Why I’ll never buy a $599 MacBook

Rumor is Apple is working on a $599 MacBook to compete with budget Windows laptops. That’s compelling, but I don’t plan on buying one. A $599 MacBook is both too expensive compared to PCs and not expensive enough to deliver the “premium” experience people associate with current Macs.

I’m excited to see Apple compete more on price. But in a world where you can get capable Windows laptops for $299 and gaming laptops with modern GPUs around $599 to $699, a budget MacBook quickly loses its luster. I mean… an iPhone CPU in a laptop, really?

To be clear, this is all based on the rumors going around. Apple hasn’t announced details yet, and some rumors say the MacBook will be $699 instead. Perhaps there will be multiple models.

First things first, let’s be honest: The $599 MacBook isn’t really competing with the best-value budget PCs. Realistically, a $599 price is edging to a midrange price for the average laptop buyer.

If you look at PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops under $500, we recommend an Acer machine that currently costs $299 and an Asus Chromebook at $139. Apple hardware gets only small sales — at best — and tends to keep its value, even when used. Macs won’t get the big price drops PC laptops get.

For people looking for budget laptops, Windows PCs and Chromebooks will continue to deliver the best value. The PC market is very discount-focused — that Acer machine cost $499 when I reviewed it a few months ago, and it’s $299 now. A $599 MacBook probably won’t be $399 a few months after its release.

Macs are still bad machines for gaming. Windows is the premier PC gaming platform, followed closely by Valve’s SteamOS and Linux. Despite the fixation on high-end hardware, you don’t need expensive machines to run PC games. A $599 Windows PC can run decades of awesome games, many of which cost only a few bucks on Steam.

Heck, in that price range, you can get a gaming laptop with a dedicated GPU and run the latest PC games, too. Take a look at PCWorld’s list of the best gaming laptops and you’ll find a gaming laptop that currently costs $699, complete with a dedicated Nvidia GPU. That’s within spitting distance of this rumored $599 MacBook.

And, if you keep an eye on laptop sales, you can scoop up a solid gaming laptop for around $599, no problem.

Rumor is that Apple will release the $599 MacBook with an A15 Pro chip. That’s an iPhone-class processor, which Apple uses on iPhone 16 Pro models. Standard MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models have M-series processors like the M5.

Smartphone-class processors have improved dramatically over the years, so it’s very impressive that Apple feels it can launch a laptop with a CPU designed for smartphones. That being said, it’s still an iPhone-class CPU.

Apple uses laptop-class M-series CPUs in its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets for better performance. So a $599 MacBook might have worse performance than an iPad Air, while having a desktop operating system capable of running heavier apps.

I’m not sure that iPhone-class CPU will deliver the kind of desktop performance people expect from macOS. We’ll have to see benchmarks, but — if I were buying a MacBook — I’d want to spend a few extra hundred bucks and get a MacBook with a CPU intended for desktop software.

Personally, I prefer Windows. I use a powerful desktop PC running Windows at my desk for PC gaming, twiddling with local AI, and everything else you can do with a PC. In my living room, I have a PC hooked up to my TV.

I want the same software and the same experience on both my desktop PCs and my laptops. I don’t want to switch between operating systems when I transition between my desktop PC and my laptop.

If you’re a PC user who prefers the Windows desktop experience — particularly on a gaming machine — you should think carefully before bringing a Mac into your life.

Around the release of Windows 8, I spent a few years using a MacBook as my main laptop when I was away from my Windows desktop. Switching back and forth was annoying — just having to switch between Ctrl+C to copy text on my Windows PC and Command+C to copy text on my Mac was obnoxious with the different finger positioning.

The $599 MacBook will supposedly be a 13-inch laptop. It’ll have whatever ports it has — modern MacBook Air laptops have two Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) ports, a headphone jack, and a MagSafe charging port. A $599 MacBook will have those ports or fewer.

Want a larger laptop at this price range? No dice — Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,199. Want USB Type-A ports, HDMI out, an SD card reader, or an Ethernet jack? You’ll need a dongle.

That’s without even getting into the universe of other things you can get with Windows laptops, including touch screens and 2-in-1 experiences with pen support. To get that experience in the Apple ecosystem, you’ll have to buy an iPad and an Apple Pencil — both sold separately, naturally.

Macs still can’t compete with the universe of options you can get with Windows PCs. The $599 price point is tempting, but I’m not switching from PCs any time soon.

Do yourself a favor and pay less attention to those manufacturer suggested retail prices in PC land. PC manufacturers often set recommended prices high and quickly cut them with frequent deals. Keep an eye on laptop sale prices and you might quickly find a better laptop than a budget MacBook for your needs for even less money.

Or buy that $599 MacBook if you want it! I’m just sharing what I plan on doing — I’m a PC. But, if I was going to buy a MacBook, I’d buy a nicer one with a better CPU and enjoy a proper Mac experience.