Because there is a market for cheap laptop-form factor devices, and it is also the reason why schools choose Chromebooks over $349 iPad.
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All iPads MacBook with iPhone chip rumor - what if it runs iPadOS
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It's for the classroom...
Just like Interloper pointed out above! It's a direct competitor.
That doesn't explain why a low-cost MacBook should run iPadOS.
Because the rumor says A18 Pro
, and that alone points iPadOS. There is really not much advantage to use A18 Pro on macOS over an older M chip. A18 Pro's performance on macOS is questionable and has never been tested on macOS environment. M-chip is already power efficient enough that most of the TDP comes from the screen. If the rumor says something like M2, I would believe it would run macOS
Why does a classroom need a MacBook to run iPadOS? Is $349 iPad for the classroom? Apple wants to sell this to as large a market as possible.
Just because Google doesn't have a full desktop OS doesn't mean Apple has to go low. Being able to run full desktop apps is a big advantage for Apple.
Because the rumor says A18 Pro
So an M-chip can run iPadOS or macOS. But A18 Pro must be iPadOS? Why?
There's a huge advantage to using A18 Pro. The die size is about 30% smaller than M3, which is much cheaper to produce.
The A18 chip has never been tested on macOS? Don't you think Apple engineers would test it first?
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should
Ultimately, you're not wrong though. MacOS will always be superior because it can do more than iPadOS or a Chromebook. I just don't think that's the goal here. I think it would be smarter to put a simplified device with, what I'm assuming would be, a better battery into classrooms.
And I think others have pointed this out, but then if you need a stronger chip iPad with touch screen/pencil support or you need the full power of MacOS, there are choices.
There’s plenty of advantage, not the least of which is that it draws far less power than the M1 and runs cooler, which means cheaper battery and thermal solutions. It also means they can cease production on the M2, which is on the 5nm node, and which is likely to increase in costs as demand for that node decline with time.Because the rumor says A18 Pro
Because a bigger version of the $349 iPad will then be (presumably) $549 and still won't come with keyboard or trackpad. Those would cost more money again.
There are plenty of customers for whom iPadOS with a laptop form factor works just great - hence the market for add-on keyboard cases. In education, where the lack of sideloading is an advantage, this could be all the device they need. No keyboards or pencils to lose/charge.
So your argument is that Apple is going to sacrifice the opportunity to sell Magic Keyboards out of the goodness of their hearts?
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should
Ultimately, you're not wrong though. MacOS will always be superior because it can do more than iPadOS or a Chromebook. I just don't think that's the goal here. I think it would be smarter to put a simplified device with, what I'm assuming would be, a better battery into classrooms.
And I think others have pointed this out, but then if you need a stronger chip iPad with touch screen/pencil support or you need the full power of MacOS, there are choices.
There's an obvious gap in Apple's current lineup. To me, the low-cost MacBook running macOS is a clear solution.
- K-6th Grade: iPad for early and interactive learning
- 7-12th Grade: MacBook for complex learning and writing
I agree a simplified device would be useful in the classroom, but one size doesn't fit all. Right now, Google lacks a tablet and Apple lacks a low-cost MacBook. The A18 MacBook solves this problem for Apple.
For $599 or $649, I'm sure Apple could include a low-cost keyboard with trackpad for this 13-inch iPad.
Why would Apple make a non-touch MacBook run iPadOS, which lacks the interactive capabilities of iPad? All to save maybe $50 retail?
They already sell a flimsy non-backlit keyboard for the A16 iPad and want $249 for it.
Why do they sell 4 different Apple Pencils? Not all of their decisions make perfect sense, you know?
I think this Mac goes well beyond education in Apple's vision. This Mac is going to eat into Windows market share.
There is 2 segments in which Apple does not compete at the moment, gaming and low-mid range, sub $800 (new, although you can always buy used, that's what many students in my university do).
Gaming will be an harder nut to crack but I am convinced they will slowly eat into that too.
I wouldn't be suprised to see the market share of Macs increasing vs PCs over the next 10 years in the consumer side (businesses will probably remain with Windows for the most part)
There is 2 segments in which Apple does not compete at the moment, gaming and low-mid range, sub $800 (new, although you can always buy used, that's what many students in my university do).
Gaming will be an harder nut to crack but I am convinced they will slowly eat into that too.
I wouldn't be suprised to see the market share of Macs increasing vs PCs over the next 10 years in the consumer side (businesses will probably remain with Windows for the most part)
Exactly, the M1 is actually an A14X or an A14Z, just like the A12X or the A12Z. You cannot put in the same category the former A_X chips (now the M_ chips), with the A_ series of chips.
However, despite the different power and thermal limitations of the A_ chips, I think the current 3nm chips such as the A18 are capable of running macOS. Although I’d never buy a Mac that’s less powerful than my M2 iPad Pro. And that entry MacBook is probably coming with just 8GB of RAM which is a nope for me for macOS.
iPads are touch first devices and their apps, by design, have very low density UIs. A MacBook without a touchscreen that relies only on a mouse would be (much) less than ideal. IMO, not going to happen.
Let's say they (likely) use the screen from the previous MacBook Air design. The UI resolution of that machine at 2x scaling is 1280x800. This is actually much less than the current 13-inch iPad Pro, which is 1376x1032. The result is that even with two apps split side-by side, very little content fits.
Let's say they (likely) use the screen from the previous MacBook Air design. The UI resolution of that machine at 2x scaling is 1280x800. This is actually much less than the current 13-inch iPad Pro, which is 1376x1032. The result is that even with two apps split side-by side, very little content fits.
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There is a wrinkle in all of these though, that is, Apple can sell those devices at a much lower price to education market than they sell to general public. Lets say if they really care about education, then they can sell a full set of iPad and keyboard at $249, or sell that low cost MacBook for $349, making them surprisingly competitive compared to Chromebook that can do more. It may run iPadOS, but still going to be better than Chromebook who for the most part only runs a browser.
Yea, you can do almost anything with 8GB of RAM on a mac M processor. Sure, it might do some memory swapping and such, but it works!
And it doesn't reload stuff like 8GB iPads.... Sure it can become slower due to swapping but generally you can hold stuff in RAM for as long as the computer is on...
It's the return of the... iBook! A clamshell touchscreen device that runs iBookOS. You're gonna love it!