3 ms·

Cheaper MacBook powered by iPhone chip coming in 2026, per new report

54 points by spurgu 11mo ago

znpy 11mo ago
It would be nice to see a renaissance of 12” laptops
- deleted 11mo ago
  [deleted]
gchamonlive 11mo ago
Interesting. If they'll come with a cutdown version of the os like the iPads, it'll limit the target audience and the success of the device. On the other hand if it'll be powered by a fully fledged MacOS it'll make it more arbitrary the decision not to have the same features on iPads.
- brendoelfrendo 11mo ago
  I already have an M3-powered iPad Air; Apple currently produces iPad hardware that could, theoretically, run full MacOS. The decision is already about as arbitrary as it gets.
  - bluescrn 11mo ago
    Seems such a waste, such a powerful device held back by an OS chained to an App Store and still so touch-centric. iPadOS has certainly got a lot better over recent updates, but there's no sign of 'apps' catching up with serious desktop software any time soon.
    - seec 11mo ago
      And Apple doesn't really want to anyway, they get to profit from both side this way. The iPad could be a fantastic machine but as is, it makes no sense for most workflow. It seems to be stuck at being a fancy notepad or expensive drawing tablet for hip artists (real pros use the much larger and more convenient Wacoms anyway).
  - walterbell 11mo ago
    JIT workaround helps UTM VMs and iSH/ashell (Linux emulation), https://onejailbreak.com/blog/stikdebug-ios/ https://onejailbreak.com/blog/stikdebug-ios/ > StikDebug works around those restrictions by using a local VPN profile to manage the JIT process securely within the app. Once you approve the VPN configuration, StikDebug can communicate with sideloaded apps and activate JIT automatically when you launch them. This means that users on iOS 26 can finally enjoy the same performance benefits that developers used to unlock only through Xcode or jailbreaking.
- pqtyw 11mo ago
  Why? There are already iPads and iPhones more expensive that Macs and Apple is not trying to justify anything. The capabilities of the OS have nothing to do with the chip of course.
  - gchamonlive 11mo ago
    If you think this is worth the investment in the ecosystem go for it. It just makes me quite sceptical to touch anything apple. I don't think they have their customers best interest in mind, and it shows time and again. Not a big fan of this paternalistic approach to product design, but this is just me.
    - pqtyw 11mo ago
      Go for what? I would just find it surprising if they release a laptop which is running anything but Mac OS. You can already get an iPad with a keyboard and a touchpad anyway... > have their customers best interest in mind, and it shows time and again. Of course, neither does Dell, Lenovo or HP. Or especially Google for that matter (at least in that case Apple's and their customers interests somewhat align since they aren't making money by selling their data to third parties).
      - gchamonlive 11mo ago
        Sorry, I should have said if it makes sense for people they should go for it, I just find it weird to cripple devices like that just for the sake of market segmentation.
    - seec 11mo ago
      To be fair the paternalistic approach has really increased recently and I actually think it's mostly about greed in the end. They want to control not just because they think they know better, but because this is how they get to maximise their profits. In any case, it has been harder and harder to advocate for any Apple products over the years. Funnily enough, once you are outside the marketing hype, you realised that most of their products are not very competitive for their price. I think they are trying to milk the silicon while they can because it is really the only As up their sleeve currently. When that advantage is gone, they will be in trouble and they know it.
- CamJN 11mo ago
  I think that ship has sailed. They already make iPads (the pro line) with M-class processors just like the laptops that run full-featured macOS. This change is to add laptops that run A-class processors like run the iPhone. If all Apple cared about with regards to what capabilities they expose in an OS was what processor was in a device then the iPad Pros would be able to run macOS, but they don’t view their products that way.
  - gchamonlive 11mo ago
    > If all Apple cared about with regards to what capabilities they expose in an OS was what processor was in a device then the iPad Pros would be able to run macOS That's my point, and I think this hybrid Mac with iPhone chip will make this even more blatant. You are effectively paying more for less features just because they know what's best for you.
hyperhello 11mo ago
I don’t really get it, from a consumer perspective, unless the idea is mass education sales. They already sell enough Macs for economy of scale to kick in. Calling it an iPhone processor doesn’t explain anything by itself, and wouldn’t save much money. Is the screen cheaper? The keyboard? The SSD? I suppose the point would be to farm and beta test a base of new, cheaper, slower, less reliable components, and then find the path to making them acceptable for retail.
- _fzslm 11mo ago
  There is a gap in Apple's offerings. Casual computer users like students probably can't justify dropping nearly a K on a MacBook, so they go for these 400-600$ dell/hp laptops, or a Chromebook. This fits that hole. iPhone processor is surely cheaper from an economies of scale perspective, they are likely way easier to produce en masse and they already produce bajillions of them for the iPhone. Over time the price of even a high quality LCD like on the existing MacBook Air will have decreased enormously. Apple is setting up to move to OLED on the rest of the line, so using existing LCD tech is likely to save a lot too
  - hyperhello 11mo ago
    Would it be consistent with this plan to continue to make the same M1 Air at the current price, stuffing it with whatever phone processor they happen to have a few extra million of?
    - _fzslm 11mo ago
      Yeah that's one potential route they could take - repurposing the existing M1 air shell and components. But I actually believe they'll do a completely new shell for this device, and one reason being they could probably save even more money and cut even more costs than the current prod cost of M1 airs.
  - kristianp 11mo ago
    > so they go for these 400-600$ dell/hp laptops I feel that these inexpensive macs will increase market share, perhaps this will pressure Microsoft to improve the Windows performance and ad bloat.
