Apple could be bringing MacBooks to the masses with two new low-cost laptops — what we know so far

2023 MacBook Air 15-inch M2 shown open on a surface — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

If you’ve been thinking about picking up one of the best MacBooks, you may want to wait until next year, especially if the MacBook Pro is out of your price range and the MacBook Air just doesn’t have enough ports.

Even though Apple discontinued its MacBook line back in 2019, rumors have begun circulating that the company could add several new low-cost MacBooks to its offerings in 2024.

Even if you’re not a student, these new low-cost MacBooks could be the best laptop for you and your budget as they’re rumored to sell for $700 or less. As Apple has yet to announce them or even confirm their existence at this point, like with all rumors, you’d be best to take this one with a grain of salt. Still though, if a new MacBook is sitting on your wish list, you might be better off waiting instead of trying to pick one up on the cheap during Black Friday.

Outlook: Apple never should have killed the MacBook

The MacBook Pro is an excellent machine for getting things done while the MacBook Air offers a lot of power in an extremely portable package. These two laptops have professionals and business users covered but what about everyone else?

This is where the MacBook fit into Apple’s lineup before it was discontinued a few years ago. Not everyone needs all of the additional power that MacBook Pro offers and some people would rather have more ports instead of the portability of the MacBook Air.

At the same time, not everyone wants to bring a $1000+ laptop with them when working out in public. Sometimes, a cheaper, less powerful laptop is perfect for the task at hand like answering emails or doing coursework for university. Plus, if your MacBook gets stolen or damaged, it’s a lot cheaper and easier to replace than a much pricier MacBook Pro.

We’ve heard rumors of Apple launching a cheaper MacBook for years now but with the sudden downturn in MacBook sales, now seems like the perfect time to bring this discontinued laptop back from the past. It could also be a way to win over Windows users that are used to spending quite a lot less on a budget laptop.

With Apple’s ‘scary fast’ event scheduled for next week, we could see this low-cost MacBooks revealed sooner rather than later. However, with its new M3 chips being the focus of the event, that seems unlikely but you can’t blame us for hoping.

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Anthony Spadafora is the managing editor for security and home office furniture at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches to password managers and the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. He also reviews standing desks, office chairs and other home office accessories with a penchant for building desk setups. Before joining the team, Anthony wrote for ITProPortal while living in Korea and later for TechRadar Pro after moving back to the US. Based in Houston, Texas, when he’s not writing Anthony can be found tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.