Leaker Says Apple's Lower-Cost MacBook Will Have These 8 Limitations

[jz0309]

A true "GimpBook" if I've ever seen one.

Sure, compared to a MBA or even a MBP it is "gimped", but, this is a new "entry level" computer that comes with a feature set that is just that, entry level. And it is supposedly also a "entry level" price.
If you expectation is that it could replace your existing MBA, think again. It is for a very different segment of people

 

[Siliconguy]

my point is, more people are like that then you think and will have zero issues with 256 or less....

Like I said, short of having 10's of thousands of photos, most people simply don't have large files that require local storage.

Exactly. This is not intended as a primary work machine. This MBA has only half of its 256 GB used. It only has half of my music, a handful of pictures, and currently no movies stored on it. Documents takes up just over 1 GB. Things I am not working on anymore get moved to the desktop. Large projects are never on the MBA at all.

The desktop has a 1.5 TB split over two drives and that is like 2/3 full. There is even more on the server which has 3.5 TB of total storage but lots of room yet.

If you need to have everything with you all the time because you are a true road warrior then the MB Pro is your machine. This new ultralight is not your machine. How it sits with the MBA is the hot question.

If it has enough USB ports (and no Thunderbolt is not required) a future A19 version with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage might be the optimum machine for my use case to replace the M1 MBA, and I might even spring for the 512 GB option.

 

[jz0309]

They could price it at bait & switch levels. You go into an Apple store enticed by the low-ball pricing of the new MacBook. But the salesperson convinces you to go for the MacBook Air. Mission accomplished.

Never had that kind of experience in an Apple Store.... Best Buy? Sure. Car dealer? Absolutely.

 

[dgdosen]

And I suspect, no external display compatibilty beyond mirroring, like the A series iPads. Only M series chips drive extended displays.

That would be a poor choce... That would mean that you wouldn't be able to use the device on those brand new Studio Displays without looking comically bad.

 

[Mikep976]

And yet, it will still run MacOS, and allow for installation of any app, on hw that a consumer purchases. The fact that iPadOS cannot do that is mind boggling for any reason other than "but daddi Apple needs that sweet sweet 30% cut everytime a user so much as sneezes near their device"

 

[JPack]

A true "GimpBook" if I've ever seen one.

A lot of people are underestimating the power of the Apple logo when it sits beside a sea of $500 Dell, HP, and Acer plastic computers.

They're also overestimating how much computing power people need. Most people are fine with an iPhone. An iPad might be their secondary device, but iPadOS sucks for any real productivity.

 

[Spock]

Lots of "Nos". No thanks!!!

Than this MacBook will not be aimed at you then.

 

[chars1ub0w]

They're also overestimating how much computing power people need. Most people are fine with an iPhone. An iPad might be their secondary device, but iPadOS sucks for any real productivity.

OK, if this new A18 Pro device can run macOS, so can any iPad Air or M-series iPad. Make it so!

 

[turbineseaplane]

A lot of people are underestimating the power of the Apple logo when it sits beside a sea of $500 Dell, HP, and Acer plastic computers.

They're also overestimating how much computing power people need. Most people are fine with an iPhone. An iPad might be their secondary device, but iPadOS sucks for any real productivity.

I think folks are overestimating the market for a super gimped macOS device.

I know so many professional folks who do all they need on iOS/iPadOS and use Windows at work (no choice) ... and are mystified by macOS (dating one right now).

The other issue is how botched up and bloated macOS has gotten, by Apple.
So much of the intuitiveness and "just works" has faded over time.

 

[CillBlinton]

These days are long gone:

(Go ahead like it - you guys know you can't help but crap on Apple)

 

[turbineseaplane]

These days are long gone:

(Go ahead like it - you guys know you can't help but crap on Apple)

Steve was just such an obvious cut above the rest.
The comfort and confidence he shows in all these Q&A's may just be something you can't teach.

One always got the sense that any question could be asked and he'd readily tackle it.
He may shred you for it, but he would take it on and push right back.

I loved it.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

No true tone. Not sure if thats a limitation or a feature.

 

[CillBlinton]

Steve was just such an obvious cut above the rest.
The comfort and confidence he shows in all these Q&A's may just be something you can't teach.

One always got the sense that any question could be asked and he'd readily tackle it.
He may shred you for it, but he would take it on and push right back.

I loved it.

Even with a difficult question, regardless of his known moods on stage, he knew exactly the point he wanted to make and it was always in line with his core values for Apple. Whereas that kind of thing catches many other folks off guard and they often trip up and say something they don't mean or ramble.

 

[CillBlinton]

No true tone. Not sure if thats a limitation or a feature.

This will blow. your. mind. You're welcome!

 

[Veinticinco]

So, absolutely gimped in other words.

 

[Veinticinco]

It’ll be called the MacBook E, and nicknamed “My First MacBook”.

 

[Dirk Pieters]

These days are long gone:

(Go ahead like it - you guys know you can't help but crap on Apple)

The jury’s still out on whether this new laptop will be junk. Its specs will be low(er) and it will be cheap(er) but that doesn’t make it junk.

If you take the cheapest iPad or iPhone … sure, they can’t do what Pro models can do. The cameras aren’t as good, maybe they have less memory and are a bit slower.

But when I hold and use these devices it certainly doesn’t feel like they are junk. In fact, my next iPhone might be an E-model, because that hump with all those lenses on the Pro models is getting uglier all the time.

