Apple Introduces a New Budget MacBook with A18 Pro for $599

• The new MacBook with A18 Pro will cost $599
• Mass production is expected to begin in early 2025
• MacBook Air with M2 is available for $699 with a discount

This is reported by Mezha, CNET, CNET.

Apple plans to release a new budget MacBook with a 12.9-inch display and an A18 Pro processor, which is also used in the iPhone 16 Pro. This will be the first Mac based on the A-series chip. It is expected that the starting price will be $599, which is significantly lower than the price of the MacBook Air, which starts at $999.

Mass production of components is planned for the end of the third quarter of 2025, and the official assembly will take place at Quanta factories in the fourth quarter. Commercial launch is possible in early 2025 or at the beginning of 2026.

The new MacBook will have an aluminum chassis and will be available in several colors: silver, blue, pink, and yellow. The device will feature standard USB-C ports, but will not support Thunderbolt connections.

The A18 Pro processor is manufactured using a 3-nm technology and has a 6-core CPU, a 6-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Its performance is better than the M1 in single-threaded tasks, but it lags behind in multi-threaded workloads.

Projected shipment volumes are about 5-7 million units per year, which could increase the overall sales volume of MacBooks by 30-40% compared to the current 17-18 million units.

In addition to this, the MacBook Air with M2 processor is available for $699, which is a $100 discount. This notebook, although not new, still offers high productivity and excellent display. Additionally, the new MacBook with A18 Pro may compete with the basic iPad with Magic Keyboard, as their prices are quite close.

Tags: Technology/Devices