Apple Is Reportedly Making a Chromebook Competitor That Will Cost ‘Well Under $1,000’

According to a consistently reliable Apple insider, Apple is preparing to compete in the highly competitive low-cost laptop market by leveraging its iPhone and iPad-oriented A-series chips in a compact notebook.

Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman claims that Apple is actively developing a budget-friendly Mac laptop to compete against entry-level Windows PCs and Chromebooks. The new device will be aimed primarily at students, businesses, and casual users who do lightweight tasks, such as browsing the web, working on documents, and basic media editing.

“Code-named J700, the machine is currently in active testing at Apple and in early production with overseas suppliers,” Gurman writes. “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.”

Although Apple has long offered budget-friendly products across its lineup, its Mac computers have typically prioritized performance and premium designs, which necessitate higher price points. Apple’s current most affordable MacBook is the 13-inch MacBook Air with M4, which starts at $999. The most affordable Mac is the Mac mini, starting at $599 without a display or accessories.

Gurman believes the anticipated low-cost Mac laptop will sell for “well under $1,000,” as Apple will rely on cost-effective hardware across the board, including an iPhone processor and “lower-end LCD display.” Speaking of the screen, Gurman says it will be smaller than the 13.6-inch display on the MacBook Air, although only “slightly.”

If the rumors are true, this would mark the first time Apple has ever put an iPhone processor into a Mac. However, iPhone chips have generally worked well in iPad tablets, even though the iPad Pro transitioned to Apple’s M-series computer chips for recent models.

As for why Apple might use an A-series iPhone chip rather than just using older M-series chips in a low-cost Mac, it stands to reason that Apple would prefer to make more of the current A-series chips than to dedicate manufacturing efforts to restarting older M-series production. The company is also committed to AI, which was not as heavy of a focus when designing the initial M-series chips.

“A much cheaper Mac that maintains Apple’s design and works smoothly with the company’s other products could spur a new wave of Mac adoption — particularly in the US, where the iPhone dominates,” Gurman speculates, noting that Apple’s overall computer market share trails behind three companies, Lenovo, HP, and Dell, which all make low-cost laptops.

Beyond this expected low-cost MacBook, Gurman adds that Apple plans to release M5 and M5 Pro Mac mini configurations and an M5 Ultra Mac Studio at some point, adding that a totally redesigned MacBook Pro with M6 and an OLED touchscreen is planned for much farther down the road, late 2026 or maybe even early 2027. “Apple will debut two new external Mac displays as well,” the analyst adds.