what happened Have you ever looked at the price of a base MacBook Air and expected it to be several hundred dollars cheaper? Which may soon become a reality.
- According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is preparing to enter the low-cost laptop market with a new budget code-named MacBook. “J700.“
- This model will compete directly with Chromebooks and affordable Windows laptops aimed at students, professionals, and casual users who don’t want to spend $1,000 on a basic MacBook.
- The device is expected to offer a familiar and smooth macOS experience for everyday tasks such as editing documents, browsing the web and working with multimedia easily.
Why is this important? Apple currently ranks fourth in the global PC market behind Lenovo, HP and Dell, all of which offer both premium laptops and Chromebooks or budget Windows PCs.
- Right now, Apple’s most affordable laptop, the MacBook Air M4 (256GB), costs $999, or $899 with an education discount. The iPad with Magic Keyboard Folio costs about $600.
- The new budget MacBook is expected to be in the same price range, around $600 to $900. Targeting the lower end of that spectrum, Apple could appeal to budget-conscious buyers.
- The device should be launched in the first half of 2026.
Why should I care? The entry-level MacBook will reportedly use an iPhone processor, in line with predictions by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who suggested that Apple is building an affordable MacBook based on the A18 Pro chip, the same chip found in the iPhone 16 Pro.
- With the A20 series likely to be available at launch, the new MacBook could come with one of Apple’s latest A-series chips.
- Other rumors include a 13-inch LCD display similar to the M1 MacBook Air and an all-new design that marks a departure from the old MacBook aesthetic.
- Like the current model, it will also offer excellent battery life.
Well, what’s next? If true, the move marks a strategic shift for Apple, which has historically focused on premium, high-margin products rather than competing on price.
- In India, the M1 MacBook Air still retails for around $650, making it the most affordable Mac for light daily use. Despite being five years old, it still performs well with long battery life, tight integration with Apple devices and good software support, making it a viable alternative to Windows PCs.
- Apple is looking to replicate this value proposition in the US (and other key markets) by offering new hardware at the same price to attract new Mac buyers.
- The upcoming budget MacBook M5 could be a cheaper alternative to the MacBook Air, which is expected to debut early next year.
