13" MacBook Air for $799 through Best Buy

[dpace32]

Back again! BestBuy has the 13" MacBook Air for sale starting at $899 with an extra $100 student discount available.

Various price discounts outlined here include more info on the college discount

Sample price for the 13" MacBook Air here

 

[capathy21]

Back again! BestBuy has the 13" MacBook Air for sale starting at $899 with an extra $100 student discount available.

Various price discounts outlined here include more info on the college discount

Sample price for the 13" MacBook Air here

I took advantage of this promotion last night. I tried to also stack the 10 percent off mover's coupon but they've cracked down on allowing stacking. At any rate 799 before tax is a great deal for a 2014 13 inch base model.

 

[dpace32]

I took advantage of this promotion last night. I tried to also stack the 10 percent off mover's coupon but they've cracked down on allowing stacking. At any rate 799 before tax is a great deal for a 2014 13 inch base model.

I am surprised with how low some of these prices are:

11″ MacBook Air: $699
13″ Retina MacBook Pro: $1099

 

[BMW535i]

I would buy a MacBook Air now if Best Buy only offered models that had 8gb of RAM. Anyone know why they don't?

 

[mad3inch1na]

I would buy a MacBook Air now if Best Buy only offered models that had 8gb of RAM. Anyone know why they don't?

Because they are custom models.

 

[motrek]

I would buy a MacBook Air now if Best Buy only offered models that had 8gb of RAM. Anyone know why they don't?

Why do you need 8GB RAM?

 

[capathy21]

I would buy a MacBook Air now if Best Buy only offered models that had 8gb of RAM. Anyone know why they don't?

Not sure why it isn't a stock option on the Air through 3rd party retailers. Only way to get an 8GB Air is through Apple. The 4GB Air performs so well that unless you are really going to be doing some heavy stuff, it should be more than enough for you.

 

[jjahshik32]

It's a really good deal and it's very hard to pass up but for me I'll pass. The reason being is that although you do save a couple hundred but in 2-3 years time, what's a couple of hundred dollars when you'll be hurting for more RAM. But of course that is just me.

 

[citivolus]

I took advantage of this promotion last night. I tried to also stack the 10 percent off mover's coupon but they've cracked down on allowing stacking. At any rate 799 before tax is a great deal for a 2014 13 inch base model.

What happened when you tried to use the movers coupon?

 

[sracer]

It's a really good deal and it's very hard to pass up but for me I'll pass. The reason being is that although you do save a couple hundred but in 2-3 years time, what's a couple of hundred dollars when you'll be hurting for more RAM. But of course that is just me.

In 2-3 years you can sell it...and because you got it at a good price you'll lose less in the process.

 

[Mcdevidr]

I tried to use both the movers coupon and student discount on a open box and only one coupon worked. It just took the one with the biggest discount the other just said zero. The guy didn't want to even scan it. Wish it would have worked the open box was already discounted down to 845.

 

[capathy21]

What happened when you tried to use the movers coupon?

Well they wouldn't even try it. I handed it to the guy and he said "nope" we can't combine those anymore. He was cool so I asked him what the deal was and he said that it had come from upper management that no one was allowed to stack. Apparently that had had enough people stacking to where it was flagged by management and brought to the attention of store managers. As far as I know the system will still allow them, but good luck finding an associate that hasn't been warned lol.

 

[motrek]

It's a really good deal and it's very hard to pass up but for me I'll pass. The reason being is that although you do save a couple hundred but in 2-3 years time, what's a couple of hundred dollars when you'll be hurting for more RAM. But of course that is just me.

It's not 1997 anymore when the standard amount of RAM that came with a computer was doubling every 3 weeks (I know, exaggeration) and you needed twice as much as whatever you already had to run the latest version of Windows or the latest video game.

Unless you have a fairly specific use case, I don't see why you would need more than 4GB RAM, even in a few years. (Cue Bill Gates jokes about 640k RAM.) I've had 4GB RAM in my desktop computers since 2007 and maybe before then, and I haven't felt the need to have any more in the last 7 years and I don't expect that to change...

