When Apple migrated macOS to AS it used an iPad Pro chip A12X? It’s not a matter of it can handle it but more of will Apple permit it.
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Apple's Cheap MacBook: What to Expect in 2026
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1. Display size 12.9 inch
2. CPU A18 Max
3. RAM 16GB
4. Storage 256GB
5. Price 699 dollars.
6. Materials and color: strong matte plastic, black
7. Weight: 900 grams or under 1 kg
8. Keyboard standard Macbook keyboard
9. Apple Modem
10. Wifi 6
11. 2 stereo speakers
12. Facetime camera
2. CPU A18 Max
3. RAM 16GB
4. Storage 256GB
5. Price 699 dollars.
6. Materials and color: strong matte plastic, black
7. Weight: 900 grams or under 1 kg
8. Keyboard standard Macbook keyboard
9. Apple Modem
10. Wifi 6
11. 2 stereo speakers
12. Facetime camera
Probably have MagSafe and one USB-C with extended or mirrored external display support like an iPad. May come in 12” like the MacBook with butterfly keyboard that went into the night silently.
ChromeBooks are available now, and will soon have their own ChromeBookSafe magnetic charging connector.
It didn't when I posted this…there was even written about iPad apps on a MacBook… or I am hallucinating.
If LibreOffice runs on it along with the above then I'm good. The real work happens on the Linux box anyway. I need storage and connections more than CPU power. Both of those are hard to fit into a laptop in any case.
1. Display will be 12” like the single USB-C port MacBook.
3. RAM will be 12GB and 16GB options though a 12GB and 24GB would be an interesting surprise.
4. Storage will be 256GB and 512GB.
5. Price $699 - $899
6. Material will be recycled Aluminium.
9. Mobile Modem will be options like the iPad Pro.
What is sad is that an iPad Pro needs an M# chip to run a limited iPadOS that costs double if not triple compared to this thing. Not sure if Apple is having an iPad Air moment with this one.
I’m glad to see Apple creating a more affordable laptop! The Mac Mini is a great, affordable desktop but mobility is where it’s at so Apple is wise to offer an actual entry level laptop for those who don’t want to drop nearly a grand on a laptop if you just want to try the Mac platform.
Do you actually want an answer to your question? Because that’s an easy one.
The base iPad is $349, name a better tablet that’s cheaper.
The Mac mini starts at $599, Linus even tried to build a PC for the same amount of money and couldn’t even get CLOSE to the power and features that the Mac mini offers.
Apple is no longer the “expensive premium” brand like the old days. Crazy enough Apple is now a great value in tech. It’s their upgrades like RAM and storage where they put their big profit margins. But a MacBook like this would be right up their alley and be no different than their strategy they employ on their other product lines.
All Google has mentioned is that ChromeOS and AndroidOS will be getting tighter integration. Since AndroidOS is more widespread and familiar in the global market something tells me ChromeOS best features will be ported to AndroidOS and ChromeOS will be sunset.
I have tried both in a tablet/laptop form and AndroidOS has come a long way and some can do DeX, external monitor mirroring or extended.
All laptops are sort of like an iPad with a keyboard (and usually no touch screen). It's the software/OS that differentiates more than the hardware.
You’re aware that an iPad runs iPadOS correct? Apple’s marketing sure has you fooled.
Bye eMac, welcome eMacBook.
If Apple is considering to bring touchscreen to the 2026 OLED MBP then why not just bring macOS lite to iPad Pro. iPadOS on stellar hardware from iPad Air to Pro seems like a waste of engineering talent, it’s downright shameful and insulting.
Which apps would MacOS “lite” be able to run?
I have a very hard time believing the touchscreen rumors, even Apple knows it’s a dumb idea. So I just have to assume if they do something like that it’s gonna be for a specific feature that we just don’t know about yet. It won’t be as simple as just “now you can tap on the screen just like you do with a mouse pointer”, there’s just no way.
And the iPad has been on “stellar hardware” for over a decade, so that’s nothing new. Just because Apple named the first Mac chip M1 doesn’t mean it’s not the A14X. People keep thinking Apple put a Mac chip into the iPad when it’s the other way around, Apple put the iPad chip in the Mac and just renamed it for branding purposes. But I agree, I would love to see the iPad take more advantage of it’s capabilities, but honestly the iPad is a specific product for specific use cases, and it’s not meant to “replace a computer” in every single way.
While I can't see me using a touch screen on a mac, I know that a lot of Windows computers now have touch screens. So maybe there are use cases I haven't considered. If they do add this feature, I can just see me gradually starting to use it, then when docked to my larger desktop display getting frustrated when I touch the big display and nothing happens
If the advent of cost-conscious Macs featuring A-series Apple Silicon really does come about and they run full macOS and Mac apps, hopefully that could open up the possibility of certain, much requested, improvements for iPadOS on iPad Pros with M-series Silicon down the road. I’ll keep on dreaming though.
So then if the low cost MacBook originally retails for say $599 then it may go on sale for $399 at some point.
If there is no display notch, I will buy it just because there is no display notch
I asked my wife about upgrading from my M2 MBA and those prices but then we both decided I'd stick with the M2 MBA.