Apple rumored to launch ‘low-cost’ MacBook next year for students
Apple is reportedly developing a new MacBook that it intends to launch as a rival to the Chromebook, with the hope of targeting students and increasing the use of the Mac in the education sector, according to DigiTimes.
The paywalled report, via MacRumors, suggests that the new Mac, which will be a new addition to the existing MacBook lineup, could have a new outer appearance made of “different materials” than those used on the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.
The report claims that the components inside the new low-cost MacBook will be less expensive than those used in Apple’s current Mac lineup, helping reduce the price of the machines to better compete with the Chromebook.
While it’s conceivable that Apple is exploring strategies to appeal to a broader student demographic, this particular report marks the first instance where it explicitly asserts the development of an entirely new Mac model for this very purpose. Therefor, we suggest taking the report with a pinch of salt.