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Apple Launching Budget MacBook in 2026
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I've wondered if this might bring back the unibody plastic, especially in color. My favorite MacBooks have been the 11" MacBook Air and the retina MacBook 12". I hope this is the 12 retina MacBook with a stretched screen, but I also think some sort of bright unibody plastic (which would allow it to be made in the US probably) could probably work well, too, and target the youth, student, school, and 2nd device market. Ideally it should be under 2.5lbs. I don't know if that's possible with plastic. Maybe a carbon-fiber? I just don't know if they use aluminum, as that seems a bit too premium for this purpose.
It is unlikely Apple would be running some 'forked' macOS. Limiting to the AppStore isn't not going to give them managed "Chromebook" like application management limitation abilities. there is tons of 'junk' in the appStore.
the "draw back" is going to be the A18Pro..
Probably can only provision one "high speed" (10Gb/s) USB-C port. So either a 'one port wonder' (like MBA 12" and iPad) or second port is just the USB 2.0 needed for a keyboard case to work (in iPad context). ( or possibly a USB hub to the just the one 10Gb/s provisioning lanes that get gets 'split' between the two ports. So would be shared bandwidth. ). A USB 2.0 only port would definitely would be seen as a limiter.
Extremely good chance that the A19Pro is simply lacking in respectable laptop/desktop provisioning I/O capabilities. No Thunderbolt. (e.g. Macbook 2015)
decent chance no MagSafe. So if have just one port and need to charge it .... no more ports left. (unless run through and external power hub). In short, designed around not needing to plug in anything 99% of the time.
The RAM will likely also be capped. (maybe just one single capacity). the SSD will be much slower than an M5 family SoC (but 'fast enough' for casual usage.). Both of those are constraints imposed by the A19Pro SoC.
Weaker GPUs relative to M5 family and fewer GPU cores.
Non-A18Pro stuff.
Just one color ( to keep SKUs down and inventory cleaner ).
Fewer SSD options ( to keep SKUs down and inventory cleaner).
Recyle. 2020 MBA 13" case, screen , camera. ( old stuff with an even more limted chip inside).
I can't reconcile Apple shipping a laptop that can't drive one of their external displays at full resolution - only a scaled-down 4k image.
That’s why I'm thinking: why not offer the new MacBook with multiple chip tiers? A base model built around a cheaper A18 Pro or A19 Pro, and then - true to Apple’s usual upsell playbook - an upgrade path to an M4 or M5.
It would scratch that itch for everyone dreaming about the return of a 12-inch MacBook, while still keeping the entry price low.
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because the design of the chassis, cooling, battery, etc... are all built for the thermals/power of the SoC. A laptop built to be cheap is going to be deeply optimized for the specific SoC. Building for an ~10 watt part is just not the same as an ~30 watt part.
Essentially Already done .
2017 MacBook
“… up to 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz on an external display, both at millions of colors. …”
2015 MacBook 3840 x 2160 .
Sure relative to the then comatose 2011 Thunderbolt Display ( 2560x 1440 ) that worked . However, the LG Ultrafine 27” outclassed those. ( Apple took to ‘ backseat driving external displays for a while with LG shipping one-port-wonder displays with no buttons ).
There was a 24” ultrafine , but at this point that is far more Apple completely walking away from that market and committing to 100% third party solution providers.
And the XDR blew those resolutions away in 2019 . The Studio display didn’t come back into scope either (with continued larger screen skew )
The cheapest display Apple has lists for $1,599 . The A18pro is to shoot for a price in the $500 range which is three times cheaper than that . Who limited by a $600 budget is going to run out and buy a $1,500 dispaly . The display here is the tail wagging the dog.
[ the LG 24”
‘ The 4K UltraFine display is now $524, a $175 price cut from the original price of $699. ’
Apple Begins Shipping LG UltraFine 4K Displays
A day after the first 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pros with Touch Bars began preparing for shipment to customers, Apple and LG's UltraFine 4K Display has begun shipping. Shipments are expected to arrive next week, with one MacRumors forum member noting November 15 as their delivery date. The...
www.macrumors.com
$500 + 524 = $1,024 is very substantially different affordability than $500 + 1600 = $2,100 ]
The core, root cause problem here is that Apple has zero ‘affordable’ external displays . Resolution mismatch doesn’t matter if average user can’t afford the external display.
For folks on a tight budget if can hook to a 4K TV ( that own already ) is probably the most likely match . Most will use laptop standalone. ( even more affordable ) .
The MacBook Air likely isn’t going away. If want to pay more , then just buy that model. M4/M5 can be bought now.
It is unlikely Apple is going to release a new MacBook that is aimed at heavy fratricide of the MBA sales.
I think this is likely aimed at new sales that are the $300-700 market that is mainly Chromebook and Windows laptops now. EDU k-12 apple is being crushed versus an over a decade ago . There is lots more folks doing MS Office on web interface and Google Workplace,
( same reason have the ‘entry’ iPad and then iPad Air and Pro above that)
Mediatek and eventually Qualcomm SoCs going into affordable chrome/windows model will eat away on the number of folks Apple can peel off those platforms.
And Apple needs another produce to put Ann Pro SoCs so they can sell them longer.
Not going to be return of 12 inch MacBook that brought new tech like the butterfly keyboard .
Aimed at a different price point.
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Good point, but:
- Those specific chassis haven't seen an A series chip for a *long* time, only the M/Ax/Az series. They're designed somewhat for the great power.
- I also suspect that the iPad Pro thermally throttle faster than an A series chip in the base iPad does.
I should dig more into thermal throttling behaviours across these machines.