Apple’s $600 MacBook Could Take the Fight to Chromebooks
MacBook Concept Render [Volodymyr / Twitter]
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Over the past few months, we’ve seen several reports from supply chain analysts who believe that Apple is working on a lower-cost MacBook that would come in below the MacBook Air — effectively becoming to the Mac family what the base-model iPad is to the middle-tier iPad Air.
Earlier reports from Ming-Chi Kuo and DigiTimes suggested a sub-$600 MacBook arriving by early 2026 — surprisingly powered by an iPhone-class A-series chip rather than Apple’s laptop-grade M-series silicon.
Those reports have come exclusively from within Apple’s supply chain and have been relatively light on details. However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman added his voice to the chorus today, echoing Kuo’s timeline while filling in some of the blanks on both what we can expect and why he believes Apple is doing this.
While Gurman didn’t get as specific on price as DigiTimes, he does believe it will sell for “well under $1,000.” That’s where the iPhone chip comes in — an A-series rather than an M-series — though it’s also not the only component Apple will scale down to hit a lower price point.
The new MacBook will also have a “lower-end LCD display,” Gurman notes, which will be slightly smaller than the 13.6-inch screen of the MacBook Air. There’s still no word on other features, but the iPhone chip makes it a safe bet we won’t see Thunderbolt ports, and the camera will likely be similar to what’s used on Apple’s entry-level iPad — a 12 MP Center Stage camera.
At one time, powering a MacBook with an iPhone chip would have been unthinkable. However, Apple’s A17 Pro chip changed the game, packing in a powerful enough Neural Engine to handle on-device AI models like those used in Apple Intelligence and third-party apps, and a GPU that can drive AAA console games. Each new A-series generation since then has raised that bar further. Although Gurman doesn’t offer any hints on which chip Apple will use, he notes that internal tests show that recent iPhone chips can outperform the M1 chip that powered MacBooks only a few years ago.
Capturing a New Slice of the Market
Although adding a lower-cost MacBook to the family would align with the three-tier model that Apple has long used for its iPads, it would also represent a significant shift for a company that has traditionally avoided competing in the budget laptop space.
The new MacBook would target casual users — many of the same folks who gravitate toward the iPad primarily for its lower cost of entry — but it would also be a way to recapture some of the educational market.
In education, Apple faces growing competition from Chromebooks, which dominate schools thanks to low costs, ease of configuration, and tight integration with Google Workspace for Education, which is effectively free for schools.
Still, Apple has been able to corner the tablet market in education with its entry-level iPad. Many schools use these alongside Chromebooks, but a $600 MacBook — a setup that’s about the same price as an iPad with a Magic Keyboard Folio — could help Apple to make the case for a more unified platform.
A much cheaper Mac that maintains Apple’s design and works smoothly with the company’s other products could spur a new wave of Mac adoption — particularly in the US, where the iPhone dominates.
Mark Gurman
This is something budget-conscious consumers would also appreciate, since the new device would run macOS and support core ecosystem features like Continuity, AirDrop, iCloud, and more.
Apple has already experimented with lower-cost options. The original 2020 M1 MacBook Air was discontinued from Apple’s regular sales channels after the M3 model was released in 2023, but Apple more quietly sold it through Walmart and other similar retailers for under $700, likely as a way of testing the waters.
It’s easy to see how a purpose-built budget MacBook could be attractive to a whole new group of consumers, especially since it would be a brand-new model designed from the ground up — not a clearance special.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
