Can’t wait to see the rumored low-cost MacBook-MacBook E! pic.twitter.com/n2orr64wIy
– Ray Wong (@raywongy) 17 February 2026
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple may be hinting at the colors the long-rumored low-cost MacBook might launch in. In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple has “developed a new manufacturing process” that allows aluminum shells to be made faster. This may also be the reason why Apple is finally introducing more fun colors in its laptops. Gurman said Apple has also tested pink, silver and dark gray, but he doesn’t believe the low-cost MacBook will come in every tested shade.
This new MacBook is expected to be unusual for several reasons. The first, of course, is the price – it’s rumored to be a few hundred dollars less than the 13-inch MacBook Air with the M4 chip, which starts at $999. That laptop is arguably one of the best values you can buy, considering it has 16GB of RAM and a performant M4 chip, all packed into a slim design that weighs just 2.7 pounds. How much will Apple lower the price of a laptop that is expected to be priced under 13 inches? $799? $699? $599? At a time when electronics are becoming more expensive due to a severe shortage of RAM and storage – an industry problem created by AI data centers gobbling up components from suppliers – Apple has announced a laptop that costs less rather than more, which will win it a lot of points with consumers.
The other reason I’m so interested is that the laptop will reportedly be powered by an iPhone chip—the A18 Pro. For those keeping track, the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max have the same chip inside. If you’re looking at the A18 Pro chip and thinking that will be inadequate, let me remind you that according to Six Colors’ Jason Snell, it is “46% faster than the M1 on single-core tasks, and almost identical to the M1 on multi-core and graphics tasks.” For basic computing like web browsing, watching videos, and working with documents, this low-cost computer can really get the job done. In fact, it may even have better battery performance than the MacBook Air with M-series silicon.
And the third is, yes, color. Look, as much as I love silver and space gray, it’s time for Apple to mess with the MacBook. The iMac with the M4 chip has fun colors, so why not Apple’s laptops? A variety of colors will help market the low-cost MacBook as something boring.
New MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros too?
The lower-priced MacBook is expected to be the highlight of Apple’s March 4 event, but according to Gurman, we could also see a new MacBook Air with the M5 chip and updated 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with improved M5 Pro and M5 Max chips “over the next several weeks.” The Bloomberg reporter at the
“There’s also a new Mac Studio, iMac, and Mac mini this year. Huge year for the Mac. And that doesn’t even include the 2026 MacBook Pro with touch.”
iPhone 17e and new iPads
On the smartphone and tablet front, Apple may announce a refreshed version of its $599 iPhone 16e, which may be called the iPhone 17e. A more affordable iPhone with a 6-core CPU and 6-core GPU is reportedly “imminent,” according to Gurman.
Meanwhile, a 12th-generation entry-level iPad with an A18 chip could also be around the corner. Similarly, Gurman believes the new iPad Air with M4 chips is “coming soon.”
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