 

[Mcdevidr]

The 4GB generally works really well. I just wonder why it swaps when it should just close out programs I'm not using. I had over 1gb of compressed memory and it was swapping stuff out. I had maybe 5 tabs in safari, word, preview and messages. I had other things opened that I closed but it didn't release that memory at certain points and instead swapped to the ssd which was quick but still have a brief beach ball.

 

[jjahshik32]

In 2-3 years you can sell it...and because you got it at a good price you'll lose less in the process.

Well you could also make the argument that 3 years later when you sell the MBA that your 8GB will sell faster/fetch a higher overall price.

 

[jjahshik32]

It's not 1997 anymore when the standard amount of RAM that came with a computer was doubling every 3 weeks (I know, exaggeration) and you needed twice as much as whatever you already had to run the latest version of Windows or the latest video game.

Unless you have a fairly specific use case, I don't see why you would need more than 4GB RAM, even in a few years. (Cue Bill Gates jokes about 640k RAM.) I've had 4GB RAM in my desktop computers since 2007 and maybe before then, and I haven't felt the need to have any more in the last 7 years and I don't expect that to change...

To me, I thought 4GB of RAM was sufficient 4-5 years ago but these days 8GB is starting to become the norm. Just surfing the net and watching some videos will be fine with 4GB but whenever you decide to use a VM to run Windows or start running more apps especially since everything that has gone 64 bit these days, 8GB should be the comfort zone.

I just figured that within the next 3 years and especially with more apps always hungry for more RAM (the more RAM you give it, it will gladly gobble it up), the better it is for your MBA. Also as a power multitask user like myself and connecting to an external monitor, paying a couple of hundred bucks in the span of 3 years is worth it to me.

 

[sracer]

Well you could also make the argument that 3 years later when you sell the MBA that your 8GB will sell faster/fetch a higher overall price.

True, except that in my experiences, the lowest-end model usually loses the least over time.

 

[capathy21]

True, except that in my experiences, the lowest-end model usually loses the least over time.

This is correct. Second hand buyers of electronics want CHEAP or else they would be buying a new model. Specs come secondary to price and upgraded internals like ram, processor, or ssd do little to nothing for resale value.

If someone is purchasing a machine to use for years and doesn't care about resale value, then yea, they may want to spend extra and upgrade some things IF they need them. But if you are like me and will want to update every couple of years anyway, spending extra to upgrade internals becomes an unnecessary waste of money.

 

[jjahshik32]

True, except that in my experiences, the lowest-end model usually loses the least over time.

I've been selling my macbook pros (sold over 15, yea I was THAT picky and young and stupid at the time) ranging from 13" to 17" since 2005 (well in 2005 they were powerbooks) on eBay and in my experience the amount you can get really depends on how presentable you sell your macbook pro.

For example, one person might fetch more with the 4GB model as to the 8GB model just because they uploaded better pictures, had a higher rating, put the item up for bid at a better time, loaded it up with more software, better condition, etc..

So money wise, its very very random or luck on how much you get for your machine because you could load it up with software and use all the tricks in the book to get more money out of it. This is also true with craigslist, it really depends on how much the buyer is willing to spend on your item.

Anyway but the one thing that IS consistent that I've found is that more people will be after your machine if it has better upgrades compared to all the same generation models. You can sell it much easier and on average will get a higher bid than say a 4GB machine in this case.

Sure the average eBayer is looking for the cheapest deal but the prices are all adjusted accordingly. The 4GB will still on average fetch a lower price than the 8GB model. For me I don't upgrade my machines for at least 3 years so to me the $200 extra that I'd spend on to enjoy the 8GB advantage is totally worth it.

Dont get me wrong, I'm still eying this deal because like I've mentioned before that it is a very very good deal even with the 4GB of RAM. But I know for at least myself that once I buy it and a few months pass by, I will get hit by the upgrade bug (usually on older MBPs I always upgraded the internals later on) and would regret it big time.

