Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple to Sell Low-Cost 12-Inch and 13-inch MacBooks for $700 or Less
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Those Macbooks will be 64GB 4GB for $749 and 128GB 8GB for $949.
Don't forget the MBA is now $1200 list with its recent redesign/refresh. That widened the price gap between it and the low end Chromebooks.
And it seems like the iPad isn't filling that gap for Apple.
So if they can make a $430 iPad or a $600 iPad Air -each with an ~11" screen...they could make a smaller cheaper MB for $700ish.
Put the $430 iPad screen on it without touch. Possibly keep the M1 and 8gb RAM of the MBA. (I'm sure the MBA will be getting M2 or greater soon enough.) They get to drop the rear facing camera of the MBA. They can keep the touchid and one port. And just to attach the rest of the clamshell. Use the smaller keyboard/trackpad of the Magic Keyboard.
And then at $1200 the next MBA gets a boost in RAM to 16gb maybe? Even if not, Apple doesn't have to drop the price as much on the MBA if they have a lower cost MB to fill that price point between the $200 Chromebook and the $1200 MBA.
Another thought is this cheap MB could possibly be an iOS laptop.
And it seems like the iPad isn't filling that gap for Apple.
So if they can make a $430 iPad or a $600 iPad Air -each with an ~11" screen...they could make a smaller cheaper MB for $700ish.
Put the $430 iPad screen on it without touch. Possibly keep the M1 and 8gb RAM of the MBA. (I'm sure the MBA will be getting M2 or greater soon enough.) They get to drop the rear facing camera of the MBA. They can keep the touchid and one port. And just to attach the rest of the clamshell. Use the smaller keyboard/trackpad of the Magic Keyboard.
And then at $1200 the next MBA gets a boost in RAM to 16gb maybe? Even if not, Apple doesn't have to drop the price as much on the MBA if they have a lower cost MB to fill that price point between the $200 Chromebook and the $1200 MBA.
Another thought is this cheap MB could possibly be an iOS laptop.
Last edited:
Actually, the M2 MBA is $1,099 list (retail) and $999 with education discount. This does not include $150 gift card when purchased during back to school. You can find them all day long for $899 if you shop around a little bit.
Whoops. Only went up $100 not $200. Memory fail. Same point tho. Price gap widened vs Chromebooks. I gotta compare list price to list price. Low cost MBs would likely see discounts too just like iPads do as well.
Actually, it did go up $200 on launch in June 2022, and then dropped $100 after about 1 year. This is typical for the MBA. Upon release of a new model, they go up to about $1200+/- and then slowly drift down to the magical $999. I think the 2010 13in MBA was $1299 upon release, and dropped to $999 after several years of its long 7 year run. Of course, as the model matures, they get updated along the way with new internals like processor upgrades. But, the retail price generally continues to slowly drop until they get to $999.
This is the reasons I never understood why people freaked out when the M2 MBA model was released at $1199. This was just par for the course with new MBA models. It was no surprise at all.
Oh memory not so bad then. lol.
I think the original MBA was ~$1799. Forgot what year it came out. ...but I think back then the mainstream MB was the MB. Now it is the MBA. And there is no MB.
I viewed the $1200 price point as an attempt by Apple to raise the price of the MBA. Partly due to the upgrades and partly due to inflation.
And them lowering it is a surprise to me. Indicates sales weren't there at the new price point. And/or the cost of the new redesign fell.
But point taken that Apple has in the past lowered the price of it.
Last edited:
Yeah, the $1,799 price was for the 2008 model, which was kind of a niche device Apple really mainstreamed the MBA with the 2010 model. Steve Jobs did the launch, and it was a very compelling presentation....as usual for Jobs. The 11.6in was $999 with 64GB or $1199 with 128GB. The 13in was $1299 and started with 128GB storage.
As I said, I never viewed the $1200 price point as an attempt to raise the price of the MBA. It was Apple's typical pricing for new MBA models. I assume that new supplier and tooling costs are high upon release of new products. As time goes by, production ramps up and matures so unit costs drop. This is true of just about every manufacturing process.....no big surprise.
BTW - I saw this on MR front page:
- 13.6-inch M2 MacBook Air (256GB) - $899.00 at Best Buy, down from $1,099.00
Last edited:
Face ID components are twice as think as the entire MBP lid; Face ID is not coming to any of the laptops
yep I saw those sale prices too. But besides the point. I knew some folks would chime in with sale prices.
And again point taken about previous initial price hikes then drops on the MBA. it's a good observation. I agree and now have it my toolbox of explanations of apple pricing. btw, I have seen a bit of that on other models too over the years. Mac Mini is a recent example. It got a recent $100 drop too. But MBA is still $100 more (list) than it was 2 years ago. Inflation complicates matters too. Most every product out there costs a lot more. Kind of surprised Apple stuff hasn't gone up more. Can only think they have a lot of excess inventory coming off the pandemic high when everyone was stuck at home and a more money than usual went towards electronics and/or just sales are down a lot. And are discounting to move a lot more units.
Not maybe
Touch ID wouldn't become the lesser authentication because Face ID is too thick to fit in the MacBook lid.
Last edited:
They’re locked down and restricted to the App Store, with all the associated restrictions. The hardware specs wouldn’t need to be all that different to an iPad with keyboard and trackpad, but the software is a problem.
The entry level iPad isn't exactly junk and is certainly good enough for computer basics. I'd definitely be interested in them releasing a cheaper entry Mac suitable for office work. I like my 15'' Air and all, but I didn't need to spend $1600 just to type up reports in Excel
I agree, that kind of stuff is well managed on a cheap Windows box. "Computer basics" is $300 these days. Which is why schools with their tight budgets shop in that segment.