kristianp 11mo ago
Surprising to read the the original M1 Air is still sold through Walmart.
- jrockway 11mo ago
  Honestly, I'm not even an Apple fangirl and that thing is a great computer. I bought one for work and it served me better than any other $999 computer ever did. It's apparently $599 now? Great value, in my opinion.
  - spurgu 11mo ago
    Very much so. I still have my M1 bought in 2021, haven't felt like there is any need to upgrade to any of the newer ones.
    - highwaylights 11mo ago
      Having just switched up to the M4 air you're not wrong. Unless you have the 8GB version and it's causing you memory pressure (which it may not be), or you really need that extra display output (I did), it's a wonder machine still 5 years later. Also, that wedge design might be peak laptop. It's just soooo nice when lifting off a surface. I know that sounds ridiculous but the attention to detail that went into that design is next level. Even though I'm not in the market, part of me really hopes the MacBook SE (or whatever they call it) uses the wedge design to clear chassis parts like they did with the SE iphones (although I doubt it).
- endemic 11mo ago
  Amazon is selling them new for $440; refurb at Best Buy for $330.
  - Handy-Man 11mo ago
    They are renewed, not new on Amazon.
  - highwaylights 11mo ago
somethoughts 11mo ago
I think the reverse offering on the Apple device roadmap would be interesting. A MacPad and a MacPhone. Given its eventually going to be completely the same silicon this would enable them to offer a non App Store experience for people who want to experiment with alternative app stores like Epic. In that way they could keep the average Apple target iPhone/iPad customer within the walled garden of iOS while being able to point specifically to EU regulators that they are allowing alternative app stores on the MacPhone/MacPad platform.
- etchalon 11mo ago
  The "MacPad" already exists. It's called the iPad Pro. It uses the M5 chip.
  - leptons 11mo ago
    Except it doesn't run MacOS, and it doesn't allow you to install any application you want to - only those that Apple allows you to. And you're still forced to use Safari in every browser you install.
    - highwaylights 11mo ago
      Fairly confident the CPU has never been the reason you can't install whatever you want on an iOS/iPadOS device. Also not the reason you can't install macOS on it either. If you want macOS, you buy a Mac. You want iPadOS, you buy an iPad. And if you want an iPad Pro that can double up as a Mac in a pinch, you feel awkward while Tim Cook death stares at you until you empty your pockets. In all seriousness though, I have an iPad Pro and a MacBook (as a lot of people here do I'm sure) and it would make a poor laptop. And how do you switch between macOS and iPadOS? I don't see a way to have that not be clunky because of all the different metaphors. I'd rather just have both (actually I'd rather just have the MacBook as the iPad sits largely idle, as I'm also sure a lot of people's do).
      - leptons 11mo ago
epolanski 11mo ago
What's the point? This would only cannibalize their higher tier sales with a low margin product. I don't get it. This company is visionless.
- zekrioca 11mo ago
  Yes, Apple is visionless.
- ggm 11mo ago
  They're anything but visionless. This is a departure from an upwards sell trajectory but if it sold in volumes, it goes to the classic quote "quantity has a quality all of it's own" -usually taken in context it means giving up the quality drive, but in reality it's neutral to the other product line. It may cannibalize SOME of the existing market, yes. all of it? I don't think my peers on M4 boxes with 32GB+ are going to go for this any more than they did when the Air came out and they had powerful boxes.
- Reason077 11mo ago
  People who buy high-end MacBook Pros are still going to buy MacBook Pros. The idea here is to pick up sales that would otherwise go to cheaper PC laptop brands, by competing at a lower price point than the MacBook Air currently does. Right now, Apple still (quietly) sells the MacBook Air M1 at $599 to keep a toe in that lower-end market, but I doubt many people who are considering a Pro or an M4 Air are persuaded to choose that instead.
  - epolanski 11mo ago
    People who bought MacBooks and were forced into MBPs now can go back to MacBooks. The argument goes both ways.
- whynotminot 11mo ago
  Maybe they should only offer MacBook Pros, then.
- spurgu 11mo ago
  It doesn't change anything with their higher tier sales. Those are bought for a reason that a lower tier device cannot satisfy. My worry (from Apple's POV) is that all the people who buy the cheapest Mac (currently for $1k) will instead go for this new "base model". And I suspect there's a large cohort of people who "just want a Mac".
amelius 11mo ago
More locked down nanny-ware from Apple. Why the excitement?
- whynotminot 11mo ago
  It’s always funny to me when people on hackernews assume that all technology created is intended for their use.
Gualdrapo 11mo ago
I think by "cheaper" they mean "just a tiny bit less expensive"
vondur 11mo ago
How much difference is there between an M4 chip and something like the A18 regarding pricing? I assume a lower end screen and maybe a plastic body would reduce the price further.
rasz 11mo ago
Arent M4 Airs already $800 on sale? Im afraid the low end model will again push 8GB ram.
risingsubmarine 11mo ago
An 11" version of this proposed A-series chip Macbook is exactly what I would want to see, and would more likely expect to see from Apple's sales perspective, than an iPad that is capable of running MacOS. A tiny Macbook that I can slip into a sling bag is more preferable to me than an iPad for many tasks.
- trial3 11mo ago
  yup: i would instantly buy something like this if it ran full macOS
rcarmo 11mo ago
At this rate, someday the iPad will be the more powerful “computer” by default :)
- bluescrn 11mo ago
  Yet something like the Raspberry Pi will still have more 'power' to actually get useful things done, as it's not chained to an App Store, allows you to compile code, etc
  - rcarmo 11mo ago
    Why not both? https://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2023/09/09/1820 https://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2023/09/09/1820
geodel 11mo ago
Phone Chip/Plastic Body/12" 3:2 or 4:3 screen/~400 dollar. I see my family as a customer for it.

