Apple Eyes Sub-$1,000 Laptop Market Amid Chromebook Saturation

Apple is making a strategic pivot into the budget laptop market with a new Mac priced under $1,000, targeting students, schools, and cost-conscious businesses. The device, slated for early 2025, will leverage iPhone-derived processors and lower-cost displays to maintain macOS functionality while undercutting Chromebook dominance.

Chromebooks currently hold 52.4% of the education market but face slowing growth as saturation nears. Apple's MOVE capitalizes on this inflection point, with 93% of U.S. school districts planning 2025 device purchases. The tech giant aims to reclaim lost ground in classrooms where its premium pricing previously excluded it from large-scale deployments.

This marks Apple's most aggressive foray into affordable computing. By repurposing mobile chipsets and compromising on display quality, the company appears willing to sacrifice some margins for market share—a calculated gamble that could reshape the competitive landscape for budget productivity devices.