Apple still planning a much-cheaper MacBook – and it could arrive earlier than expected

Apple only recently announced its new iPad Pro (M5) and MacBook Pro (M5), both of which run on the latest Apple M-series silicon, but both also sit at the higher end of the company’s iPad and Mac portfolios when it comes to price.

Sure, the MacBook Pro (M5) is the entry-level model into the Pro-standard series, but it still starts at over £1,500. That's a third more expensive than the starting price of the cheaper MacBook Air (M4).

But there has been a suggestion Apple is working on a new MacBook that won’t just come in under the new MacBook Pro (M5), but the MacBook Air (M4) too.

The first rumours appeared back in the summer, when analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said a cheaper MacBook could be on the horizon, powered by an iPhone chip (specifically the A18 Pro that runs the iPhone 16 Pro) rather than the M-series hardware.

What do we know so far about a cheaper MacBook?

That rumour has now been supported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, adding significant weight to the idea. Gurman’s comments were picked up by 9to5Mac and suggest the cheaper MacBook is code-named J700 and will cost considerably less than $1,000.

In the report on Bloomberg, Gurman said: “Apple plans to sell the new machine for well under $1,000 by using less-advanced components. The laptop will rely on an iPhone processor and a lower-end LCD display.

"The screen will also be the smallest of any current Mac, coming in at slightly below the 13.6-inch one used in the MacBook Air.”

He also said the machine was “currently in active testing at Apple and in early production with overseas suppliers”, adding that “the Cupertino, California-based company plans to launch it in the first half of next year”.

While there has been no official confirmation from Apple itself, Gurman is often a reliable source and there’s definitely a place for a smaller and cheaper MacBook to compete with Chromebooks and lower-end Windows PCs.

For now, we will have to wait and see when it might arrive, how much it might cost, and what processor it will run on. But we will be keeping out eyes peeled for this one.