54 points by spurgu 11mo ago

znpy 11mo ago

It would be nice to see a renaissance of 12” laptops

deleted 11mo ago
[deleted]

gchamonlive 11mo ago

Interesting. If they'll come with a cutdown version of the os like the iPads, it'll limit the target audience and the success of the device. On the other hand if it'll be powered by a fully fledged MacOS it'll make it more arbitrary the decision not to have the same features on iPads.

brendoelfrendo 11mo ago
I already have an M3-powered iPad Air; Apple currently produces iPad hardware that could, theoretically, run full MacOS. The decision is already about as arbitrary as it gets.
- bluescrn 11mo ago
  Seems such a waste, such a powerful device held back by an OS chained to an App Store and still so touch-centric. iPadOS has certainly got a lot better over recent updates, but there's no sign of 'apps' catching up with serious desktop software any time soon.
  - seec 11mo ago
    And Apple doesn't really want to anyway, they get to profit from both side this way. The iPad could be a fantastic machine but as is, it makes no sense for most workflow. It seems to be stuck at being a fancy notepad or expensive drawing tablet for hip artists (real pros use the much larger and more convenient Wacoms anyway).
- walterbell 11mo ago
  JIT workaround helps UTM VMs and iSH/ashell (Linux emulation), https://onejailbreak.com/blog/stikdebug-ios/ https://onejailbreak.com/blog/stikdebug-ios/ > StikDebug works around those restrictions by using a local VPN profile to manage the JIT process securely within the app. Once you approve the VPN configuration, StikDebug can communicate with sideloaded apps and activate JIT automatically when you launch them. This means that users on iOS 26 can finally enjoy the same performance benefits that developers used to unlock only through Xcode or jailbreaking.
pqtyw 11mo ago
Why? There are already iPads and iPhones more expensive that Macs and Apple is not trying to justify anything. The capabilities of the OS have nothing to do with the chip of course.
- gchamonlive 11mo ago
  If you think this is worth the investment in the ecosystem go for it. It just makes me quite sceptical to touch anything apple. I don't think they have their customers best interest in mind, and it shows time and again. Not a big fan of this paternalistic approach to product design, but this is just me.
  - pqtyw 11mo ago
    Go for what? I would just find it surprising if they release a laptop which is running anything but Mac OS. You can already get an iPad with a keyboard and a touchpad anyway... > have their customers best interest in mind, and it shows time and again. Of course, neither does Dell, Lenovo or HP. Or especially Google for that matter (at least in that case Apple's and their customers interests somewhat align since they aren't making money by selling their data to third parties).
    - gchamonlive 11mo ago
      Sorry, I should have said if it makes sense for people they should go for it, I just find it weird to cripple devices like that just for the sake of market segmentation.
  - seec 11mo ago
    To be fair the paternalistic approach has really increased recently and I actually think it's mostly about greed in the end. They want to control not just because they think they know better, but because this is how they get to maximise their profits. In any case, it has been harder and harder to advocate for any Apple products over the years. Funnily enough, once you are outside the marketing hype, you realised that most of their products are not very competitive for their price. I think they are trying to milk the silicon while they can because it is really the only As up their sleeve currently. When that advantage is gone, they will be in trouble and they know it.
CamJN 11mo ago
I think that ship has sailed. They already make iPads (the pro line) with M-class processors just like the laptops that run full-featured macOS. This change is to add laptops that run A-class processors like run the iPhone. If all Apple cared about with regards to what capabilities they expose in an OS was what processor was in a device then the iPad Pros would be able to run macOS, but they don’t view their products that way.
- gchamonlive 11mo ago
  > If all Apple cared about with regards to what capabilities they expose in an OS was what processor was in a device then the iPad Pros would be able to run macOS That's my point, and I think this hybrid Mac with iPhone chip will make this even more blatant. You are effectively paying more for less features just because they know what's best for you.

