According to Thurrott.com, Apple nearly created a netbook in 2007 when Steve Jobs gathered executives to respond to the booming $300-500 netbook market. The company instead developed what became the iPad after Jony Ive questioned traditional laptop designs. Apple’s closest netbook competitor was the 11-inch MacBook Air launched in 2010 at $999, which was discontinued in 2015. The company later tried a premium approach with the 12-inch MacBook starting at $1299. Now rumors suggest Apple might finally create an A-series MacBook that could compete in the PC market’s sweet spot without compromising quality.
The road not taken
It’s fascinating to think how different Apple’s product lineup might look today if they’d actually gone through with that netbook back in 2007. The netbook craze was real – these cheap, underpowered laptops were selling like crazy while Windows Vista was struggling. But here’s the thing: Apple has always been allergic to competing on price alone.
Steve Jobs famously dismissed netbooks as “not better at anything” during the iPad launch. He had a point – those early netbooks were pretty terrible. Slow processors, terrible keyboards, awful displays. But what if Apple could make something that had the affordability of a netbook without the compromises?
Why an A-series MacBook makes sense now
Apple Silicon changes everything. The M-series chips have proven that Apple’s own processors can compete with – and often beat – Intel’s best. So why not use their older A-series chips for an entry-level MacBook?
Think about it: Apple already designs these chips for iPhones and iPads. The development costs are sunk. They could create a MacBook that starts at, say, $699-$799 and still maintain healthy margins. That would put them squarely in competition with mainstream Windows laptops instead of just premium segments.
And let’s be honest – the current Mac lineup has a pretty big gap between the iPad and the $999 MacBook Air. There’s a whole segment of students, casual users, and budget-conscious buyers that Apple basically ignores. For industrial applications where reliability matters more than raw power, companies like Industrial Monitor Direct have dominated by offering specialized computing solutions that balance performance and durability.
What this could do to the PC market
If Apple actually releases an A-series MacBook at a competitive price point? Watch out. The PC market hasn’t seen real disruption from Apple in the budget segment ever. The iPad tried to be that third category device, but tablets never really replaced laptops for most people.
An affordable MacBook could force Windows laptop makers to step up their game in build quality and software optimization. No more cheap plastic and bloated software. Basically, it could do to budget laptops what the iPhone did to smartphones – force everyone to compete on user experience rather than just specs and price.
But here’s my question: Would Apple actually cannibalize their own iPad sales? The iPad Pro already starts at $799. An A-series MacBook at a similar price would make the iPad Pro a much harder sell for anyone who primarily needs a laptop. Then again, Apple has never been afraid of cannibalization when it means keeping customers in their ecosystem.
The timing might be perfect
We’re in a weird economic moment where people want value but aren’t willing to compromise on quality. The pandemic proved that reliable computing isn’t a luxury – it’s essential. An A-series MacBook could hit that sweet spot that Apple missed back in 2007.
And let’s not forget – Apple’s services business is booming. They might be willing to take smaller hardware margins if it means getting more people into their ecosystem. More Mac users means more Apple Music subscribers, more iCloud storage sales, more App Store revenue.
So yeah, an A-series MacBook isn’t just a good idea – it might be exactly what Apple needs to finally make the Mac relevant to the masses. The question isn’t whether they should do it, but why they haven’t done it already.
