Kuo: Apple Considering Low-Cost MacBook Launch in 2024

[Mac Fly (film)]

I don’t want a low cost MacBook, I want a 12” MacBook Air, with the latest SoC.

MBA should be sold as 12.9" and 14.2" (small and medium). The sizes are wrong. The MBP could pick up where it leaves off at 14.2" and 16.2" (medium and large).

 

[Alex Cai]

Low cost and thinnest 12 inch doesn’t make sense together.

 

[applepotato666]

We’ve heard this before but I don’t believe it. This is Apple. They’d rather kill a product line than make and affordable option. And what is affordable? A 64GB iPhone SE in Europe costs more than a 14” Huawei laptop with a FHD screen, 8GB of RAM, Intel i5 and a 256GB SSD. Knowing the iPhone SE the affordable option will still be around 1000 and will look like an iBook.

 

[Icelus]

M2S CPU with 2P/4E cores, 8GB/128GB and 12" screen.

 

[Populus]

M2S CPU with 2P/4E cores, 8GB/128GB and 12" screen.

Dude, that’s an A15.
I don’t want a MacBook with a smartphone SoC.

 

[6787872]

with 512mb of ram and 1gb of storage

 

[antic]

In my opinion they will use this years A17 processor for the low cost Mac. 8Gb ram along with USB C will keep the spec below M series chips.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Take the M3 Macbook design, update the keyboard to a modern one, smack an M1, 128GB SSD and 16GB RAM in it, and it is a winner If the price is 799$.

Would be a perfect machine for my kids, wife, and my mom. And perhaps also myself.

 

[contacos]

MBA should be sold as 12.9" and 14.2" (small and medium). The sizes are wrong. The MBP could pick up where it leaves off at 14.2" and 16.2" (medium and large).

Never understood why the new Air is randomly 15 inch and not 14 inch like the Pro or at least have the Pro be the 15 inch one

 

[AbsurdlyJames]

It’s much more likely that they’ll bring a redesigned 12” MacBook at a $1299 price point (with an M3 and decent specs) than they are to try to compete with a Chromebook. Apple already has a low cost computer. It’s called the iPad.

 

[Reached]

Would love a new M-based 12 inch Macbook, the ultimate travel companion!

 

[RodSerlingLives]

Make the entire case out of Finewoven.

 

[bradman83]

In my opinion they will use this years A17 processor for the low cost Mac. 8Gb ram along with USB C will keep the spec below M series chips.

I was thinking the same thing. The A17 includes USB 3 I/O support and supports 8GB of RAM. It would be more than fast enough for an entry level notebook doing lightweight stuff. Apple could call it the M3 Lite or M3 SE.

 

[sracer]

It’s much more likely that they’ll bring a redesigned 12” MacBook at a $1299 price point (with an M3 and decent specs) than they are to try to compete with a Chromebook. Apple already has a low cost computer. It’s called the iPad.

An iPad does a pretty good job of accomplishing many of the tasks that chromebooks are used for. The chronic issue that holds it back in that space is the per-app storage sandboxes. That makes workflows more convoluted than they need to be. Sadly, due to the design of iOS/iPadOS this is not something that can be resolved.

 

[mushy peas]

Ming-Chi knows as much about this as you or I.

Clearly he has sources in the assembly or parts industries, but until stuff is being made he’s just speculating.

For that matter, so is Gurman these days. Don’t forget his newsletter said there’d be no events for the rest of the year and he was blindsided by the Pencil announcement too.

 

[jonnysods]

Please, please, PLEASE bring back the 12” MacBook with an M1!

 

[bluecoast]

I could imagine them taking the m1 air and:

• Losing the chassis wedge for easier machining and internal component placement.
• Using plastic for the top plate inside of the clam shell ie the keyboard side
• Using the M1 processor & no fan. Though the 2020 m1 might be a stretch for a new product in 2024. Maybe we’ll even see the A16 used.
• 8BG & 128 GB storage. Again, this is fine for a basic computer imho. Both from the m1 air.
• USB-c only.
• The m1 air’s screen.
• The 1080p camera from the m2. Even apple can’t get away with bringing out a 720p camera in 2024.

 

[scratchy]

I'd prefer a high cost 12 inch light weight macbook with an m3 but if they want to make it cheap I'd still buy it.

 

[Mori0690]

take an M1 iPad, slap a keyboard to it and ship it with MacOS.

Personally I would've bought it. The form factor of an iPad shipped with MacOS? And you can have a simcard inside for LTE? Sounds like a nice portable computer.

 

[Stuey3D]

The whole MacBook line is too convoluted right now, what they need to do is:


M1 MacBook Air with no changes becomes the MacBook SE

M3 MacBook Airs become MacBook

M3Pro/Max MacBook Pros stay as MacBook Pro.


So: (Prices are a starting range upgrades screen sizes etc extra)

MacBook SE - £700-850
MacBook - £1000-1300
MacBook Pro - Same price as now

That way you have your low cost model for budget conscious users as the M1 is a beast still.

MacBook becomes the mainstream consumer line

MacBook Pro stays as the pro machine.


Like the old iBook and PowerBook line up, one for Consumers and one for Prosumers this time with a budget line for education and for people who are budget conscious and don’t require the most modern tech. The MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar can go the way of the dodo.

 

[one more]

Bring it on, Apple, 500$ FineWoven MacBook 12”. 😉

 

[zombierunner]

Apple acting very sus recently.

 

[wrw2570]

if apple did this below the $999 level and it was capable of entry level gaming it would be a game changer

 

[Klapper.cz]

12" with binned M1, all the same and even some cheaper components, and a smaller battery for $500-600 is always a possibility for Apple.

As for M3 family, my theory is if Pro/Max/iMac are coming now, it's because the current N3 cpu node needs at least some active cooling to get other improvements out of it.
On the other side M3 for Air, iPad etc, has to be the best possible process from TSMC, which the first one isn't yet.

 

[one more]

They basically just need to take an M1 iPad, slap a keyboard to it and ship it with MacOS. And boom, here's your low-cost MacBook

Low-cost? 🤔 A current iPad Air 5 (599$) + Magic Keyboard (299$) = 898$. For a 100$ more you get a 13” M1 MBA, which is better in any way, except the Pencil support. A low-cost would be something sub-700$.