Apple will reportedly launch a cheaper MacBook next year if M3 laptops don’t sell well – but that MacBook is already here.
We’re about to witness Apple’s strangest MacBook event in the company’s history. It’s not just that Apple will hold the October 30th event at an unusual time, 8:00 PM EST. It’s about the real possibility of Apple unveiling the M3 System-on-Chip (SoC) series, without actually launching a new M3 MacBook Air. Instead, the company might deliver the more powerful M3 Pro and M3 Max versions that will power updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
It’s all about the bottom line, Ming-Chi Kuo speculates. The well-known Apple insider is usually accurate with his Apple scoops. But his prediction that Apple won’t launch new Macs this winter is apparently wrong. At least one new Mac should come out of that “Scary fast” event next week.
Correcting course, Kuo says that Apple is planning the unusual M3 launch move to improve MacBook sales. If that’s not going to happen soon, Apple might release a low-cost MacBook next year to prop up sales. Apple has reportedly not decided, but I think the answer is staring us in the face. The low-cost MacBook is already here. Apple only needs to tweak it and re-release it.
The rumors
“As far as I know, Apple attributes the significant decline in MacBook shipments in 2023 mainly to the limited M2 computing power upgrade,” Kuo wrote on Twitter/X. “I believe this is why Apple may prefer to launch the M3 series MacBook Pro even when its production volume is still low rather than continue to ship the M2 series MacBook Pro. Theoretically, the M3 should offer a more significant boost in computing power.”
He continued, “However, if even the M3 can’t boost MacBook shipments, I think the likelihood of introducing the all-new design MacBook Pro in 2025 may increase,” he said. Furthermore, Apple may also consider (but hasn’t decided yet) introducing a more affordable MacBook model to boost shipments, with a target of 8-10+ million units per year.
