About to get refresh M3 Air 16GB for Black Friday, or wait for M4?

[kofman13]

i have a 2019 macbook pro 13 inch base model intel i5 i want to upgrade this week to M3 macbook air base model now that the base model has 16 gb ram. its going to be a grea tprice because of the black friday gift card plus education discount. very tempting. or should i wait for m4?
how long do you think it will be until m4 macbook air since we have m4 in ipad, and m4 in macbook pro, and mac mini now?

 

[raythompsontn]

should i wait for m4?

The difference between the M3 and M4 would not be much. If you have lived with the Intel I5 offerings the M3 would be a significant jump. And it will be cheaper than the M4. Retailers may be dumping the M3 on Black Friday so there should be some really good deals.

how long do you think it will be until m4 macbook air

Only Apple knows. There are guesses that it will happen sometime around March of 2025.

I think you will get a better deal getting the M3 on Black Friday rather than waiting. The M3 will be a very capable machine. Just make certain the offerings on Black Friday are 16 Gig and not 8 Gig.

Also, check the refurbished store as you may get a deal just as good, or better than Black Friday.

 

[kofman13]

The difference between the M3 and M4 would not be much. If you have lived with the Intel I5 offerings the M3 would be a significant jump. And it will be cheaper than the M4. Retailers may be dumping the M3 on Black Friday so there should be some really good deals.


Only Apple knows. There are guesses that it will happen sometime around March of 2025.

I think you will get a better deal getting the M3 on Black Friday rather than waiting. The M3 will be a very capable machine. Just make certain the offerings on Black Friday are 16 Gig and not 8 Gig.

Also, check the refurbished store as you may get a deal just as good, or better than Black Friday.

thank you. makes sense

 

[helloapple1]

Honestly just wait a few months and get the M4. Since you kept your previous device for a while I anticipate you'll keep the new device for just as long and you'd want the latest M4 for longevity.

 

[joeblow7777]

Based on the M4 MBP coming out exactly a year after the M3 MBP, I expect the MBA to follow the same pattern. If so, that would mean it will come out in March.

I say, if you plan to make you new device last as long as possible so you you'll want the most up to date model possible off the bat, and price isn't an issue, try to hold out and wait for the M4. If price is an issue, don't pass up on a good deal on an M3 now. It will be a very good laptop and continue to get support/updates for years to come. It's doubtful that you will notice a meaningful difference in performance between the M3 and M4.

 

[Ifti]

I would go for the M3 now - you will notice a huge difference over the i5.
The performance gains between the M3 and M4 are too small to bother with, so if you can get a good deal now I'd go for it. If it wasn't for the deal I'd say wait, but the M4 MBA won't be discounted for a long time.

 

[jb310]

I'd say get it now because of the price discounts, and because I doubt you would see a huge performance difference between the M3 and M4 MacBook Airs. The jump from Intel i5 to M3 is already a massive upgrade.

 

[JPack]

Realistically, you'll want to wait until June 2025 for BTS to get M4 MBA to match the discounts you see today.

Personally, I'd wait because M4 offers pretty big jump and a new display engine for dual external monitors. M5 is reportedly a minor update.

 

[JeffMacMan]

i have a 2019 macbook pro 13 inch base model intel i5 i want to upgrade this week to M3 macbook air base model now that the base model has 16 gb ram. its going to be a grea tprice because of the black friday gift card plus education discount. very tempting. or should i wait for m4?
how long do you think it will be until m4 macbook air since we have m4 in ipad, and m4 in macbook pro, and mac mini now?

I’m not entirely sure that you can use both the educational discount and the Black Friday promo at the same time.

Here’s what their promo Official Rules say:
“Resellers, public entities, government entities, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, education purchasers, enterprise purchasers, and business purchasers do not qualify, and Apple reserves the right to cancel purchases made by such purchasers.”

Maybe someone can clarify this?

 

[raythompsontn]

I’m not entirely sure that you can use both the educational discount and the Black Friday promo at the same time.

You cannot use both. You have to make a choice and pick the one with the biggest discount. Which is generally the education discount.