hyperhello 11mo ago

I don’t really get it, from a consumer perspective, unless the idea is mass education sales. They already sell enough Macs for economy of scale to kick in. Calling it an iPhone processor doesn’t explain anything by itself, and wouldn’t save much money. Is the screen cheaper? The keyboard? The SSD? I suppose the point would be to farm and beta test a base of new, cheaper, slower, less reliable components, and then find the path to making them acceptable for retail.

_fzslm 11mo ago
There is a gap in Apple's offerings. Casual computer users like students probably can't justify dropping nearly a K on a MacBook, so they go for these 400-600$ dell/hp laptops, or a Chromebook. This fits that hole. iPhone processor is surely cheaper from an economies of scale perspective, they are likely way easier to produce en masse and they already produce bajillions of them for the iPhone. Over time the price of even a high quality LCD like on the existing MacBook Air will have decreased enormously. Apple is setting up to move to OLED on the rest of the line, so using existing LCD tech is likely to save a lot too
- hyperhello 11mo ago
  Would it be consistent with this plan to continue to make the same M1 Air at the current price, stuffing it with whatever phone processor they happen to have a few extra million of?
  - _fzslm 11mo ago
    Yeah that's one potential route they could take - repurposing the existing M1 air shell and components. But I actually believe they'll do a completely new shell for this device, and one reason being they could probably save even more money and cut even more costs than the current prod cost of M1 airs.
- kristianp 11mo ago
  > so they go for these 400-600$ dell/hp laptops I feel that these inexpensive macs will increase market share, perhaps this will pressure Microsoft to improve the Windows performance and ad bloat.

kristianp 11mo ago

Surprising to read the the original M1 Air is still sold through Walmart.

jrockway 11mo ago
Honestly, I'm not even an Apple fangirl and that thing is a great computer. I bought one for work and it served me better than any other $999 computer ever did. It's apparently $599 now? Great value, in my opinion.
- spurgu 11mo ago
  Very much so. I still have my M1 bought in 2021, haven't felt like there is any need to upgrade to any of the newer ones.
  - highwaylights 11mo ago
    Having just switched up to the M4 air you're not wrong. Unless you have the 8GB version and it's causing you memory pressure (which it may not be), or you really need that extra display output (I did), it's a wonder machine still 5 years later. Also, that wedge design might be peak laptop. It's just soooo nice when lifting off a surface. I know that sounds ridiculous but the attention to detail that went into that design is next level. Even though I'm not in the market, part of me really hopes the MacBook SE (or whatever they call it) uses the wedge design to clear chassis parts like they did with the SE iphones (although I doubt it).
endemic 11mo ago
Amazon is selling them new for $440; refurb at Best Buy for $330.
- Handy-Man 11mo ago
  They are renewed, not new on Amazon.
- highwaylights 11mo ago

somethoughts 11mo ago

I think the reverse offering on the Apple device roadmap would be interesting. A MacPad and a MacPhone. Given its eventually going to be completely the same silicon this would enable them to offer a non App Store experience for people who want to experiment with alternative app stores like Epic. In that way they could keep the average Apple target iPhone/iPad customer within the walled garden of iOS while being able to point specifically to EU regulators that they are allowing alternative app stores on the MacPhone/MacPad platform.

