Apple’s rumored $699 MacBook sounds like a 2017 MacBook Air with an iPhone chip, according to new code leaks

• The rumored low-cost MacBook could lack a slate of key features
• That includes True Tone, speedy SSDs, Wi-Fi 7 support, and more
• That would make it similar to the MacBook Air from 2017

We know that Apple’s rumored low-cost MacBook – due to arrive at Apple’s March 4 event – is going to come with some compromises. After all, Apple can’t just magically reduce its price without leaving some features out. But new information has just emerged that apparently reveals the scale of Apple’s cost-cutting measures, and it means the forthcoming laptop could be reminiscent of an Apple laptop from close to a decade ago.

The data has surfaced on Chinese social media site Weibo, while news outlets AppleInsider and MacRumors have both said they’ve seen the leaked material, either as part of a “technical analysis of an internal test build of macOS” or in an email sent by the leaker.

According to the leak, the new MacBook’s display will miss out on Apple’s True Tone tech (which dynamically adjusts the screen’s color temperature) and could have brightness below the MacBook Air’s 500 nits, which would line up with a claim from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman that the MacBook will feature a “lower-end LCD display.”

The storage will supposedly be limited to 256GB and 512GB capacities, with a 128GB drive possibly available for educational institutions. That means no storage options of 1TB or above. As well as that, the device’s SSD speeds could be slower than existing MacBooks due to the use of a single NAND chip.

Elsewhere, the leak suggests that the MacBook will lack fast charging, keyboard backlighting and support for high-impedance headphones. Finally, the use of an iPhone chip – expected to be an A18 Pro – means it won’t come with Apple’s N1 wireless chip. The upshot of that is a lack of support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, as well as the absence of improved reliability for AirDrop and personal hotspots.

The throwback MacBook?

All of this means that the MacBook – which is touted to arrive on March 4 – will have plenty of compromises compared to existing Apple laptops. But when the price is expected to be in the $699 range, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

What’s interesting is that Apple’s concessions make the device somewhat similar to the MacBook Air from 2017. Like the low-cost MacBook set to be released in March, the 2017 MacBook Air lacked True Tone, had a brightness rating under 500 nits (in this case, it was 300 nits) and offered storage that topped out at 512GB.

There are some differences, of course – the A18 Pro chip in March’s affordable MacBook should run rings around the processor in the 2017 MacBook Air, while Apple’s laptop from a decade ago comes with a backlit keyboard that the new device will supposedly lack. But with the exception of the vast performance differences, the two laptops could feel notably similar.

Of course, we won’t know how close they actually are until the affordable MacBook launches on March 4. At that time, we could see something of a throwback to the MacBooks of a decade ago, only with a much lower price tag.

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