Apple's upcoming low-cost MacBook: Colorful and affordable
Apple is rumored to be readying a new low-cost MacBook with an A18 processor that if real, will sell by the millions and further drive market share. Let's talk about what's been rumored.
The 13-inch MacBook Air
The rumor mill seems to believe that Apple is looking at making a new, more affordable MacBook. It is said to come in multiple colors and be powered by an A-series iPhone chip.
The rumor was first posited by supply chain analyst Ming Chi Kuo. In a research note, they said the new machine will be more affordable than what is out there now while keeping the same 13.3-inch screen size.
Unlike with Apple's other budget MacBooks, this one will come in a variety of colors. Kuo suggests silver, blue, pink, and yellow are currently winning out for the hues.
We want to see bold, saturated colors available for the new Mac. Credit: Apple
For us, we'd just love for Apple to commit to some vibrancy, but this is hard to do with anodized aluminum. Even so, it would be great to see some punchy colors as seen with versions on iPad or the iMac.
What will be the processor in the low-cost MacBook?
We mentioned this is going to be an A-series chip - likely the A18 Pro as corroborated by multiple sources. The A18 Pro is a chip that debuted in an iPhone.
MacRumors spotted the A18 Pro in the Apple Intelligence backend code referring to a Mac identified as "Mac17.1." Kuo also said they believe the chip to be an A18 Pro.
The A18 Pro processor from the iPhone 16 Pro
This is the first time we've seen Apple move its custom silicon up the product line to something larger. We've seen portable devices -- like iPad -- move to the M-series chip for higher performance on the go, now we may see the opposite happen.
The A18 Pro first arrived on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max in the fall of 2024. It is a 6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores.
It has a 6-core GPU -- one more than the base A18 chip -- and 8GB of memory. This, of course, may change, as Apple Intelligence needs 16GB of RAM.
How fast will the low-cost MacBook be?
Being that the A18 Pro is an iPhone chip, there's already been some Internet hand-wringing about performance.
Performance of the A18 Pro compared to Apple's M1 and M4 chips
In Geekbench 6, the A18 Pro single-core score is just below the M4 chip. Most users are actively using single-core tasks - opening apps, email, social media, looking at photos, dealing with documents -- which would be trivial for the processor.
Performance of the A18 Pro compared to Apple's M1 and M4 chips
The bigger difference would be multicore, as the A18 Pro is a 6-core chip. That multicore score is very close to the M1 chip that Apple still sells through a partnership with Walmart.
What will the low cost MacBook price point cost?
Kuo says Apple will only sell about 20 million Macs in 2025 and wants to return to pre-COVID rates of 25 million by 2026. Part of that strategy is the new MacBook Air.
The new low-cost MacBook is said to account for 5 million to 7 million of those machines. Of course, we have a redesigned MacBook Pro coming soon too, but that's a discussion for another time.
Colorful renders of the MacBook Air. Credit: Basic Apple Guy
That Walmart M1 MacBook Air officially sells for $699, though it has consistently been listed for $649. This has always been a steal in our opinion based on how solid Apple Silicon is.
It would be great for Apple to start selling this new machine at the same $699 price point through all of its traditional distribution channels.
We're doubtful that Apple will go that low, though. We're expecting to see $799 or $899 at full retail.
When will the low-cost MacBook be released?
This all culminates in the question of timing.
Once again, going back to the supply chain, Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple is ready to ramp up production in late Q4 of 2025. That would be this on track for a launch in the first half of 2026 - possibly in the spring.
The existing MacBook Air
That means we're possibly less than a year away from a very tempting new MacBook, that is more affordable, comes in fun colors, runs an A18 Pro chip, and boasts a solid 13-inch screen.
If these rumors hold, this machine could fly off the shelves.
Rumor Score: Possible
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Personally, I'd love to see Apple revisit the 12" MacBook with this processor instead. It was a brilliant design, just hampered by dreadful performance.
The article should point out that this low price is the worthless 8/256 configuration. This is not a 'steal'. If this new A18 MacBook becomes reality, it does not need Apple Intelligence. The base model new iPad doesn't have it. So if Apple wanted to make a cheap laptop, you know they would start it at 8/256, because that is how Apple does business. People buy these 'low cost' Macs by mistake because they don't realize the 8/256 is not upgradable. There are hundreds of MacBook Pros, all 8/256, for sale on Facebook Marketplace that all say the same thing, 'I got this a few months ago and I barely used it'. They realized 8/256 is a worthless machine. So they are trying to sell them for about $500, sometimes less, and they sit on Facebook Marketplace for months with no buyers.
Apple's idea of 'low cost' is $100 less, and it would be a configuration no one wants. Add memory and SSD, then you will be better off buying the higher performance model.
The point is that most people use a laptop for web surfing and shopping. So 8GB RAM will do. They may never create a file and save it on their Mac. They don't need the photo library on their Mac. So 256GB SSD will do.
A low cost Mac provides access to the product line for those who are tight on money but want to have a Mac. It also helps Apple squeeze the competition into lowering their prices which is want Apple did very successfully with the iPod market. This is not competition for Chromebooks but for the standard mid range PC laptops which is what Apple needs to address next.
Basic requirements for a thin client:
* Support two external displays
* Support a VDI client (Omnissa, Parallels, Azure Desktop, etc)
* Support external keyboard/mouse
* Support MDM or another form of Enterprise management.
* Ethernet preferred over wifi (achievable in a docking solution, I guess)
* Low repair/maintenance costs
Future proof:
* Support zero-trust networking
* Cloud-first/cloud-only work paradigms
* 4+ years hardware/software support
* Highly secure platform
* Mobility strongly preferred (eg, laptop-form as a minimum)
Apple has a strong opportunity to compete in this market, similar to the iPhone 5c (and their iPhone 16e models); they've demonstrated a lot of competency on basic issues not just with devices (Bluetooth and video), but with enterprise workflows (MDM, secure networking), so this allows them to enter a growing market segment and be well-positioned 5 years down the road for zero-trust cloud-only environments. And honestly? you don't need a ton of RAM/storage to run MS Office + the thin client software, at least for 80% of the org's users; the power users can target higher-performance machines, obviously.
spreadsheets. Throw in antivirus and some other security software and ram go a fast.
If someone is buying the cheapest option of a given Mac line, they know perfectly well that they are getting the base spec. That's why Apple offers other configurations for more money.