An Apple-first attempt at making an affordable computer is underway. The company is working on a new 13-inch laptop that promises to bring the power of its latest iPhone chip to a more budget-friendly computer. Rather than using one of its custom M‑series processors, this model will run on the A18 Pro, which currently powers the top iPhone lineup. By tapping into existing smartphone-grade CPUs, Apple aims to reduce manufacturing costs without compromising everyday performance for students and casual users. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, mass production could start as early as the late fourth quarter of 2025 or the early first quarter of 2026. The design will resemble a slim MacBook Air, with a screen measuring approximately 13 inches across, a unibody case, revised vents (possibly none), and ports, in smartphones the A18 Pro is passively cooled.

To add some flair, Apple plans to offer the laptop in several colors, like silver, blue, pink, and yellow, similar to its earlier iMac palette. This affordable MacBook is a key component of Apple's strategy to boost desktop and laptop shipments back to their pre-pandemic peak of roughly 25 million units, now projected for 2026. Following a slowdown this year, the company anticipates shipping approximately 20 million MacBooks in 2025. The new 13‑inch model alone is forecast to account for five to seven million of those sales, making it one of Apple's most important products next year. How well the A18 Pro SoC handles the desktop load remains to be seen, but for basic office and everyday tasks, it could be a very usable device. The single-core A18 Pro performance is comparable to the latest M4, but the multi-core performance lags behind, so incorporating a mobile-grade chip will be an interesting addition to Apple's Mac product stack.

Apple recently launched the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max with the company's new A18 Pro SoC, and in its presentation, Apple claimed the new SoC offered up to 20% faster gaming performance than the previous generation. While this may be true in certain scenarios, recent testing in Alien Isolation has revealed that the A18 Pro's GPU still has some shortcomings when it comes to gaming.

According to the tests run by MrMacRightPlus, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is barely able to maintain 30 FPS in Alien Isolation when running at its native 2868×1320 pixel resolution. While Alien Isolation is a AAA title that was ported to the iPhone, it is still a 10-year-old game, meaning it should be fairly easy to run. Lowering the in-game resolution, however, results in a substantial improvement to the A18 Pro's performance, with the game reaching 60 FPS after the change. This 30 FPS limitation may not all be down to a lack of performance from the A18 Pro SoC, though.

Apple today introduced iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, featuring Apple Intelligence, larger display sizes, new creative capabilities with innovative pro camera features, stunning graphics for immersive gaming, and more—all powered by the A18 Pro chip. With Apple Intelligence, powerful Apple-built generative models come to iPhone in the easy-to-use personal intelligence system that understands personal context to deliver intelligence that is helpful and relevant while protecting user privacy. Camera Control unlocks a fast, intuitive way to tap into visual intelligence and easily interact with the advanced camera system. Featuring a new 48MP Fusion camera with a faster quad-pixel sensor that enables 4K120 FPS video recording in Dolby Vision, these new Pro models achieve the highest resolution and frame-rate combination ever available on iPhone. Additional advancements include a new 48MP Ultra Wide camera for higher-resolution photography, including macro; a 5x Telephoto camera on both Pro models; and studio-quality mics to record more true-to-life audio. The durable titanium design is strong yet lightweight, with larger display sizes, the thinnest borders on any Apple product, and a huge leap in battery life—with iPhone 16 Pro Max offering the best battery life on iPhone ever.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be available in four stunning finishes: black titanium, natural titanium, white titanium, and desert titanium. Pre-orders begin Friday, September 13, with availability beginning Friday, September 20.