There are whispers that Apple is developing a budget MacBook. And not merely “affordable for a Mac,” but an actual cost-effective laptop, potentially as low as $599. For a brand that has historically focused on the upper-tier segment, this marks a significant shift.
Naturally, Apple is proud of its aesthetics and design. Thus, the company will not just repurpose a MacBook Air’s components, encase them in a low-cost shell, and call it a day. Instead, it seems Apple is developing a more compact laptop, featuring a lower-resolution display and an “entirely new look” based around an iPhone processor.
This chip could be a variant of the A19 found in contemporary iPhone models, though analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicated earlier this year that Apple was exploring a laptop utilizing last year’s A18.
If the notion of a compact, budget laptop built on an ultra-low-power chip feels reminiscent, it should — we previously labeled them netbooks. Netbooks surged to popularity during a peculiar period in the late 2000s, as we shifted toward a web-centric computing landscape.
What distinguished netbooks from other laptops was their emphasis on portability, battery longevity, and prices that were shockingly low, often at great expense. The original netbook, the ASUS Eee PC, came in two dimensions (7 inches or 10 inches) and operated on Intel’s entry-level Celeron M processor. However, even that sluggish, energy-efficient CPU was deemed too taxing for the compact Eee PC, prompting ASUS to underclock it to a mere 630 MHz. (Indeed, back in 2007, CPU speeds were quantified in MHz, not GHz.)
Intel acknowledged this budding trend and manufactured specific CPUs for the netbooks dubbed Atom. In many respects, Atom processors were Intel’s response to the growing strength of ARM, eventually laying the groundwork for its tablet and smartphone initiatives. This is essentially the inverse of Apple’s approach, which has taken its mobile A-series processor and adapted it for laptop use. (And now appears to be reverting back, it seems.)
As we now know, netbooks did not endure for long. Several factors contributed to their decline. For one, most were never truly exceptional. The less terrible ones tended to be somewhat pricier. You could acquire a 7-inch Eee PC for roughly $200, but a more capable model, such as an HP Mini 210 HD, could cost around $385 in 2010, based on configuration. Adjusted for inflation, that amounts to just over $577. As conventional laptop prices decreased, this no longer appeared to be an appealing deal.
However, two principal factors are undoubtedly the rise of the Chromebook and the iPad. (We will reserve the Chromebook discussion for another occasion.) The iPad debuted in 2010 and quickly started consuming netbook’s market share. By 2012, tablets had overtaken netbooks, and by 2013, netbooks were practically obsolete. While some still existed, and a spiritual successor had emerged in the Chromebook, the iPad played a significant role in the netbook’s swift and dramatic demise.
Many tasks typically performed on a netbook — web browsing, email checks, voicing opinions on what was then known as Twitter — became better suited for the iPad. And, when paired with a Bluetooth keyboard, the iPad transformed into a competent productivity device, assuming your expectations were low enough.
Thus, the netbook has faded into obscurity.
However, this upcoming, more affordable MacBook, at least on paper, appears to be drawing some inspiration from the netbook concept. Some users simply might never adapt to the workflow of a tablet and keyboard combination. Therefore, Apple could be providing them with an authentic laptop format.
While specific screen dimensions remain uncertain, it is anticipated to be smaller than the existing 13.6-inch MacBook Air. This could potentially mean 13.3 inches, although Apple might revive the 12-inch format or even reconsider the 11-inch size of its most compact Air model. This is encroaching on netbook territory.
Combine all this with a mobile-centric SoC that can manage everyday usage and web browsing effectively, yet will likely struggle with demanding tasks like video editing or gaming, and you’ve got something that resembles the original vision for a netbook if you ask me. Apple will undoubtedly avoid labeling its new budget MacBook as a netbook, but perhaps by steering clear of the name, it might manage to make them popular again.
