Pricing is starting to come into focus for the cheaper MacBook that was first rumored earlier this summer. DigiTimes, citing «supply chain sources,» reports Monday that this low-cost version will start at $699, or $599 with Apple’s education discount. That’s a significant price cut from the $999 MacBook Air ($899 with educational pricing), the current entry point to the MacBook line.
What we know and don’t know about the $599 MacBook
Previous details remain unchanged as of this latest report: It will feature Apple’s A18 Pro processor, the same chip powering the iPhone 16 Pro, and offer color options including pink, blue and yellow. The timing looks the same, too, with mass production to begin by the end of this year and shipments to start in early 2026.
Previous reports called it a 13-inch MacBook, and today’s news puts a finer point on the size of the display. It will feature a 12.9-inch screen, a bit smaller than the 13.6-inch MacBook Air. No other details have emerged about the display, but you can expect it will come with a lower resolution and lower brightness than the M4 MacBook Air’s Liquid Retina display.
With the smaller display, I’m curious to know how much this smaller, cheaper MacBook will weigh. The M4 Air weighs 2.7 pounds. Will the super-cheap MacBook weigh less than 2.5 pounds? Closer to 2 pounds even? And will it be added to the MacBook Air line or simply be called a MacBook?
Memory and storage allotments remain a mystery. I’m hoping for 16GB of RAM and a 256GB solid-state drive, but I’m guessing it’ll offer only 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. After all, the baseline MacBook Air went from 8GB of RAM to 16GB only last year. I’d be happy with a compromise of 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
The A18 processor won’t be able to match the performance of an M4 chip, but it does support Apple Intelligence, giving budget buyers access to Apple’s nascent AI features that will hopefully improve during the lifespan of your next MacBook.
Cheap MacBook or entry-level iPad?
While a $599 MacBook will help Apple grab greater laptop market share, will it eat into its iPad sales? Consider that with Apple’s educational pricing, the base iPad with an 11-inch display and A16 chip costs $329, but when you add the Magic Keyboard Folio for $229, you’ll end up paying only $41 less than the $599 MacBook. Given that choice, I’m grabbing the MacBook.