Little? Yellow? Different?
With media invites now out there, it sure looks like all systems are go for the long-rumored return of Apple's MacBook. Not the Air. Not the Pro. The first of its name. And a name Apple hasn't used since they killed off the last iteration in 2019. But a lot has changed since then. Most notably, Apple Silicon. Whereas the last MacBooks were either underpowered or overheating – or both – machines due to Intel's incompetence back then, we now live in an world without such concerns.1 As such, it's undoubtedly time to bring the brand back.
At the same time, the MacBook Air has basically become the MacBook. With the move away from the "tear drop" iconic design a few years back (just after the first M1 Airs), there's nothing decidedly Air about these machines. Sure, they're thin and light compared to the MacBook Pros, but certainly they could be thinner and lighter still with our new technologies. But Apple basically chose to stick with the name for marketing purposes. It works. Why mess with what works?
And so it sure seems like the new MacBook – if Apple does indeed decide to call it that2 – will go in a slightly different direction. It may end up the thinnest and lightest Mac, but that won't be the core selling point as it was with the last MacBook (and the original MacBook Airs). This one will be all about affordability. And yes. Colors.
This too has been rumored for months – and many of us have been clamoring for a return to the "fun" root of Apple's machines for far longer than that – but Mark Gurman has now seemingly confirmed one of the key selling points for Bloomberg:
Apple will market the machine to students and enterprise users and offer it in playful colors, going beyond the muted tones of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Over the past year, Apple has tested options such as light yellow, light green, blue, pink, classic silver and dark gray — though it’s unlikely all of these will ship. I expect the MacBook to launch as early as March, with Apple preparing for an event that month.
Such colors, of course, are echoed in the invites to Apple's special "experience" in early March. And after years of decidedly drab designs, at least from a color-perspective (iMacs and a few iPads aside), color seems to be gathering momentum within Apple once again, thanks in no small part to the orange – sorry, "Cosmic Orange" – iPhone, which is said to be driving a lot of Pro model sales. Might yellow, green, and pink do the same for the MacBook lineup?3
Regardless, the key selling point here will clearly be the price. Since the rumors started, my guess has firmly been in the $799 range. Certainly not the cheapest laptops on the market by any stretch, but a solid $200 below the MacBook Air entry point (student discounts aside). The more interesting question is what it means for the M1 variety of the MacBook Air that Apple has been selling with Walmart at $699 – or often lower, with deals. Presumably, the time for that machine is over, unless they update it with a newer 'M' variant? M2? M3?!
But that also would be a strange move given that these new would-be MacBooks are said to be using iPhone-class Apple Silicon – aka an A-series chip. That plus a new production process is all about keeping costs down. And presumably that will mean less RAM as well – the hottest topic in the industry right now.
All of that likely adds up to machines which are fully tailored for the budget-oriented shopper – which notably could include schools, in bulk. An area which Apple has oddly ceded in the past many years to Chromebooks and yes, Microsoft. iPads were good in classrooms for some things but as Apple more than anyone likes to remind us, iPads are not MacBooks! They're not laptops. They're different, even as they increasingly look and act the same. And even in 2026, students still need laptops.
Still, beyond the colors, I personally remain intrigued by this element of the machines:
The machine will feature other compromises — compared with the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro — including a slightly smaller display that’s just under 13 inches. But in one area, Apple isn’t cutting corners: build quality.
This goes back to the last MacBook, which had a 12" screen. I loved that form-factor and would be tempted by something slightly smaller than the current 13" MacBook Air. But probably only if it had incredible battery life and could be upgraded from what will undoubtedly be 8GB of RAM as the base.
Give me a 2lb (actually) yellow MacBook with 16GB of RAM and I might be very intrigued... Otherwise, it will be a great (and fun) machine for many, I assume.
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
1 An Apple world without Intel, at least for now... ↩
2 I mean, would they ever dare go back to "iBook"? I assume not given that the 'i' prefix seems to have run its course post-iPad. Then again, we still have iMacs... What about another 'MacBook' variant? ↩
3 Obviously, there is already a blue MacBook Air – I'm typing on it right now! – as well as silver and "gray" (or whatever name Apple chooses for the darker variety these days). I am curious if "yellow" and "pink" end up being far different than the previous "gold" and "rose gold" color configurations... ↩