Apple allegedly has plans to launch a cheaper MacBook on the market. Curiously, this device with a 13-inch display is to be equipped with an iPhone processor, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from Taiwan, who has contacts in Apple’s supplier industry in China. According to him, this device could go into mass production by the end of this year or early 2026.
The last time there was a MacBook without a suffix in the name was in 2017. The 12-inch device with an Intel processor, which was launched in 2015 with a very thin design and low weight by the standards of the time, polarized buyers at the time, not least because it was reduced to a single USB-C port. When it was discontinued, Apple focused on the MacBook Air as the entry-level model.
A processor in a Mac for the first time
If Apple does indeed install an A18 Pro chip in the new MacBook, as Kuo claims, this would be an unusual step. The A18 Pro is installed by Apple in the iPhone 16 Pro. So far, Apple has always used an M chip in production models since the introduction of the Apple Silicon. However, Apple could take the iPad as a role model here. Both M and A chips have been used there for years, for example in the current iPad Mini with A17 Pro, while the current iPad Pro uses the M4. An A processor was also included in the Developer Transition Kit, which Apple used to prepare the switch from Intel to its silicon.
A comeback of the MacBook was already expected when the Apple Silicon was introduced almost five years ago. The ultra-mobile device would benefit in particular from the energy efficiency of Apple’s own chips. The MacBook also made its debut in 2006 during a processor switch from the Power PC to the Intel platform. Nevertheless, Apple has concentrated on the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro in recent years.
Growth opportunity for the Mac division
According to Kuo, the impetus for the reintroduction is that the US company wants to build on previous sales figures. During the Covid-19 pandemic, up to 25 million devices were sold per year. This year, however, 20 million are expected. A cheaper MacBook has the potential for Apple to sell 5 to 7 million units per year. Apple plans to offer the device in different case colors: silver, blue, pink, and yellow.
Alongside the MacBook report, Kuo also published information on the alleged Apple Vision Pro roadmap.
(mki)
