All iPads MacBook with iPhone chip rumor - what if it runs iPadOS

[Charka123]

I love how people can come to the conclusion it'll run iPadOS.

If Apple wanted something 13-inch to run iPadOS, they would just build a bigger version of the $349 iPad. Why would Apple take the convoluted path of making a low-cost MacBook to run iPadOS?

Because there is a market for cheap laptop-form factor devices, and it is also the reason why schools choose Chromebooks over $349 iPad.

 

[Scarboose]

Why would Apple take the convoluted path of making a low-cost MacBook to run iPadOS?

It's for the classroom...

Yup, this is going to be Apple's Chromebook. Interestingly, Google are ditching ChromeOS and moving to Android...a mobile OS.


I mentioned it earlier here as well but I'm becoming increasingly convinced. My background is in marketing - I can really see Apple doing this.


It won't be a MacBook, just like a Chromebook isn't a Windows laptop. It'll be a new category of device, locked down with the App Store and perfect for light users and education that want a bigger screen than the base iPad.

Just like Interloper pointed out above! It's a direct competitor.

 

[JPack]

Because there is a market for cheap laptop-form factor devices, and it is also the reason why schools choose Chromebooks over $349 iPad.

That doesn't explain why a low-cost MacBook should run iPadOS.

 

[Charka123]

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 😉

 

[JPack]

It's for the classroom...


Just like Interloper pointed out above! It's a direct competitor.

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.

 

[JPack]

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. M-chip is already power efficient enough that most of the TDP come from the screen. If the rumor says something like M2, I would believe it would run macOS 😉

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?

 

[Scarboose]

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.

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.

 

[123123123]

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 😉

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.

 

[The_Interloper]

If Apple wanted something 13-inch to run iPadOS, they would just build a bigger version of the $349 iPad. Why would Apple take the convoluted path of making a low-cost MacBook to run iPadOS?

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.

 

[123123123]

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?

 

[JPack]

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.

 

[JPack]

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.

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?

 

[The_Interloper]

For $599 or $649, I'm sure Apple could include a low-cost keyboard with trackpad for this 13-inch iPad.

They already sell a flimsy non-backlit keyboard for the A16 iPad and want $249 for it.

Why would Apple make a non-touch MacBook run iPadOS, which lacks the interactive capabilities of iPad? All to save maybe $50 retail?

Why do they sell 4 different Apple Pencils? Not all of their decisions make perfect sense, you know?

 

[Digitalguy]

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)

 

[Populus]

I doubt it for several reasons...

• Some iPads have been using the M chips for years, yet iPadOS never came to the Mac then.
  • macOS can already run iPad apps, if the developer allows it.
• During the Apple Silicon transition, the developer transition kit machines were using an A chip (A12Z).
  • The A chips are powerful enough to run macOS too.

At the end of the day, there's not much difference between the A series and M series; the A series is just a lower tier and cheaper to make. Some say that the M1 is essentially just a rebadged A14X that was tweaked for the Mac.

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.

 

[AppleTO]

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.

 

[Shirasaki]

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?

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.

 

[Moonlight]

I’ve edited videos on an M2 Mac mini with 8GB RAM without any issues.

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!

 

[Digitalguy]

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...

 

[TracerAnalog]

This rumor about a ~$600 MacBook has caught my attention. I think it’s fair to say that an A18 Pro chip is strong enough to run macOS but why would Apple make that? The chip would burn out from too much multitasking then.
That’s where iPadOS comes in. The software limits the user so it can’t burn out, the battery life would be huge, it’s a 12.9” screen which is iPad like and I think it would be lighter than the iPad and Magic Keyboard combo. Plus, Apple has been making iPadOS more Mac like for years now. It wouldn’t be a touch screen either, which keeps costs down. It could be a perfect competitor for the Chromebook??

I personally would buy this as I love iPadOS but I don’t like the iPad and Magic Keyboard combo. It would be at least double the battery life of a iPad now I think, which would be huge to me. Would anyone else want this though?

It's the return of the... iBook! A clamshell touchscreen device that runs iBookOS. You're gonna love it!

 

[Ctrlos]

edit

 

[arc of the universe]

the analysts and leakers who are reporting about this device are making a mistake.
they have supply chain information about an A series chip in a clamshell device (obviously having a keyboard), and they assume its going to run macOS on an A series chip.
one additional rumor about it that has been mentioned but not always included in mentions of this device is that it will be locked down to software that is bought through the apple app store.

i think this device will be running iPadOS but the screen will not be a touch screen.
it will be a trackpad and keyboard only device.
current Magic Keyboard for iPad Air is improved, but still a tippy device since the computer is in the screen half.

more and more frequently i am picking up my iPhone to use all of the apps that i manage my daily with.
and then put down my phone to work on my computer. then repeat that.

i want a laptop form factor that runs iOS/iPadOS apps and allows a seamless transition from app life to work life on the same device, with a no-compromise keyboard and large trackpad.

 

[The_Interloper]

the analysts and leakers who are reporting about this device are making a mistake.
they have supply chain information about an A series chip in a clamshell device (obviously having a keyboard), and they assume its going to run macOS on an A series chip.
one additional rumor about it that has been mentioned but not always included in mentions of this device is that it will be locked down to software that is bought through the apple app store.

i think this device will be running iPadOS but the screen will not be a touch screen.
it will be a trackpad and keyboard only device.
current Magic Keyboard for iPad Air is improved, but still a tippy device since the computer is in the screen half.

more and more frequently i am picking up my iPhone to use all of the apps that i manage my daily with.
and then out down my phone to work on my computer. then repeat that.

i want a laptop form factor that runs iOS/iPadOS apps and allows a seamless transition from app life to work life on the same device.

Everyone seems to be overlooking the fact that finally, after years of asking, Apple has finally brought proper windowing and precision cursor control to iPadOS. There’s now a macOS-like menu bar. An improved Files app, real background multitasking. Hell, even a Preview app! Why? Why now?

Because maybe…just maybe…this isn’t a low cost MacBook at all. It’s a “new” iBook, running a non-touch iPadOS 26. The screen size is the minimum realistically viable for precision mousing and app windows but the 13” iPad Air plus Magic Keyboard is still too expensive, even at education bulk discounts.

Positioning it as a laptop is perfect for the education sector as it is easily locked down and controllable, especially if it only allows App Store apps.

 

[Yvan256]

If a Mac doesn't run macOS then it's not a Mac.

 

[maerz001]

I’m basing this off the experience I’ve seen where M series chip MacBook Airs die after only a couple years of use by sales folks who were really only using Zoom and Chrome.

this is very anecdotal. The M series MBs are highly recommended and trusted on this site and elsewhere. Best decision Apple made in a long time.

Look at the old intel days with failing GPUs. than you know what overheating really means.