Kuo: Apple plans a cheaper MacBook powered by iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro chip and with a ~13" display, expected to enter mass production in late 2025 or early 2026
Apple's current entry-level laptop is the $999 MacBook Air, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple is aiming to launch an even more affordable model soon.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s reported plan would extend its laptop range below the current $999 MacBook Air rather than simply refresh the existing line. Related coverage also points to planned M5 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro updates, making the lower-cost model a potential new tier alongside—not necessarily within—the M-series roadmap.
The report is part of a widening Mac segmentation story: later coverage distinguished the proposed iPhone-chip laptop from an OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro plan, underscoring that Apple may reserve higher-end display features for premium models.
First-order effects
- If launched as reported, the A18 Pro MacBook would give Apple a lower entry point into Mac hardware while preserving the MacBook Air as the current $999 baseline.
- Using an iPhone-derived chip would create a distinct product tier whose performance and feature expectations must be clearly separated from M-series MacBooks.
Second-order effects
- Apple’s Mac lineup and retail messaging would need to differentiate the cheaper model from the MacBook Air, particularly as M5-based Air and Pro models are also reportedly in development.
- A lower-priced MacBook could shift some budget buyers who would otherwise choose the Air toward the new tier, increasing the importance of feature-based upsell rather than relying solely on entry price.
Third-order effects
- If Apple can sustain a separate A-series laptop tier, it would signal deeper reuse of its mobile-silicon platform across device categories and a more explicitly laddered Mac portfolio.
- The broader pattern is a split between value-oriented portability and premium Mac differentiation through newer chips and display features; its durability depends on whether the lower tier can avoid eroding Air demand.
The trend: Apple appears to be broadening Mac segmentation by pairing a lower-cost, iPhone-chip laptop concept with increasingly differentiated premium notebook features.