Apple’s Budget MacBook Could Be Its Most Colorful Laptop in Decades
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Reports have been heating up that Apple has a much more affordable MacBook on the way, likely launching in the next few weeks. While there have been plenty of reports on what to expect on the insides, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has just confirmed that Apple still plans to use quality materials for the exterior.
There’d been some speculation that Apple might use a plastic design to keep costs down, marking a return to the MacBooks of yore. From the PowerPC iBooks of 1999–2006 through to the first few generations of the Intel-based MacBooks, Apple had stuck to plastic for its lower-end models, reserving aluminum for the PowerBook G4 and MacBook Pro. However, Apple phased out the black and white plastic MacBooks in 2011, replacing the entry-level model with a unibody aluminum design — and it hasn’t gone back since.
The good news is that this year won’t be an exception. Aluminum continues to be the way forward, which isn’t surprising as plastic would be a nightmare for Apple’s environmental goals. In this week’s Power On newsletter, Gurman confirms that the low-cost MacBook will still be made of aluminum, but it will also use a new manufacturing process cuts costs for the unibody design.
Like all Macs, this machine — code-named J700 — will feature an aluminum chassis. It’s not plastic, despite the lower price point. To stick with this premium material, Apple developed a new manufacturing process that allows the shells to be forged more quickly. The technique is designed to be both faster and more cost-effective than the one used with Apple’s current laptops.
Mark Gurman
Gurman also confirms previous reports we’ve heard that Apple plans to offer the new MacBook in “playful colors” that go “beyond the muted tones of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.” This would mark the first time we’ve seen anything beyond the usual neutrals and pseudo-neutrals (e.g. golds) in an aluminum MacBook. In fact, you’d have to go back to the iBook G3 era of 25 years ago to really get back to the fun colors, as the iBook G4 switched to “Apple white,” and the plastic MacBooks only added basic black to the mix.
In that way, this entry-level MacBook would follow in the footsteps of Apple’s 24-inch iMac, which returned a splash of color to the lineup in 2021 (and also became the chromatic predecessor of the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro), hearkening back to the classic iMac G3.
As for which colors we’ll see, that’s still up in the air. Gurman lists light yellow, light green, blue, pink, classic silver, and dark gray as shades Apple has reportedly tested. He thinks it’s unlikely all of these will ship, but we’re not sure that’s entirely out of the question. The 24-inch iMac comes in a staggering seven colors, and Gurman has only listed six.
The rest of the report aligns with everything else we’ve heard or have otherwise suspected. The new MacBook will be powered by an “iPhone chip” — likely an A18 Pro, although Gurman doesn’t specify — plus “a slightly smaller display that’s just under 13 inches” (other analysts have pegged it at 12.9 inches).
The new MacBook is expected to be targeted at both students and enterprises — arguably the two most price-conscious audiences out there — and Gurman believes it could launch as early as next month. That last part isn’t too specific, but it’s also not all that surprising, as it would align with Apple’s new iPhone 17e and iPad 12 that are also reportedly just around the corner, creating a perfect trifecta of budget devices — and it’s noteworthy that Apple announced a press event on March 4 in New York, London, and Shanghai, which guarantees that something is coming, and likely multiple “somethings.”
[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.]
