Laptop News: Apple MacBook with ARM processor could arrive in November

Might this be Apple’s most affordable MacBook in years?

Apple’s first Mac with an ARM processor is going to be a laptop, and it’ll be launched in November consistent with the newest from the rumor mill.

This comes from a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman, a well known Apple leaker who insists: “The first Mac laptop with Apple’s own processor, among other products, will emerge at another launch in November.”

When Gurman says ‘another’ launch, he refers to at least one following the large iPhone 12 event Apple (almost certainly) has planned happening in only a few days, on October 13.

As MacRumors, which spotted this, observes, Gurman had previously indicated that an ARM-powered Mac would arrive by November, meaning an October launch appeared like an opportunity – maybe alongside the new iPhone – but it appears that's not the case, and it’ll be in November.

As ever, treat this with the standard caution that ought to be applied to any rumor, but the source features a good diary during this case.

Plentiful rumors

As noted, Gurman asserts that this first device is going to be a laptop, although the rumor mill can’t seem to make a decision on what model(s) of MacBook could be winning with ARM chips (perhaps a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or the return of the vanilla MacBook 12-inch – or some combination of the aforementioned devices).

Apple has, of course, previously promised that it'll deliver one ARM-powered Mac before 2020 is out, although subsequent buzz from the laptop grapevine did theorize that perhaps issues around Covid-19 could scupper Apple’s plans and that we could witness a delay until 2021. However, we’ve also heard theories of a November launch floating around at an equivalent time, and Gurman’s fresh report underlines this possibility.

Another heavyweight Apple leaker, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, believes that we'll see a MacBook Pro 13-inch launched possibly alongside a MacBook Air with ARM CPUs within the final quarter of 2020.

One obvious line of attack for Apple is to supply a highly affordable laptop to point to a clear advantage of switching from Intel to ARM, in terms of persuading early adopters to form that big change – and there are rumors that we could see the most cost-effective MacBook in years emerge. Fingers crossed thereon score.

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