Why the MacBook Neo 2 may arrive sooner than expected
Macworld It’s been barely a month since Apple introduced the MacBook Neo, its most affordable laptop ever, and it’s already being hailed as a breakout hit. Starting at $599 in the U.S. with even bigger discounts for students, it’s still hard to find some models in stock at an Apple Store, and depending on the color you want, it might take several weeks to get one. But according to a new Bloomberg report, the enormous success of the MacBook Neo seems to be presenting Apple with a major dilemma right now. With so many people wanting a Neo, Apple may run out of chips to build its cheaper laptop sooner than expected. As a result, the MacBook Neo 2 may arrive sooner than later. What makes the MacBook Neo so affordable The MacBook Neo has certainly broken new ground when it comes to the price of a new Apple laptop. Students can buy one for just $499,half the price of a new Air. Before the Neo, Apple’s most affordable new laptop was the M4 MacBook Air, which started at $899 for students, and for the first time, Apple is really making a push in the entry-level laptop market. Of course, the Neo has a few trade-offs to keep the price down. It lacks a backlit keyboard and a Force Touch trackpad, and although it has a Retina display, it doesn’t feature more advanced technologies like a Mini-LED panel or wide color gamut. These all help to keep costs down, but there’s another key component that helps Apple sell the MacBook Neo at a lower price: the chip inside it. The MacBook Neo is the first Mac to be powered by an iPhone chip.Foundry Until now, Macs have been powered by M-series chips, which are designed specifically for computers and iPads. As we all know, these chips are extremely powerful and efficient, but they’re also more expensive to make. For the Neo, Apple took a different approach. Instead of using one of its most expensive and powerful chips, the company opted for a “binned” version of the A18 Pro chip with one less GPU core. Essentially, it’s a recycled version of the chip found in the iPhone 16 Pro. Not only was the A18 Pro chip cheaper to manufacture than an M-series chip, but Apple also had a lot of them sitting around. After all, it was the chip used in the 2024 flagship iPhone, which is no longer in production. This means that Apple was able to reuse these chips without any additional fabrication costs. When success becomes a problem According to analysts, Apple had expected to build 5-6 million units of the first-generation MacBook Neo before launching a new model next year. However, as reported by former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan, demand has been so high that Apple is no longer sure it will have enough inventory to keep the Neo on the market until next year. Apple no longer manufactures the A18 Pro chip, and as the analyst explained, resuming production at this point would be very costly for Apple because the semiconductor node used to make this chip (known as N3E) is “hugely popular and effectively sold out.” The MacBook Neo is selling so well that Apple might run out of chips.Foundry Culpan points out a few options Apple has to get around the problem. For example, the company could raise prices or discontinue the cheaper 256GB model without Touch ID, both of which seem highly unlikely. Apple has been very aggressive in promoting the starting price of the MacBook Neo, so it would be disastrous to suddenly change that strategy. But that doesn’t mean Apple is out of options. A new generation could be the perfect solution According to the report, Apple already has plans to launch a new generation of the MacBook Neo sometime next year, featuring the A19 Pro chip. That follows a logical path that Apple’s other devices, including the iPhone, also follow. The A19 Pro is the same chip found in the iPhone 17 Pro and features 12GB of RAM. By the time Apple launches the iPhone 18, there will already be a sufficient stockpile of A19 Pro chips on hand. If MacBook Neo sales continue to grow, the solution could be moving up the launch of a new MacBook Neo with the A19 Pro chip. The MacBook Neo 2 with a faster processor and more RAM could arrive sooner than expected.Eugen Wegmann Restarting production of the A18 Pro at this point would cost Apple a lot of money, but ramping up production of the current A19 Pro, which would be shared between the remaining production of the iPhone 17 Pro and the MacBook Neo 2, could be an option. That could give Apple enough supply to ship MacBook Neo for 15 or so months. Perhaps instead of a launch in March 2027, about a year after the first Neo, we might see a new model a bit sooner, perhaps later this fall or in January 2027. Either way, it’s impressive to see just how successful the MacBook Neo has been, and Apple is certainly on the right track with this product. We’ll learn a little more at Apple’s second-quarter earnings call on April 30, but Tim Cook has already said the Neo had “the best launch week ever for first-time Mac customers.” So the numbers are very good. And if a new model arrives sooner rather than later, they could get even better.

