A 12.9" screen won't fit in that lid even with a camera notch or dynamic island. The largest screen possible without changing the aspect ratio would be 12.25" and that leaves narrower side bezels than thew current M4 MacBook Air. Personally, I'd rather they tighten it up by shaving down the keyboard a little bit and cutting about a half inch diagonally off the whole case when closed.
Absolutely. I’m curios to see if this computer makes inroads into corporate environments where most software in that business is browser based. Apple security and hardware quality/reliability.
Of course.
macOS and the Mac App Store have only a fraction of users in the EU compared to iOS. And only a smaller fraction of desktop computing market share. So they will not be subject to the same legislation for the foreseeable future.
You think they’re making a loss on that?
I think that the 12 Macbook could perfectly fit a 12.9" screen , using 2025 sized bezels.
Sure Apple could still profit from it but they like to keep their margins constant. A fully amortized production line making M1 MBA chassis will be cheaper than a new line making a new design. That should drop margins. With the vanilla iPad, they reuse old iPad Air chassis and displays with A* chips. That makes it cheap.
"Fully amortized" == probably obsolete, clapped out and all the deductible tax fully claimed - if not they're amortizing it wrong. May also be on the wrong continent if they're looking at minimising tariffs.
I've heard Jason Snell keep making that point about "design and tooling costs need to recouped", etc... and agree it's kind of non-issue.
Macs are still only 10% of laptop sales. Even if they canibalize their line a bit, the upside is huge given the overall size of the market. Not to mention they bring people into their ecosystem so they can sell them more expensive computers later. Apple has already surprised us with M4 chips and 16GB of RAM on the Mac Mini and the Macbook Air (regularly selling for $800 these days)
This sounds great to me. I’d get rid of my iPad Air 13” or give it to the wife. It’s mainly what I use for content on the go when I don’t want to take my Air. I could even feel comfy lounging with this on the couch. I had a used 2017 rMB for that purpose before it got too slow and was replaced by the 13” iPad Air.
That's the kicker, this release / deal is limited to the US (probably due to parts reasons); leveraging the A18(Pro) product line that is currently and still will be in production (the previous two iPhones are always sold, too), you can offer this to a wider and international market. I would be game.
I wonder if they will limit it to the same channels they sell the M1 Air through now. It may not be in the Apple stores nor on their online shop but just in Costco, Walmart, etc.
I can't see any reason why they would. I can understand the M1, as it's not really something they want to sell a ton of, but it's a good fit for the Walmart demographic. It also allows them to explore how well a lower priced Macbook can sell without having to invest in any new models, and also allows them to draw some conclusions about cannibalization of the higher priced model.
As a long time customer of this Cupertino company, sometimes it’s quite obvious they fail to apply common sense 😆
I had a MB 12" and thought it was the perfect size (my fifth Apple MB, BTW). Ended up trading it in on an IPad Pro, but eventually regretted it. Have an M2 MB now, and wouldn't want a slower processor in the new MB 12". Eager to see what they finally do, but expect if not an equally fast chip, might not make the switch.
Apple's rumored new more affordable MacBook could have a starting price as low as $599 and launch as soon as this year, according to a new report out of Asia.
We first learned of Apple's low-cost MacBook plans in late June, when analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the company was developing a "more affordable" 13-inch laptop that would compete with Chromebooks and drive MacBook purchases, though he did not mention pricing.
Kuo said the new MacBook is set to use an A18 Pro chip, which debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. That would make it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. So far, all Apple silicon Macs have used M-series chips, which feature more cores, greater memory capacity, and improved external display support.
The analyst said he expected the model to enter mass production late in the fourth quarter of 2025 or early in the first quarter of 2026. Today, DigiTimes has independently corroborated Kuo's prediction and suggested that the MacBook will start between $599 and $699. The current 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $999 in the U.S. (or $899 under Apple's student discount).
Today's report adds that the laptop will have a 12.9-inch display, making it slightly smaller than the MacBook Air's 13.6-inch screen. DigiTimes reports that some components are expected to enter mass production by the end of the third quarter of 2025 – a schedule that could see full system assembly begin before the end of the year.
Final assembly is expected to take place at Quanta's facilities in the fourth quarter, with the laptop becoming commercially available in late 2025 or early 2026, similar to Kuo's launch estimation.
According to market projections, annual shipments of the low-cost MacBook could reach between 5 million and 7 million units, potentially boosting Apple's total MacBook volume from the current 17 million to 18 million units by 30% to 40%.
Kuo believes the more-affordable MacBook will feature an ultra-thin, lightweight design and could come in Silver, Blue, Pink, and Yellow finishes.
One thing to bear in mind is that the A18 Pro chip lacks Thunderbolt support, so the new MacBook would likely be equipped with regular USB-C ports. But that's unlikely to be a deal-breaker for customers seeking the most affordable Mac they can get their hands on. Would you be interested in such a laptop? Let us know in the comments.
Article Link: New 12.9-Inch MacBook Could Launch This Year Starting at $599
The September event is about the iPhone and its accessories like the Watch and AirPods. If they have a Mac event it is usually in October. Though they could skip and event and just issue press releases.
