New 12.9-Inch MacBook Could Launch This Year Starting at $599

[Saturn1217]

What exactly would it be used for? To serve as a modern netbook? Isn't that what people use non-pro iPads with a keyboard case for?

Edit: Before you reply, see this clarification: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...is-year-starting-at-599.2463158/post-34054669

Yes honestly.

As someone who looked seriously into how to get an iPad to do this, it is both not ideal, if you want an iPad mostly attached to a keyboard and REALLY expensive. This would have full macOS so there would be no concern about being able to do exactly what you can on a more traditional computer. And it would work better on a lap. Many people still want this. I have an iPad and like iPads but they don't cover the same use case as netbooks and I still miss having a netbook. A netbook with a non-****** keyboard and great battery life/software would be very appealing to a lot of people.

 

[bayportbob]

You're not considering the form factor. The MacBook Air itself started off as the thinnest laptop Apple had ever made, with SJ sliding it out an an envelope and everything. It had pretty bad specs, even for the era, and was ungodly expensive to boot. People still bought it, and it evolved into a massive success.

I did not need it but I bought it because Steve told me I needed it... he was right I did need it even with the ****** keys.. I really loved the small platform....

 

[LeeW]

Instant buy for me, great portable that will allow me to do more on it than I can on my iPad Pro, plenty powerful for my needs.

 

[bayportbob]

Yes honestly.

As someone who looked seriously into how to get an iPad to do this, it is both not ideal, if you want an iPad mostly attached to a keyboard and REALLY expensive. This would have full macOS so there would be no concern about being able to do exactly what you can on a more traditional computer. And it would work better on a lap. Many people still want this. I have an iPad and like iPads but they don't cover the same use case as netbooks and I still miss having a netbook. A netbook with a non-****** keyboard and great battery life/software would be very appealing to a lot of people.

I would use one to replace my iPad because I hate typing on an iPad..... I have an iPhone, M4 MacBook Air, and need to replace my iPad with ......

 

[ignatius345]

With due respect, Apple laptops are all now thin and light (more or less). Switching from Air to Pro is mostly an exercise in capabilities and qualities, not form factor.

I expect this laptop to be about the same. Maybe marginally thinner and lighter, but we’re definitely low on mm to shave off right now.

The 12" Retina MacBook was about 25% lighter than the current M4 Air, and quite a bit thinner. I think they could manage some respectable amount of weight/volume savings. Especially if they revisited polycarbonite.

 

[mikeschr]

Why don’t they just let you run straight-up MacOS on an iPad? You put an iPad in one of those keyboard+trackpad cases, let it run MacOS and now you have a MacBook with a touchscreen.

Thermals?

 

[mlayer]

The choice of a 12.9" screen is curious. The only other Apple products that use 12.9" screens are the bigger iPads Air & Pro, which have noticeably greater resolution than the 13-inch MacBook Airs. For that reason I can't see Apple raiding the parts bin when they could easily go to BOE and get a lower specced/cost panel. Is that much cheaper than the now 13.6" MBA screen? I suppose it would have to be.

 

[123123123]

If this is true, they’re aiming for the not-insignificant “premium” Chromebook/mid-range Windows market, as well as the educational institution market. I am somehow skeptical that a company the size of Apple would bring this device to market if there were serious reasons to think it’d be a net loss by greater cannibalizing of MBA sales vs. making inroads elsewhere. My prediction is 16/256 base (16 because of Apple Intelligence requirements), with only one or two SKUs (probably an option for 512), using the M1 MBA chassis.

As far as performance goes, as someone else pointed out, the A18 is approximately on par with the M1 – and has single-core performance better than the Intel 226V, which is a current mid-range Lunar Lake CPU. People are a bit bonkers on what’s considered adequate CPU performance from Macs, considering the performance of Intel MacBooks up until the past few years. I’ve done plenty of video editing on an M2 8/256 Mac mini, and played Baldur’s Gate 3 on an M1 MBA (with graphics cranked way down, but still!). What’s more, the A18 is very energy-efficient, which means cost savings from using a smaller battery and cheaper cooling solution.

