New MacBook allegedly from under 600 US dollars
Entry into Apple's notebook world currently starts at 1000 US dollars plus tax. A new edition of the entry-level MacBook is supposed to undercut this.
12-inch MacBook: This was once Apple's Intel-based entry-level notebook.
(Image: Apple)
Will Apple's new entry-level notebook, which could be released this fall, be cheaper than expected? According to a report from Taiwan, a price starting at 600 US dollars is now being rumored. This would be significantly cheaper than Apple's current entry-level MacBook Air starting at 1000 dollars (plus tax depending on the US state). The purpose of the pricing is to “gain more laptop market share,” writes the Taipei-based electronics trade journal DigiTimes.
Under 1000 dollars is the target
It was already known that Apple wanted to offer an option for under 1,000 dollars with the new model, which could be a kind of rebirth of the very compact 12-inch MacBook from 2015 and 2017. According to DigiTimes, it will now start at 599 to 699 dollars, depending on the configuration. As usual, however, higher euro prices are to be expected in Europe. Starting prices of between 850 and 950 euros are therefore conceivable in this country.
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According to information from Apple's supply chain, mass production of the new machine is expected by the end of the third quarter of 2025. It could then be made available between the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. The rumor mill is currently predicting that Apple will not launch any MacBook Pro models with the new M5 SoC on the market this year and will instead switch to spring 2026. It is unclear whether such a schedule will also apply to the budget MacBook. New iPads (including a Pro with M5) are at least expected for the fall, so a parallel launch of the new Mac would be quite conceivable.
Equipped with iPhone chip
According to previous statements by the well-informed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, among others, Apple is planning a 12.9-inch (approx. 33 cm) device that will be similar to (albeit cheaper) Chromebooks. An A18 Pro chip, which is currently found in the iPhone 16 Pro, is to be installed. The idea of installing iPhone SoCs in the Mac is not new: Apple already did this in its developer machines five years ago during the transition to Apple Silicon.
According to DigiTimes, the manufacturer Quanta will take care of the final assembly. Apple reportedly wants to order up to 7 million units a year and thus increase its total MacBook output by up to 40 percent. Kuo believes in an “ultra-thin, lightweight design”. Four colors are reportedly planned, including blue, pink, yellow, and silver. The machine will not support Thunderbolt and apparently only has USB-C ports, as was once the case with MacBooks.
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