Tagbert
macrumors 604
Probably not many who also cross-shop the cheapest MacBook in the line. Drawing is a specialized activity that would make one only consider the iPad in any case.
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Leaker Says Apple's Lower-Cost MacBook Will Have These 8 Limitations
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turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Apparently this device is for the mythical low end buyer that wasn't already just buying the $600 MBA M1 from Walmart.
Tagbert
macrumors 604
That 360 hinge is going to be costly and trouble-prone. It doesn’t fit into to market for this low cost device.
scoobs69
macrumors 6502
So you'd rather not have Apple offer a $600 laptop for web browsing and emails? ...and this laptop will be selling for $450 on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Or just not have Apple offer a sub $1000 laptop at all?
BeatsByTim
macrumors 6502
Vincent Hanna
macrumors 6502
You mean the vast majority of low end buyers who had no idea the Walmart M1 ever existed because it was never advertised, and uh, I don’t know, was only available at ****ing Walmart???
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
So we are hanging everything about this cheap product on "available directly from Apple"?
(they could have just done that with the M1 they kept making and shoving over to Walmart)
I'm just taking notes so I understand the argument for this thing when it underwhelms in the market.
From a thread in the last hour:
The most significant new device in the immediate pipeline is the low-cost MacBook, which is set to feature an iPhone's A-series chip. Little is known about what the machine will look like beyond offering a 12.9-inch LCD display and a selection of fun color options, and there's a high chance it will re-use components from existing devices.
Reading the above 👆, I'm not sure why they aren't just popping an A18 into the M1 MBA chassis and calling it good.
Maybe they are?
scoobs69
macrumors 6502
Who exactly is forcing you to buy this laptop? It's pretty easy. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Or, go into the woods and shjt like a bear.
Vincent Hanna
macrumors 6502
OMG. Do I have to explain Apple’s WORLDWIDE distribution channel to you?
You don’t think being, you know, an all-new product available at every Apple Store worldwide, and through every third party retailer, and Amazon and Best Buy and Alibaba, and being featured in massive TV/outdoor/social media ad campaigns might just have some small impact over being invisibly shoved in the bargain bin at one regional US retailer?
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Why did they not just do that with the M1 MBA?
Why was that shoved to Walmart, when it sounds like the exact product being discussed? (save for a chip swap)
Sure, it's cheap and proven, but if you're Apple - what if you can make a cheaper case? I'm sure the process is refined for those 'Aluminum Unibody' cases - but what if Apple can make it cheaper, say printing parts of the case like they do for the watch vs 'carving from a block of Aluminum'?
I would be surprised if that happened. The 11" Folio keyboard has different dimensions to the keyboards in MacBooks.
All MacBooks have the same keyboard – they have done since Steve Jobs' time!
Non-Euclidean
macrumors 6502a
I wonder if a bunch of design decisions for this device are driven by clearing out old parts inventory.
Vincent Hanna
macrumors 6502
Because it’s a six-year-old product with an antiquated design that Apple can’t warm over as a mass market entry-level device. It was sold in the bargain bin at one regional retailer in one country with zero advertising for a reason.
This new MacBook is an all-new product, with an all-new design, on an all-new production pipeline, designed to take over the entry-level position for the next six years.
By your reasoning, Apple should still be selling the 2017 huge bezel Intel MBAs for $299 at Publix.
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turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Just to remind you, not everyone lives in America and has Walmart in their neighborhood.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Fair I just think it’s a little odd that they are basically making the same machine again, but apparently gonna sell it themselves this time
It’ll be a lot easier to make informed to commentary when we see what they actually release
They did say that that made a lot of design decisions, including a new method for creating the case, that lower the cost to build. Gotta imagine they did that everywhere they could to save money. Popping a new chip in an old laptop body wouldn't necessarily work long term.
And there's also the fact that the Walmart M1 makes up a very small % of their unit volume. I forget the exact number, but I think Apple expects this new machine to be 20-30% of laptop sales, so it makes sense to rethink the design & squeeze out efficiencies where they can.
JPack
macrumors P6
The problem with the M1 Air is that it wasn't cost optimized at all.
There's a lot of low hanging fruit:
- A18 Pro die is 10-15% smaller than M1
- Single LPDDR5X 8GB chip (instead of 4GB pair)
- Single 256GB NAND chip (compared to 2 x 128GB for M1)
- Smaller Whr battery
- 20W power adapter included (instead of 30W)
- Chassis cost savings (e.g. less milling steps because of fewer standoffs, fewer drilled speaker grille holes, no drilling for 3.5mm headphone jack)
- No True Tone display or backlit keyboard
- No ambient light sensor required
- Margin lovers 512GB storage option
I'd buy, but of course Apple is not longer supporting Intel machines so that is just silly.
Why? You can get an E-ink tablet at a fraction of the cost and laptop displays are far more flexible with content. I don't believe any laptop has an E-Ink screen. Is this about battery life maybe?
