Apple could launch a MacBook next year that’s even more affordable than the current $999 13-inch MacBook Air. The new budget laptop supposedly will use an A18 Pro chip and come in several colors.
The company hopes to boost MacBook shipments to return to the COVID-19 peak of around 25 million next year with this move.
Apple’s new budget MacBook may use the iPhone 17 Pro’s chip
With the 2022 redesign of the MacBook Air, Apple increased its pricing to $1,199 — an increase of $200 over the M1 Air. Then, with the launch of the 15-inch model a year later, Apple slashed the price of the 13-inch variant by $100 to $1,099.
Then, with the release of the M4 MacBook Air in March this year, it further reduced the price to $999. And that’s despite the base model shipping with 16GB of RAM as standard — twice as much as before. You can save an extra $100 if you buy the laptop through Apple’s Education Store.
Yet, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts Apple will launch an even more affordable MacBook next year.
In a post on X, the analyst said Sunday that the laptop will sport a 13-inch display and use the A18 Pro chip. Rumors suggest Apple will use that same chip on the iPhone 17 Pro models due to launch this fall. Apple’s new budget laptop supposedly will come in an array of bright colors, such as blue, pink and yellow, alongside the standard silver.
Cheaper MacBook could launch in Q1 2026
The more affordable MacBook apparently will go into mass production in late Q4 2025 or early next year. Everwin Precision purportedly will provide Apple with the casings, boosting the supplier’s revenue next year.
There’s no word on the affordable laptop’s release date, but Apple typically launches products within a couple of months of mass production.
With a cheaper new MacBook model, Apple seemingly wants to boost MacBook shipments to 25 million in 2026. That’s the same figure it achieved during the work-from-home era spawned by COVID-19. Out of that total, Apple expects the new budget MacBook to sell between 5 million and 7 million units.
