New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

[DownUnderDan]

This is just a bizarre rumor/product. Estimates are that the M1 costs Apple ~$40/chip, and the A18 costs...~$40/chip. So what's the point?

The only reason I can see, is to continue to have an artificial price premium for the M series chips in Macs. Lowering the price of the base M chip might have some questioning why the models going up the tiers haven't also been lowered in price. This gets around this by suggesting its a cheaper chip being used in the new elcheapo Mac, even if it in reality costs the same to manufacture its SOC and is bascially the same architecture.

 

[retroneo]

… wait a minute. What if this thing runs iPadOS?

that's exactly the kind of detail Ming-Chi tends to get wrong.

Makes sense with the new iPadOS changes that suit a laptop. iPad Air minus M3 plus keyboard and trackpad.

But it's called Mac17,1 so it has to run MacOS as an option too. Choose at order time. Switch to Mac option anytime in the App Store. Easy since iPad apps run on macOS.

 

[tunnel under ocean blvd]

"color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow."

Honestly, if these are actual colors and not Apple's current practice of "vaguely [color] metallic", that might actually be enough to get me to buy one. Lol

 

[dandyryan]

it's not going to be the skinny legend the macbook 12" was without a commanding price. it's giving desperate for that chromebook marketshare, i wouldn't be surprised if this was just an ipad in disguise, with ipad OS in a macbook shell without the notch. $699.

literally just an iPad air (worse since no M chip) but no touch screen, but you get a laptop looking thing.

 

[Ender17]

Presumably:

A18 iPad - no multiple user logins.
Ai18 MacBook - multiple user logins.

Apple will have to have a very convincing reason as to why they won’t add this to the iPad.

No they won’t. At most you’ll get a single sentence of PR speak.

 

[JPack]

Presumably:

A18 iPad - no multiple user logins.
Ai18 MacBook - multiple user logins.

Apple will have to have a very convincing reason as to why they won’t add this to the iPad.

iPad already allows multi users.

Shared iPad overview

Shared iPad allows more than one user to sign in to an iPad. The iPad needs to be supervised before Shared iPad can be used.

support.apple.com

Does Apple need a "convincing reason" to charge $400 for 1TB storage? No. Everyone knows the cost is less than $50.

It's the same reason why Apple will get away with not allowing multi users.

 

[anshuvorty]

This doesn't make any sense to me - why would you want to go in the opposite direction and put an iOS chip in a MacBook?

When it was first introduced, the M-series chips on an iPad, we were perplexed and confused; and now, in retrospect, it makes some sense - Apple wanted to appease prosumers and heavy iPad users and allow seamlessly multi-tasking on the iPad.

Going in the reverse direction - putting an A-series chip in a Macbook - just for the financial reason of cost savings - just doesn't make sense; you can easily do that by putting older M-series chips on a Macbook, and getting the cost savings that way.

There has to be more to this story that we aren't privy to, yet, IMHO.

 

[JPack]

This doesn't make any sense to me - why would you want to go in the opposite direction and put an iOS chip in a MacBook?

When it was first introduced, the M-series chips on an iPad, we were perplexed and confused; and now, in retrospect, it makes some sense - Apple wanted to appease prosumers and heavy iPad users and allow seamlessly multi-tasking on the iPad.

Going in the reverse direction - putting an A-series chip in a Macbook - just for the financial reason of cost savings - just doesn't make sense; you can easily do that by putting older M-series chips on a Macbook, and getting the cost savings that way.

There has to be more to this story that we aren't privy to, yet, IMHO.

iPhone 16's A18 Pro chip outperforms the M1 chip in new benchmarks [Updated] - 9to5Mac

We got our first look at a Geekbench result from the iPhone 16 earlier this week, with somewhat disappointing results....

9to5mac.com

 

[starlabjump]

What? Why would they give the cheaper laptop better features? Lol, it should be the other way around with the M series being more powerful AND also having cellular and touch

Maybe, in this way, Apple makes people have hard time in deciding which one to buy, and eventually end up with buying both?

 

[anshuvorty]

iPhone 16's A18 Pro chip outperforms the M1 chip in new benchmarks [Updated] - 9to5Mac

We got our first look at a Geekbench result from the iPhone 16 earlier this week, with somewhat disappointing results....

9to5mac.com

this is like comparing an m1 to an m4 or m1 to an m3 - of course the A16 will outperform the M1....you are comparing chips from different generations!!!

 

[JPack]

this is like comparing an m1 to an m4 or m1 to an m3 - of course the A16 will outperform the M1....you are comparing chips from different generations!!!

Why shouldn't anyone compare M1 to A18 Pro? Both exist today. It's silly not to compare it.

Using A18 Pro instead of M1/M2 in a low-cost MacBook is an absolute no-brainer. A18 Pro is much faster. It supports fast AI and ray tracing. It's cheaper because the die size is smaller by one-third. Only a single 64-bit memory module is needed.

There's a cascade of other benefits including needing a smaller heatsink, voltage regulator, and battery pack.

 

[Adelphos33]

A lot of debate and posts for what is an obvious idea. The lowest price you can buy a new MacOS laptop is $999 (frequently discounted to $849 or less). In comparison, when you look at the iPad line, you can get a base iPad for $349, iPad Air for a bit more. MacBooks and IPads have sold well recently as Apple have cut prices and expanded the line - they could use a new MacBook in the $600 to $800 range. This device fits. You can even just call it a MacBook, just like you call the iPad the iPad

 

[Xand&Roby]

I have to slightly disagree on this.

