feel like it would be odd for it to come out without the A19pro now. now that there are mobile devices out with that.
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Could Apple's Rumored Budget MacBook Still Debut Before Year's End?
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If this thing is 500 bucks after student discount, that would be great.
And its constantly at $500 or less too. I don't think it cheapens the brand at all.
I wouldn't be surprised it is unveiled within the next few weeks. It will have 16 GB of RAM and 25 GB of local storage with a 512 GB option.
I disagree.
If it gets A18, 12 GB RAM, 256 GB storage, a 13" Retina screen, and USB-C (not sure USB 3 or USB 4/TB), with a retail price at US$799 or less retail than the M4 MacBook Air, it will sell pretty well. It would sell like hotcakes at US$599 retail but I highly doubt it will be priced anywhere near that low full retail. It could get different branding though, like "MacBook" (without the Air part) and wouldn't see as much of a discount (if any) during the Apple yearly Back-To-School promotion.
I just bought an M4 MacBook Air earlier this year for my wife, but that's because this A18 Pro model didn't exist. She uses her Mac basically just for email, Messages, reading a few documents here and there, surfing, watching videos, and recipes. The main reason we upgraded from her 2017 Monterey MacBook Air was because some of our kids' dance extracurricular activity videos are HEVC only, as are our iPhone videos, and they were unplayable on the 2017 Core i5 Broadwell chipset. All of these things absolutely fly on A18 Pro. If it had existed, I would have bought that instead for her and saved a couple of hundred bucks.
Currently one of my kids is using a 2015 MacBook Pro but I may update that in a year or so. An A18 Pro MacBook would be perfect. The other kid who is a bit younger is using a reasonably speedy 2017 Core i5 27" iMac 5K, but has no laptop at all. An A20 Pro MacBook in a couple of years would be excellent as a companion to that iMac.
To put it another way:
I'd take a 2026 A18 Pro MacBook as described above over a 2020 M1 MacBook Air any day, for my wife and kids.
Release next spring, before the US Back-To-School promotion starts.
I still use my retina mb12 and I love it. There is simply nothing like it. All other products, even the new MacBook Air, simply seem clunky compared to this pinnacle of a laptop. The retina MacBook is not specs. It is design perfection. IMO 🤓
I don’t think this device will be as cheap as $600, but given the pressure on Apple from Chromebooks (not the super cheap tat, but $400-$500 range) I could see it starting at $699 and run full MacOS. I imagine emphasis will be how it can run a huge range of iPad apps too…
I find few of the new Mac OS features to be useful. There is a long list of undeleteable applications in the menu that have no business being undeletable. Apple is getting as bad as Microsoft at pushing AI and "the Cloud" on you. When my iPad is connected to this MacBook Air with a cable, why do they need to be logged into iCloud for Sidecar to work? They are physically connected. I clearly have access to both machines, there are no security issues. It's madness, and frustrating.
The hardware is still good though. But even there problems are appearing. The M5 is a bit of a power hog. It's not surprising given its capabilities, but the question remains, is a lower power chip (which translates to better battery life) a better fit for what I need? Why yes, yes it is.
So yes, M1 performance in M1 MacBook Air form factor with the same battery giving me better battery life, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB storage, three USB-C ports with power delivery on all of them (with one on the right side next to the headphone jack) and we are good.
They can lower the screen to 1280 X 800 as I can't read text at the default resolution anyway. Thunderbolt is useless to me. AI needs to be an optional download as at the current rate of recursive collapse it will be spewing non-stop hallucinations next year. Then I would be interested in an upgrade, but probably not until the M1 expires.
On the edu side, Chromebooks in schools also have the advantage of much easier and cheaper central management. This plays a big part in deployment in elementary schools, in addition to the cheaper unit pricing.
That being said, on average the kids hate them.
Well, hate is a strong word, but they definitely don't prefer them overall. At least around here at least, every single one of the kids would not choose a Chromebook for their own home machine. It's always a Windows machine or a Mac.Some schools get iPads but Chromebooks still are the most popular with the elementary schools. In high schools though, I've seen Macs much more commonly than in the elementary schools though, especially when the schools have dedicated multimedia labs.
With all the pussyfooting, anything unique seems doubtful
But by all means, release some more Vision Pro accessories, as we are all dying for those.
But by all means, release some more Vision Pro accessories, as we are all dying for those.
I'm very eager to see what comes of this, and I've long wanted a refresh of the old 12" Retina MacBook. I am looking for a lightweight option for work, being able to carry something as light as possible from physical meeting to meeting. I don't need speed or dramatic power to run my virtual work desktop or my chatgpt prompts.
What does not make sense to me is the price. If it will be lighter and a bit smaller than the 13" MacBook Air, I don't understand why they will charge only $599-$699. In an environment where the iPhone Air is $999, the expected pricing of this Mac seems to be off.
What does not make sense to me is the price. If it will be lighter and a bit smaller than the 13" MacBook Air, I don't understand why they will charge only $599-$699. In an environment where the iPhone Air is $999, the expected pricing of this Mac seems to be off.
$599 seems like wishful thinking, unless they are talking about wholesale pricing or something. However, even for wholesale, $599 seems too low, unless it ends up being a very crippled machine.
Less RAM, less capable ports, different screen, etc.? I'm predicting $200 cheaper myself, assuming this is actually a real product.
I also think there would be very limited configuration options. eg. 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage or else 512 GB storage, and no other options.
That said, I'd still take a 2026 A18 Pro MacBook (with my assumed specs) over a 2020 M1 MacBook Air any day.
Walmart is selling a brand new M1 MacBook Air for $599. That is still a fantastic machine, especially for the price.
In addition to the price, another thing that doesn't make sense to me is why they plan on developing this 13" MacBook in a world where they're selling the M1 MacBook Air at Walmart for $599.
I get that the expected chip is different than the M1 MacBook Air, but if they're trying to hit a particular price point, why not simply update the chip in the existing M1 MacBook Air body? Surely a $599-$699 price point Mac would not have the thinner bezels of the MBA/MBP.
As much as I want them to prioritize a machine that is 2 lbs (vs 2.7-2.8 lbs in the MBA line), I don't really believe that this is that. If it was that, I honestly believe they would charge $999+ for it. Historically, "light" has come at a premium in Apple's product lineup (sans the iPhone 16e vs the iPhone Air, though it's very clear the level ups that the iPhone Air has over the 16e).
I get that the expected chip is different than the M1 MacBook Air, but if they're trying to hit a particular price point, why not simply update the chip in the existing M1 MacBook Air body? Surely a $599-$699 price point Mac would not have the thinner bezels of the MBA/MBP.
As much as I want them to prioritize a machine that is 2 lbs (vs 2.7-2.8 lbs in the MBA line), I don't really believe that this is that. If it was that, I honestly believe they would charge $999+ for it. Historically, "light" has come at a premium in Apple's product lineup (sans the iPhone 16e vs the iPhone Air, though it's very clear the level ups that the iPhone Air has over the 16e).
That's the only advantage of Chromebooks: easy to administrate, since it's locked down to begin with. For personal use, I wouldn't use a chromebook unless I can unlock it to run Linux.
That being said, on average the kids hate them.
Once they become computer literate, they'll prefer Linux over Windows. Maybe.😚
For those who can't wait, Chromebooks are available now.