Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is reportedly planning to set foot in the low-cost laptop market with a new budget Mac. The tech giant aims to appeal to the customer base of Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google Chromebooks and entry-level Microsoft Corporation's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows PCs.
Budget Mac Will Target Students, Businesses And Casual Users
The device, codenamed J700, is designed for students, businesses and casual users. It is for people who do basic tasks like web surfing, working on documents and light editing, reported Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.
The device is currently being tested at Cupertino. The J700 is also in early production with overseas suppliers, as per the report.
Apple intends to launch a budget Mac in the first half of 2026, the report said.
The tech giant did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments.
What Will Be The Price Of This New Budget Mac
The new device will be available for less than $1000, considering Apple is using less advanced components. The screen of the laptop will also be smaller than the current MacBook Air.
At the moment, the cheapest Mac is the MacBook Air with the M4 chip available at $999. This price can go down as much as $899 with educational discounts.
Meanwhile, Chromebooks have a price tag of a few hundred dollars, with premium versions going up to $600.
Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Microsoft's Windows Leads Global Desktop OS Market
According to Statcounter, as of October 2025, Windows dominates the global desktop operating system market with a 66.14%. macOS holds a 4.15% share while Chrome OS has 1.34%.
Last month, Apple reported its fourth-quarter earnings results. At the time, the company reported Mac revenue $8.83 billion, up from $7.74 billion in the same quarter last year.
Price Action: Apple's stock gained 0.37% on Tuesday but slipped 0.02% in after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro.
Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicate that AAPL continues to show a strong upward trend across short, medium and long-term periods. Click here for a detailed performance breakdown.
Read More:
Photo Courtesy: Farknot Architect on Shutterstock.com
