Overview
- Preorders began March 6 with sales set for March 11, and promotions cut the ¥4,599 list price to roughly ¥3,388–3,909 through education discounts and national subsidies.
- Apple’s U.S. store shows the 256GB pink model no longer guaranteed for March 11 delivery, with estimates moving to March 13–20, as most other configurations still promise launch‑day arrival.
- Geekbench results place single‑core CPU performance near M3/M4 levels and multi‑core slightly above M1, underscoring a focus on web, office and media use rather than heavy multi‑threaded workloads.
- The 13‑inch model uses a 6‑core A18 Pro with a 5‑core GPU, ships only with 8GB unified memory and 256GB/512GB storage, and adopts cost‑saving choices including a 60Hz sRGB LCD without True Tone, no ambient light sensor or keyboard backlight, two USB‑C ports (one limited to USB 2.0), and support for a single 4K/60Hz external display.
- Apple executives describe a push to broaden the Mac audience, and the design team says new aluminum forming processes shorten machining time and halve material use while maintaining a metal build and bold color options.