Rising RAM prices threaten Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo
▼ Summary
– Apple may discontinue the $599 MacBook Neo base model due to a RAM shortage, leaving only the $699 version with 512GB of storage.
– Apple also stopped selling the most affordable $799 Mac mini configuration, effectively raising its starting price.
– The company removed the 512GB RAM upgrade option for the Mac Studio in March, likely also because of RAM shortages.
– The MacBook Neo’s own pricing changes are ironically driven by its huge initial success, which strained supply.
– The article reports on Apple adjusting product pricing and configurations across multiple devices due to RAM shortages.
The rising cost of RAM is now threatening to undercut one of the most attractive features of Apple’s latest laptop. The MacBook Neo, which launched to widespread acclaim at an aggressive $599 starting price, may see that entry-level configuration discontinued as a direct result of the ongoing memory shortage. According to analyst Tim Culpan, Apple could soon pull the base model from the lineup, leaving the $699 version with 512GB of storage as the new entry point.
This move would mirror a decision Apple made just this week with the Mac mini, where the most affordable 256GB model was quietly removed, effectively raising the starting price to $799. In March, the company also dropped the 512GB RAM upgrade option for the Mac Studio, another casualty of the same supply constraints.
There is a sharp irony in this situation. The MacBook Neo’s immense popularity appears to be part of the problem. It launched at a moment when consumer demand for budget-friendly Apple hardware was surging, and that very success may now be forcing the company to rethink its pricing structure. When a product sells far beyond expectations, component shortages hit harder, especially for a part as critical as RAM.
If the $599 Neo disappears, it would mark a significant shift in Apple’s strategy. The laptop was celebrated not just for its performance but for making the Apple ecosystem accessible at a lower price point. Losing that model would leave budget-conscious buyers with fewer options, and it would signal that even Apple’s most aggressive pricing is not immune to the realities of the global chip and memory market.
(Source: The Verge)
