- Apple could ship its affordable MacBook in quantities of up to 8 million
- New rumor notes this would represent 25% of Mac sales in 2025
- In short, the company might have big plans for its wallet-friendly device and have the wherewithal to price it temptingly in this unfavorable climate.
Apple’s affordable MacBook is rumored to be an important part of the company’s laptop sales strategy, based on the latest chatter from the grapevine.
Mac Observer spotted a post from eyes1122 releasing new information about the MacBook. He’s a Korean tech blogger with supply chain ties who has done things well in the past, but obviously still needs to be taken with a lot of seasoning.
The leaker claims that Apple has big plans for this cheaper MacBook, and this (as translated by Google): “Annual shipments of this model are expected to reach approximately 5.5 million units. [to] 7.9 million units, accounting for about 25% of the total sales of the Mac series last year. »
In short, this will not be a relatively specialized version, equivalent to an iPhone SE, but rather a major effort to advance Mac sales.
As we’ve heard before, this MacBook is expected to reduce its price by using an iPhone processor (likely the A18 Pro chip), and also upgrading to 8GB of system RAM, which would be an obvious saving in the current memory crisis.
We’re told that Apple’s “robust” supply chain management – contracts for parts and existing component inventories – means it will still be able to mass produce this cheaper MacBook, even with current RAM (and other) prices and supply headwinds.
This sentiment was echoed by another recent report from Taiwan’s Mirror Daily, highlighted by leaker Jukan on X, which claims that rising RAM prices won’t stop the launch of Apple’s new entry-level MacBook this year. Again, we’re told it will use the A18 processor and 8GB of RAM, and will cost between $699 and $799 in the US (and other currencies).
This other report also reflects the buoyant sales forecast issued by Eyes1122, and all of this lends even more weight to the idea that this MacBook could be ready to go soon. Previous rumors pointed to a spring 2026 launch, which could happen as soon as next month, in theory, and probably before May.
Analysis: a big opportunity for Apple – but is 8 GB still sustainable?
It seems that Apple has sufficient reserve stock for MacBook production, which theoretically allows it to continue the launch of this new entry-level model without blinking in the face of the RAM crisis that is currently raging. That’s not terribly surprising, given the MacBook maker’s influence, but even so, the amount claimed for this launch, as circulated here, is a shock, if true.
Another surprise here is eyes1122 who notes that the price of this MacBook “might be lower than expected,” although it’s hard to imagine Apple aiming for, say, a $599 model with the current state of the PC industry (with the prices of everything rising). It seems likely that Apple could settle for a higher MSRP than that and still provide excellent value for money.
Of course, it all depends on the quality of this affordable MacBook. In addition to the iPhone chip and 8GB of RAM, we can also expect corners to be cut with the screen, and the chassis and overall build likely won’t be as premium as other MacBooks. There have to be compromises, of course, but the question remains what effect this might have – and we have no idea at this point from mere rumors.
One thing is quite clear, however: if Apple goes back to 8 GB with a MacBook, it is reversing its recent policy of not having Macs with less than 16 GB. As you probably haven’t failed to notice, 8 GB is rather frowned upon in the world of contemporary laptops. Indeed, I wrote a long article about this amount of RAM and whether or not it is suitable for a laptop in 2026 if you want to explore that in more depth.
In a nutshell, at least for everyday computing, you can still get by with 8GB in 2026, but it’s far from ideal, especially when it comes to considerations around any kind of future-proofing. And interestingly,eyes1122 observes that thanks to the way Apple has integrated macOS and its hardware, you can expect a “smooth user experience even with 8GB of RAM” (again, translation nuances may need to be taken into account, but you get the gist).
Especially when it comes to upcoming AI features, which, after all, are supposed to be the next big thing, I find it hard to believe that 8GB of RAM will be enough – but apparently the affordable MacBook will happily support Apple Intelligence, eyes1122 tells us. (Even though in truth, it really will be necessary).
So there are some conflicting ideas between the (rumored) design and reality of this laptop, and I don’t think the path is at all clear for a MacBook with 8GB come 2030 – you’ll want the laptop to last a few years, of course. But that said, there’s no doubt that a very temptingly priced MacBook could really boost Mac sales, and if Apple releases the device in the quantity theorized here, it’s not impossible that the laptop could account for a large portion of the company’s PC sales, given the current climate of rising prices elsewhere among laptop makers.
With a release seemingly on the horizon now, it shouldn’t be long before we receive more rumors – and we’ll find out more of the likely truth about this alleged entry-level MacBook. If Apple really plans to go all-in with this device as suggested, it will certainly mean interesting times ahead – and some much-needed relief on the value front in the laptop sector this year.
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