Apple Tests MacBook Neo Upgrade with A19 Pro | RAM Jumps from 8GB to 12GB, But Price Hike Is Locked In
TL;DR
Bloomberg reports Apple is testing an upgraded MacBook Neo with A19 Pro silicon and 12GB RAM; parts shortages nearly guarantee a price hike over the first-gen.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman confirmed Apple is testing an upgraded MacBook Neo: silicon jumps from A18 Pro to A19 Pro (the same chip used in the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone Air), RAM likely jumps from the first-gen's 8GB to 12GB, and there are new colors on the roadmap. The timeline lines up with Tim Culpan's earlier analyst report.
MacBook Neo is Apple's entry-priced notebook push this year. The 8GB base RAM has been widely criticized on macOS recently — local LLMs, Docker, video editing workflows all hit the wall quickly. The 12GB upgrade is a market-pushed move.
Persistent component shortages almost certainly mean the next-gen Neo will cost more than the first. DRAM/NAND unit prices are at five-year highs (same day, Musk publicly thanked Micron for Tesla's volume-locked long-term supply on the Q2 call — Apple gets no such special treatment). Upgrading and hiking prices simultaneously pushes Neo's "budget notebook" positioning to the margin.
via The Verge
MacBook Neo is Apple's entry-priced notebook push this year. The 8GB base RAM has been widely criticized on macOS recently — local LLMs, Docker, video editing workflows all hit the wall quickly. The 12GB upgrade is a market-pushed move.
Persistent component shortages almost certainly mean the next-gen Neo will cost more than the first. DRAM/NAND unit prices are at five-year highs (same day, Musk publicly thanked Micron for Tesla's volume-locked long-term supply on the Q2 call — Apple gets no such special treatment). Upgrading and hiking prices simultaneously pushes Neo's "budget notebook" positioning to the margin.
via The Verge
