Apple has doubled its 2026 build plan for the MacBook Neo after the budget laptop sold faster than the company expected. The Apple MacBook Neo, A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, from $599 (Rs 69,900 in India), shipped 1.1 million units in the March quarter on IDC's count — more than any other Mac in its debut window — and supply-chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple lifted the year's production target from 5 million to 10 million units to keep up. A product line Apple had skipped for two decades is now its fastest mover, and the rest of the industry spent Computex 2026 working out how to answer it.Key TakeawaysApple has doubled its 2026 MacBook Neo production target from 5 million to 10 million units, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, after demand ran ahead of the original plan.The Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, from $599; Rs 69,900 in India) shipped about 1.1 million units in its debut March quarter — ahead of the M5 MacBook Air (about 900,000) and the M5 MacBook Pro (about 550,000).At Rs 69,900 the Neo costs about 45 per cent less than the entry MacBook Air (Rs 1,19,900), and it drove a record number of first-time Mac buyers.Rivals answered at Computex 2026: Dell's Intel Wildcat Lake XPS 13 from $699, Acer's Swift Air 14 at $599, and Qualcomm's Snapdragon C Arm platform from around $300.How did Apple end up doubling production?Kuo says Apple asked suppliers to take 2026 Neo shipments from 5 million units to 10 million. He tracks the supply chain through component-order data, and he reports that Sunny Optical has joined the roster to make camera modules while Apple raises orders for other parts. Treat the 10-million figure as his read of supplier bookings rather than a number Apple has published; the company keeps Mac unit sales private. The direction matches what Apple's executives have said on the record.Did the MacBook Neo outsell every other Mac?Yes, and it did so off a short run-up. The Neo went on sale in mid-March and had about three weeks inside the quarter, yet it put 1.1 million units on the board, on IDC data shared with TechCrunch. The M5 MacBook Air managed over 900,000 in its debut quarter; the M5 MacBook Pro around 550,000. For a first-generation product walking to the crease in a price band Apple had avoided for two decades, that is a century before lunch.Mac modelDebut-quarter shipmentsSourceMacBook Neo (~3 weeks on sale)~1.1 millionIDCMacBook Air (M5)~900,000IDCMacBook Pro (M5)~550,000IDCIDC associate vice-president Navkendar Singh says Neo shipments began to spike from early April, which puts the full-quarter run-rate well above the headline score.The engine under the priceThe pitch is an engine swap. Apple lifted the A18 Pro out of the iPhone 16 Pro and dropped it into a cheaper aluminium body, then trimmed the spec sheet — 8GB of RAM, a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, full macOS Tahoe — to reach a price about 45 per cent below the entry MacBook Air. On the late-April earnings call, chief executive Tim Cook said customer response was "off the charts" and credited the Neo with a record number of first-time Mac buyers. That last point carries more weight than the unit count: these are drivers Apple had failed to reach at $999.The Computex 2026 fightbackThe clearest measure of the Neo's reach showed up in Taipei this month, where the budget answer to Apple defined the show floor. Intel anchored the response with Wildcat Lake, a new Core Series 3 line built on the 18A process and cut down from the higher-end Panther Lake parts — a detuned engine aimed at cheap laptops, Chromebooks and mini PCs. Dell built the revived XPS 13 around it at $699, or $599 for students through back-to-school, adding a touchscreen, a backlit keyboard and a lighter chassis to claim the ground the Neo gives up. Acer matched Apple's number with the Swift Air 14 at $599 on the same platform.Qualcomm took a different line. Its Snapdragon C series — the C stands for compute — targets Arm laptops from around $300, trading raw output for battery life and basic on-device AI. The sticker slides under the Neo, though Windows on Arm still carries the app-compatibility caveat that has shadowed the platform since launch.The show floor told one story: a market splitting into compromise machines around $600 to $700 and premium models above $1,500, with the middle stripped out as parts get dearer. Apple set the $599 marker; the Windows camp spent Computex chasing it.Why is the wider PC