The 12-inch MacBook, favored among students, has not seen an update for two years now. Apple updated the MacBook Air in 2017 with the MacBook Pro models getting a yearly refresh. One might think that Apple is trying to remove the 12-inch laptop to favor the new Air slowly. Rumor has it that Apple is developing a MacBook Pro that is on the cheap side. Or less expensive side anyway. Pricing on Apple products is a subject of hot debate when it comes to consumers. But there is also the inner marketing struggle to consider.
The MacBook Air is the least expensive from the Apple lineup. With the lowest specced model running around $1200. The low-end MacBook Pro burns a $1300 hole in your pocket. So what would a new model cost? If the company wishes to replace the 2017 12-inch, then the price should be around $1250, just between the other two models. What sense is there with that?
Rumors about an entry-level MacBook
The rumors that have been gathered so far leads us to believe that the so-called cheap MacBook will be a reality. Evidence backs up the claims as well. With Apple having registered a few new laptops with the Eurasian Economic Commission database. So their groundwork for the legality of sales in the Eurasian region backs up that they’ll have a new laptop lineup. Some refreshed, some brand new.
Apple’s fall conference will unveil the new macOS Catalina. This event will be the likely place where we will see the announcement of a new MacBook. Marketing opportunities are excellent as the company can push the idea that the OS, along with a brand new “cheap” laptop, could help students.
Design of the new MacBook
Expect a difference of design on the replacement model. So it will look different than the 12-inch and the 13-inch Air but not much different, we believe, and similar aluminum design is very likely to be in the works along with the possibility of making the laptop slightly thinner by playing around with the chassis and the parts. A 13-inch display will most likely be featured on the new device, and the Touch Bar from the Air will most definitely not make an appearance.
The entry-level MacBook would have a low price
It’s Apple, so cheap does not exist here. Slightly less expensive might be the correct wording. We expect the company to go with an in-house built processor on this model. This will probably lower the price to around $1000 to $1100 on the low spec model.
Dorothy has been a journalist for ten years and has been working with the Tech News Watch staff since the beginning of the news site. Her main contribution to Tech News Watch are mobile, IT and science news, with a focus on software updates and great outer space discoveries.