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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,194
30,135



macbookairdeals.jpg
Best Buy is offering a $100 discount on all of the newest 2014 MacBook Air models, bringing the entry-level 11-inch model down to $799.

Best Buy is also offering a second deal for students with a valid .EDU email address that gives $150 off any Mac, and these two deals can be combined, cutting prices to the absolute lowest we've seen.

- 11.6" MacBook Air, 4GB, 128GB SSD: $899 -> $799 -> $649
- 11.6" MacBook Air, 4GB, 256GB SSD: $1099 -> $999 -> $849
- 13.3" MacBook Air, 4GB, 128GB SSD: $999 -> $899 -> $749
- 13.3" MacBook Air, 4GB, 256GB SSD: $1199 -> $1099 -> $949

Apple's MacBook Air was last updated in April, and is considered safe to buy in our Buyer's Guide. This is a significant discount on recently released MacBook Air computers, and one of the best deals we've seen. The combined deal will last until June 21, 2014, while the $150 off deal for students lasts until July 12, 2014.

Best Buy is also offering students $50 off the iPad Air and the Retina iPad mini.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner of Best Buy.

Article Link: MacBook Airs as Low as $649 With Best Buy EDU Deals
 

PJL500

macrumors 6502
Nov 27, 2011
299
174
4 gb ram?

RAM is not upgradable on these machines. A buyer will be stuck with 4 GB. There is speculation that Yosemite may not perform well on only 4 GB.
 

Yvan256

macrumors 603
Jul 5, 2004
5,080
991
Canada
Okay, at that price, I'd probably buy a MacBook Air instead of a Mac mini. But it has to have at least 8GB of RAM.

I wish Apple would stop being so greedy with the RAM in their computers, especially since it can't be upgraded in a lot of them.
 

Menel

Suspended
Aug 4, 2011
6,351
1,356
RAM is not upgradable on these machines. A buyer will be stuck with 4 GB. There is speculation that Yosemite may not perform well on only 4 GB.
Doesn't do that much heavier.

Only representation for judging anything is a pre-beta developer preview... which basically means squat for performance.
 

cmal1

macrumors newbie
Jun 16, 2014
2
0
RAM is not upgradable on these machines. A buyer will be stuck with 4 GB. There is speculation that Yosemite may not perform well on only 4 GB.

dude, no there's not? Yosemite performs excellently on a mid-2010 white macbook with 4gb...
 

MartinAppleGuy

macrumors 68020
Sep 27, 2013
2,247
889
Bold: Apple stuff is normally cheaper in Hong Kong!

I do find it very unfair when a product is constantly cheaper in another country by a long shot (this deal works out to £440!). I gives the impression that not everyone is equal and Apple feel that the US is better that everyone else.
 

TheRealTVGuy

macrumors 6502a
Jul 21, 2010
704
1,156
Orlando, FL
I do find it very unfair when a product is constantly cheaper in another country by a long shot (this deal works out to £440!). I gives the impression that not everyone is equal and Apple feel that the US is better that everyone else.

Since we bailed everyone else out during WWII, we are!

;-)
 

2457282

Suspended
Dec 6, 2012
3,327
3,015
Awesome price! Even with a potential for new ones to be anounced, parents that were planning to get a laptop for their kids for next semester should look at this hard.

For those outside the US, now is a perfect time to come and visit on Holiday :)
 

P4ulypops

macrumors member
Jun 4, 2014
39
0
Web Developer
Just out of interest

I'm a UK apple fan, and I would so take up this deal if we had it in the UK.

But what I would is to read this as "We need to shift stock / reduce price, because our shelves are soon going to have a Retina MBA."

I know they only just released the latest model, but it seems inevitable that a MBA-R is going to happen at somepoint. I guess the only issue is that they need to equal the battery life and performance, in such a tiny space, but they managed to do that on all their other Retina lines. Maybe when Intel's new processors come out, it'll happen.

But out of interest, would there be any disadavantage to buying a foragain machine?
 
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nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
RAM is not upgradable on these machines. A buyer will be stuck with 4 GB. There is speculation that Yosemite may not perform well on only 4 GB.

