Apple’s Secret Weapon Will Unlock A Revolutionary New MacBook

Detail of the Lightning ports on a 2019 MacBook Air laptop computer, taken on July 23, 2019. (Photo by Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Future Publishing via Getty Images

With the launch of the iPhone 17 Pro, Apple also released the Apple Silicon A19 Pro chipset. It’s expected to show up in the near future in the iPad Pro, but should Tim Cook and his team consider another destination? Could the A19 Pro unlock the path to a lighter and cheaper MacBook?

The Size Of A New MacBook

The idea of a smaller, lightweight MacBook has been around for some time. Apple has made a notable effort in the last decade with the 12-inch MacBook models released between 2015 and 2019. While these laptops had their fans, they were built around the Intel Core chipsets. In the smaller laptop form factor, these chips were underclocked to stay within thermal limits, leading to a loss of performance.

The move to Apple Silicon in 2020 saw the Mac platform unlock significant upgrades in performance while offering cooler running temperatures and improved battery efficiency. Those tangible advantages remain to this day, but Apple has yet to return to the smaller form factor. It, in fact, went the other way and finally released a larger 15-inch MacBook Air.

While there are smaller form factors of keyboard and screen in an almost clamshell layout, these have been the purview of Apple’s iPad range.

The Price Of A New MacBook

As well as being lightweight, the idea of a low-cost MacBook has always been in demand. Apple has kept the list price of its entry-level MacBooks at $999, although there are two notable exceptions to this. The first is the $100 educational discount, which brings the cost down to $899; however, it is not generally available.

The second is exclusive to Walmart, but is fully supported by Apple. The US retail chain has the original Apple Silicon MacBook Air M1 available for a list price of $649 (although it is available today for $599).

So Apple does sell a MacBook under the totemic $999 barrier, it just doesn’t have to show it on its website or any of its literature.

The Two Hearts Of A New MacBook

Apple has been reluctant to feed these demands over the last decade, but there are signs that the attitude is thawing. Tim Cook and his team now have a stack of real-world consumer information on a cheaper and lower-specced MacBook thanks to the Walmart offer. They also have the advances in the iPad design process (and the recently announced iPhone Air) in building lighter hardware that still delivers performance and endurance.

All that is needed now is to bring down the bill of materials to preserve the margin on this MacBook, and to set the specifications such that there’s enough value in the hardware for gentle processing, but a solid separation between the regular MacBooks, so there is an impetus for some to buy the higher-priced laptop.

A quandary that looks to be solved by the heart of the iPhone Pro.

The MacBook Potential Of The A19 Pro

Alongside the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple launched the A19 Pro chipset. Ahead of the retail sale, the benchmarks coming out (presumably from those reviewing the handsets) show that the A19 Pro’s numbers, at least for single-core calculations, are in the same region as the M4 MacBooks: the A19 Pro clocks in at an average of 3,758, the MacBook Air at 3,650, and the MacBook Pro at 3,850.

Multi-core performance is very much in favour of the laptops, with the M4 MacBook Pro more than doubling the A19 Pro performance. Yet, the goal for Apple here is not to match the expensive and professionally focused MacBook Pro models; it is to deliver a new class of MacBook with more flexibility at a more budget-friendly price point.

And there’s nothing to say that only the M-class chipsets can power MacBooks. After all, the A-class chips and the M-Class chips sit comfortably alongside each other in the iPad portfolio.

The Elements For A New MacBook

Apple has all the elements to hand to disrupt both the MacBook lineup and the broader world of Windows- and Chrome-powered laptops. Its iPad and iPhone releases demonstrate experience in lightweight hardware. With Walmart, it has gained the knowledge that a lower price can work. And now, with the A19 Pro, it has suitable silicon to drive a unique entry in the portfolio without cannibalising the Air or the Pro.

It’s time for a MacBook with the A19 Pro.

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