Read more »

Apple’s chip ‘binning’ explained: What is it and why does it matter?
Macworld Over the past several weeks, you’ve probably heard the term “binned” when referring to the chips inside the iPhone 17e and MacBook Neo. But what does it mean? In simple terms, “binning” is the process of taking one whole group of something and separating it out by characteristics to be sold or used differently. Its origins trace back to agriculture, where a single crop yield would be separated into bins. The best pieces would be ideal for individual sale, and go in a bin destined for the market. Pieces that were not as visually appealing would go in a bin that would sell in bulk at a discount, for processed food products. The food that was worst in quality and appearance would go in yet another bin to sell for animal feed or fertilizer. Today, “binning” is used in nearly every mining, harvesting, or manufacturing industry, from gemstones to clothing and, of course, semiconductors. If a RAM chip is tested and fails when run at a clock speed of 3000 MHz, it is binned and sold as a 2800 MHz chip, for example. Every major chip manufacturer has employed “binning” tactics for years, including Intel, AMD, and Nvidia. But Apple has made the term more popular by using “binned” chips in popular products. Here’s how the process works and how Apple is using binned chips to its advantage. The binning process explained Processors, including Apple’s, are typically binned in two ways: Clock speed and design flaws. Chips are tested at frequencies and voltages, and separated out into those that pass validation at the desired speeds and others that operate at lower speeds. Chip makers can then sell the fastest chips at a premium, or in Apple’s case, put them in higher-end products where top-tier performance is expected. Apple doesn’t disclose the frequencies of most of its chips, and the final speed at which the chip can run is very much reliant on the heat dissipation of the targeted device. The more obvious method of “binning” is when some parts of a chip are disabled in order to rescue products that would otherwise have failed in manufacturing. The iPhone 17e uses a “binned” version of the A19 chip with one fewer GPU core.David Price / Foundry Modern processors have tens of billions of transistors, etched onto a silicon sheet by shining high-frequency ultraviolet light through a “mask” of the circuit pattern. This is repeated layer after layer, and the precision required is incredible. A typical silicon wafer—a big, round, flat crystal about a foot across—will produce around 500 chips like an A18, but a large percentage of them will have a flaw that prevents them from operating correctly. If Apple had to throw them in the trash, they’d get maybe 200 usable chips per wafer (or less). The percentage of usable chips is the “yield” of a silicon wafer. You pay for chip manufacturing by the wafer, so the higher the yield, the more usable chips you get out of it, and the lower the cost per chip. Modern chips are designed with many areas that are repeated and functionally identical. If there are six GPU cores, each GPU core is exactly the same. This repetition can be used for redundancy in the manufacturing process, allowing manufacturers to make defective chips usable in other products.. With the right design, a chip could be made so that any GPU core with a manufacturing flaw in it can be “fused off” and ignored when running software. This can turn your broken chip with a 6-core GPU into a functioning 5-core chip. This technique can be used anywhere that large parts of the chip are repeated: CPU and GPU cores, cache memory, memory interface circuitry, and so on. What Apple products have binned chips? Binned chips have been used to power Apple products for about a decade. Back in 2018, the 3rd-gen iPad Pro arrived, which had a version of the A12 called the A12X. Where the A12 had a 6-core CPU and a 4-core GPU, the A12X chip featured an 8-core CPU and a 7-core GPU. As we would soon learn, the A12X chip was actually designed with 8 GPU cores. Yields were bad enough that Apple had to disable one GPU core per chip to get enough usable chips per wafer to bring the costs in line. In early 2020, the fourth-generation iPad Pro featured the A12Z processor. It was the exact same chip as the A12X, but with that eighth GPU core enabled. Manufacturing yields had improved enough to make that possible. The entry-level MacBook Air has used a “binned” version of the chip with one or two fewer GPU cores.Ida Blix When the M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, the chip featured 8 GPU cores. But the entry-level model had one GPU core disabled, giving Apple a lot more usable chips per wafer and bringing down the cost of the M1. Today, Apple sells lots of products with binned chips. The iPhone Air uses the A19 Pro, just as the iPhone 17 Pro does, but one of its 6 GPU cores is disabled. The iPhone 17e uses a binned version of the A19—you get 4 GPU cores in the 17e while the regular iPhone 17 gets 5. The entry-level MacBook Air has an M5 with two GPU cores disabled (8 instead of 10). And the MacBook Neo uses an A18 Pro with one GPU core disabled. Binned chips let Apple improve yields and lower chip costs. It also lets them produce less expensive products with lower-performance chips without having to design a totally new chip just for them. And as one of the only companies that make their own chips and their own hardware designs, it gives them a huge advantage. How does binning impact performance? If you’re using a product with a “binned” version of a chip, are you really missing out on the full experience? As so often is the case with the performance of computing products, the answer is: It depends. All things being equal, a binned version of a chip suffers a hit to peak performance right in line with the change to the chip. If you go from 5 GPU cores to 4, that’s a 20 percent reduction in GPU cores, and you generally see a 20 percent reduction in peak GPU performance. The iPhone 17e, for example, delivers GPU results roughly 20 percent lower than the iPhone 17, because it has 20 percent fewer GPU cores. The iPhone Air, with 17 percent fewer GPU cores than the iPhone 17 Pro, delivers graphics benchmark results around 17 percent slower.

