More signs point to Apple's mystery MacBook with an iPhone chip
Receive the latest Apple news
Subscribe
By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy
Would you buy an iPhone-chip-powered MacBook?
Yep, I'd love a budget MacBook.
Not sure, it depends on how 'affordable' it would be.
No, I'm a MacBook Pro-type user.
Yep, I'd love a budget MacBook.
0%
Not sure, it depends on how 'affordable' it would be.
0%
No, I'm a MacBook Pro-type user.
0%
Grab Surfshark VPN now at more than 50% off and with 3 extra months for free!
Secure your connection now at a bargain price!
We may earn a commission if you make a purchase
Check Out The Offer
On Monday, reputable tipster Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that Apple may be planning to launch a budget-friendly new MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. Now, MacRumors is adding to this report a surprising twist – apparently, hints about this device's existence were noticed earlier, all the way back in the summer of last year.The folks at MacRumors have reportedly found hints in back-end code. Kuo claims the new laptop may feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options with silver, blue, pink, and yellow. Meanwhile, the device was referenced in backend code related to Apple Intelligence last summer.MacRumors then confirmed it was using an A18 Pro chip. The device sports the identifier "Mac17,1", reportedly.The new mysterious MacBook would be the first Mac to be powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip is currently powering the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, which were released back in September of last year.So far, all Apple-silicon-powered Macs have contained processors from the M-series. These processors feature higher core counts and support larger amounts of memory, all things important when it comes to laptops. Also, M-series chips offer better external display support. But apparently, this new MacBook with A18 Pro may be a budget device, so an ultra-fast performance may not be its key selling point.Reportedly, this mysterious MacBook may enter mass production late in the fourth quarter of 2025 or even early in the first quarter of 2026. This pretty much means the device may be launched in the first half of next year.Apart from that, there's not too much known about it at this moment. Right now, Apple isn't really offering a 'budget' MacBook, and the cheapest models from the company are the MacBook Air series.The lowest config of an M4 MacBook Air costs $999.00 though. We don't have a potential price of the MacBook with A18 Pro, we've only heard it would be 'budget', so we'll have to wait and see how much cheaper than the base config of the MacBook Air M4 it would be.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Phone Arena
2 hours ago
- Phone Arena
Apple just asked Vision Pro users something it never dared to before
Apple appears to be doing more than just listening — it's actively probing the mixed reality landscape. A new user survey sent to Vision Pro owners this week includes a revealing set of questions about competing devices, including Meta's Quest headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses. Apple's latest Vision Pro survey hints at growing interest in the smart glasses market. | Image credit — PhoneArena The bulk of the survey asks Vision Pro users about the usual fare: comfort, display clarity, Guest Mode usefulness, and whether they use accessories like the external battery clip or optional travel case. But buried in the list are questions aimed squarely at Apple's competition — something the company doesn't always acknowledge so asks users whether they own a Meta Quest 3, Quest Pro, PlayStation VR, Valve Index, or other VR headsets — all of which are direct or indirect competitors in the XR (extended reality) space. Probably the more interesting part to take notice of here is that Apple is also asking about smart glasses in its questionnaire, listing Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, Amazon's Echo Frames, and Snapchat Spectacles. Apple doesn't currently offer any smart glasses of its own, but based on this line of questioning — and previous rumors — it seems increasingly clear that it wants to enter that space soon. Apple's first smart glasses are expected in 2027 with audio, cameras, and AI-powered awareness. | Image credit — EverythingApplePro According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple's first-generation smart glasses are already deep in development, with a launch currently expected in 2027. The Apple Glasses — as we are currently calling them — will reportedly feature audio playback, integrated cameras, voice and gesture controls, and even some AI-powered environmental awareness. In other words, they'll be positioned to compete with Meta's Ray-Bans (not full-on AR headsets) as Apple builds its wearable ecosystem. Kuo also believes Apple is preparing a separate pair of 'XR Glasses' with a built-in display, scheduled for 2028, and a lightweight Vision Air headset set for 2027. The Vision Air will reportedly weigh 40% less than today's Vision Pro and cost significantly less thanks to iPhone-grade internals and simplified optics. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's roadmap for Apple's XR upcoming devices. | Image credit — Ming-Chi Kuo The fact that Apple is now surveying users about Ray-Ban-style wearables might suggest the company is taking those devices and the market segment they represent very seriously. With Meta gaining traction in the smart glasses space through partnerships with Ray-Ban, and Amazon iterating on its Echo Frames, Apple seems keen to understand user awareness and expectations before entering the race. That's a smart move, especially with Apple's Vision Pro still positioned as a premium niche product. The company likely sees future success in lower-cost, lightweight, AI-enabled wearables — and surveys like this one help shape the roadmap. Funny thing is that Apple is still lagging behind on the AI front, with its "smart" assistant severely outpaced by the competition. That said, the company's continued interest in XR wearables implies that it feels confident in catching up. For now, it's unclear whether Apple is leaning toward a 2026 or 2027 release for its first smart glasses. My guess would be late 2027, as we expect the more advanced AI features and the long-awaited Siri 2.0 in 2026, so I doubt that Apple would be ready with its first pair of XR glasses too. But with internal research, roadmap leaks, and public signals like this survey all pointing in the same direction, Apple's next big wearable push might already be taking shape. We might not have to wait until next year to see new XR hardware from Apple. An updated version of the Vision Pro is reportedly set to launch later this year, likely alongside the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro — which are expected to debut in September. