Apple has recently announced its plans to unveil new Mac devices to fill the competition with fright in time for Halloween. The “Scary Fast” event takes place on Oct. 30 and we could be set to see refreshes for the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro – likely outfitted with an new Apple Silicon M3, M3 Pro, or M3 Max chipset. Other potential refreshes include an updated iMac, especially the 24-inch model which is still lumped with Apple’s last-gen M1 processor.
Apple’s M3 MacBook push is set to counter a recent decline in shipments during the M2-era. However, should this cutting edge tech fail to inspire Apple devotees to part with the contents of their pocketbooks, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the Cupertino capers may continue into 2024 – with a new more affordable MacBook model currently being considered.
A MacBook for the people
Back in September, a Digitimes report claimed that Apple was currently hard at work on developing a low-cost MacBook. Low cost and Apple aren’t often contained within the same sentence, so people’s ears became noticeably pricked at the thought. Until recently, the dust had settled on that rumor, but a recent dip in sales is causing Apple to reconsider its options and how best to cater to its customers amidst tougher economic times.
According to a recent tweet/post from Ming-Chi Kuo on Twitter/X, while Apple prepares to introduce an “all-new design MacBook Pro in 2025,” the brand is currently considering “a more affordable MacBook model to boost shipments, with a target of 8-10+ million units per year.”
However, this is the same company that is rumored to value its “affordable” Vision Pro alternative at a mere $1,500 to $2,500. So, exactly how much more affordable are we talking? Well, affordable enough that it’s reportedly designed to go toe-to-toe with the best Chromebooks – devices well known for their sub-$500, entry-level price tags.
Outlook
That’s an incredibly tempting proposal and could be a driver of MacBook sales for years to come, especially for younger students and wider education — a market that sees the Chromebook excel due to its budget-friendly pricing.
Apple’s Silicon-based laptops are already crushing the competition in terms of raw performance. And its devices are slowly and surely beginning to make the push to becoming more viable gaming platforms.
If Apple were to broaden their horizons even further and emerge as direct competitors to the Chromebook then we could see the Cupertino company conquer the mobile computing market entirely — though with Intel and Qualcomm recently claiming that the days of Apple’s devices dominating on performance are over, who knows what the future holds?
