Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple's Cheap MacBook: What to Expect in 2026
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I'd buy one.
I do 90% of my work in a desktop environment (my employer provides an iMac and I use a M4 Pro Mac mini at home), but I often wish I had a MacBook for light productivity work when I'm on the go (e.g., at my kid's sports practices). I've been using an 11" M1 iPad Pro as my portable device for the last few years, and iPadOS just doesn't cut it. Multitasking, and even MS Office apps (Word, Excel) are harder to use. Yet, I can't quite justify dropping $799 for a MacBook Air as a third machine.
I do 90% of my work in a desktop environment (my employer provides an iMac and I use a M4 Pro Mac mini at home), but I often wish I had a MacBook for light productivity work when I'm on the go (e.g., at my kid's sports practices). I've been using an 11" M1 iPad Pro as my portable device for the last few years, and iPadOS just doesn't cut it. Multitasking, and even MS Office apps (Word, Excel) are harder to use. Yet, I can't quite justify dropping $799 for a MacBook Air as a third machine.
in terms of business productivity, cheapest Macbook will beat most expensive iPad
Easy to say, nearly impossible to do in reality.
Look at the bezel of MacBook Air and Pro.
It would be impossible to keep the 12-inch chassis and fit in a 13-inch display.
I can not stress this enough but macOS is more than just windowing and multitasking. Just because iPadOS 26 can do that and be used with a mouse and keyboard does not mean anything. The iPad is still designed for touch first, “designed” being a keyword. iPadOS can only install apps from the App Store, macOS can install apps from anywhere, that right there makes it a HUGE difference. But the list of how much more mature macOS over iPadOS is HUGE.
Plus the iBook branding is not coming back, at least not under Tim Cook, he has proved that he does not prefer the “i” naming scheme as he has never released a product or service that uses it, the only ones that still exist are from the Steve Jobs era. In fact Tim Cook has removed the “i” from things in his tenure (iPhoto to Photos for example). But he prefers to name products with “Apple” being the first word, ie: Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch, Apple Music, Apple Arcade etc etc. So no I guarantee this product will just be called “MacBook”, just like the entry device is called “iPad” and “iPhone” with nothing after the name.
No one is saying exactly 13 inches, the rumors just say “around 13 inches”. I have taken my 12” MacBook and measured it diagonally with imagining the bezels being about as thick as my MacBook Pro and my wife’s MacBook Air and you could fit around 12.6 to 12.8 inches I believe. So something like that is what everyone is suggesting.
Apple's not going to make a 12.5-inch or "around 13-inches" when MacBook Air is 13.6-inch. The difference is too small.
Of course 12-inch screen size was the issue. Why do you think there are no 12-inch notebooks today? All the PC manufacturers in the world are stupid and haven't capitalized on this huge "opportunity"? This is just like the iPhone mini folks who refused to believe small displays weren't popular.
No argument from me on that, just because the focus could be education doesn't mean it wouldn't be useful outside of the education market. I'd be tempted to buy one for travel as it would be far less painful to lose that than my MBP.
Oh, I don’t think they’ll use that chassis anyway, but if Apple were to do it today, you would extend the screen closer to the edge. It might not get quite to 13” but pretty close.
13.3in. Closeness to Air is meaningless. Resolution, screen quality, processor, it differentiates. I still think it will be a plastic case, at least in part, instead of an expensive aluminum shell.
Uhhh yes we will, it will be an A18 Pro chip, obviously Apple would not change the name of the chip when it already has a name lol. This might be the weirdest guess in this entire thread lol.
It will never be A18 or A19 because the confusion it will generate to the general user. Mark my words
this will never happen. they wont support you installing macos on an ipad much less random x86 hardware.
pretty soon they wont even make x86 macos builds. tahoe is the last x86 build. this alone will kill hackintosh.
How is that confusing? What are you even talking about lol? The general user doesn’t give a **** what chip it has, nor would they even know or pay attention. The iPad has the A16, the iPad mini has an A17 Pro, the iPad Air has an M3 and the iPad Pro has an M5. None of that causes issues for people, and neither would this. People would just see “cheap MacBook” and buy it. I would love to bet you on this because this would be easy money.
Good morning, I know it is early, could anyone tell me please their opinion ?
For basic tasks, “Apple Office” Numbers, photos, backup, internet - is this “eMac” overkill and old M1 Air will do the same ?
There only the MacOS support imo that would make a difference.
Used M2 Air has same price like the one expected for “eMac”. So Apple migth announce EOS for M1, I see no reason except to drive sales.
This “eMac” or old Air please ? I am considering old M2 at maximum, hoping its price will decrease a bit in half a year.
Edit: first mistake is not to think about “eMac” new price, instead think of used eMac price. Yes, that will be like drop like used iPhoneSE. Corner cut EOS at best same as A series chip. Then run linux ? Ehm, could be a challence.
Corner cut will be DISPLAY, like not fully laminated (i do not scream).
For basic tasks, “Apple Office” Numbers, photos, backup, internet - is this “eMac” overkill and old M1 Air will do the same ?
There only the MacOS support imo that would make a difference.
Used M2 Air has same price like the one expected for “eMac”. So Apple migth announce EOS for M1, I see no reason except to drive sales.
This “eMac” or old Air please ? I am considering old M2 at maximum, hoping its price will decrease a bit in half a year.
Edit: first mistake is not to think about “eMac” new price, instead think of used eMac price. Yes, that will be like drop like used iPhoneSE. Corner cut EOS at best same as A series chip. Then run linux ? Ehm, could be a challence.
Corner cut will be DISPLAY, like not fully laminated (i do not scream).
Last edited:
The iPhone Air has not been abandoned. They have merely scaled back production by a small percentage. Happens often enough without media hyperbole blowing things way out of proportion. Besides which there is an 18 Air already in development.
Thats nonsense.
Build that thing from new non crappy parts and try to beat MacMini pricing.
-> Apple has an offer in the "cheap PC market".
Wether you like that or prefer running Win11 on something like above is your choice.
You mean like the differences between the 13.6/15" MBA vs the 14/16" MBP?
Screen size was never the issue, it was always the size of a non cramped kbd, plausible bezels and aspect ratio.
In the early 2000s that was 12" at 4:3 for the iBook/PowerBook (yep the same exact size and res for those 2).
later it went down to 11" at 16:9 with some MBA and back to 12" at 16:10 with rMB.
As to "nobody" making those small laptops today... got to Amazon, type in "laptop", select 10-12" and ups, pages on pages ranging from ultra cheap Chromebooks to stuff around the same 500-700 pricepoint suggested for the MBC(heap).