Most private individuals can handle their personal computing needs on their phones. Barring the Covid years, personal computer volumes have been in a slow decline for a decade. Apples volume improvements came at the expense of the Windows part of that market, most notably with the introduction of AS.
(Apples iPhone sales have also slowly dropped to 3/4 of their volume during the same period, so we don’t see a migration from WinPCs to iPhones specifically. Their phones are facing the very same conundrum.)
It is not super clear to me who would buy a Mac that is cut down further than the MacBook Air (which is already too low specced to allow downloads of games or editing videos you shoot with your phone), unless they hit $300 which seems completely unrealistic from Apple. Those "computer basics" are really quite cheap to cover, the only things separating them from phone tasks are keyboard and mouse input, and possibly a larger screen. Chromebooks for schools and Winlaptops cover those needs fine.
I think Apple can see this, which is why they spend their money on producing TV-series and exploring VR/AR in search of a new gold vein to mine.
Last edited:
Apple traditionally flip flopped with the "SE" line
Mac SE. Released in 1987 to 1990. Price $2,900 USD. Used the same chip as the Mac 128K, 512K, and Plus which was still sold (Price $2600 USD). Was more expensive than the Plus. Had a bay for a hard drive and Apple Desktop Bus port for expansion.
Mac SE/30. Released from 1989 to 1991. Price $6,500 USD. Had internal hard drive and a '30 processor.
The SE line then died until 1999.
iMac DV SE. Released from 1999 to 2000. Was the top of the line model at $1,500 USD. Was considered "the best" in the good/better/best model.
iMac DV SE 2000. Released from 2000 to 2001. Upgrade over the iMac DV SE, same price.
The SE line died out again until 2016.
iPhone SE. Released in 2016. Was the "low cost" iPhone option. Had the same chip as a current iPhone 6s, same back camera, smaller display, and the iPhone 5s front camera and display.
iPhone SE 2. Released in 2020. Was the "low cost" iPhone option. Had the same chip as a current iPhone 11, however somewhat the same camera system and display compared to the iPhone 8.
iPhone SE 3. Released in 2022. Was the "lost cost" iPhone option. Had the same chip as an iPhone 13, however had the body of an iPhone SE 2.
So it's anyone's guess what the "SE" line is going to be for a Mac. Will it be a Special Edition, or a low cost option?
I was going to dismiss this with the standard "ultraportables usually are", but I checked on MacTracker and surprisingly at $1299 the 8/256 MacBook was only $100 more than the 8/256 13" MBAir and $200 more than the 8/256 11" MBAir. So it felt pricey compared to the 11" Air, which was its natural 'smallest MacBook' competitor, it was a much higher quality product with a larger retina screen, better speakers, and the newer black bezel screen design language.
The 12" MB and the 11" Air were basically the same size.
Last edited:
I wonder if they are planning a keyboard computer as per https://www.macrumors.com/2022/02/25/apple-explores-mac-inside-keyboard-device/
Yeahhhh, but yet... Caught myself thinking this very same thing the other day, questioning my inclination to invoke Saint Steve's name. Apple's story is a rare one: Top guy essentially fired by the board (call it whatever you want), goes walkabout, gets schooled by fate and circumstance, gets invited back, storms back in, saves the company (by right-sizing product lines!) which goes on to become the gold standard of profitability in an industry notorious for fail-merger-fail cycles.
There are lessons here that can't be separated from the man, for better and worser. The company the world knows and respects today couldn't have happened any other way.
Lately, some of the lessons seem to be getting lost in data. Cook is an ops guy; ops guys are swayed by numbers, and profitability is a prime directive. While stabilizing influences are healthy in big business, Apple's unique command of premium prices is owed to Jobs' legacy of thinking different (which was not always pioneering, though thinking different led to some pioneering moments). So, now, Apple wants market penetration at the low end, because a spreadsheet shows there might be money left on that table.
Every time Apple has tried some low-end stunt, they failed and bailed, because shareholders don't tolerate down quarters due to welfare projects. Very few premium brands do well in cash-constrained markets. In a debate elsewhere, someone once argued that "The Boxter and Cayman were the poor man's Porsh, and they saved the whole company." But that's spurious comparison. The Boxmans were cheaper than a 911, but they were never for poor people (nor were the 914, 924, 944 or 968) - they were for uncommitted people. And that's kinda how Apple has been: make the stretch or f-off. Wifey drives a Cayman S and is thrilled with her iPhone SE, plus she could use Apple Wallet during the Masking Years.
People are demanding. Everyone has expectations. But what's missing at the low end? Oh, right, money, to pay one thin dime towards Apple's net profit. Look how many brands it takes to support the low end - dozens. And every cheap laptop is either a loss leader or outright garbage. If Apple is going to succeed at the low end, then they better apply some different thinking to user support on a razor-thin margin. Pimping AppleCare, blocking spare parts supply, and pairing parts, probably ain't going to fly in that demographic.
Yes... at first.
Steve Jobs had no problem with a more complex product line and ballooned that initial 2x2 grid with the eMacs, G4 Cube, Mac Mini, MacBook Air, etc. Even the single iPod turned into a bunch of iPod varieties, and Apple was still the gold standard in profitability even with the much more complex product line.
$1100 is budget?
To be fair, a 11" and 12" could be more interesting than a cheap 12" and 13".
I think it is safe to say that Apple would continue to use the modern iPhone interpretation of SE.
Special Edition sounds better than Low Cost
They aren't going to make $300 Macs tho. ~$700 ones according to the rumors. They already make an 11" iPad with 8gb ram and an M1 chip that lists for $600. And the $430 11" iPad.
IT isn't a stretch.
The AppleTV is $130 and has an A15, 4gb ram, 128gb ssd, wifi, BT, HDMI, ... There's room to make a cheaper Mac Mini too.