Apple May Release Budget MacBooks For Less Than $800 in 2024
Apple plans to launch affordable MacBook models in 2024 as the company looks to build its market position and get more people to buy MacBooks next year. According to reports, Apple will bring the new MacBooks in 12-inch and 13-inch versions, but we’re sure everyone’s curious about the potential “affordable” tag of these rumored Macs.
It looks like Apple wants to bring these MacBooks for around $700 (roughly Rs. 56,800), which will push the starting price well above the cost of the current MacBook lineup. Apple sees the need for another MacBook lineup to sit below the MacBook Air and Pro models, which frankly are no longer affordable for most consumers.
The new Macs compete with Google in the Chromebook category, which seems pretty ambitious given that the latter is priced well under $300 in most markets.
Another reason for bringing in budget MacBooks could be the decline in demand for iPads, especially in the education segment, where Apple sees the potential to market these upcoming Macs and help build its revenue stream in the market. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that Apple could aim for around 10 million of these MacBooks per year.
When you hear about the plan behind these MacBooks, it sounds like a business strategy that could help Apple offset declining iPad revenue and target a new segment that clearly needs a Chromebook alternative. In fact, if the company can bring these MacBooks under Rs 60,000 in a market like India, Apple could make a serious dent in the market share of popular brands like HP, Dell, Lenovo and others. The festive sale is a clear indication of how the right price of a MacBook can bring thousands of Macs to pick up in the country.
It would be a challenge to price the products aggressively if they were imported, but even then, consumers were happy to jump at the chance to upgrade to a MacBook, which has an iPhone-like target value for many. However, Apple needs to make sure that the low-cost label is not misleading and that it uses quality materials and features to manufacture the product.
