If you visit Apple’s website, the cheapest available MacBook to buy is the 13-inch MacBook Air with the M4 chip, priced at $999 (before any discounts). The premium pricing of Apple MacBook devices has made them unaffordable for many customers worldwide. However, Apple might soon release a more budget-friendly MacBook to boost its sales.
According to a new report by DigiTimes citing supply chain sources, Apple has a cheaper MacBook in the pipeline that’s priced at between $599 and $699. The alleged device is said to enter mass production in Q3 this year and hit the shelves in late 2025 or early 2026.
As for the specifications, the new MacBook reportedly features a 12.9-inch display, which is slightly smaller than the 13.6-inch MacBook Air. Further details of the display are yet to be discovered, though Apple might move away from the Liquid Retina display to cut costs.
All current MacBook models feature M-series chips, which are optimized for power-hungry operations and heavy workloads. Meanwhile, DigiTimes reports that Apple’s upcoming budget-friendly MacBook will use the A18 Pro chip—the same chip already used in the iPhone 16 Pro and built on TSMC N3E process. No details about RAM and storage options have emerged yet.
MacBook sales are currently strong, as reflected in Apple’s recent financial report. However, Apple hopes that launching a new MacBook at a highly competitive price will boost sales of this product line by 30 to 40 percent, a massive surge from the current 17 million to 18 million units.
We still have to wait for more details about Apple’s affordable MacBook to decide how it compares to its counterparts. However, such a product could signal Apple’s intention to compete with Chromebooks and gain a larger share of the educational market. Also, it remains to be seen if the upcoming device will cannibalize the sales of MacBook Air and iPads.
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