Also think about this, what if later on for whatever reason you'd want to upgrade the RAM because it wasn't sufficient anymore (I don't know new OSX runs better? Apps you suddenly use that you've never had to use, etc..)? This would make you upgrade a year earlier than expected. I know Macs have great resale values but man what a waste of money to dump the macbook air at a loss from what you've originally paid for when the next upgrade is just a minor spec bump just because of the lack of RAM.

For your usages it makes total sense to buy the cheapest since you use it lightly, not much a power user, and the fact that you guys upgrade every 2 years. But for me I don't upgrade so frequently because I think by upgrading so frequently, you're wasting more money no matter how cheap you originally got it for.

On a side note, I sold my 15" 2011 MBP on eBay a few weeks ago. I never had any issues with it and I had 16GB of RAM upgrade and it was more than fast enough for another 2-3 years. I sold it only because I thought that I'd get hit with the ATI GPU issue. I fetched more than the average because of the 16GB of RAM as to the other sellers.

 

[motrek]

The 4GB generally works really well. I just wonder why it swaps when it should just close out programs I'm not using. I had over 1gb of compressed memory and it was swapping stuff out. I had maybe 5 tabs in safari, word, preview and messages. I had other things opened that I closed but it didn't release that memory at certain points and instead swapped to the ssd which was quick but still have a brief beach ball.

OS X programs are written with the assumption that they will only close if the user quits them or they crash, so OS X can't just start closing programs to free up memory whenever it wants and expect those programs to work correctly when they're restarted.

But, it should be doing the next-best thing, because if you're not actively using a program then most of its memory will get paged out to disk by the virtual memory system and it should have very little impact on programs you ARE actively using.

What does Activity Monitor say about your memory pressure? It doesn't sound like you're using a lot of stuff--it should be pretty green. There are other reasons you might be seeing the beach ball, not just swapping.

----------

To me, I thought 4GB of RAM was sufficient 4-5 years ago but these days 8GB is starting to become the norm. Just surfing the net and watching some videos will be fine with 4GB but whenever you decide to use a VM to run Windows or start running more apps especially since everything that has gone 64 bit these days, 8GB should be the comfort zone.

I just figured that within the next 3 years and especially with more apps always hungry for more RAM (the more RAM you give it, it will gladly gobble it up), the better it is for your MBA. Also as a power multitask user like myself and connecting to an external monitor, paying a couple of hundred bucks in the span of 3 years is worth it to me.

Yes--running VMs is arguably a good reason to get more RAM but I would argue that most people do not run VMs.

As for programs "gobbling up more RAM," I think you're being confused by the stats that Activity Monitor is showing you.

OS X is designed to use as much physical memory as possible, on purpose. Because there is ZERO point of unused physical memory when it could potentially be used to speed up your system. For example, it could be used for disk caching, or OS X will also just increase the physical memory that's allocated to the programs you're running, so in case they need more memory, it will be immediately available.

So don't worry, just because you see some numbers that seem concerning in Activity Monitor doesn't necessarily mean you're actually in a bad situation memory-wise.

----------

I've been selling my macbook pros (sold over 15, yea I was THAT picky and young and stupid at the time) ranging from 13" to 17" since 2005 (well in 2005 they were powerbooks) on eBay ...

Might be a difference between eBay and Craigslist.

I suppose if you can see machines from all over the country, you will have your choice between upgrades and no upgrades and might pick one with upgrades even if it is somewhat more expensive.

On Craigslist, there's usually only a couple of any particular model of Mac on sale at any given time, even in fairly active metropolitan markets. So it's very easy to go to somebody selling an upgraded Mac and say "hey, I only wanted a base model and was willing to pay $x, will you take it?" And that usually ends up working. Good for the buyer, bad for the seller if he bought any upgrades.

