Windows 10 Users Looking For A New Os? Apple's $599 Macbook Can't Come At A Better Time

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Apple could beryllium processing a caller budget-friendly MacBook for astir $599. 
• Rumors authorities it would location an A18 Pro chipset -- nan processor recovered successful nan iPhone 16 Pro. 
• Despite corroboration by manufacture experts, accusation is speculative. 

About a period ago, rumors starting surfacing that Apple was processing a lightweight MacBook that runs connected iPhone hardware. Notable Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo supported nan rumors successful a post connected X successful July, claiming nan institution was presently moving connected a "more-affordable MacBook" moving connected nan A18 Pro chipset -- nan aforesaid 1 recovered successful the iPhone 16 Pro -- alternatively of an M-series processor. 

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Tech news tract DigiTimes claims to person precocious spoken to an insider pinch friendly knowledge of this laptop, suggesting nan instrumentality will costs location betwixt $599 and $699: overmuch cheaper than nan M4 MacBook Air's starting value of $999.

Even much notable is nan alleged timing of specified a product: releasing this fall, conscionable arsenic millions of PC users are looking for a caller machine erstwhile Microsoft pulls nan plug connected support for Windows 10. 

(Even more) lightweight

The MacBook Air M4

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

DigiTimes reports this caller MacBook will athletics a 12.9-inch display, somewhat smaller than nan MacBook Air's 13-inch screen. What's absorbing is that this size intimately correlates pinch what Kuo said a period ago. 

In fact, overmuch of nan accusation told to DigiTimes lines up pinch Kuo wrote. According to nan report, components whitethorn participate "mass production" by nan extremity of Q3 2025 (sometime successful September). Then, nan laptop will go "commercially available" by either precocious 2025 aliases early 2026, which, arsenic MacRumors points out, is "similar to [Ming Chi Kuo's] motorboat estimation."

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Details, however, stay scarce. There's overmuch we don't know, but it is worthy mentioning that nan early MacBook is rumored to motorboat successful a assortment of colors, including Pink, Blue, Silver, and Yellow, breaking nan mold of what MacBooks look like. 

Perfect timing

Windows 10 support officially ends connected October 14, 2025 arsenic Microsoft intends to push users to Windows 11. If this laptop hits nan marketplace successful November aliases December, not only would it beryllium successful nan mediate of nan vacation season, but whitethorn besides beryllium wholly irresistible to Windows 10 users looking for a caller instrumentality without each nan bloat aliases unnecessary features. That said, it astir apt won't beryllium a cleanable device.

MacRumors mentions nan truth "that nan A19 pro spot lacks Thunderbolt support", meaning nan early MacBook could only person regular USB-C ports. Thunderbolt ports person unsocial features for illustration nan expertise to nonstop retired video signals to aggregate monitors simulateanously and lightning-fast information trasnfer speeds. 

That could beryllium a dealbreaker for some, but nan advent of a low-cost MacBook cheaper than nan Air whitethorn beryllium excessively alluring to ignore.

The laptop isn't nan only rumored project. Kuo besides claimed that Apple is moving connected a brace of smart glasses group to merchandise successful 2027. This brace will reportedly usability likewise to Meta Ray-Bans, arsenic it won't person a heads up display. However, he suggested nan glasses will supply audio playback, grounds video, and support "AI biology sensing", pinch aggregate worldly and style options. 

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