According to various sources, Apple’s first low-priced MacBook is scheduled to be released within two weeks, with a high probability of debuting at small events held in New York, London, and Shanghai on March 4.This product is targeted at the entry-level market and is targeted at the student group. It is also the first time that Apple has used the same A-series chips from mobile phones in Mac notebooks. The product is positioned against the mainstream Chromebook in the education market.
The appearance design is close to MacBook Air, using an aluminum body, and the screen size is rumored to be 12.9 inches or 13 inches.
Apple will most likely not pursue extreme thinness and lightness. It is expected to follow the strategy of low-priced iPads and use mature non-ultra-thin display technology to control costs. The slightly thicker body and low-power chips can achieve longer battery life and adapt to the needs of educational scenarios.
In terms of color matching, Apple has tested six colors: light yellow, light green, blue, pink, silver, and dark gray, and will eventually launch at least four models. The interior of the fuselage may be made of graphite-coated aluminum to improve heat dissipation and body strength.
The core is equipped with the same A18 Pro chip (second-generation 3nm process) as the iPhone 16 Pro, abandoning the classic M-series chip of the Mac. This is the first time Apple has used mobile phone A-series chips in notebooks.
A18 Pro is a 6-core CPU + 6-core GPU + 16-core neural engine, with Geekbench single-core 3451 and multi-core 8572.The single-core performance is close to the M4 chip, and there is a gap in multi-core performance, but overall it is better than the old M1.It can meet daily needs such as web browsing, document editing, and light audio and video editing, but it cannot handle heavy tasks such as 4K editing and 3D rendering.
It is equipped with a minimum of 8GB RAM (the basic requirement to support Apple Intelligence), and may also come standard with 16GB common to the Mac series; storage may start from 128GB, which is lower than the 256GB entry specification of MacBook Air.
It should be noted that because the A18 Pro does not support Thunderbolt technology, it is only equipped with a 10GB/s USB-C interface and only supports a single external monitor, so its scalability is limited.
The name of the low-priced MacBook has not yet been determined, because the current positioning of the MacBook Air/Pro series is clear, and there is a high probability that the classic "MacBook" name will be reused.
In terms of pricing, this new machine is expected to be much lower than the MacBook Air, which starts at $999.It is expected to be between US$599-799, and the starting price of the National Bank is expected to be in the 4,000 yuan range.