The 12" MacBook was one of the coolest concepts Apple has ever released. And one of the best looking laptops ever, IMO.

But it was relatively useless as a working computer. The CPU - even as underpowered as it was - still throttled wildly whenever you tried anything slightly taxing.

I got one as my work machine, and although it was always the best looking machine, it was slightly useless.

That said, with a new, less power hungry Apple Silicone chip, be it a variant of an A chip or an M chip, could be Apple's most awesome laptop, ever. Just make it with aluminium, preferably with the tapered design, and not plastic like the iBooks and MacBooks of old.

I love the fact that people who haven't lived through the years of PowerPCs make shinging sentences on subsequent Macs.
The iBooks/Powerbooks and Intel MacBooks were certainly not more performant than the 12", yet we did video editing.
The tools do not make up for human abilities, even though you believe in the AI divinity.

 

[DanneP]

this is like comparing an m1 to an m4 or m1 to an m3 - of course the A16 will outperform the M1....you are comparing chips from different generations!!!

Apple is looking forward to EOL the first generation of M chips to trigger people to upgrade. The A18 will offer more performance att the same or lower total cost.

Obviously they can’t continue to sell the M1 Air through Walmart indefinitely, to reintroduce the M2 seems unlikely, and the M3 is more expensive than the M4 to manufacture. So what’s left and absolutely logical? A modern ”mobile” chip, like the A18.

 

[rumorsOf]

an iPhone 5C moment , history repeats they say...

 

[Ferrandix]

I don't get it.

CPUs don't make up a very large line item on the bill of materials (the screen is probably more expensive). And if the point is "cheaper Macbook Air," why not keep selling M2s? Or build out of plastic?

A new 12" Macbook would at least be carving out a new category. (and I would buy one, like, immediately)

((I always thought those old 11" Macbook Airs from the Intel days were ridiculous, but also ridiculously popular))

it is not the cost. They need a justification to segmentate a product on consumers mind. This is how it works.

 

[adib]

The MacBook Helium... It's "lighter than Air"

One USB-C only (no Thunderbolt), like the discontinued 12" MacBook. An iPad with a built-in keyboard and macOS sans touch screen.

Pricing? Likely the same as that year's Basic iPad and 1st-party keyboard case.

 

[M1956]

This is just a bizarre rumor/product. Estimates are that the M1 costs Apple ~$40/chip, and the A18 costs...~$40/chip. So what's the point?

A18 is much more power efficient (3 nm node), consumes half the power, has smaller envelope, ~50% higher single core CPU performance, same multicore CPU/GPU performance (but with ray tracing), 3x NPU power, more cache at each level. M1 is only mildly superior in memory bandwidth: 68GB/s vs 60 for A18 pro and support for higher RAM. Hope apple puts at least 12GB in this new laptop when even iPhones are rumoured to move up to 12gb. Also, Apple is still producing A18 for iPhone 16 and its rumoured to be used in base iPhone 17, so it can share the production lines. In a laptop, A18 will not be power/cooling constrained. So it might be even more performant than M1. It is much better choice for a lower cost laptop, there is no benefit to using M1.
Its actually a major milestone: now a flagship smartphone will have a more powerful chip then low cost laptop!

 

[glambutnerdy]

I do not need a pink macbook

I do not need a pink macbook….

empties out wallet

 

[Confused Vorlon]

> This would be the first Mac powered by an ‌iPhone‌ chip.

That's not _quite_ true!
The initial Apple Silicon dev machine (DTK) was essentially a mini powered by an A12Z

 

[loby]

Hopefully a new 12" MacBook. If so, count me in!

a 13" does not make sense. It would just be another MacBook Air with lighter specs.

I needs to be a 12" MacBook. That makes sense.

 

[baederboy]

An iPad sells for about 60% of an iPad Air. So, maybe new MacBook could sell for about 60% of a MacBook Air - $599. Of course the specs of the display (not the size), etc. in addition to chip will also need to be less than that of a MacBook, just like for the baseline iPad. At that price they could have a large number of buyers (especially with educational discount, or buying in bulk for schools). Also there might be just as many who are interested because of the price but then decide to instead spend more money for the MacBook Air, as there would be those who would currently buy a MacBook Air and decide they only need a MacBook.

 

[bluecoast]

No they won’t. At most you’ll get a single sentence of PR speak.

‘Users love the personal nature of the iPad’

 

[bluecoast]

iPad already allows multi users.

Shared iPad overview

Shared iPad allows more than one user to sign in to an iPad. The iPad needs to be supervised before Shared iPad can be used.

support.apple.com

Does Apple need a "convincing reason" to charge $400 for 1TB storage? No. Everyone knows the cost is less than $50.

It's the same reason why Apple will get away with not allowing multi users.

Yeah I know about this.

It doesn’t make it available to regular consumers though.

Which makes apple omitting this, purely about the Benjamins.

 

[tenthousandthings]

Why shouldn't anyone compare M1 to A18 Pro? Both exist today. It's silly not to compare it.

Using A18 Pro instead of M1/M2 in a low-cost MacBook is an absolute no-brainer. A18 Pro is much faster. It supports fast AI and ray tracing. It's cheaper because the die size is smaller by one-third. Only a single 64-bit memory module is needed.

There's a cascade of other benefits including needing a smaller heatsink, voltage regulator, and battery pack.

To put it another way, A18 Pro is what you’d get if you tried to make a fourth-generation M-series SoC to fill M1’s current place in the lineup (low-end 13" MacBook Air, still in production, sold via Walmart). With all the additional benefits of the A18/M4 generation you describe.