Read more »

Running out of time to file your taxes? This $30 H&R Block software makes it way easier
Macworld TL;DR: File your taxes confidently this season with H&R Block Tax Software Deluxe + State 2025 for $29.99 (MSRP $59.99), including AI Tax Assist and step-by-step guidance. Tax season is almost here, and the thought of juggling forms, deductions, and deadlines can make anyone break a sweat. Enter H&R Block Tax Software Deluxe + State 2025. For just $29.99 (MSRP $59.99), this software makes filing both federal and state taxes straightforward, efficient, and less stressful. With AI Tax Assist, you get expert-backed guidance anytime, step-by-step walkthroughs for over 350 credits and deductions, and real-time refund updates so you’re never left guessing. Import your W-2s, 1099s, and even last year’s TurboTax or Quicken returns in seconds. Maximize mortgage, investment, and home-related deductions without the headache. H&R Block even offers free in-person audit support if things go sideways, plus instant access to 13,000+ articles and FAQs. All your work stays secure and ready to save or re-download at any time — no CDs or extra software required. Whether you’re a first-time filer or a seasoned pro, H&R Block keeps things simple, accurate, and surprisingly fast. Beat the clock and make sure you get every deduction you deserve this tax season. Grab your code for H&R Block Tax Software Deluxe + State 2025 today for $29.99 and file with confidence before the deadline hits. H&R Block Tax Software Deluxe + State 2025 for Windows/Mac [Online Code]See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

Read more »

13-inch M5 MacBook Air 24GB/1TB is $84 off
The MacBook Air features the new M5 chip for strong speeds and performance with the GPU featuring Neural Accelerators for strong AI performance. It features 1TB of storage, perfect for storing documents, photos, videos, movies, games, and more. The device features a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display, making videos, photos, and graphics look vibrant with rich […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

Read more »

Refurbished M4 iPad Pro Available For Purchase
A refurbished version of the M4 iPad Pro is being sold by Apple in its refurbished products online stores, enabling customers to buy the device with a discount. Both the 13 and 11-inch models are available in different specifications. Prices on the 11-inch M4 iPad Pro are down to $759 from $999, while 13-inch models […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

Read more »

Revised Beta for iPadOS 26.5 and iOS 26.5 Released
The first betas that are revised for iPadOS 26.5 and iOS 26.5 have been released for developers to try out. The software will be released four days after the initial betas were seeded by Apple. Developers who are registered can install the beta. You can download the beta by going to iPad or iPhone settings, […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

Read more »

