MacBook Neo shipping estimates are starting to improve for the first time since Apple’s $599 laptop launched. The shorter wait times line up with a recent report claiming Apple ordered more A18 Pro chips due to higher-than-expected demand.

Apple has reportedly ordered more A18 Pro chips from TSMC

MacBook Neo inventory from Apple has been constrained ever since the more affordable laptop launched. In that regard, the MacBook Neo debut has looked more like an iPhone launch than a laptop release.

For example, Apple ran out of MacBook Neo inventory in April after just 15 days of selling the laptop during the month. That’s for a laptop that originally came out a month earlier.

Things weren’t looking much better for MacBook Neo shipping estimates from Apple at the start of May. Demand for Apple’s fun and more affordable notebook put MacBook Neo ship times as far back as May 26 at the start of the month.

But MacBook Neo shipping estimates have taken a positive turn in recent days.

Last week, analyst Tim Culpan claimed that Apple ordered a new round of A18 Pro chips from supplier TSMC.

Apple recently made its decision and opted to put more units of the Neo in customer hands. 

As a result, it’s now asking suppliers to prepare capacity for 10 million units of the debut version of the Neo, up from an initial estimate of 5 million to 6 million, my sources tell me. Delivery times for the laptop have ballooned to as much as four weeks as Taiwan’s Quanta and Foxconn rush to fill orders from factories in Vietnam and China.

This renewed commitment to meeting demand means Apple must also ask TSMC for a hot lot of A18 Pro chips, the same processor used in the iPhone 16 Pro. The system-on-chip is made using TSMC’s N3E process, with the initial production run underway at least two years ago.

Culpan’s report ran on May 6 when MacBook Neo shipping estimates from Apple ranged from May 21 to May 29.

MacBook Neo ship dates were slipping to June before moving up about a week

MacBook Neo delivery dates first slipped into June on May 7 and May 8.

A day later, shipping estimates moved forward by several days. Apple’s May 26 to June 2 delivery dates became a May 19 to May 27 shipping estimate.

While Apple still hasn’t caught up with MacBook Neo demand, the company has effectively reduced shipping estimates by a week in the last few days. The change happened just as delivery times were starting to creep into next month

The fastest delivery times continue to be from retailers like Amazon, which takes $10 off the retail price, and Walmart, which has quicker shipping on most models. Apple retail locations also have in-store stock from time to time.

At any rate, it’s encouraging to see MacBook Neo inventory appear to take a positive turn for customers. Apple clearly has a hit on its hands with the $599 laptop.

We’ll see if this improvement holds, or if shipping times may shrink even more as a new round of chip production is reportedly underway.

It probably won’t hurt that customers will now need to verify eligibility before purchasing the MacBook Neo for the $499 education price.