Apple's Low-Cost Colorful MacBook: All the Rumors
Source: MacRumors
Design
Rumors suggest the low‑cost MacBook will resemble the MacBook Air with an aluminum chassis available in several colors and a 12.9‑inch or 13‑inch display.
It may use a lower‑power A‑series chip that requires less heat dissipation, similar to the 12‑inch MacBook that featured a low‑power Core M processor. A thinner, lighter design could be possible, but Apple might avoid making it slimmer than the current MacBook Air to keep the product line clear.
A slightly thicker chassis paired with an efficient chip could yield long battery life, which would be advantageous for educational use.
Colors
Apple has reportedly tested light yellow, light green, blue, pink, silver, and dark gray for the new MacBook (source: Bloomberg). While not all shades may ship, at least four colors are expected.
Analyst Ming‑Chi Kuo predicts the lineup will include yellow, silver, blue, and pink—the same palette offered for the iPad.
A‑Series Chip
The device is expected to run an A‑series processor rather than an M‑series chip. The likely candidate is the A18 Pro, first introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro.
- Process: 2nd‑generation 3 nm
- CPU: 6 cores (4 performance, 2 efficiency)
- GPU: 6 cores
- Neural Engine: 16 cores
Benchmark scores (Geekbench):
- Single‑core: ~3,451
- Multi‑core: ~8,572
For comparison, the M4‑based iPad Pro scores 3,694 (single) and 13,732 (multi). The A18 Pro’s performance is close to the M4 in single‑core tasks but lags in multi‑core workloads.
RAM
While most Macs start with 16 GB of RAM, the iPhone 16 Pro (which uses the A18 Pro) ships with 8 GB. The low‑cost MacBook will likely include at least 8 GB to support Apple Intelligence, with the possibility of 16 GB.
Storage
The entry‑level MacBook Air starts at 256 GB. The new model could launch with a 128 GB SSD to keep costs down.
Ports
Because the A18 Pro does not support Thunderbolt, the MacBook will be limited to USB‑C with up to 10 Gb/s transfer speeds. This restriction may limit external display support to a single monitor.
Naming
Apple has not confirmed the product name. With “MacBook Air” and “MacBook Pro” already in use, the device could simply be called MacBook, a name that has been reused in the past and is currently unused.
Price
The current MacBook Air starts at $999, while the iPad Air with an M2 chip starts at $599. Analysts expect the low‑cost MacBook to be priced between $599 and $799, positioning it below the MacBook Air but around the price of the iPad Air.
Launch Date
Rumors indicate an announcement at or just before Apple’s March 4 Special Experience event in New York, London, and Shanghai, possibly accompanied by a press release.
This article originally appeared on MacRumors.com.