Pro is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks than the most popular PC with Intel Core Ultra 5 chip"

Apple, March 2026

The laptop weighs 1.22 kg and features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display without a notch — with bezels as even as on iPad — and is available in four colors: Silver, Indigo, Blush, and Citrus. Starting price is $599 (256GB), $699 for 512GB with Touch ID.

Successor: A19 Pro and double the memory

According to Taiwan-based technology observer and former Bloomberg journalist Tim Culpan (Culpium newsletter), the next generation MacBook Neo will arrive in 2027 with the A19 Pro chip — the same one found in iPhone 17 Pro.

  • 12GB of unified memory instead of 8GB — the main functional upgrade
  • 5-core GPU — again a binned version of the chip (iPhone 17 Pro gets 6 cores)
  • Performance gains, according to Digital Trends estimates, are in the low double-digit percentage range

The scheme is the same: Apple takes a flagship mobile chip, selects units with one defective GPU core, and puts them in a cheaper MacBook. Savings for the buyer are real, and savings for Apple too.

The question that remains unanswered: if Apple already cannot ensure stable supplies of A18 Pro right now, will it manage to establish production of binned A19 Pro versions by 2027 — or will the next MacBook Neo again start with a shortage in its first weeks?

Related

Latest

Business

EU Against Google: Why the Latest Fine Could Change More Than Previous Ones

# European Regulators Target Google Again — This Time Over Digital Markets Act Violations. What's Behind the Accusations and Why It Matters Beyond the Corporation European regulators have renewed their scrutiny of Google, this time focusing on alleged violations of the Digital Markets Act. The charges underscore Brussels' increasingly aggressive stance on big tech monopolies and what officials say are anticompetitive practices. The accusations center on how Google leverages its dominance across multiple digital services — from search to advertising to mobile platforms — to disadvantage competitors. Regulators claim the company is using its market power in ways that stifle innovation and limit consumer choice. The case carries significance far beyond Google itself. It signals how the EU is attempting to enforce its landmark Digital Markets Act, legislation designed to curb the gatekeeping power of tech giants. A potential penalty could set precedent for how other large technology companies face similar scrutiny. For consumers and smaller tech firms, the outcome could reshape the digital landscape by creating more room for competition. For Google, fines and operational restrictions could fundamentally alter its business model in Europe, the world's most stringent regulatory market. The case also reflects a broader geopolitical divide, with the EU pursuing a regulatory approach that contrasts sharply with the lighter-touch oversight favored in the United States.

May 26, 2026