Is the $599 MacBook Neo Headed for Discontinuation? Here’s What Could Be Coming Next

The $599 MacBook Neo may be living on borrowed time. Apple’s most affordable laptop has been a runaway hit since launch, but a mix of climbing chip costs, tight supply, and a recent move on the Mac Mini suggests the entry-level Neo could quietly disappear — much like the cheapest Mac Mini did just weeks ago.

If that happens, the cheapest way into a new MacBook may soon get noticeably more expensive.

A Familiar Pattern: The Mac Mini Already Lost Its Cheapest Model

Apple recently axed the baseline Mac Mini, pushing the desktop’s starting price from $599 up to $799. The reasoning was simple — slim margins on the lowest-cost configuration combined with rising memory and storage costs made it less appealing for Apple to keep around.

Now, attention is turning to the MacBook Neo. According to Tim Culpan, writing in his Culpium newsletter, Apple is preparing a much larger production run for the laptop and may use the opportunity to streamline its lineup. The same logic that took out the cheapest Mac Mini could very well apply here.

Why the MacBook Neo Is in This Position

The Neo’s situation is unusual, and it traces back to one specific component: the A18 Pro chip.

When Apple originally launched the MacBook Neo, it cleverly used “binned” A18 Pro chips left over from the iPhone 16 Pro. These chips had a minor manufacturing flaw in one of their six GPU cores, making them unsuitable for the iPhone but perfect for a slightly slower laptop. That’s why the MacBook Neo is sold with a 5-core GPU, while the iPhone 16 Pro shipped with the full 6 cores.

Using these recycled chips kept costs low — and helped Apple hit that magic $599 price point.

But there’s a catch.

Apple Has Run Out of Cheap Chips

According to Culpan, Apple has now exhausted its stockpile of leftover A18 Pro chips and will need to manufacture brand-new ones to keep up with Neo demand. That’s a major shift, because:

• Producing new chips is far more expensive than reusing binned ones
• The Neo’s profit margins shrink considerably without the discount of recycled silicon
• Memory and storage prices have also been climbing globally

This sets the stage for some tough math on Apple’s side, especially for the lowest-priced Neo.

How Big Is the New Production Run?

It’s no small bump. Culpan reports that Apple plans to ramp up Neo production to around 10 million units, up from an initial run estimated between 5 and 6 million. That’s almost double the original output.

The reason? The Neo has been an unexpected blockbuster.

During Apple’s Q2 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook admitted the company underestimated just how popular the laptop would be, saying they were already optimistic but didn’t anticipate the level of excitement it generated. With next year’s refresh still far off, Apple has no choice but to keep manufacturing the current model — even if doing so chips away at margins.

Why the $599 MacBook Neo Could Be the First to Go

The cheapest Neo is the most vulnerable in the lineup for several reasons:

• It comes with just 256GB of storage, which is increasingly seen as too small
• It lacks Touch ID, a feature included on the $699 model
• Students can already grab it for $499 thanks to Apple’s education discount

That last point is important. With education discounts already shrinking the margin, and with new costs piling onto every unit, Apple may decide that selling a $499 Neo just doesn’t make financial sense anymore.

If Apple follows the Mac Mini playbook, the most likely outcome is straightforward:

• Drop the 256GB / no Touch ID model
• Make the $699 model — with a 512GB SSD and Touch ID — the new entry point
• Possibly add a higher-end 1TB version above it

Don’t Expect a Faster GPU in Future Neos

Some shoppers might be tempted to wait, hoping that newly manufactured A18 Pro chips will unlock better graphics performance in upcoming Neo units. That’s unlikely to happen.

To maintain consistency across the entire MacBook Neo lineup, Apple will almost certainly disable one GPU core on the freshly produced chips, keeping every Neo at:

• 6-core CPU
• 5-core GPU

So whether you buy a Neo today or one made later in the year, the performance specs should remain identical. No surprise upgrades, no hidden boost.

A Possible Silver Lining: New Colors?

There may be one upside to all this. Culpan suggests Apple might introduce new color options for the MacBook Neo, possibly as a way to soften the blow of dropping the cheapest model and raising the effective starting price.

Fresh colors won’t make the Neo cheaper, but they could give buyers something new to be excited about — especially in the student and back-to-school markets, where personalization matters more than raw specs.

Should Students Be Worried?

Honestly, the loss of the $599 Neo wouldn’t be the end of the world. As several reviewers have noted, the $100 jump to the $699 model is arguably worth it just for the upgrade to:

• 512GB of SSD storage (double the base model)
• Touch ID for easier and more secure sign-in

Pair that with Apple’s $100 education discount, and students can still walk away with a far more capable Neo for $599 — same price as today’s baseline, just with much better hardware.

Still, for budget-conscious buyers, families with multiple kids, or schools purchasing in bulk, losing the cheapest Neo would sting. New colors or not, that $599 sticker has been a powerful selling point.

Final Thoughts

Apple hasn’t confirmed any changes to the MacBook Neo lineup, but the signs are hard to ignore. Between the Mac Mini’s recent price hike, doubled Neo production, exhausted A18 Pro stockpiles, and rising memory costs, Apple appears to be quietly setting the stage for a more expensive entry-level MacBook.

If the $599 MacBook Neo does ride off into the sunset, it’ll mark the end of one of the best deals Apple has offered in years — and yet another reminder that “affordable” Apple gear is becoming an increasingly rare species.