 

[dandyryan]

they should just bring back the 2 pound 12" and call it the MacBook mini

 

[adamboettiger]

A $599 12.9-inch MacBook sounds like a tempting entry point into the Mac lineup, but it risks cannibalizing two of Apple’s best sellers: the MacBook Air and the higher-end iPads. Why buy an iPad plus a $299 Magic Keyboard when you can get a clamshell Mac running macOS for less? And for students or casual users, a cheaper MacBook could easily replace the need for a $999 Air, especially if it handles everyday tasks well enough.

Apple tried a similar experiment in 2015 with the 12-inch MacBook - beautiful, thin, and light, but priced awkwardly between the Air and Pro, with underpowered chips and a single port. That model struggled because buyers either traded up to a Pro for performance or down to an Air for value. If this new MacBook isn’t positioned carefully, the same dynamic could play out, only now the iPad line could take a hit too.

If this is meant to compete with Chromebooks in schools, it’s entering a very price-sensitive market where bulk buyers and parents focus on cost above all else. That’s not a segment known for upgrading deeper into the Apple ecosystem later - assuming that may be one of the goals. Unless Apple draws a very clear line between what this machine is for - and what it isn’t - it risks stealing sales from itself rather than growing the pie.

 

[blocsapp]

Here comes the Apple MacPad.

I think younger people would love the user friendly iPadOS 26 running on a chrome book size laptop. Students using chrome books can't use proper software on theme anyway, so using iPad apps on a laptop device is a huge step up.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Ship it with lightning ports and a touchbar unapologetically five years old.

 

[Sowelu]

Still struggling to see the biz reason for Apple to compete at the low end ...
But illl wait and see if/when this gets released what Apple will have to say...

One of the reasons may be to bring more people into the Apple Ecosystem in an affordable way - people who may feel that Macs are out of the question because they are too expensive as compared to low-end PCs (or ChromeBooks) may now be lured in. So, this super affordable MacBook may help bring more people to Apple's services, which is a huge revenue maker for them. This would also extend to other Apple products once they're in.

 

[tenthousandthings]

Well, it may have the A18 chip…

Yes, see my prediction in comment #112

 

[xp84]

Predictions:
Price: $899 ($799 edu) - hey, that's "More affordable!" than the base model MacBook Air!
SSD: 256GB (probably only because they can't find enough small chips to do 128GB anymore)
RAM: 16GB (only because "Apple Intelligence" needs it)
Nerfed in the following ways (besides no Thunderbolt):

• No external displays at all
  • Possible: more software-enforced restrictions purely for market segmentation. Example: Limit on how many running "apps", or limited to App Store/Corporate software distribution Only.
• Low-quality display (probably retina? but low brightness and basically whatever the cheapest panel they can get is).
• Total of 2 USB-C ports (perhaps even 1)
• No backlit keyboard
• No MagSafe

It will keep the headphone jack since schools use headphones and they will probably be trying to pitch schools that are already buying iPads to upsell to this instead. This is the likely positioning of this laptop: An upsell to the $349 iPad Base Model. The last thing Apple would want is to give Mac Laptop shoppers a compelling new model at a new lower price point.

Reasons to buy this piece of crap over any gently-used M-series MacBook Air for hundreds less: None

 

[tomtad]

With due respect, Apple laptops are all now thin and light (more or less). Switching from Air to Pro is mostly an exercise in capabilities and qualities, not form factor.

I expect this laptop to be about the same. Maybe marginally thinner and lighter, but we’re definitely low on mm to shave off right now.

If anything I could see this base model being thicker. It’s the Air which is the thin one!

 

[visualseed]

I am a little more optimistic that @turbineseaplane about what Apple may give us with an A18 MacBook*, but I caution everyone to temper their expectations. This is as much a nod to cost economies and second Macs for current owners who don’t want to cough up for even an only 13” MBA as it is to entice cost sensitive customers. Be careful and realistic with the over/under on this Mac. I’m looking forward to seeing this in the real world, but I’m 50/50 on the buy part.

