Apple to Debut Low-Cost MacBook Air With Retina Display, Revamped Pro-Focused Mac Mini in 2018

Apple is working on several new products for its Mac lineup, including a new low-cost MacBook Air and a Pro-focused Mac mini, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

The upcoming low-cost MacBook Air will be similar in design to the current MacBook Air, but with slimmer bezels around the display. It will continue to be sized around 13 inches, and it will feature a Retina display.

macbook air
We've heard multiple rumors about the upcoming low-cost notebook, but it has been unclear whether it is part of the MacBook family or if it will be branded as a MacBook Air. Today's report makes it clear that the new machine is going to be positioned as a MacBook Air upgrade, aimed at students and schools with a lower price tag than MacBooks in the MacBook family.

Apple is continuing to make new MacBook models as well, and it's not yet clear how the company will differentiate the new MacBook Air from the MacBook. Right now, the MacBook's higher price tag, slimmer body, and Retina display set it apart from the MacBook Air.

Apple is also said to be working on an upgrade to the Mac mini, which has not seen an update since October 2014. Little detail is available about the upcoming machine, but it is said to be focused on pro users with new storage and processor options that are likely to make it more expensive than previous Mac mini products.

mac mini 2014 gallery 1
2017 rumors suggested Apple was working on a Mac mini that "won't be so mini anymore," which would be in line with a machine that has more powerful, less compact components.

Bloomberg suggests Apple could potentially be planning to introduce the new Macs in October, following a September event that will see the launch of new iPhones and new Apple Watch models.

New iPad Pro models with Face ID are also in the works, but it is not clear if these will debut in September or October.

Related Roundups: MacBook Air, Mac mini
Related Forums: MacBook Air, Mac mini

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
ipad blue prime day

iPad 12 Rumored to Get iPhone 17's A19 Chip, Breaking Apple Tradition

Wednesday December 10, 2025 12:22 pm PST by
The next-generation low-cost iPad will use Apple's A19 chip, according to a report from Macworld. Macworld claims to have seen an "internal Apple code document" with information about the 2026 iPad lineup. Prior documentation discovered by MacRumors suggested that the iPad 12 would be equipped with an A18 chip, not an A19 chip. The A19 chip was just released this year in the iPhone 17, and...
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...

Top Rated Comments

HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
96 months ago
Mac-oriented rumors are soooooooooo welcomed! More, more more! Make us BELIEVE!

Edit: Because a few guys seem to be reading this as a jab at MacRumors, let me clarify it is NOT. It is excitement that maybe Apple is doing something to generate some new Mac rumors. IMO, MacRumors is great. And I'm glad to see something maybe happening on the Mac side of Apple. "More, more, more!" Apple. "Make us BELIEVE!" Apple.
Score: 90 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jfrancis04 Avatar
96 months ago
Please no butterfly keyboard. Please no butterfly keyboard. Please no...
Score: 67 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jetjaguar Avatar
96 months ago
Will be nice for all those mac mini owners who want to finally upgrade.
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
picaman Avatar
96 months ago
A pro-focused Mac mini would be just perfect for me. Hopefully there is something for the lower end as well.
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LeeW Avatar
96 months ago
Mac Mini Pro... Bring it, my wallet is open.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stukdog Avatar
96 months ago
As my internet friends like to say, The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming...
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)