There is MORE than "speculation" that I run a business with heavy Photoshop and 3D use on just 2GB (until this week, anyway). I hit the SSD more often than I would with 4 or 8, but the SSD is fast and the machine never feels slow, and never gets in the way of my work. I check the memory meter in Activity Monitor often (I actually put it in the dock icon for a few weeks) and even with my usual half-dozen apps running (Safari, Photoshop, Mail and various utils) I usually see a little Free memory.

More would be better! I won't deny it. Some apps could take more, especially if I were doing professional print or video work (I'm doing web work). So I got 16GB this time (tower).

But 4GB isn't enough? True for certain uses by certain people, but it's not a blanket statement you can make. 4GB is MORE than enough for many people. It's room to spare for the future, in fact.

Don't fall into the trap of looking at spec numbers and repeating old pre-SSD assumptions--look instead at what the machine does for people. In my case, 2GB pays me a salary and plays games, and I got more RAM on my new Mac "on principle" rather than for dire need. (Upgraded it from 12 to 16.)
 

mgipe

macrumors demi-god
Oct 6, 2009
675
145
CA
I do find it very unfair when a product is constantly cheaper in another country by a long shot (this deal works out to £440!). I gives the impression that not everyone is equal and Apple feel that the US is better that everyone else.

Don't forget to subtract your VAT and import duties before comparing to US pre-tax prices. Apple doesn't receive any of your local taxes.
 

captain cadet

macrumors 6502
Sep 2, 2012
417
648
I'm a UK apple fan, and I would so take up this deal if we had it in the UK.

But what I would is to read this as "We need to shift stock / reduce price, because our shelves are soon going to have a Retina MBA."

I know they only just released the latest model, but it seems inevitable that a MBA-R is going to happen at somepoint. I guess the only issue is that they need to equal the battery life and performance, in such a tiny space, but they managed to do that on all their other Retina lines. Maybe when Intel's new processors come out, it'll happen.

But out of interest, would there be any disadavantage to buying a foragain machine?
Some of the keyboard keys are slightly different, wrong power pack and no warranty.
 

rmatthewware

macrumors 6502
Jul 22, 2009
493
125
I do find it very unfair when a product is constantly cheaper in another country by a long shot (this deal works out to £440!). I gives the impression that not everyone is equal and Apple feel that the US is better that everyone else.

Nope, many factors affect pricing in other countries.

Economies of scale (larger customer base in US vs UK).
Shipping costs.
VAT.
Sales tax (in the US, sales tax isn't figured into the advertised price).
Currency conversion (Dollar vs pound vs euro, etc., varies daily, but Apple's price does not. So Apple has to charge a price that considers the fact that the value of the local currency will vary day by day, along with profit).
Local supply and demand (if you're willing to pay for it, they can charge for it).
Cost of advertising in local country.
Warranty requirements (consumer laws in the EU require warranty rights not required in the US, making European products more expensive).
Labor laws (for example, Apple employees in Australia negotiated a 16% base pay increase; that increase may affect local product price).
Local competition (less competition means higher prices, as long as demand remains high).
Legal fees (Each country has different roadblocks when it comes to doing business there. As a foreign company, Apple has to negotiate national and local requirements in terms of establishing itself as a business. In Europe, Apple has to deal with both local and national laws, as well as the EU).
 

tim0409

macrumors regular
Jun 6, 2010
185
129
Awesome price! Even with a potential for new ones to be anounced, parents that were planning to get a laptop for their kids for next semester should look at this hard.

For those outside the US, now is a perfect time to come and visit on Holiday :)


I fly over from Scotland on Wednesday :) I work for a local/authority school here in Scotland - I don't suppose I qualify for the EDU discount.....?
 

deputy_doofy

macrumors 65816
Sep 11, 2002
1,455
376
F it. I went with it. I have a soon-to-be 1st grader and he has already had "computer" homework in kindergarten. He is *NOT* using my MBP. Way too expensive for wet, dirty fingers. Yeah, nope.
 
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