Apple's cheapest MacBook running on an iPhone chip, what will be the possible price?

                   Apple's cheapest MacBook running on an iPhone chip, what will be the possible price?                                                 

 

  

  

Rumors have been circulating since June last year that American technology company Apple could introduce a cheaper MacBook.

According to MacRumors, th  e news came after analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple is developing a cheaper 13-inch laptop that will compete with Chromebooks and boost MacBook sales, although he did not say anything about the price.

According to Ming-Choi Kuo, the new MacBook will use the A18 Pro chip that was introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. This would mean that it would be the first Mac to be based on an iPhone chip.

All Apple Silicon Mac computers so far have been based on the M-series chips, which feature more cores, more memory capacity and better external display support.

The analyst predicted that this new low-cost MacBook model would enter mass production in the late fourth quarter of 2025 or early first quarter of 2026.

Today, DigiTimes independently confirmed Ming-Choi’s prediction and indicated that the price of this MacBook will start between 599 and 699 US dollars.

The 13-inch MacBook Air is currently priced at 999 US dollars in the US, which drops to 899 dollars after Apple’s student discount.

The latest report further states that Apple’s new laptop will have a 12.9-inch display, slightly smaller than the 13.6-inch screen of the MacBook Air.

According to DigiTimes, some parts will enter mass production by the end of the third quarter of 2025, and this schedule could allow full system assembly to begin before the end of the year.

Final assembly is expected to take place in Quanta’s factories in the fourth quarter, and the laptop is expected to be available in the market in late 2025 or early 2026.

According to market estimates, annual shipments of the low-cost MacBook could reach 5 million to 7 million units, which could increase Apple’s current MacBook volume (17 million to 18 million units) by 30 to 40 percent.

Ming-Chi Kuo believes that this cheaper MacBook will have a very thin and light design and may be available in silver, blue, pink and yellow colors.

It should be noted that the A18 Pro chip does not support Thunderbolt, so the new MacBook will likely have regular USB-C ports. But this will not be a major obstacle for users who want to get the cheapest Mac.