 

[jjahshik32]

OS X programs are written with the assumption that they will only close if the user quits them or they crash, so OS X can't just start closing programs to free up memory whenever it wants and expect those programs to work correctly when they're restarted.

But, it should be doing the next-best thing, because if you're not actively using a program then most of its memory will get paged out to disk by the virtual memory system and it should have very little impact on programs you ARE actively using.

What does Activity Monitor say about your memory pressure? It doesn't sound like you're using a lot of stuff--it should be pretty green. There are other reasons you might be seeing the beach ball, not just swapping.

----------



Yes--running VMs is arguably a good reason to get more RAM but I would argue that most people do not run VMs.

As for programs "gobbling up more RAM," I think you're being confused by the stats that Activity Monitor is showing you.

OS X is designed to use as much physical memory as possible, on purpose. Because there is ZERO point of unused physical memory when it could potentially be used to speed up your system. For example, it could be used for disk caching, or OS X will also just increase the physical memory that's allocated to the programs you're running, so in case they need more memory, it will be immediately available.

So don't worry, just because you see some numbers that seem concerning in Activity Monitor doesn't necessarily mean you're actually in a bad situation memory-wise.

----------



Might be a difference between eBay and Craigslist.

I suppose if you can see machines from all over the country, you will have your choice between upgrades and no upgrades and might pick one with upgrades even if it is somewhat more expensive.

On Craigslist, there's usually only a couple of any particular model of Mac on sale at any given time, even in fairly active metropolitan markets. So it's very easy to go to somebody selling an upgraded Mac and say "hey, I only wanted a base model and was willing to pay $x, will you take it?" And that usually ends up working. Good for the buyer, bad for the seller if he bought any upgrades.

If you're a good seller though, you would know that the people who are your mac buyers generally know everything about the machine/model that you're selling.

That's the difference between a good seller and a bad one, you have to be firm initially about the price especially knowing that no one else is selling your generation MBA, which gives you the edge. You can search on eBay before you post on Craigslist and see the average pricing for your 8GB model and list that as the firm price on Craigslist .

You might also be able to go a little lower since you wont have to pay eBay fees, shipping, and paypal (if you accept cash only), in which would be good for you and the buyer (instant gratification).

 

[motrek]

If you're a good seller though, you would know that the people who are your mac buyers generally know everything about the machine/model that you're selling.

That's the difference between a good seller and a bad one, you have to be firm initially about the price especially knowing that no one else is selling your generation MBA, which gives you the edge. You can search on eBay before you post on Craigslist and see the average pricing for your 8GB model and list that as the firm price on Craigslist .

You might also be able to go a little lower since you wont have to pay eBay fees, shipping, and paypal (if you accept cash only), in which would be good for you and the buyer (instant gratification).

Yes, having sold probably a dozen different Apple things on Craigslist over the past 5-6 years, it's sort of an art.

I do look on eBay to initially price what I'm selling, and also similar competing Craigslist ads. But if you try to go too high with your initial price it might not get much interest and if you're too firm about the price, people might just keep looking. You assume that there's a buyer out there looking for specifically what you're selling but that's not necessarily the case with Craigslist.

I agree about presentation. Definitely take some good pictures. Personally, I try to make whatever I'm selling seem as "stock" as possible since I assume people want to feel like they're buying a new product as much as possible. So I don't advertise the computers as coming with any extra 3rd party software, or carrying cases or whatever, even if I do have that stuff for the buyer.

 

[Mcdevidr]

When i saw the beach balling the memory pressure was green but higher up. After I updated to the latest beta and restarted it has been very low green. It is just now starting to use the Virtual Memory. It could have been something else causing the beach balling. For now the memory seems fine and low and it is not writing out to swap yet. It might have been a couple non responsive programs that were causing it.

 

[Koodauw]

I took advantage of this earlier this year. I would suggest it to anyone in the market for one of these laptops.

 

[MistrSynistr]

I just can't do this with that screen and knowing there's probably all new Mac everything coming in under 20 days...