Why ‘Low-Cost' Chromebook-Busting MacBooks Could Be a Massive Win For Apple

Apple may be on the cusp of doing the unthinkable-making a cheap laptop to compete with Chromebooks.

In schools, Chromebooks have the market pretty much tied up. They're cheap, they're built for central control, and they're cheap. Mostly, though, they're cheap. Especially when compared to Apple's laptops, which start at $1,000. According to a new rumor, Apple is planning a new, low-cost MacBook specifically for the Chromebook-saturated education market. But Apple never, ever makes cheap computers, right? Not quite. And once, it even made a special, education-only Mac.

"Yes, a competitively priced Mac could challenge Chromebooks in schools. Price has been a significant factor in Chromebooks' dominance. If Apple offers affordable Macs, it could attract educational institutions seeking a balance between cost and functionality," Jennifer Finley
, manager at academic ranking service Academic Influence told Lifewire via email.

What's In It For Apple?

The education market is a big deal for a computer maker like Apple. We tend to stick with what we know when it comes to computing platforms, especially when switching platforms means buying new apps, moving all your photos, etc. Back in 2010, this photo became famous. It shows a lecture theater full of students behind a sea of glowing Apple logos at the Missouri School of Journalism. It's the kind of advertisement you can't buy, and I'd bet that most of those students still use a Mac today.

But college isn't school. Whereas college students may bring their own computers, many schools will supply computers. And whether it's the school board or a parent paying for a computer, Apple's laptops just cost too much.

Apple's already tried to crack the school market with the iPad. It created special apps and admin tools to make it happen, and educational iPads even allow multiple students to log in to a single iPad, which is not possible for regular users.

But iPads require extra keyboards. They're not particularly tough. And thanks to their locked-down nature, they can be a pain to administer.

The result is that Chromebooks won. And Apple will have to do more than make a cheap laptop to get back in the game.

"I don't believe MacBooks will beat out Chromebooks, despite their attractive price. Why? It's pretty simple—many schools are already married to the Google Suite of products. It's how they make and share assignments, communicate with students, and more," Jess Brooks, former elementary school teacher and managing editor of HessUnAcademy, told Lifewire via email. "So switching to MacBooks would be much bigger than swapping out devices, it would require shifting ecosystems completely. I just don't see it happening on a large scale."

Educational MacBook

In 2002, Apple shipped the eMac, a kind of goofier, oversized iMac for schools, for $999. It was pretty neat, but that was it for education-exclusive computers. For Apple to make a cheap Mac, it would have to lower the cost of making them. This could mean a plastic body, a worse screen (like the iPad mini), and reduced connectivity. But Apple seems unable to compromise on some things, so it would have a great keyboard and trackpad, and of course, it would use an M-series chipset and run macOS.

But even that might not be enough. Chromebooks are not only cheap computers. They are also essentially dumb terminals to a central computer, which makes them very easy to administer and lock down.

"Chromebooks are a big hit in schools, not just because they're cheap. Google's apps for education, including drive, docs, sheets, slides, forms, and especially Classroom, are all designed to work well for students and teachers and to take full advantage of a Chromebook's functionality," Troy Portillo, director of operations at online learning platform Studypool told Lifewire via email. "I'm not saying that Apple can't create this kind of integrated software environment for their low-cost MacBooks; it's kind of one of their strong suits. But until they do this, they aren't going to gain traction in the education space in the same way that Google has."

Historically, Apple seems unable to bend itself to the needs of this kind of customer. It doesn't court game developers with investment and support, for example. Apple prefers to invest in the factories that make its computers. So, while a cheap MacBook might happen, it's not going to be enough to beat Google. And in that case, one might ask, what's the point?