An affordable MacBook powered by the iPhone’s A18 Pro chip could launch later this year for $600, according to a report from Taiwanese publication DigiTimes on Monday.
The latest report corroborates a note by prominent industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from last month that said Apple was working on a new MacBook Air powered by that processor. A $600 price point would be a significant step for Apple’s attempt to break into the affordable computing space. The report does give a range, however. While ithe laptop might cost $600, it could also be priced as high as $700.Â
A representative for Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Currently, the most affordable Apple laptop is the $999 MacBook Air, sporting an M4 chip, 16GBs of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Apple had long resisted giving its base MacBook a RAM upgrade, but did so last year to accommodate Apple Intelligence, the company’s suite of AI-powered features. Given that the iPhone 16 Pro, which has the A18 Pro chip, only has 8GBs of RAM, this more affordable MacBook might see a RAM downgrade as well.
Despite Apple’s iPhone dominance, it hasn’t had the same runaway success with its MacBook line. Apple only accounts for 9.2% of the global computing market share, according to Statista.Â
Competitors like Dell, HP, Lenovo and others all have greater market share than Apple, likely in large part to wide product portfolios with the ability to hit various price points and enterprise needs. The MacBook Air does well for Apple, however, accounting for 33% of laptop sales for the company, per a report by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. An even cheaper MacBook could help grow Apple’s computing market share.
Interestingly, this iPhone-powered MacBook would also be the smallest laptop in Apple’s portfolio, sporting a 12.9-inch display. DigiTimes says that production could start at at the end of the third quarter of 2025. Availability could land at the end of this year or early 2026. Â
