New 12.9-Inch MacBook Could Launch This Year Starting at $599

Apple's rumored new more affordable MacBook could have a starting price as low as $599 and launch as soon as this year, according to a recent report out of Asia.

Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro
We first learned of Apple's low-cost MacBook plans in late June, when analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the company was developing a "more affordable" 13-inch laptop that would compete with Chromebooks and drive MacBook purchases, though he did not mention pricing.

Kuo said the new MacBook is set to use an A18 Pro chip, which debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. That would make it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. So far, all Apple silicon Macs have used M-series chips, which feature more cores, greater memory capacity, and improved external display support.

The analyst said he expected the model to enter mass production late in the fourth quarter of 2025 or early in the first quarter of 2026. Today, DigiTimes has independently corroborated Kuo's prediction and suggested that the MacBook will start between $599 and $699. The current 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $999 in the U.S. (or $899 under Apple's student discount).

Today's report adds that the laptop will have a 12.9-inch display, making it slightly smaller than the MacBook Air's 13.6-inch screen. DigiTimes reports that some components are expected to enter mass production by the end of the third quarter of 2025 – a schedule that could see full system assembly begin before the end of the year.

Final assembly is expected to take place at Quanta's facilities in the fourth quarter, with the laptop becoming commercially available in late 2025 or early 2026, similar to Kuo's launch estimation.

According to market projections, annual shipments of the low-cost MacBook could reach between 5 million and 7 million units, potentially boosting Apple's total MacBook volume from the current 17 million to 18 million units by 30% to 40%.

Kuo believes the more-affordable MacBook will feature an ultra-thin, lightweight design and could come in Silver, Blue, Pink, and Yellow finishes.

One thing to bear in mind is that the A18 Pro chip lacks Thunderbolt support, so the new MacBook would likely be equipped with regular USB-C ports. But that's unlikely to be a deal-breaker for customers seeking the most affordable Mac they can get their hands on. Would you be interested in such a laptop? Let us know in the comments.

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Top Rated Comments

Total Respray Avatar
8 weeks ago
So we will have iPads with Mac chips and Macs with iPad and iPhone chips.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MDL-Steven Avatar
8 weeks ago
I am still rocking my 12 inch Macbook. There is just something about a super light device that runs full MacOS that goes everywhere with you without weight. With that price tag? Instabuy.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lwii2boo Avatar
8 weeks ago
I would love to be wrong but I do not believe one second that the company that charges desktop wheels and monitor stands for close to $1k and still continue to charge atrociously expansive upgrade on RAM / Storage on macbooks will canibalize its MBAs which sell pretty well with someing lower end at 599. 599 is just too competitive, Timmy wants a juicy margin. 799 maybe but 599 is copium
Once again I would love to be wrong but you don't become a trillion dollar company by canibalizing your product line.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cjsuk Avatar
8 weeks ago
I will probably buy one of these for my youngest daughter who needs a first "proper" laptop. It'll be good enough to last 3-5 years for her and will most likely run all the Google classroom crap she has to use better than the current ipad, as well as integrating with the family's icloud stuff.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Saturn007 Avatar
8 weeks ago

It’s made for grandma looking to buy a laptop so she can post nonsensical posts on Facebook and see what her grandsons are doing. ? ❌
Hey, can we put an end to the ageist, sexist cracks about grandmothers? It's a shopworn stereotype!

If anything, it's a broad swath of teens and young adults who are the less savvy ones having gotten used to simply whipping out their phones, who know little about RAM, CPUs, and different operating systems — and are using advanced tech merely for taking snapshots and posting on Instagram and X.

In contrast, many seniors, who have used computers going back to the Apple ][, the first IBM PC, and the original Mac, can handle technology with aplomb, have worked with many OSS, use laptops as a tool, eschew social media, and do meaningful work.

Many seniors, including grandmothers, are astrophysicists, data analysts, computer programmers, economists, etc. and they have no problem whatsoever navigating technology and using it to its fullest.

Let's face it. Millions of people OF ALL AGES know little about tech specs; millions OF ALL AGES are daunted by technology, its set-up, and ins-and-outs; millions more couldn’t care less and use it as they see fit; and millions beyond that have other interests, skills, and abilities. We shouldn’t mock them; they're happy using technology as they deem best; or are struggling with other matters; or simply living a good and productive life.

In any case, enough of the smug, patronizing grandmother memes common among tech users and commenters in tech forums. It's far too often someone's aged grandmother who is the archetype of the hopelessly lost person who can’t learn, can't absorb tech tricks, and is a tech dummy who buys a laptop merely for “nonsensical posts on Facebook”. (There's a rich irony to such a crack given that we're here posting “nonsensical” comments on MacRumors!)

<soap box off>

P.S. As to the rumored new 12.9” device… Many people, including corporate executives, researchers, pollsters, international travelers, students, musicians, lawyers, physicians, Mac fans, etc., who are often in different locales and venues, would love a lightweight laptop — a one-piece, single device with built-in keyboard and case — for real work on-the-go (and, yes, occasional entertainment). Many are grandmothers!

They want such a device for their professions and for much more than light entertainment or keeping in touch with their “grandsons”! ?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Achillias Avatar
8 weeks ago
No notch, hopefully.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)