Rumors continue to surface about Apple launching an affordable MacBook as early as this year.
Below, we recap all of the reports and rumors so far.
Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes expects the laptop to have a starting price of between $599 and $699 in the United States.
The publication said the lower-cost MacBook will be equipped with a 12.9-inch display, and a version of the A18 Pro chip that debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro models last year. It would become the first Mac to ever use an A-series chip from an iPhone.
The lower-cost MacBook could launch in late 2025 or early 2026, according to the report.
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was first to reveal that Apple is allegedly planning a more affordable MacBook. In late June, he also said the laptop will have around a 13-inch display, and an A18 Pro chip. Kuo said potential color options include silver, blue, pink, and yellow, so the laptop could come in bright colors, like the iMac.
A18 Pro specs include a 6-core CPU, a 6-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. The chip is around 40% slower than the M4 chip, but its performance is comparable to the M1 chip, so this new MacBook could effectively be a replacement for the old MacBook Air with the M1 chip, which Apple still sells through Walmart for $649 $599.
In the iPhone 16 Pro models, the A18 Pro chip has 8GB of RAM, whereas all current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models start with at least 16GB of RAM. In addition, the chip lacks Thunderbolt support, so the new MacBook would likely be equipped with regular USB-C ports. They would look the same as Thunderbolt ports, but data transfer speeds would be limited to up to 10 Gb/s, and the new MacBook might natively support only a single external display, but that limitation can be overcome with DisplayLink adapters.
The lower-cost MacBook could have a lot in common with the discontinued 12-inch MacBook, including an ultra-thin and lightweight design. It would slot in below the MacBook Air, which has a slightly larger 13.6-inch display, an M4 chip, and a starting price of $999. However, the latest MacBook Air is often on sale on Amazon for as low as $799.
Apple often announces new Macs in October, so stay tuned.
