The long-awaited low-cost MacBook powered by an A18 Pro chip is now expected to launch on March 4. It will reportedly be priced somewhere around $700, making it significantly cheaper than an entry-level MacBook Air.
Given that the upcoming machine is likely to meet the needs of a great many of those who currently opt for the MacBook Air, it could cannibalize a lot of sales. One possible solution to this is to use the strategy Apple once adopted with the iBook and Powerbook lineups …
The cannibalization problem
A lot of those who buy the MacBook Air have extremely undemanding needs. They use their machines for tasks like email, web browsing and writing, none of which require much in the way of CPU or GPU performance.
While I’m sure there will be those who will poke fun at a MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, the reality is that the A18 Pro is a very respectable processor, and more than capable of meeting these kinds of needs. This potentially means that a sizable chunk of the MacBook Air market could instead opt to spend considerably less money on the low-cost MacBook.
Apple has said in the past that it isn’t afraid of cannibalizing its own products – as if it doesn’t, then someone else will. However, that’s not really true when it comes to the MacBook Air. No other laptop maker has succeeded in winning much of this business, despite respectable attempts like the Dell XPS 13 and ASUS Zenbook 14. Most MacBook Air buyers definitely want an Apple laptop.
The launch of a $700 MacBook could potentially end up costing Apple a significant number of $1,000 sales.
Apple’s Powerbook versus iBook strategy
It’s not the first time Apple has faced this kind of problem. In 1999, the company introduced a new laptop aimed at students and consumers known as the iBook. However, the company didn’t want to cannibalize its existing Powerbook lineup aimed at business users.
Exactly the same circumstances applied. The iBook would serve the needs of many business users with undemanding needs, and the company could potentially have ended up downselling many buyers to the cheaper model.
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