market shrinking?Component costs are reshaping every part of the build. IDC forecasts global PC shipments will fall 11.3 per cent in 2026, with the fourth quarter down around 20 per cent year-on-year, as a memory shortage that runs to late 2027 pushes prices up; the firm expects average selling prices to climb 17 per cent this year. First-quarter shipments grew 3 per cent, but that came from buyers pulling purchases forward ahead of the rises, which flatters a weak picture. The Neo stands out as the one product adding demand, and strong sales pushed IDC to lift its notebook forecast. Apple's own silicon shields it from the DRAM spike squeezing Windows builders, widening the price gap each quarter the shortage holds.The squeeze is changing what chipmakers ship. At Computex, AMD's headline move was to pull the Ryzen 7 5800X3D off the shelf — a Zen 3 part first sold in 2022 — and re-release it at $349 for buyers who want to upgrade an old AM4 board rather than rebuild around dear new memory. Putting a four-year-old chip back on the stand as a flagship is the clearest read on the moment: when fresh silicon costs more to cast, the cheapest engine is the one already on the rack.How much is the MacBook Neo in India?The MacBook Neo starts at Rs 69,900 in India, against Rs 1,19,900 for the entry MacBook Air. The gap moves the Mac onto the shopping list of students and first-time buyers who had read it as a tier above their budget — a value innings played to the home crowd. India logged close to 18,000 Neo shipments in the March quarter on a few weeks of availability, and IDC's Singh ties it to the wider squeeze: "Rising prices of Windows notebooks and attractive pricing of the Neo have led to its very high demand." The Neo also threatens a quieter India staple, the older M1, M2 and M3 MacBook Air models that retailers move through festive-season discounts. A new laptop at Rs 69,900 leaves little room for a discounted three-year-old one. The harder wicket is K-12 education, where Google's Chromebooks and school-managed tooling hold the crease; Counterpoint reads Apple's real opening as higher education.What comes next for the NeoA second-generation Neo is expected in 2027, and Kuo says it will keep a standard display rather than gain the touch panel earlier reports floated, with an A19 Pro chip and 12GB of RAM on the roadmap. The open question is whether Apple can hold this run-rate once the launch surge fades and the student season passes. Hitting 10 million units means turning first-quarter curiosity into steady demand through the back half of a falling market. Apple has the chip supply and the price gap to try. The Windows industry has started pricing as though it expects Apple to manage it.Frequently Asked QuestionsHow much does the MacBook Neo cost in India?The MacBook Neo starts at Rs 69,900 in India, about 45 per cent below the entry MacBook Air at Rs 1,19,900. In the United States it sells from $599, or $499 for students. India accounted for close to 18,000 units in the laptop's debut March quarter.Which chip powers the MacBook Neo?The Neo runs the A18 Pro, the same chip Apple used in the iPhone 16 Pro, paired with 8GB of RAM. It runs full macOS Tahoe with Apple Intelligence features. The chip choice holds the price down while delivering performance ahead of most budget Windows laptops.Is the MacBook Neo better value than the MacBook Air?For students and first-time buyers, the Neo offers most of the MacBook experience — aluminium chassis, 13-inch Liquid Retina display, macOS — at about half the entry Air's India price. The Air keeps an edge on chip power with its M-series silicon and on memory headroom. Buyers who want a machine for light, everyday work get more for their money from the Neo.Will the next MacBook Neo get a touchscreen?Kuo reports that the second-generation MacBook Neo, expected in 2027, will keep a standard display rather than add a touch panel, citing his supply-chain checks. Earlier reports had suggested a touchscreen to match Chromebooks. The 2027 model is also tipped to move to an A19 Pro chip with 12GB of RAM.Why did Apple double MacBook Neo production?Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple lifted its 2026 shipment target from 5 million to 10 million units after demand ran ahead of the original plan. IDC data shows the Neo shipped about 1.1 million units in its debut quarter, outselling the M5 MacBook Air and Pro. Apple chief executive Tim Cook said customer response was "off the charts" on the company's April earnings call.end of article