There has been a lot of discussion in recent weeks about Apple’s new notebook series, which will probably be released next week. Visually it should be colorful, but in terms of price it should be comparatively cheap. In our reports yesterday we already reported that the current price trend in the market forced Apple to abandon the even more aggressive plans of $599 for the base model. It also discussed how Apple can reduce costs. A post has now appeared on the Chinese platform Weibo that goes into even more detail about this. High-quality exterior, compromises on the inside
Apple has little leeway when it comes to the casing, as the company will certainly focus on a high-quality appearance despite the lower prices. A big factor, however, is the use of an iPhone chip (A18 Pro) – but the Weibo entry lists other aspects:
- Slower SSD speed
- Production optimization with fewer storage options (256 and 512 GB only) – possibly with a 128 GB variant for education
- 8GB RAM, possibly without upgrade option
- No keyboard lighting
- Display without True Tone, extended color space and with lower brightness
- Cheap WiFi/Bluetooth chip from Mediatek instead of N1
- Lower charging speed, no fast charging
- Headphone jack without high impedance
Clear differentiation from more expensive Apple notebooks
The points mentioned not only serve to push down the prices of the MacBook, but also fulfill another task: The position of the MacBook Air is certainly not jeopardized by this, and cannibalization is unlikely. In the past, Apple has always been clever at never making serious competition to higher-margin devices with cheaper offers. According to all previous reports, this statement applies equally to the expected MacBook – which is more likely to attract new groups of buyers than to encourage previous users of a MacBook Air or Pro to switch.
