An Affordable MacBook? Apple Likely To Launch Low-Cost Macs That You Can Buy For Rs 55,000

In a significant shift in strategy, Apple is preparing to enter the low-cost laptop market, in an attempt to rival Chromebooks, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

It appears the company is developing a budget-friendly version of Mac, which is aimed at luring away Chromebooks and entry-level Windows PCs and could be worth around $600, which translates to just Rs 55,000.

Apple also wants to attract would-be iPad buyers who prefer a more traditional laptop experience.

The project is codenamed J700, and the machine is currently in active testing at Apple and in early production with overseas supplies, the report adds.

Apple plans to launch the product by the first half of next year and will be priced less than the $1,000 price tag for the current generation of MacBook Air.

However, the product will feature less-advanced components and will have inferior build quality. Apple plans to power the budget Mac using an iPhone processor and a lower-end LCD display.

The report suggests the Budget Mac will also be the smallest among the current generation of Macs, coming in just below the 13.6-inch screen used in the MacBook Air.

This will be the first time Apple will be using an iPhone processor to power a Mac. Internal tests have shown that iPhone processors can perform better than Mac-optimised chips, with Apple itself using iPhone chips to power iPads previously.

Apple does advertise a 'laptop-like setup' that is cheaper than the MacBook Air in the form of an iPad and an add-on Magic Keyboard, which costs a combined $600. Gurman suggests the new budget laptop could be priced in the same range, but incorporate a bigger battery and offer the macOS infrastructure.

Apple has previously dabbled in the lower-price laptop segment by experimenting with a highly-discounted M1 MacBook. But this promises to be an entirely new device and not a lower-priced older model.