Teardown Video Provided by iFixit for AirPods Max 2
iFixit, a repair site, has uploaded a teardown video of the next-generation AirPods Max 2. A few changes were seen on the new device, as the site says that the AirPods Max 2 are about the same as the previous model. We get a view of the internal parts of the AirPods Max 2, showing […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

Read more »

AirPods Max 2 is $20 off
The next generation AirPods Max 2 feature the H2 chip to give deep bass, crisp highs, and expansive mids for a great listening experience. Further immerse yourself with 1.5x more ANC so you can focus more on your workout, movie, or game. The AirPods Max 2 places sound all over you with personalized spatial audio […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

Read more »

WWDC Invite Winners Notified
Developers and students who won the lottery to go to this year’s WWDC will start getting invites. WWDC will start on June 8 and will be hosted at Apple Park. Apple will hold a keynote WWDC viewing in Apple Park, but the space is exclusive to invites done with lottery. The accepted submissions will receive […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

Read more »

Unofficial WWDC Pins Made
Clément Sauvage, an App developer, made some enamel pins for Apple consumers who want to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary and this year’s WWDC. The pins are being offered on Kickstarter with shipping starting ahead of WWDC in May. The pins feature an Apple Intelligence Icon, Rainbow of Apple Park at the campus, an Apple […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

Read more »

Little Finder Guy Found In New Videos
Apple is still uploading short videos that feature the new mascot, Little Finder Guy, on platforms like YouTube Shorts and TikTok, making the most out of the fame that the icon has received. The shorts promote the MacBook Neo with various tips for the Mac, like Journaling features, passwords, and more, featuring Little Finder Guy. […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

Read more »

13-inch M5 MacBook Air 512GB is $66 off
The refreshed MacBook Air features the M5 chip, bringing next-generation speed and power, allowing you to speed through work and handle graphics-heavy games. The GPU features Neural Accelerators for strong AI performance. The device supports Apple Intelligence, the personal AI system that helps keep things organized and get things done easily. You get groundbreaking privacy […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

Read more »

Jay Blahnik Retires
Jay Blahnik will be stepping down as the vice president of fitness technology at Apple, concluding a 13-year tenure with the company. The reason for stepping down was because of a toxic work environment and claims of misconduct. Jay joined the company in 12013 after being a consultant at Nike for 2 decades. He had […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

Read more »

Paul McCartney Performs At Apple Park
At the Apple Park in Cupertino, Paul McCartney hosted a concert for the final stages of Apple, celebrating their 50th anniversary with a set that is career-spanning, featuring songs from his solo career, Wings, and The Beatles. Paul McCartney was introduced to the audience as one of the most influential artists of all time, a […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

Read more »

Black Color Option Not Available For iPhone 18 Pro
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max come in three colors, Deep Blue, Silver, and Cosmic Orange. One thing to note is that a black color option is not available, as last year marked the first time the device has not been available in black. A rumor suggests that the iPhone 18 Pro […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

Read more »

WhatsApp’s improved CarPlay experience is now available to all iPhone users
Following just a few days of beta testing, WhatsApp has now released its improved CarPlay experience to all iPhone users. Here are the details. more…

Read more »

9to5Mac Overtime 066: Every time I breathe there’s a new Claude update
Jeff unpacks his surprising journey from AI skeptic to enthusiast, sharing how he now uses tools like Claude Code to build custom solutions. Fernando provides an honest opinion about the new AirPods Max versus AirPods Pro 3, and a one-month check-in on the MacBook Neo. 9to5Mac Overtime is a weekly video-first podcast exploring fun and interesting observations in the Apple ecosystem, featuring 9to5Mac’s Fernando Silva & Jeff Benjamin. Subscribe to Overtime via Apple Podcasts and our YouTube channel for more. more…

Read more »

watchOS 26.4 fixes a major Apple Watch Workout app complaint
Apple redesigned the Workout app in watchOS 26, but not everyone has loved the new Apple Watch exercise tracking experience. It turns out Apple has been listening, because watchOS 26.4 addresses a major complaint about the new design. more…

Read more »

