Is the cheapest MacBook ever coming for less than 5000 yuan?
Previously, Aifaner reported that Apple was developing a new computer with a smartphone chip, and now there is more news about this product: it is equipped with an LCD screen, uses a smartphone chip, and runs macOS – and the price is the biggest killer, even cheaper than the cheapest iPhone.
Apple computers are even cheaper than the cheapest iPhone
Apple is currently conducting internal testing on this MacBook codenamed J700, which is expected to be released in the first half of next year.
By adopting a cheaper LCD screen, using the same A18 Pro chip as the iPhone, and compressing the cost of other components, Apple is likely to keep the price of this new computer at around $600- almost the same as the iPhone 16e.
Considering Apple’s policy of offering educational discounts, the actual purchase price may be even cheaper than the cheapest iPhone.
Bloomberg also pointed out that the new MacBook screen size will be slightly smaller than the current MacBook Air’s 13.6 inches, possibly 12.9 inches, making it the smallest Apple laptop product currently available.
This will be Apple’s first time bringing iPhone chips into the Mac product line. Although the A19 Pro has been officially released, Apple had previously decided that this product would use the A18 Pro processor. As an affordable model, it is understandable to use older chip inventory.
In other words, this will be a MacBook that is cheaper and has weaker chips than the iPhone.
But MacBook runs macOS and has more room for performance release: Apple’s internal tests have shown that new computers equipped with A18 Pro have stronger performance than old models equipped with M1.
After five years on the market, MacBook Pro equipped with M1 chip is still the “strongest nail household”. The recently released M5 chip has made M1 the top comparison object, aiming to promote this group of people to switch phones.
There are still many colleagues in the Aifaner editorial department who use M1 chip MacBook for office work. Apart from 8GB of memory, which is a bit tight, in most cases, it is still sufficient for coding and internet access.
In fact, Apple has been relying on Wal Mart and other channels to continue to ship M1 MacBook Air with a price of $599 overseas, which is also the cheapest entry level laptop for Apple.
The new cheap MacBook is just here to take over.
I believe many people’s first reaction when they see information about this product is the 12 inch unprinted MacBook from 10 years ago. Since the birth of the M chip, there has been a constant call from the public to “revive” it.
But the A18 Pro MacBook and the 12 inch MacBook are two almost completely opposite products, and they are destined to have different endings.
The positioning of the 12 inch MacBook is not actually “entry-level”, but rather a high-end product with a price higher than the MacBook Air. However, due to the Intel processor that collapsed at that time, it has become synonymous with high priced and low-energy laptops. The only thing worthy of praise is its extremely thin and light body.
The price of the A18 Pro MacBook does not exceed 5000 yuan, and combined with educational discounts and national subsidies, it can even drop to the top three. Looking at competitors in the same price range, the processor performance may not be on par with the A18 Pro, and the battery life, design, and workmanship are unmatched.
After adding national subsidies, the M4 MacBook Air and Mac mini priced at four to five thousand are often out of stock, proving that a cheap Mac is indeed very attractive. For students, white-collar workers who are new to the workplace, and occupations with low work intensity, a cheap MacBook is an ideal productivity tool.
For students with insufficient budgets, the new MacBook may be the first Mac for young people.
Student Party, a battleground for computer manufacturers
In the 1990s, after Steve Jobs left, Apple fell into a downturn, and it was the education market that helped Apple overcome the difficulties. Apple even created a laptop called “eMate 3000” specifically for K-12 schools.
Even in the 21st century, Apple has always attached great importance to the education market and vigorously promoted iPad products to enter schools. However, in recent years, it has been impacted by the ultra-low price and complete education ecosystem of Chromebooks, with a market share of less than 20%, while the latter occupies half of the education market.
A super low-priced MacBook can replace an iPad and compete with a Chromebook.
In the education market, the price of an entry-level iPad paired with a Miaokong keyboard protector is also around $600, which is similar to the A18 Pro MacBook, which is a true laptop with much richer performance and features.
Although the price of $600 can buy two Chromebooks, MacBook’s features, workmanship, performance, and configuration far exceed those of these low spec Chromebooks, and Chromebooks are highly dependent on the internet, making them a true “netbook”.
After Apple lowered the price, MacBook can also become a very competitive choice, especially suitable for adult faculty members who need a good computer.
For families who are already part of the Apple ecosystem, they also tend to choose a relatively familiar MacBook for their children and can use their own iPhone to achieve parental control.
Ultimately, a Chromebook is just a “learning machine”, while a MacBook is a “real computer”, and most of the learning functions of a Chromebook can be achieved by installing a Chrome browser on the MacBook.
Even teenagers who grew up using Chromebooks need a powerful helper who can meet their learning, work, and life needs well after leaving K-12 education.
In recent years, Apple’s focus in the education market has shifted from K-12 to higher education, and has further consolidated its position through promotion and educational discounts. Buying a MacBook to attend college has also become an increasingly popular choice for more and more people.
The A18 Pro MacBook further lowers the threshold for obtaining a “good computer” by offering a low price.
Make the phone into the shape of a computer
If we simply compare the Chromebook and A18 Pro MacBook products, we will find that they both have an interesting commonality: trying to make a phone into the shape of a computer.
It goes without saying that MacBook is equipped with a “real phone chip”, and the 12 inch MacBook motherboard from ten years ago was actually only the size of a phone.
After the comprehensive transformation of Mac to ARM, macOS can also directly run iOS/iPad OS applications, and the gap between the two in terms of system and ecology is becoming smaller and smaller. Multiple credible reports suggest that starting next year, Mac will also launch models equipped with touch screens.
It goes without saying that Chromebooks are themselves “Android computers”, and a considerable number of products use MediaTek’s ARM processors.
This year, Google officially announced that it will promote the complete integration of ChromeOS and Android systems. In the future, Chromebooks will also be jointly developed with Qualcomm. This is truly using mobile chips to run mobile systems and applications.
Whether it’s Apple or Qualcomm, it’s not a new thing for mobile SoC performance to surpass some computer processors. Both companies happen to have both mobile and computer chip businesses, and in recent years, it can be seen how the two product lines influence each other.
Although laptops and computers are often referred to as “sunset industries,” there has been a clear recovery in global shipments over the past two years. According to IDC data, the shipment volume of personal computers in the third quarter of this year increased by 9.4% year-on-year, showing a strong growth momentum.
According to Apple’s latest financial report, Mac revenue reached $8.7 billion in the last quarter, making it the fastest-growing hardware category for Apple, while sales growth of the neighboring iPad has stagnated.
This year, the highly popular PC operating system Windows 10 will stop updating, and a large number of PC users are now thinking about what to buy their next computer. There are many people who want to try macOS more than Windows 11, and a sufficiently low-priced product is a good starting point.
In the short term, the PC camp dominated by x86 may only wait and see how these “mobile computers” sell, rather than immediately following suit, after all, Windows on ARM has not yet been developed, and these OEM manufacturers do not have a massive inventory of mobile phone wafers to use like Apple.
Without a doubt, the low profit market of laptops priced at 4000 yuan, which are commonly regarded as “student laptops” and “netbooks”, will face a strong competitor: the seasoned inventory killer, an Apple computer equipped with a smartphone chip, will fully stir up this market.
The more intense the competition, the more consumers benefit.
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