APPLE PLANS BUDGET-FRIENDLY MACBOOK WITH IPHONE POWER

Apple is gearing up to release a more affordable MacBook, powered by the A18 Pro chip used in the iPhone 16 Pro, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

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The 13-inch laptop, expected to hit mass production in late 2025 or early 2026, aims to undercut the current $999 MacBook Air, targeting price-conscious buyers like students or casual users. The move could help Apple reclaim its peak MacBook sales of 25 million units from the COVID-19 era, with the new model projected to account for 5 to 7 million units in 2026.

The A18 Pro, a six-core chip, delivers single-core performance close to the M4 chip in current MacBooks, scoring around 3,400 on Geekbench 6, and multi-core results near the M1's 8,500. Unlike M-series chips, which support higher core counts and larger memory, the A18 Pro uses less power—4 watts versus 18 watts for the M1—potentially enabling a smaller battery and lower production costs. The laptop may come in vibrant colors like silver, blue, pink, and yellow, echoing the iMac's playful palette, to appeal to younger buyers.

This marks Apple's first Mac powered by an iPhone chip, a shift from the M-series designed for heavier workloads. Code references to a “Mac17,1" with the A18 Pro surfaced in Apple's backend last summer, confirming Kuo's claims. The strategy aims to compete with Chromebooks and mid-range Windows laptops, but Apple must balance affordability with its premium brand to avoid cannibalizing MacBook Air sales.

TARGETING A NEW MARKET