etchalon 11mo ago
The "MacPad" already exists. It's called the iPad Pro. It uses the M5 chip.
- leptons 11mo ago
  Except it doesn't run MacOS, and it doesn't allow you to install any application you want to - only those that Apple allows you to. And you're still forced to use Safari in every browser you install.
  - highwaylights 11mo ago
    Fairly confident the CPU has never been the reason you can't install whatever you want on an iOS/iPadOS device. Also not the reason you can't install macOS on it either. If you want macOS, you buy a Mac. You want iPadOS, you buy an iPad. And if you want an iPad Pro that can double up as a Mac in a pinch, you feel awkward while Tim Cook death stares at you until you empty your pockets. In all seriousness though, I have an iPad Pro and a MacBook (as a lot of people here do I'm sure) and it would make a poor laptop. And how do you switch between macOS and iPadOS? I don't see a way to have that not be clunky because of all the different metaphors. I'd rather just have both (actually I'd rather just have the MacBook as the iPad sits largely idle, as I'm also sure a lot of people's do).
    - leptons 11mo ago

epolanski 11mo ago

What's the point? This would only cannibalize their higher tier sales with a low margin product. I don't get it. This company is visionless.

zekrioca 11mo ago
Yes, Apple is visionless.
ggm 11mo ago
They're anything but visionless. This is a departure from an upwards sell trajectory but if it sold in volumes, it goes to the classic quote "quantity has a quality all of it's own" -usually taken in context it means giving up the quality drive, but in reality it's neutral to the other product line. It may cannibalize SOME of the existing market, yes. all of it? I don't think my peers on M4 boxes with 32GB+ are going to go for this any more than they did when the Air came out and they had powerful boxes.
Reason077 11mo ago
People who buy high-end MacBook Pros are still going to buy MacBook Pros. The idea here is to pick up sales that would otherwise go to cheaper PC laptop brands, by competing at a lower price point than the MacBook Air currently does. Right now, Apple still (quietly) sells the MacBook Air M1 at $599 to keep a toe in that lower-end market, but I doubt many people who are considering a Pro or an M4 Air are persuaded to choose that instead.
- epolanski 11mo ago
  People who bought MacBooks and were forced into MBPs now can go back to MacBooks. The argument goes both ways.
whynotminot 11mo ago
Maybe they should only offer MacBook Pros, then.
spurgu 11mo ago
It doesn't change anything with their higher tier sales. Those are bought for a reason that a lower tier device cannot satisfy. My worry (from Apple's POV) is that all the people who buy the cheapest Mac (currently for $1k) will instead go for this new "base model". And I suspect there's a large cohort of people who "just want a Mac".

amelius 11mo ago

More locked down nanny-ware from Apple. Why the excitement?

whynotminot 11mo ago
It’s always funny to me when people on hackernews assume that all technology created is intended for their use.

Gualdrapo 11mo ago

I think by "cheaper" they mean "just a tiny bit less expensive"

vondur 11mo ago

How much difference is there between an M4 chip and something like the A18 regarding pricing? I assume a lower end screen and maybe a plastic body would reduce the price further.

rasz 11mo ago

Arent M4 Airs already $800 on sale? Im afraid the low end model will again push 8GB ram.

risingsubmarine 11mo ago

An 11" version of this proposed A-series chip Macbook is exactly what I would want to see, and would more likely expect to see from Apple's sales perspective, than an iPad that is capable of running MacOS. A tiny Macbook that I can slip into a sling bag is more preferable to me than an iPad for many tasks.

trial3 11mo ago
yup: i would instantly buy something like this if it ran full macOS

rcarmo 11mo ago

At this rate, someday the iPad will be the more powerful “computer” by default :)

bluescrn 11mo ago
Yet something like the Raspberry Pi will still have more 'power' to actually get useful things done, as it's not chained to an App Store, allows you to compile code, etc
- rcarmo 11mo ago
  Why not both? https://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2023/09/09/1820 https://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2023/09/09/1820

geodel 11mo ago

Phone Chip/Plastic Body/12" 3:2 or 4:3 screen/~400 dollar. I see my family as a customer for it.