MacBook Neo outsold every other Mac in its debut quarter

Apple ↗0.70% shipped 1.1 million MacBook Neo units in Q1, topping the MacBook Air’s 900,000 and MacBook Pro’s 550,000, according to IDC data shared with TechCrunch.9to5mac
The $599 laptop uses an iPhone-class A18 Pro chip instead of M-series silicon, targeting Chromebook and budget Windows buyers for the first time.cnbc
Apple doubled its 2026 production target to 10 million units and ordered a new chip run from TSMC ↗6.94% to meet demand.9to5mac

MacBook Neo Ships 1.1 Million Units in Debut Quarter, Outselling Pricier Apple Laptops

Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo shipped 1.1 million units in the quarter ended March, outpacing both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro in the same period, according to data from market research firm IDC shared with TechCrunch.macrumors

A Budget Mac Finds Its Audience

The figures place the MacBook Neo ahead of the M5-equipped MacBook Air, which shipped roughly 900,000 units, and the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which moved about 550,000 units in the same timeframe. The Neo only went on sale March 11, meaning its total was accumulated in fewer than three weeks of the quarter.reuters

The budget laptop is powered by the A18 Pro chip — the same processor used in the iPhone 16 Pro — rather than the M-series silicon found in Apple’s higher-end notebooks. That architectural choice allowed Apple to bring the starting price down to $599, or $499 for students and educators, well below the MacBook Air’s $1,099 entry point.cnbc

Expanding the Mac Customer Base

IDC analysts say the MacBook Neo is helping Apple compete in lower-priced notebook segments where the company has historically had little presence, attracting first-time Mac buyers who might otherwise have opted for Chromebooks or entry-level Windows devices. The laptop’s strong debut contributed to Mac revenue of $8.4 billion in Apple’s fiscal second quarter ended March, beating analyst estimates of $8.02 billion, according to Reuters.yahoo

Production Doubles to Meet Demand

Demand has forced Apple to ramp production. Supply chain sources reported in late March that Apple doubled its MacBook Neo production target to 10 million units for 2026. Analyst Tim Culpan reported in May that Apple commissioned a new production run of A18 Pro chips from TSMC to supply the additional 5 million units. As of late April, delivery times on Apple’s online store had stretched to two to three weeks.mjtsai

The early sales momentum suggests Apple’s gamble on an iPhone-class chip inside a full Mac laptop is resonating with price-conscious consumers — though whether the Neo cannibalizes higher-margin MacBook Air sales remains a question the company will face in coming quarters.