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
Phone Arena
2 hours ago
- Phone Arena
One UI 8 Beta 3 brings a weirdly charming AI feature
The third One UI 8 beta for the Galaxy S25 has just started rolling out. Every new beta version brings small changes and tweaks here and there. This third beta now brings some improvements for Samsung's Now Brief, and more specifically, some AI tricks. Now Brief is gaining some new AI smarts with this third beta of One UI 8 . Now, the feature will notify you about incoming events, and in particular, about birthdays. It will even provide an option to send an AI-generated birthday card to the person in question. When you tap on the option, it will take you to a pop-up window where you can provide info to generate a birthday card. You are also able to choose between different art styles in which you wish the image to be generated. Then, you can send this AI-generated birthday card to the contact with just a couple of taps. Meanwhile, One UI 8 's third beta also brings parking spot reminders, incoming event reminders, smart home alerts, and more to Now Brief. So far, it seems that the beta program is going smoothly. We may expect a couple more beta builds to be released in the coming weeks, and then, the stable version should be next. Samsung is rumored to have One UI 8 installed on the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 out of the box, and supported phones should get it in the following months. Meanwhile, the third beta appears to have a minimal number of bugs and no major issues have been noticed so far. Now Brief is a feature Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S25 series. It provides you with a summary of important things for you, based on AI's estimations. These briefings include a briefing for the morning with the weather, energy score, events, and other useful things. You also get those at other times of the day. Samsung is progressing steadily with One UI 8 . Meanwhile, the company's biggest competitor, Apple, has recently announced a complete revamp of its OS with iOS 26 that features a redesign with a Liquid Glass look. Apple didn't talk as much about AI during WWDC this year, and it seems it's betting on the redesign and new refinements to win hearts over. Samsung's One UI 8 is not a huge update, unlike One UI 7, and it focuses on refining things and adding useful features here and there. As for the birthday card AI trick, I personally think that the new addition to the Now Brief may be useful for people I don't know as well. For my close friends, I prefer to personalize a message, even better – call them and see them in person with a gift. But for acquaintances, I think it's useful for AI to generate something fun for a birthday card. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
Phone Arena
3 hours ago
- Phone Arena
Debate about whether T-Mobile or Verizon is the best may have finally been settled
T-Mobile and Verizon have been beefing over which company is the best overall and connectivity insights firm Opensignal appears to have settled the debate. Last month, T-Mobile asserted that tests conducted between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025 by Ookla had established that it had the best mobile network in the US. While T-Mobile has often boasted about being the leader in individual categories, this was the first time it claimed to be leading in most metrics. Verizon shot back a day later, claiming it had the fastest and most reliable network in the country. The company expanded on that by saying that RootMetrics, which it finds to be more reliable, says that it's ahead of T-Mobile . Customers don't necessarily care which company is the absolute best as long as the service is reliable in their area. But for anyone keeping score, T-Mobile may be slightly better. T-Mobile topped the majority of metrics. | Image Credit - Opensignal As first reported by Light Reading , Opensignal, which considers itself the "global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences", conducted a test between February 1 and May 1, and concluded that T-Mobile provides the best overall experience. T-Mobile dominated in most categories, including Reliability Experience, Consistent Quality, Download Speed Experience (177.5Mbps), and 5G Download Speed Experience (252.4Mbps). The company was the top performer in nine categories. Verizon ranked highest in five categories, including 5G Video Experience and Coverage Experience. AT&T came out ahead in just one category — Availability. This means that AT&T users were connected to mobile data more often throughout the day than T-Mobile and Verizon customers. It's not surprising to see T-Mobile outrank its biggest competitors, given its technological lead in foundational areas. When you look at individual scores for each category, there isn't a huge variation between AT&T , T-Mobile , and Verizon , except when it comes to overall download and upload speeds. So while it might not be wrong to say that T-Mobile is the current industry leader, it doesn't have a huge lead, which is why it should reconsider making network leadership a centerpiece of its communications. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
