Apple is reportedly working on a budget laptop (like the iBook) powered by an iPhone chip. This could be a small deal, a decision driven by supply chain economics and the fact that the M1 MacBook Air continues to sell well at Walmart. Or it could be a huge one, a return to form for a company that once seemed to have a clear purpose for each of its devices, but whose product lineup seems more confused than ever.
See also: Budget MacBook shipping date pushed back to 2026
We hope Apple will choose the latter approach, and we have an idea of what it might look like: the iBook, a laptop line that was once so innovative that Phil Schiller had to jump on a mattress to demonstrate its technical superiority. We may be able to leave the 'toilet bowl' in 1999, but the spirit of these devices is something we'd love to see return.
See also: Will Apple's budget MacBook be released before the end of the year?
In the episode of The Vergecast, Nilay and David discuss whether this budget Mac is actually arriving and what it could be. But first, they talked about some news regarding artificial intelligence. Amazon and Perplexity are in a battle for agentic shopping, which is a useful framework for the entire battle for artificial intelligence.
Will the web soon be just a series of faceless databases, served at the pleasure of an artificial intelligence assistant? Many companies hope so; others will fight tooth and nail to ensure that this never happens. The stakes could not be higher.
See also: End of an era: The latest 11-inch MacBook Air is officially obsolete
After that, it's time for the iBook. Seriously, if you've never seen the 1999 announcement, in which CEO Steve Jobs also passes a hula hoop over the iBook to prove that it has no cords, you have to see it.