I just started a new job and my 2015 15” MBP with Sequoia on OCLP and a new 1TB OWC SSD is doing remarkably well considering it’s a 10 year old battery and CPU with an iGPU. I put my plan to buy something newer on hold until I see a real need.

Much like the original 12" MacBook came in multiple CPU configs, it would be interesting if this hypothetical one did too. A base model with an A18 and another with a MacBook Air-class M4 or M5 would be make it a decent go-book.

I think Apple always misunderstands the market for small devices and the pundits don't help either. I (and many like me) will pay a premium for portability. Simply limiting specs to make it cheaper really doesn't make it appealing. I paid a premium to BTO my first 12" MacBook to an Intel m7 and 512GB of storage and did it again 2 years later to get an i7 and 16GB of ram instead of buying another MacBook Air or Pro, because the ultra-portability, not cost, was the most important feature for me. And I would do it again today given the chance. I would happily pay $3K for apple silicon anything in that form factor even if it wasn't as fast or capable as a MacBook Air.

 

[jz0309]

One of the reasons may be to bring more people into the Apple Ecosystem in an affordable way - people who may feel that Macs are out of the question because they are to expensive as compared to low-end PCs (or ChromeBooks) may now be lured in. So, this super affordable MacBook may help bring more people to Apple's services, which is a huge revenue maker for them. This would also extend to other Apple products once they're in.

sure, but, Mac marketshare has been somewhere around/below 10% for a very long time.
Why would they use Mac to bring more people into the ecosystem? a more affordable iPhone (more affordable than a 16e) might do more from that perspective...
So, if indeed true, Apple must have a biz reason ...

 

[Mousse]

Could be an iPad with a built-in keyboard

Not running the crippled iPadOS is reason enough for me to choose this over an iPad with a keyboard.

 

[visualseed]

The 12" Retina MacBook was about 25% lighter than the current M4 Air, and quite a bit thinner. I think they could manage some respectable amount of weight/volume savings. Especially if they revisited polycarbonite.

It was smaller than the iPad Pro at the time without a case or keyboard.

 

[darngooddesign]

I hope it has the same chassis as the 2015 12” MacBook, just with a few more ports/magsafe.

Thats the problem. there was only space for ports between the keyboard and screen so they could have MagSafe on one side and then USB-C instead of headphone on the other. I wonder if it would be too light for MagSafe to work correctly, might get pulled off the table instead of disconnecting, so there could be USB-C on either side.

 

[AND411]

The 12" Retina MacBook was about 25% lighter than the current M4 Air, and quite a bit thinner. I think they could manage some respectable amount of weight/volume savings. Especially if they revisited polycarbonite.

Polycarbonate has significantly poorer thermal conductivity than aluminium, and it would also have to be much thicker than aluminium, which is significantly more stable. And plastic as a material for a MacBook chassis is ugly and looks extremely cheap!

I doubt that Apple would make such a low-quality laptop just to save $20!

 

[ignatius345]

Polycarbonate has significantly poorer thermal conductivity than aluminium, and it would also have to be much thicker than aluminium, which is significantly more stable. And plastic as a material for a MacBook chassis is ugly and looks extremely cheap!

I doubt that Apple would make such a low-quality laptop just to save $20!

I get what you're saying on the first point. The old polycarbonite MacBooks all had fans and newer MacBook Airs (and presumably any rumored ultra-portable) would not.

Second point, I disagree. I think a really well done high quality plastic could be quite nice looking, especially with good colors and finishes. I don't believe plastic has to equal low quality, and depending on the particulars it could be durable and lighter -- heat dissipation issues aside.

 

[barfingclouds]

Would buy. I just want something easy with decent battery life and not expensive for carrying around. Then Mac mini at home for video editing

 

[123123123]

Base iPad + Keyboard = $578
Rumoured Base Macbook = $599

iPad Air + Keyboard = $868
MacBook Air = $999


There's your answer.

Except the base iPad screen is 11”, not 12.9 – so the math doesn’t quite add up, because I suspect displays are one of (if not the) costliest items on the BOM.