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Low-Cost MacBook Expected on March 4 in These Colors
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JPack
macrumors P6
The reason is simple. The A18 Pro is cheaper because it's 20% smaller than M1 and 50% smaller than M4. It outperforms M1.
Some people will rest in their casket still asking, "why not M1?" Just because it's an M-chip doesn't mean it outperforms a newer A-chip.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
JPack
macrumors P6
Literally 95% of Tim Cook's compensation is dependent on variable pay (stock awards and performance bonuses). If 95% depends on how shareholders react and company reaching specific financial targets, you know what choices they'll make.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Yup.
It's why I sort of raise an eyebrow at suggestions that Apple "cares about low income people" ... nope, the only care is if "number go up".
If lower income folks, and catering to their needs, can somehow do that ... sure, but otherwise "no".
The real inversion under Tim, that drives so many of us long timers crazy, is the pivot away from "make amazing products and profits will follow" (paraphrasing a Steve quote).
Apple could literally put macOS on an Apple Watch if they wanted to, people keep thinking the operating systems are some crazy thing that can’t possibly be put on other chips. So obviously this MacBook will run macOS.
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A-B-I-M. A... Always, B... Be, I... Increasing, M… Margins. Always be increasing margins. ALWAYS BE INCREASING MARGINS!
Arctic Moose
macrumors 68000
There are zero issues running macOS on an A-series chip. None.
The Apple Silicon Developer Transition Kit ran on the A12Z from the 4th gen iPad Pro, which handled macOS just fine:
There are probably several reasons Apple doesn’t allow you to connect a monitor, mouse and keyboard to your phone and boot macOS, but I can promise you that none of them are technical.
Wow, this is big news if true. First I'd heard of this because Apple Intelligence originally launched as supporting all M chips. However, I kind of doubt that, because it also says M2 or higher for the MacBook Pro line, and same for the Mac Pro line, and my M1 Pro MBP definitely still supports Apple Silicon, and we've not heard or seen AS being dropped after M1 folks update to Tahoe, so I think that's probably a typo of some kind.
Google says the M4 chip is cheaper than the A18 Pro because the latter is smaller, but I'm not sure at this point.
YOU couldn't get macOS running on an A__ chip, but APPLE could, since (you know) they make the darn things.
A__ chips and M__ chips are very, very similar. M-chips are designed for computers while A-chips are designed for iPhones and iPads, but they are all Arm chips and very similar architecturally.
If Google is correct (your previous post) saying an M4 is cheaper than an A18, then why would Apple trying to make a cheap MacBook not go with the cheaper processor? iPads with M chips and a MacBook (rumored) with an A … seems odd. Unless the new laptop just looks like one but in reality is an “iPad AirBook”, i.e. an iOS laptop … maybe replacing the iPad Air.
I supposed that based on Gemini's "Answers" which gives a different response based on the exact question - so, completely unreliable.
The A18 will probably got either 8 or 12GB ram, Does not have a PCIe controller, fewer GPU and CPU cores than the M4, it's going to be cheaper - probably half the price.
The iPad Air is a big seller that runs a touch based OS, its not going to be replaced. This will run MacOS.
The Macbook AIR will most likely not see the price reductions that Amazon / Bestbuy have been doing for so long to keep it at a premium level.
Vincent Hanna
macrumors 6502
The Air will continue to get price reductions from the big online retailers, it’ll just be from a starting price of $1199 now as the new MacBook takes over the $999 price point.
Adora
macrumors 68020
In macOS 26.4 Beta 2 the Firmware and OS Loader version has now an mBoot in front of the version number.
This could be a hint that an upcoming Mac will get something else, whatever that might mean... I won't speculate again about anything anymore. Seems many people don't like to here that for a device where everything is just speculation until now.
This could be a hint that an upcoming Mac will get something else, whatever that might mean... I won't speculate again about anything anymore. Seems many people don't like to here that for a device where everything is just speculation until now.
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