“Chip Dilemma” for the MacBook Neo – and the question of the next generation
Apple uses binning variants of the A18 Pro for the MacBook Neo that are not needed in the iPhone. Apparently, a post-production run is now necessary.
MacBook Neo in various colors.
(Image: Sebastian Trepesch / heise medien)
Apple's sales successes with the MacBook Neo could become a kind of “chip dilemma” for the company: The high demand for the entry-level notebook could lead to insufficient quantities of the special variant of the iPhone chip A18 Pro, which is used in the devices, being available in the foreseeable future.
Price advantage thanks to binning
Because: Currently, Apple is using virtually scrap thanks to chip sorting (binning). The A18 Pro variants used in the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max have an additional GPU chip (6 instead of 5) compared to the MacBook Neo. For the entry-level device, the manufacturer can therefore use SoCs whose manufacturing quality (yield) is not sufficient for 6 GPUs – one GPU must be deactivated. Without the MacBook Neo, these would simply be sorted out, which gives Apple significant price advantages.
Videos by heise
The problem: Apparently, the available quantities of the binned A18 Pro are running out, writes former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan in his newsletter from Taiwan. This means: Apple would have to produce special A18 Pro SoCs for the Neo with one less GPU in the future. This would counteract the aforementioned price advantage that the company currently enjoys through binning.
Manufacturing process “sold out”?
According to Culpan and other supply chain experts, the SoCs that Apple is currently using are leftovers from the original production run for the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. Apple is now in talks with its suppliers to solve this “massive dilemma”. Already, depending on the color variant, the MacBook Neo is only available with a waiting time of several weeks at Apple itself. Another problem according to Culpan: The process in which the A18 Pro was manufactured (N3E) is virtually “sold out” at the manufacturer TSMC. However, Apple should be able to exert enough pressure to achieve a new production run. Further problems: NAND modules and DRAM, whose prices are constantly rising, would also have to be procured – as well as sufficient aluminum for the Neo's casing production.
Meanwhile, Culpan believes that Apple is already working on the MacBook Neo 2. This is expected to be based on the A19 Pro from the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. The big advantage: These chips come standard with 12 GB instead of the 8 GB in the A18 Pro. But here too, Apple could face the aforementioned production dilemma if the Neo 2 sells as well as its current predecessor.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externer Preisvergleich (heise Preisvergleich) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (heise Preisvergleich) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
(bsc)