Apple Arcade could use an ‘always allow’ feature that’s separate from App Store
I love Apple Arcade. The game catalog really clicks with my son, and a single subscription unlocks hundreds of premium games. The best part is that the games have no ads or in-app purchases. This makes for a much better gaming experience on his iPad. There’s just one feature I’d love to see Apple add. more…

Read more »

Apple research explores AI-assisted UI prototyping, image safety rating
Apple's researchers continue to focus on LLMs, with studies detailing the use of AI in UI prototype creation and a new dataset for image safety rating.Apple's latest AI research explores how vibe-coding UI designs can be made easier.With Xcode 26.3, Apple introduced support for agentic coding tools to help developers plan, execute, and iterate on projects with the help of AI. In other words, Xcode offers built-in compatibility with popular LLM chatbots, such as Anthropic's Claude Agent and OpenAI's Codex.And that looks to be only the start of Apple's vibe coding-related endeavors, as its latest research offers a new twist on generating UI designs with the help of AI. Apple is also exploring the use of AI in evaluating the safety content of images, among other things. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Read more »

Apple Faces 'Massive Dilemma' With Success of the MacBook Neo
Apple may have a supply problem on its hands with the MacBook Neo... The laptop reportedly relies on "binned" A18 Pro chips with one GPU core disabled, and demand is so strong that the supply of those cheaper leftover chips could run out before the next model is ready. That leaves Apple choosing between lower margins, shifting production plans, or changing the lineup to keep its $599 hit product in stock. MacRumors reports: The all-new MacBook Neo has been such a hit that Apple is facing a "massive dilemma," according to Taiwan-based tech columnist and former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan. [...] In the latest edition of his Culpium newsletter today, Culpan said the MacBook Neo is selling so well that Apple's supply of the binned A18 Pro chips with a 5-core GPU will "run out" before the company is able to fully satisfy demand for the laptop. Apple's initial plan was to have suppliers build around five to six million MacBook Neo units before ceasing production of the model with the A18 Pro chip, he said, but it sounds like demand is so strong that Apple might run out of A18 Pro chips to put in the MacBook Neo before the second-generation MacBook Neo with an A19 Pro chip is ready next year. Apple is unlikely to mark the MacBook Neo as temporarily sold out, so it may be forced to take action, but profit margins might be affected. A18 Pro chips are manufactured with TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, known as N3E, and Culpan said TSMC's N3E production lines are currently operating at maximum capacity. As a result, he said that Apple may have to pay a premium to restart A18 Pro chip production for the MacBook Neo, which would lower its profit margins. Apple would have to disable a GPU core on these chips to ensure that they have only a 5-core GPU, like all other MacBook Neo units sold to date. Alternatively, Culpan said that Apple could reallocate some of its chip production that was originally planned for other devices, but he said the cost would still be higher than what it paid for its initial batch of A18 Pro chips. Culpan speculated that Apple could also opt to discontinue the $599 model with 256GB of storage, leaving the $699 model with 512GB of storage and a Touch ID button as the only configuration available. This is unlikely to happen any time soon, in our view, given how heavily Apple has been promoting the MacBook Neo's affordability. Apple might also be able to move up the release of a MacBook Neo with the iPhone 17 Pro's A19 Pro chip, but that too would be a costlier option, at least until the company achieves a sufficient stockpile of binned A19 Pro chips with a 5-core GPU. In any case, Apple could opt to keep the starting price of current and future MacBook Neo models at $599 and simply accept lower profit margins on the laptop, especially given that it attracts customers to the macOS and broader Apple ecosystem. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Read more »

Apple TV: Six-part Vietnam docuseries picks up 3 News & Documentary Emmy nominations
Vietnam: The War That Changed America received three nominations today for the 47th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards. Here’s what it’s up against. more…

Read more »

Apple TV: Six-part Vietnam docuseries picks up 3 News & Documentary Emmy nominations
Vietnam: The War That Changed America received three nominations today for the 47th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards. Here’s what it’s up against. more…

Read more »

Apple TV: Six-part Vietnam docuseries picks up 3 News & Documentary Emmy nominations
Vietnam: The War That Changed America received three nominations today for the 47th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards. Here’s what it’s up against. more…

Read more »