Apple’s low-cost MacBook is coming soon. This all-new MacBook is the company’s highly anticipated entry-level laptop poised to shake up the budget segment. Sporting a display slightly under 13 inches and powered by an efficient iPhone-class chip — likely the A18 Pro — this device is engineered to directly challenge affordable Windows laptops and Chromebooks with a starting price expected well under $1,000, potentially around $699. As a more accessible gateway into the macOS ecosystem, it’s expected to offer an appealing option for first-time Mac switchers, students, and casual users, while mirroring the strategic appeal of the upcoming iPhone 17e and refreshed iPads in capturing enterprise adoption and growth in emerging markets.
The centerpiece computer launch in the first half of the year is Apple’s groundbreaking low-cost MacBook. Featuring a screen under 13 inches and powered by an iPhone-class chip, it’s designed to compete with less expensive Windows laptops and Chromebooks. This device is poised to be a compelling entry point for switchers to the Mac ecosystem and — like the new iPad and iPhone 17e — should serve as an enticing product in both enterprise and emerging markets.
Mark Gurman for Bloombegr News last November:
Apple plans to sell the new machine for well under $1,000 by using less-advanced components. The laptop will rely on an iPhone processor and a lower-end LCD display. The screen will also be the smallest of any current Mac, coming in at slightly below the 13.6-inch one used in the MacBook Air.
This would mark the first time that Apple has used an iPhone processor in a Mac, rather than a chip designed specifically for a computer. But internal tests have shown that the smartphone chip can perform better than the Mac-optimized M1 used in laptops as recently as a few years ago.
Apple has long used iPhone chips to power the iPad but shifted those devices to its M-series processors for higher-end models a few years ago…
[T]he upcoming model will be an entirely new design…
A much cheaper Mac that maintains Apple’s design and works smoothly with the company’s other products could spur a new wave of Mac adoption — particularly in the US, where the iPhone dominates.
MacDailyNews Take: This may prove to be the perfect road Mac with crazy battery life extending over multiple days!
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I just picked up a Midnight 1TB M2 MacBook Air with 24GB of ram for $850 (the comparable M4 would cost $1599 new before tax). As a shareholder it’s nice that the MacBook market will grow but my advice to most people buying any Apple product these days is to buy one, two or even three generations back for 30-60% less than retail and 90% of the features. Five generations into Apple silicon we’re at peak MacBook, iPad and iPhone until they dramatically change the user paradigms with hybrid devices that run both Mac OS and iOS.
You’re going far downmarket for an Air. At least if you’re bargain hunting, get a MBP. You are giving up a lot of built in ports.
Also going back to an old model you also are trading battery life, speed, and duration of product support. Your choice. I’ll always buy a current production model.
For all the people whining that Apple isn’t delivering all the AI they dream of now, … you should know an M2 chip won’t deliver any AI at all. It’s more than capable for the average user but not for those taken in with the incessant hype.
It might be like the super small and light Intel 12-inch “MacBook” (from around 2016). I bought one used in great shape, just to have one. After DIY battery replacement (a ridiculously painful process), it’s fun to use casually, looks and (physically) feels like a tiny predecessor of early Apple Silicon MacBooks. The key problem during its run… WAY too expensive, priced like aimed at frequent-flyer business executive. Hope this new one is priced more like the early once-common “MacBook” (the white plastic one).