- A cheaper MacBook is expected to arrive soon
- Analysts have already predicted when it might appear.
- It could be around the price of $600.
Rumors about a cheaper MacBook from Apple (possibly priced around $599 in the US) have been circulating for months, and a new report sheds more light on what could happen in the coming months.
Analysts at TrendForce (via MacRumors) are confident that a more affordable Apple laptop will arrive in “spring 2026” in the northern hemisphere. That’s March, April or May, although the report doesn’t get more specific than that.
Additionally, the laptop is said to have a 12.9-inch display and will be targeted at the “entry-level and mid-range segment.” Even with pressures on the supply chain and pricing, the laptop should find many interested buyers, says the TrendForce team.
These predictions aren’t entirely new, but they line up with what we’ve already heard about this laptop, and since they come from a well-connected analyst firm, we’re more inclined to believe they’re accurate.
This is what’s coming
According to previous leaks, the cheapest MacBook will come with an iPhone chipset, possibly the A18 Pro, and will be available in a variety of colors. Silver, blue, pink and yellow have been mentioned as possible shades that we will see.
A lower-end LCD display will also be used to keep costs down, according to reports, and there has been talk that the laptop will use a different design to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops that Apple already sells.
The price is the most intriguing aspect here. If Apple manages to launch this device for under $600, it would be significantly cheaper than the current range of MacBooks, which today starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 for the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air.
It would mean Apple going head-to-head with the best Chromebooks and Windows laptops at the cheaper end of the market, perhaps enough to get even more people to invest in a Mac computer, but time will tell.
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