Cheaper Macbook or Price Hiked Air? What to Expect in the March Apple Event

Apple is holding its first event of the year this week, and as always, the rumours are moving faster than the official invites.

Rather than repeating hype headlines, we’ve pulled together what it looks like next for the MacBook lineup.

Here’s what we think is coming.

A Lower-Cost MacBook?

This is the rumour generating the most discussion.

Several supply chain reports suggest Apple may introduce a more affordable MacBook aimed at students and light users. The interesting part is the suggestion that it could use an A-series chip (similar to what powers iPhones and iPads) rather than an M-series processor.

If that happens, it would signal something quite strategic:

• Lower manufacturing costs
• Excellent battery life
• More “everyday” performance positioning
• A clearer entry point into the Mac ecosystem

For years, the MacBook Air has been the entry device. With surprisingly consistent pricing. However, a genuinely sub-£800 MacBook would open the door for schools, families and first-time buyers again.

If this lands, it won’t be about raw power. It’ll be about accessibility. However, amid the gloomy cloud of recent events in memory and storage, we could see this device fall into the same price range as last year’s MacBook Air, which would itself receive a price hike.

MacBook Air and Pro Refreshes

A quieter but far more certain expectation is an M5 generation refresh.

We’re likely to see:

• MacBook Air with M5
• MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max

These won’t be dramatic redesigns. Expect incremental performance gains, efficiency improvements, and perhaps modest tweaks to the display or battery.

From a depreciation point of view (which we track very closely), chip refresh cycles tend to slightly soften the resale values of previous models, but not dramatically. Apple Silicon has held value unusually well compared to Intel generations.

If you’re on M1 or M2, there may be compelling reasons to wait and watch pricing shifts over the next few weeks. The M1 Max is around the same performance as the M4 Pro, so the M5 Pro or Max chips will be a very worthwhile upgrade for anyone still using that model and a good chance to cash in a decent trade-in value.

Should you do anything?

If you’re interested in upgrading to an M5 lock, trade in your current lock with us now for 30 days by checking out your quote. You won’t receive a better trade-in value than you do now.

If you’re looking for an older device, don’t worry, you won’t be losing out by purchasing this week. Our prediction is price hikes across the board, with an entry-level MacBook coming in at £899 and high prices on the new Air and Pro models.