Waveform Podcast: Will Apple Make a $599 MacBook?

Date: August 15, 2025

Hosts: David, Andrew, Ellis, Adam (sans Marques)

Overview: Main Theme and Purpose

This week, the Waveform team dives into the swirling rumors about Apple preparing a new low-cost 12.9-inch MacBook, possibly priced as low as $599, and what such a move could mean for the market and users. The conversation is a mix of rumor analysis, speculation, nostalgia for past Apple designs, and industry context—both from Apple’s and its competitors' perspectives. The episode also touches on major AI developments, new consumer tech features, and some fun app finds—true to the wide-lens, conversational Waveform style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Will Apple Make a $599 MacBook?

• Rumor Recap:
  • Digitimes reports a 12.9-inch MacBook with Apple Silicon (A18 or A18 Pro chip) could launch between $599-$699. (08:01)
  • Leaks suggest color options (silver, blue, pink, yellow) and that it will be powered by iPhone-grade chips.
• Market Motivation:
  • Apple likely targeting budget-conscious consumers and “the Chromebook crowd.”
  • “A lot of Chromebooks are still cheaper than this, but … a lot of people just want that Apple logo on their laptop.” — David (08:11)
• Technical Trade-Offs:
  • No Thunderbolt Support: Limiting high-end professional or creative use, but likely fine for students and average users.
  • Speculation: Would Apple include a cellular modem like in the iPhone 16e for always-connected notebooks?
    • “I think a lot of people would pay for … the ability to just bring your laptop with you and not think about anything.” — David (10:10)
• Design & Nostalgia:
  • “We want the 12-inch MacBook to make a comeback because it was so incredible, so thin, so small…” — David (08:11)
• Efficiency & Segmentation:
  • Repurposing mass-produced A18 chips reduces costs.
  • Lower-cost model avoids cannibalizing higher-end MacBook Air and Pro lines.

2. App, Feature, and Tech Tidbits

• Reddit Gaming:
  • New “Reddit Games” found in the official app, adding minigames for engagement.
• Fun with Folders (Phones):
  • Recap and debate over the right/wrong ways to use folders on smartphone docks.
    • Andrew’s setup: Two folders, 12 apps each, for muscle memory and efficiency.
    • Listeners' poll: "111 in favor, 18 not; there are dozens of us!" (06:08)
• Cassette App:
  • New iOS app mimics the nostalgia of camcorder tapes, letting users relive random short videos from their phone archives in a “VHS tape” UI (17:03–22:00)
    • “Effectively creates all of these different videotapes of different years of videos … your phone effectively is a camcorder.” — David (17:55)
  • Fun fact: The creators want Google/Apple to "Sherlock" their work for the greater good.

3. Major AI Updates

• OpenAI's GPT-5 Release
  • Not as Earthshaking:
    • “People were thinking GPT-5 was going to be just as big. It’s not.” — David (33:09)
    • Biggest new feature: Automatic model routing (no need to manually choose “Pro,” “Flash,” etc.)
• Google Integrations:
  • ChatGPT Pro users will soon be able to connect Gmail, contacts, and Calendar.
    • “It seems like that’s one of Gemini’s most powerful assets…” — David (34:58)
• Community Reactions:
  • Negative: Too "cold" and data-driven compared to GPT-4O’s quirky, emotional tone.
    • “Most people are saying it feels a lot colder and more generic and data driven than emotionally driven, which is great. Which is really good.” — David (38:23)
  • Backlash when GPT-4O was initially removed; OpenAI promises tweaks and reinstated options.
    • “Apparently a lot of people got very upset about it because they had formed emotional bonds with their robots…” — David (39:07)
• Nonsense Bar Graphs:
  • OpenAI’s graphs at the launch were mocked industry-wide for confusing, nonsensical scales.
    • “[They] made literally no sense.” — David (42:14)
    • “If you had given this to ChatGPT, it would have done a better job.” — Adam (43:28)
• Personal Use Cases:
  • Mixed reviews; some hosts found ChatGPT 5 much better than Gemini for scripting or programming tasks (44:45)

4. Other Quick Topics

• Ford’s $30,000 EV “Model T Moment”:
  • Not a real product yet, more an announcement of a multi-threaded manufacturing process… but headlines abound (53:41)
• Games in Non-Gaming Apps:
  • Reddit and YouTube are adding basic games to keep users engaged; tie into broader “every platform wants to be everything” trend.
• Nostalgia & Fun Features:
  • Callbacks to physical media, analog devices, and fun visual quirks (e.g., the “loop” in macOS Preview).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Apple's budget MacBook strategy:
  “I think they’re definitely going after the cheaper, like Chromebook kind of crowd here.” — David (08:11)

• On leveraging leftover chips for cheaper products:
  “For a while … they were taking last year’s Pro processor and basically putting it in the next year’s cheaper phone.” — David (09:00)

• On losing Thunderbolt support:
  “I don't think anyone would miss Thunderbolt because … the computer's not going to be able to do anything in iMovie…” — Ellis (11:07)

• On the value of “cold and data-driven” AI:
  “Colder and data driven also sounds incredible to me. I think that is a great move … I wish it was even colder, more data driven.” — Andrew (40:26)

• On OpenAI’s bad bar graphs:
  “These AIs don’t understand scale.” — David (43:15)

• On the quirks of nostalgia apps:
  “Your phone effectively is a camcorder … we almost never go back and watch these videos. But this sort of gives you, like, a fun way.” — David (19:25)

• On every tech company being everything:
  “It feels like every app at this point … if you’re a tech company and you have anything to do with social media, you also have now games and you do video and you do this and you do that…” — David (62:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Topic | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 08:00 | Apple $599 MacBook Rumors: Pricing, Specs, Market Context | | 13:46 | Google Translate AI Tutor Mode—Duolingo Competition | | 17:00 | Cassette App: VHS/Nostalgia for Phone Videos | | 32:19 | OpenAI GPT-5 Release: Features, Backlash, Reception | | 42:14 | OpenAI's Bar Graphs Ridiculed | | 44:41 | Real-World ChatGPT-5 Usage vs. Gemini | | 53:41 | Ford’s $30,000 Electric Truck Announcement | | 58:27 | Games Coming to Reddit, YouTube, and More |

Waveform's Tone and Style

• Playful and Nerdy: The group riffs, jokes, and teases each other as much as they discuss the news.
• Listener Interaction: Andrew recaps the surprising bulk of comments from last week’s “folders on dock” debate.
• Tech Nostalgia: Regular asides into 00s devices, VHS tapes, AOL dial-up—framed as both loss and fun.
• Meta Insights: Wry commentary on the tech industry’s cyclical nature, consolidation, and feature bloat.

Conclusion

This episode is a quintessential Waveform blend of serious industry discussion, product speculation, and lighthearted banter. The possible arrival of a sub-$700 MacBook is the major storyline, but the episode also successfully contextualizes news in the broader digital and cultural landscape—with substantial attention to AI’s ongoing (and sometimes awkward) evolution, as well as app feature trends and the enduring appeal of physical media nostalgia.

For more episodes and show notes, visit Waveform Podcast. Marquez will return next week for Pixel Week and more deep dives.