Cheaper MacBook powered by iPhone chip coming in 2026, per new report

Apple’s rumored cheaper MacBook powered by an iPhone processor is back in the news. A new report corroborates separate claims that Apple is planning to release a more affordable MacBook that runs on an A-series chip in the near future.

We first got wind of the rumored low-end MacBook over the summerwhen supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said a MacBook running on an A18 Pro chip would enter production in late 2025 or early 2026.

Now Mark Gurman at Bloomberg is reporting on the cheaper notebook for the first time, specifically adding that the notebook is code-named J700 and will cost well under $1000.

Code-named J700, the machine is currently in active testing at Apple and in early production with overseas suppliers. The Cupertino, California-based company plans to launch it in the first half of next year, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the product hasn’t been announced. […]

Apple plans to sell the new machine for well under $1,000 by using less-advanced components. The laptop will rely on an iPhone processor and a lower-end LCD display. The screen will also be the smallest of any current Mac, coming in at slightly below the 13.6-inch one used in the MacBook Air.

Presumably, the cheaper notebook will replace the M1 MacBook Air that Apple continues to sell exclusively through Walmart for $649. The laptop is regularly on sale for under $600.

Meanwhile, Apple prices the MacBook Air at $999, or $899 for education customers, although Amazon and other retailers regularly sell the current M4 MacBook Air model for $799.

If Apple sells this cheaper MacBook through its website and retail stores, that will be a big shift from its current strategy. Apple doesn’t discount its hardware through its own stores.

Gurman frames the cheaper MacBook as an alternative to an iPad, which can already rival the MacBook Air in price, especially when combined with keyboard and trackpad accessories. He also says Apple will use the A-series chip MacBook to compete with cheaper Windows and Chromebook laptops.