It seems that Apple is preparing to introduce a low-cost Mac laptop in the first half of 2026. According to BloombergSuch a system is in early production at the company’s foreign suppliers and Apple is testing the devices internally.
Apple’s goal with this laptop, according to the report, is to move people away from Chromebooks and cheap Windows PCs and toward its own ecosystem. The company is said to be building the system with casual users, students and businesses in mind – the kind of people who use laptops for tasks like web browsing, light multimedia editing and working on documents. Apple also reportedly plans to target the system at potential iPad buyers who would still prefer to have a traditional laptop.
The laptop is said to have a new design with a “low-end LCD display” and is expected to be powered by an iPhone A-series processor that is said to offer better performance than the M1. It’s also likely to have a smaller screen than the 13.6-inch MacBook Air.
Performance is important, but price will be crucial if Apple really wants to compete with the proliferation of Chromebooks and entry-level Windows devices. The company is said to be ready to sell this Mac for “well under $1,000.” Chromebooks and Windows laptops typically sell for a few hundred dollars. High-end Chromebooks cost around $600, so Apple would probably have to sell this laptop for $700 or less to make a real splash.
Apple has traditionally focused on making premium devices, but it would be a good time for the company to enter the lower end of the market. Microsoft is end support for Windows 10even on devices that do not support Windows 11 and owners of such systems (including businesses) may need to purchase new laptops in the near future to have the latest security updates.