Having different priced/spec’d models at different price points for different people with different needs does not equal that the cheapest model = junk.

 

[Deine Mudda]

Maybe Apple will use this as an opportunity to increase the base storage option available for iCloud - from 200 GB to somewhere like 500 GB and the next highest tier from 2 TB to 3 TB

Would be lovely but Apple will never do this.
iCloud storage is a milking machine.

 

[ignatius345]

Y’all drawing lines in the sand is all well and good for tech enthusiasts, but the target budget-conscious audience does not give a crap. I have a good friend who runs her entire small business off a base model M1 Air. Guarantee she does not GAF about half of these limitations. If a new MacBook came along that was light, had good battery life and runs a web browser and Zoom smoothly, she’s good. I think the same holds true for a lot of people.

 

[citysnaps]

Seems many here don't understand the market Apple is targeting with this low-cost MacBook.

 

[Tagbert]

I'm only surprised by the "No N1 chip".
Isn't that supposed to be cheaper for Apple?

It could be driven by supply limitations if the production volumes of the N1 aren't high enough, then a cheap Mediatek chipset would be a reasonable replacement.

 

[Tagbert]

Didn't even know my MBP had truetone 🤭🤭🤭

It's a nice to have feature but most people wouldn't miss it if the price was right.

 

[jecowa]

I can live with all of those. Can't wait for the announcement. (lighted keyboard would be nice though)

Yeah, the backlit keyboard is probably the biggest loss. I can type great for alphabetic characters, but I need to look to type numerals and special characters.

 

[mailhojo]

For the general public a price that is tiered below the Air will work for most. 599-699 will work. But for the educational division, you are competing with Chromebooks in the $200 range. If you can't get in the $200-300 range for educational purchases, it's a no go. Sorry, but true. School district look at this segment for students as good enough devices. Most were initially purchased for state testing purposes only. Cost is first determining factor. Second is the MDM system and easy of managing thousands of devices. What the device offers to students is last. While I know it should be the other way around, it's just not in most districts. So, if Apple wants to compete again in K-12 school districts, costs have to come way down.

 

[danielsutton]

Apple is expected to unveil its long-rumored lower-cost MacBook next week. Given it will be more affordable, this MacBook model will obviously have some reduced specs and compromises compared to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

While we are still waiting for Apple to announce the new MacBook, a leaker has shared eight alleged limitations to expect, based on an internal version of Apple's Kernel Debug Kit for a macOS Tahoe beta that leaked online last year.

Here are the alleged limitations they outlined in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo and in an email to MacRumors:

• Lower max display brightness: The leaker said the lower-cost MacBook's maximum display brightness may fall below the MacBook Air's 500 nits.
  
• No True Tone: The lower-cost MacBook will apparently lack True Tone, a feature that can adjust the color and intensity of the display to match the ambient light.
  
• No 1TB or 2TB storage capacities: The leaker expects the lower-cost MacBook to be available in 256GB and 512GB storage capacities, and they mentioned a potential 128GB capacity for educational institutions. Unlike the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, the new MacBook would lack 1TB and higher storage options.
  
• Slower SSD speeds: The flash storage in the new MacBook base model will apparently have slower read and write speeds compared to the latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, potentially due to Apple using a single NAND chip.
  
• No fast charging: The new MacBook might not be "fast-charge capable."
  
• No backlit keyboard: The keyboard may lack backlit keys.
  
• No high-impedance headphones support: You can connect high-impedance headphones directly to compatible Mac computers introduced in 2021 or later, but the lower-cost MacBook will apparently not be one of them.
  
• No N1 chip: All of the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air models feature Apple's custom N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Apple says the chip also improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop. However, the lower-cost MacBook will not use the N1 chip, the leaker said. Instead, the laptop will likely have a MediaTek chip for wireless connectivity.

The information above comes from the same leaker who claimed that Apple's next Studio Display may have a 90Hz refresh rate, that the next iPad mini will have an A20 Pro chip, and more. Many of their claims are still untested, but we should get a better picture of this source's track record as the products in question are released over the coming months.

While the leaked files are real, this source currently lacks an established track record, so these claims should still be treated with some skepticism. Some of the information mentioned above is not explicitly mentioned in the files, but rather is based on the leaker's interpretations, so it is possible that not every claim will prove to be accurate.

The lower-cost MacBook is expected to be powered by the iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro chip, rather than an M-series chip, and it will reportedly have a smaller 12.9-inch display. Based on A18 Pro specs, this MacBook will likely have 8GB of RAM, and the laptop will likely have regular USB-C ports instead of faster Thunderbolt ports.

Like the iBook from the early 2000s, it has been rumored that this MacBook will come in fun color options, like yellow, green, blue, and/or pink.

The media will likely receive hands-on time with the lower-cost MacBook at the "Apple Experience" gatherings being held in New York, London, and Shanghai on Wednesday, March 4 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. There is no Apple Event live stream for this launch, with the new MacBook expected to be announced in a press release.

How much will this MacBook cost? There are no firm rumors, but estimates for a starting price have ranged from $599 to $799 in the United States.

After months and months of rumors, an announcement should be less than a week away.

Article Link: Leaker Says Apple's Lower-Cost MacBook Will Have These 8 Limitations

The is classic Apple upselling.