Report: Apple’s upcoming low-cost MacBook will come in ‘fun colors,’ launch next month

Source: 9to5Mac

New A18 Pro‑Powered MacBook Overview

Apple has long been rumored to be working on a new A18 Pro‑powered MacBook, an effort to gain market share with a cheaper product offering. Today, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is reporting that the company will announce the device at an event in March, and that it should come in a number of unique color choices.

While recent Mac‑related rumors have mostly surrounded the upcoming M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pros and the redesigned OLED MacBook Pros, Apple’s first low‑cost MacBook is also a really interesting new product.

Rather than using Mac‑optimized Apple Silicon, the company is reportedly going to use an A18 Pro chip from the iPhone 16 lineup. While that is certainly less than what you’d get in a MacBook Air, it also won’t be a slouch. After all, the A18 Pro chip was the first iPhone chipset that started to get competitive with the original M1 chip that debuted in Macs.

Hardware

Gurman reports that the new MacBook will have a screen slightly under 13 inches. Previous reports have named it as a 12.9‑inch display. The device also won’t be plastic, even though that could have been a cost‑cutting measure. Instead, Apple has apparently created a new aluminum‑shell manufacturing process that is faster and more cost‑effective than the one used for current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.

Color options

Gurman says Apple will be trialing more unique color options with this new MacBook. While the final choices haven’t been named, tested colors include light yellow, light green, blue, pink, classic silver, and dark gray.

Wrap up

All in all, if you’re someone who loves the Apple ecosystem but have previously found Macs a little too expensive for your computing needs, this upcoming MacBook might be able to persuade you. Previous reports suggest that it should come in around $699. That’s significantly cheaper than the $999 MacBook Air, though Amazon often offers that laptop at a discount, with it currently being available for $849.