MANILA, Philippines – Apple has teased a new product launch on March 4, 2026. The rumor mill seems to be pointing towards a budget-friendly MacBook that is pegged to cost below $1,000. With the recent launch of the MacBook Pro M5, Apple has built a long runway for its Apple Silicon chips on MacOS, iPadOS, and iOS devices for the past five cycles. This means that a budget-friendly MacBook will most likely run on Apple’s iPhone SoC, probably the A17 series from older models. This has been done before, with Apple releasing more affordable iPad models running on A-series chips side by side their more premium M-series release.
If confirmed, the new MacBook aims to target a larger mass-market, as Apple has been deploying a new subscription tier for their Creator Studio apps that include Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, making these software more accessible. Since this will be classified as a “budget” portable, Apple has been known to not scrimp on design materials so the expectation is that the chassis will still be made from aluminum with probably less ports and a downgraded display.
(Editor’s Note: Placeholder image was generated using Nano Banana)