Earlier in the year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo made the claim that Apple is looking at launching a more affordable MacBook. It is said to pack an iPhone chip rather than the usual M line to achieve this. A recent Bloomberg report looks to corroborate this, claiming that said MacBook will cost below US$1,000 (~RM4,196).
Codenamed J700 internally, the report claims that Apple is targeting students, businesses and casual users for the lower-cost laptop. In other words, people who only use it to browse the web and work on documents, or very light media editing. In the same way, the bitten fruit brand is targeting potential iPad buyers who prefer the traditional laptop experience. It will also sport a better battery life than an entry-level iPad with a Magic Keyboard attached. This is, of course, at the cost of the touch screen.
Said entry-level MacBook is reported to also be using a lower-end LCD display. Size-wise it will also be the smallest, being slightly smaller than the 13.6-inch MacBook Air. All this is in addition to using the iPhone-class chip, which the report also claims that internal tests show that the smartphone chip can perform better than the M1. Though to be fair, said chip is now five years old. To compare. the A18 Pro that Kuo said will be used for these MacBooks, are only a year old.
The report notes that Apple has previously vowed not to chase market share with lower-end offerings. When this J700 MacBook launches, it will not only be a reversal of this vow, but also a first time an A-class chip has made its way to a MacBook.
(Source: Bloomberg)
