If you are so sure Apple aren't targeting the Chromebook market (ie the EDU market) then tell me why this product will exist? After all we have the MacBook Air, no?
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Apple Reportedly Expects 'Major Rush' of Customers This Week
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Day one purchase this week for me would be either a new Apple TV, new full sized HomePod or that long-rumoured Apple Home Hub. Sadly I dont think we'll see any of those products.
While partially covering some of the chromebook market, I suspect they are targeting those that have wanted an Apple laptop (maybe after liking iPhones) but couldn't afford one. They may have simple needs but also a tight budget. Now sure, at first, one may find an older m1 Air at a competitive price but eventually the low cost MacBooks will also be likewise on sale lowering the cost further for those on a budget.
M4irmidnight
Suspended
That’s my fear as well. I’m set for a long time with my m4, but I suspect this is apples way of getting the air priced back up around $1k or more again.
Make the low cost MacBook essentially gutted, then upsale to the air and thus the pro.
SeaFox
macrumors 68030
Billy_Bob
macrumors regular
This. Make the CheapBook tempting with an entry-level price of $499 for the most minimal base configuration, but offer tempting upgrades to $599, $699, and $799, with an all-the-bells-and-whistles model for $999.
Then start the MacBook Air series at $1,199. Mission accomplished.
When I look at the Apple Store in my city there is 0 day in the year where it's not a "major rush" of customers. To be fair 99.2% of them are people going to the Genius Bar because their iPhone has a problem. Based on my observations when I'm there I would say 95% of those "problems" are the user itself. Either they don't know how to do something on the phone or they did drop it in water or they did put it in an oven (I swear I saw that one time when I was waiting for my own appointment !) and a lot of times it seems the "problem" is rice stuck in the charging port and the user will then scream that he never dropped his iPhone in water and has no idea why rice is coming out from the usb-c port. Everytime I'm there it really feels like a zoo. Something out of Jumanji (the Robin Williams one of course). And in summer it also smells exactly like it with the amount of people all stacked up on top of each other like a game of Tetris.
So I don't know what "expect a major rush" will be ?
That being said I like this Apple Store. Employees are nice, products are great, Genius Bar appointments available the same day. Yes it's crazy and it feels like the end of the world with all those crazy people everywhere (some call them "customers") but the store is nice and it's definitely an experience. Apple is like the woman that you love : you're often mad at her because she is always right, you can't argue with her, etc. but when you try to go with an other woman after 5mn you realize how great she was and you come back to her, kiss her and give her your credit card promising to stay with her forever 🙂
Good point. I went into an Apple store a couple of days after the iPhone Air announcement last fall, and they didn't have any to show yet.
tennisproha
macrumors 68020
I think Apple is really underestimating the amount of disenfranchisement shoddy software will cause long term.
I think the demand for the low-cost MacBook will come during the summer when people are buying for the next school year. Anybody who needs a school laptop should be set for the current school year.
Alameda
Contributor
Thunderbolt ports are USB-C ports.
Apple has advised its retail store employees to expect a "major rush" of customers this week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Apple teased "a big week ahead," with announcements starting Monday.
Based on A18 Pro specs, this MacBook will likely have 8GB of RAM, and the laptop will likely have regular USB-C ports instead of faster Thunderbolt ports.
USB-C is a connector type. I think what you meant to say is that “the USB-C ports on this MacBook will likely support 10 gb/s USB 3.1 Gen 2 and DisplayPort, but not faster Thunderbolt connectivity.”
dumastudetto
macrumors 603
I’ve heard a rumour that Apple are announcing a next gen polishing cloth with magical cleaning capabilities.
We may find it hard to believe, as a bunch of hardware nerds who spend our days in online Apple forums picking apart everything Apple does, but outside of this world, Apple products have a cachet that hundreds of "me too" Windows notebooks can't match. I'm sure there are a lot of people who would love to jump into the Apple ecosystem--liquid glass be damned--if the barrier to entry were just a little lower.
Apple is a shrewd marketing organization. I'm sure they've thoroughly analyzed the incremental sales they can expect at $599, $549, $499, etc., and are positioning the low cost MacBook to maximize profitability.
(Full disclosure: I have nothing against liquid glass or macOS 26 Tahoe.)
Apple is a shrewd marketing organization. I'm sure they've thoroughly analyzed the incremental sales they can expect at $599, $549, $499, etc., and are positioning the low cost MacBook to maximize profitability.
(Full disclosure: I have nothing against liquid glass or macOS 26 Tahoe.)
Free? Maybe on your plan. I'm on a basic Verizon plan, where there's a monthly charge for hotspot capability, and data limits.
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ikramerica
macrumors 68030
Kids do. They are required.
Don’t see that changing since they are forced to use crapsy google apps and their student logins are google IDs.
ikramerica
macrumors 68030
But students are in a POST OS environment. Chromebooks are centrally administered and all use web apps.
My son has a school Chromebook, and home Chromebook and an iPad and can do everything on any of them. There’s google classroom and all kinds of craptactular education apps that are webbased or app based depending on platform but work the same way- badly.
All their work is stored on Google drive, so the file system on the computer itself isn’t important either.
conmee
macrumors 65816
I hear the juicer/chopped salad function of Chromebooks is a distinct competitive advantage the new MacBook just won’t be able to match. 😉
ikramerica
macrumors 68030
calm down. I am not sure of anything. I am just comparing the products and prices and pointing out that once again, Apple will offer premium pricing, which doesn’t scream affordable.
ikramerica
macrumors 68030
Or maybe it will just switch customers from the base MacBook Air to this device. This will probably give Apple the desired opportunity to raise the Air's price by cutting the current entry Air model. Apple will then eventually raise the low-cost model gradually. I suspect the new entry-level MacBook will have better margins than the base Air.
I'm not so sure it will have better margins (maybe). This is their MacBook to lure those that have been lusting after a MacBook but couldn't afford one. The lure has to be very attractive so they can then hook them and get some to later upgrade to more powerful models.
ikramerica
macrumors 68030
They could really create a market like the original iBook and iMac.
conmee
macrumors 65816
Thanks for the compliment. But I was interning at Intel when they launched the Celeron line. I’m rocking a TI-99/4a in my signature, so you know I’m ancient. Ha!
Aside from hardcore 
Fans & instayoutubers where does expect this rush going to come? It's not like March is known for a big shopping season, think most folk would wait it out.
Fans & instayoutubers where does expect this rush going to come? It's not like March is known for a big shopping season, think most folk would wait it out.