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ZDNET's key takeaways
Apple could be developing a new budget-friendly MacBook for around $599.
Rumors state it would house an A18 Pro chipset -- the processor found in the iPhone 16 Pro.
Despite corroboration by industry experts, information is speculative.
About a month ago, rumors starting surfacing that Apple was developing a lightweight MacBook that runs on iPhone hardware. Notable Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo supported the rumors in a post on X in July, claiming the company was currently working on a "more-affordable MacBook" running on the A18 Pro chipset -- the same one found in the iPhone 16 Pro -- instead of an M-series processor.
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Tech news site DigiTimes claims to have recently spoken to an insider with intimate knowledge of this laptop, suggesting the device will cost somewhere between $599 and $699: much cheaper than the M4 MacBook Air's starting price of $999.
Even more notable is the alleged timing of such a product: releasing this fall, just as millions of PC users are looking for a new computer when Microsoft pulls the plug on support for Windows 10.
(Even more) lightweight
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