It came as a shock to many that Apple’s Mac budget fell, but sales could be doing much better than expected. The company has reportedly placed an urgent follow-up order for the MacBook Neo after initial sales of the new budget laptop exceeded initial forecasts.
A new report from MoneyUDN says Apple has raised its shipment outlook for the device from “several million” to more than 10 million units, with major manufacturing partners Foxconn and Quanta supporting the increase.
How Apple’s $599 MacBook is ahead of the competition
According to the report, the appeal of the MacBook Neo is pretty clear. Priced at $599, it’s considered Apple’s cheapest notebook to date, and that lower entry point appears to have sparked a wave of global purchases. The MacBook Neo is reportedly already sold out and Apple is now facing shortages as demand continues to rise.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has even reportedly stated that the MacBook Neo’s launch week saw the best first-week sales among new Mac users in the entire history of the Mac lineup. If this is true, then Apple is not only releasing impressive devices, but is actually attracting a large number of first-time Mac buyers.
What Apple is doing to meet the huge demand
This is where the claims about rush orders come into play. Apparently Foxconn produces the MacBook Neo in both China and Vietnam, while Quanta is also involved as a supporting manufacturing partner. The report also adds that Apple suppliers do not comment on specific customers or products, so the claim remains based on unnamed sources in the supply chain.
Apple apparently underestimated how strong demand would be for a cheaper Mac notebook and is now trying to catch up. And nothing makes this more clear than delivery times. The MacBook Neo first went on sale worldwide on March 11th, and current orders through Apple’s online store have delivery windows between April 24th and May 1st. This delayed delivery shows that supply is already under pressure.
The report also claims that Apple’s stocks of the A18 chipset are also running out quickly, which could make Apple’s supply problem even more difficult if demand remains high.
