Apple’s entry-level MacBook, rumored to launch next year, is shaping up to be a strange device with even stranger implications.
The new laptop is expected to cost $699, or $599 with an education discount.
That puts it squarely below the MacBook Air, which currently starts at $999, or $899 for students.
The question is simple: if you can buy a MacBook for six hundred bucks, what happens to the MacBook Air?
The details we have so far paint a clear picture. It’s supposed to have a 12.9-inch screen, making it a little smaller than the Air’s 13.6-inch display.
Apple’s reportedly putting an A18 Pro chip inside, the same one found in the iPhone 16 Pro, which means it won’t be as fast as the M4 powering the Air.
However, it will run Apple Intelligence, and it will come in bright colors, such as pink, yellow, and blue.
In other words, this is a MacBook that looks fun, feels light, and probably does the basics well enough for students and casual users.
That’s exactly why the Air could be in trouble. The Air’s whole identity has been built around being the entry point into the Mac lineup.
For years, it was the obvious choice if you wanted a Mac but didn’t want to spend Pro money. Now Apple is undercutting it with a machine that’s smaller, cheaper, and flashy enough to get attention on a college campus.
What happens when students compare a $599 MacBook to an $899 Air? Or when families choose between an iPad and a keyboard accessory, suddenly realize a MacBook costs about the same?
The Air risks becoming a middle child, squeezed between a cheap laptop that gets the job done and a more powerful model that delivers on performance.
Apple has killed products this way before. Remember the 12-inch MacBook? The iPod mini? Both were darlings until Apple replaced them with something that made more sense.
The Air could survive, but the arrival of a truly cheap MacBook changes the math. If Apple’s not careful, the MacBook Air might lose the spotlight it has owned for nearly two decades.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this potential budget-friendly MacBook. Let us know in the comments below.