 

[niteflyr]

Both Amazon and Best Buy have the M3 16/256 for $849. Best Buy will take your old MBP trade in for an additional discount. That beats any Apple promo

Edit: Amazon dropped to $844

 

[phoenix-mac-user]

Both Amazon and Best Buy have the M3 16/256 for $849. Best Buy will take your old MBP trade in for an additional discount. That beats any Apple promo

Edit: Amazon dropped to $844

I just got a 13" M3 Air 24/512 for 1108 Best Buy Open Box. Best Buy open box still qualifies for Apple Care and gets the same Apple Warranty new Macs get. It is definitely the cheapest way to buy a Mac because most of them were returned after a couple days. My battery cycle count was 2.

Also traded in my Macbook Pro M1 16" and got $775 trade in value.

 

[AJB1971]

I've gone for an 'as new' 15-inch M3 Air with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for what should work out at £1,005. And it comes with a 12-month warranty.

I would have liked to wait for the M4 Air, but that will likely not be released until March, and then I'd be waiting another few months for a deal on a refurbished (not from Apple) one. Plus, now seems like a good time to be moving my 8GB M1 Air on.

 

[Julchen4151]

Im waiting for the 32 GB Air next year, though the 24 GB M3 currently is very tempting…

 

[geta]

If you need a new computer now, take advantage of the sales and get M3 MBA which is a great device! If you’re not stressed, then wait few more months for the upcoming M4 version.

 

[Jacoblee23]

I would go ahead and get the M3 air now. The discounts are pretty amazing for what you now get- being 16gb being the standard. These deals end I believe tomorrow. Glad I took advantage of the deal. It will probably be awhile before the M4 Air's once they are released receive discounts this significant.

 

[bellflyer14]

If you are in need of a machine now, don't sleep in these current sales. Increasing the base storage to 16gb has changed the game for the MBairs. Two months ago a 15" 16/512 mba was $1699. That same laptop is currently $1234 at Best Buy. The 24gb version now holds the $1699 spot but is also on sale for $1424. If you prefer the 13" then the prices are even lower. A 13" 16/512 for $1049 is a steal

 

[Honey_crisp]

Realistically, you'll want to wait until June 2025 for BTS to get M4 MBA to match the discounts you see today.

Personally, I'd wait because M4 offers pretty big jump and a new display engine for dual external monitors. M5 is reportedly a minor update.

@JPack - do you think the M4 Air is likely to gain a third TB port on the right side like the base M4 MacBook Pro, or is Apple now going to make it a differentiating feature between the two models?

Looking to “upgrade” from an M1 Pro MBP and my compute needs have changed to no longer need Pro level chip performance or non USB-C/TB I/O.

I’m willing to compromise on screen size/quality/refresh rate in exchange for more portability, so the Air looks appealing.

I really would love to have the TB ports on either side for my desk setup, and it would suck to have to “upgrade” to the bulkier base M4 MacBook Pro just for this reason.

While the base M4 iMac still only has two TB ports, I am hoping that the M4 Air’s new display engine capability would come with the ability to have the Air situated in the middle of two external monitors with lid open and not needing an external keyboard. Similarly for charging or connecting accessories while on the go, it would be nice to not be limited to just one side.

 

[JPack]

@JPack - do you think the M4 Air is likely to gain a third TB port on the right side like the base M4 MacBook Pro, or is Apple now going to make it a differentiating feature between the two models?

Looking to “upgrade” from an M1 Pro MBP and my compute needs have changed to no longer need Pro level chip performance or non USB-C/TB I/O.

I’m willing to compromise on screen size/quality/refresh rate in exchange for more portability, so the Air looks appealing.

I really would love to have the TB ports on either side for my desk setup, and it would suck to have to “upgrade” to the bulkier base M4 MacBook Pro just for this reason.

While the base M4 iMac still only has two TB ports, I am hoping that the M4 Air’s new display engine capability would come with the ability to have the Air situated in the middle of two external monitors with lid open and not needing an external keyboard. Similarly for charging or connecting accessories while on the go, it would be nice to not be limited to just one side.

Apple has made it clear port count and thermal performance (fan) are premium features. They removed the fan from M1 MBA even though it could remain silent. Higher tier iMac models are differentiated by the number of USB-C ports. Given this trend, I anticipate the M4 Air will likely feature only two ports.