153: Apple's New Budget Friendly A18 Pro MacBook?

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's apparent plan to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip.

Earlier this week, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is set to launch an all-new "affordable" MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors first spotted evidence of such a device in backend code related to Apple Intelligence last summer, and subsequently confirmed its use of the A18 Pro chip. The machine features the identifier "Mac17,1."

This would be the first Mac powered by an ‌‌iPhone‌‌ chip. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series chips, which offer higher core counts, support for larger amounts of memory, and better external display support. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year.

With the A18 Pro chip, the device is highly unlikely to feature Thunderbolt ports, more than 8GB of unified memory, and support for more than one external display. In line with how Apple tends to handle its other low-cost devices, the new MacBook could re-use the design and chassis of an older machine like the M1 MacBook Air to keep costs down and differentiate it from the ‌MacBook Air‌. Apple could also revive the simple "MacBook" moniker, separating it from the ‌MacBook Air‌ and MacBook Pro, and mirroring the iPad lineup, which simply has the ‌iPad‌ as the entry-level model. 

According to Kuo, the new MacBook is expected to enter mass production late in the fourth quarter of 2025 or early in the first quarter of 2026, which situates launch in the first half of next year. We also discuss Apple's broader low-cost device strategy, how it seems to be positioning its device lineups going forward, and more.