Amazon's New Sale Has $170 Off M2 MacBook Air and $299 Off Apple Studio Display

[MacRumors]

Today we're tracking a pair of deals on Amazon, which is discounting the M2 MacBook Air to multiple all-time low prices, as well as the Apple Studio Display. Both devices are in stock on Amazon with delivery estimates between June 8 and June 12 as of writing.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Starting with the M2 13-inch MacBook Air, Amazon this week has every model available for $170 off, which are matches for the record low prices on this version of the MacBook Air. These prices are available to all shoppers and do not require a coupon code.

The 256GB model is on sale for $829.00 and the 512GB model is available for $1,029.00. These deals are only available on Amazon right now, and the retailer has each model on sale in all four colors.

13-inch M2 MacBook Air (256GB) for $829.00 ($170 OFF)​

13-inch M2 MacBook Air (512GB) for $1,029.00 ($170 OFF)​

Following the introduction of the M3 MacBook Air, Apple knocked the price of the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air down by $100, and it's still selling them alongside the M3 model. The main difference between the two generations lies in the performance upgrade that the M3 chip brings, so if your priority is saving money you stand to benefit from Amazon's steep discounts.

Secondly, Amazon has again dropped the price of the Apple Studio Display (Standard Glass) down to $1,299.99, down from $1,599.00. This is the model with the tilt-adjustable stand, although you can find the same deal on the VESA mount adapter model right now on Amazon.

Apple Studio Display (Standard Glass) for $1,299.99 ($299 OFF)​

The Apple Studio Display is a 27-inch monitor that features 5K resolution, supports up to 600 nits of brightness, P3 Wide color for vivid colors, and True Tone to match the white balance of the display to the lighting in the room. There is an upgraded nano-texture glass model, but we aren't tracking any deals on that one this week.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

Article Link: Amazon's New Sale Has $170 Off M2 MacBook Air and $299 Off Apple Studio Display

 

[randolorian]

The main difference between the two generations lies in the performance upgrade that the M3 chip brings

Let's not forget the slower storage on the M2 256G model.

 

[BlairMALL]

I love all of these deals, but they never feature the 16GB RAM versions. I don't care so much about the hard drive space, but I want more RAM. Am I just stuck in an old way of thinking? I know Apple doesn't want their users to focus on higher RAM, but in years 2-EOL of my computers, more RAM seems to matter more. I am probably getting something wrong here, but I am on the brink of buying a new laptop, and I don't feel I can take advantage of these deals because I want more RAM. FWIW, my current laptop is a 2017 Mac Book Pro 13" with 16GB RAM. It still works fine, but can't upgrade to Sonoma... and I like to be current on things (software, obviously not hardware).

 

[turbineseaplane]

I am probably getting something wrong here

Not at all -- you are 100% correct to want 16GB RAM

That should be the base amount on ALL Macs

It would be, if Apple weren't so obsessed with screwing customers on upgrade pricing as a main revenue generation practice.

 

[Steve121178]

I love all of these deals, but they never feature the 16GB RAM versions. I don't care so much about the hard drive space, but I want more RAM. Am I just stuck in an old way of thinking? I know Apple doesn't want their users to focus on higher RAM, but in years 2-EOL of my computers, more RAM seems to matter more. I am probably getting something wrong here, but I am on the brink of buying a new laptop, and I don't feel I can take advantage of these deals because I want more RAM. FWIW, my current laptop is a 2017 Mac Book Pro 13" with 16GB RAM. It still works fine, but can't upgrade to Sonoma... and I like to be current on things (software, obviously not hardware).

There wasn't any 16GB M2 MBA models available off the shelf, only CTO. They fixed this madness with the M3 MBA.

 

[CalMin]

Not at all -- you are 100% correct to want 16GB RAM

That should be the base amount on ALL Macs

It would be, if Apple weren't so obsessed with screwing customers on upgrade pricing as a main revenue generation practice.

The upgrade pricing ladder is horrendous and Apple charges way too much for the jump from 8GB to 16GB, but 8GB RAM is perfectly fine for many people. I'm talking about the ones like my wife who do emails, web, photos, iMovie, MS Office productivity etc. Most 'normal' users will be fine with 8GB, so the use and sale of it as a base spec machine remains strong.

I'm not saying that 16GB isn't better than 8GB. It's just people who aren't enthusiasts (geeks like us here) won't even know if their Mac has 8GB or 16GB in their machines. My wife has no idea what an M1, M2, M3 or M4 is. She has no clue about what RAM spec she has or even how much SSD space. She uses her Mac to get things done and her 8GB M1 Air is more computer than she can use. My parents are the same and 8GB rocks it for them, as are my cousins and most of my friends.

Still - it does suck that 16GB is rarely on sale for those of that want or need more.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The upgrade pricing ladder is horrendous and Apple charges way too much for the jump from 8GB to 16GB, but 8GB RAM is perfectly fine for many people.

Not going to go back and forth all day on this rather old debate, but an extra 8GB of RAM costs Apple practically nothing and we should be expecting way more than "fine for many people" from Apple hardware at the prices they charge.

Not singling you out, but folks defending this practice in 2024 are part of the problem and why Apple keeps getting away with screwing its customers.

Let's demand more from them

Cheers 👍

 

[J.J. Sefton]

Of course the display goes on sale right after I had to pony up for a new fridge. 🤦🏾‍♂️

 

[subjonas]

I love all of these deals, but they never feature the 16GB RAM versions. I don't care so much about the hard drive space, but I want more RAM. Am I just stuck in an old way of thinking? I know Apple doesn't want their users to focus on higher RAM, but in years 2-EOL of my computers, more RAM seems to matter more. I am probably getting something wrong here, but I am on the brink of buying a new laptop, and I don't feel I can take advantage of these deals because I want more RAM. FWIW, my current laptop is a 2017 Mac Book Pro 13" with 16GB RAM. It still works fine, but can't upgrade to Sonoma... and I like to be current on things (software, obviously not hardware).

I was just looking at a 16GB 15” M3 MBA on Amazon, and the Starlight is $100 off, the rest are $50 off. Unfortunately, I’m looking for 1TB which they don’t offer, but yeah apparently 16GB does go on sale.

Apple 2024 MacBook Air 15-inch Laptop with M3 chip: Built for Apple Intelligence, 15.3-inch Liquid Retina Display, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, Touch ID; Starlight

The M3 chip brings even greater capabilities to the superportable 15-inch MacBook Air. With up to 18 hours of battery life, you can take it anywhere and blaze through work and play.

www.amazon.com

 

[dumastudetto]

Apple Studio Display is almost worth it for the unboxing experience alone. You may think this sounds ridiculous, but when you experience it you'll be like wow.... 'I needed this moment in time'

 

[vegetassj4]

Amazon has had the display deal for a while (on and off?). I couldn't resist, especially with 0% and 12/month installments. Much better than the 4K LG I was using (now as a second monitor).

 

[Isengardtom]

Apple doesn’t refresh its displays fast enough.

 

[subjonas]

Not going to go back and forth all day on this rather old debate, but an extra 8GB of RAM costs Apple practically nothing and we should be expecting way more than "fine for many people" from Apple hardware at the prices they charge.

Not singling you out, but folks defending this practice in 2024 are part of the problem and why Apple keeps getting away with screwing its customers.

Let's demand more from them

Cheers 👍

If many people freely choose to buy Apple products and are happy with their purchase, then how is Apple screwing them? You may believe you are getting screwed (I personally never understood this feeling in the context of electronics because if a product is overpriced then I simply don’t buy it or I buy some cheaper alternative, but who am I to tell anyone how to feel), and that’s ok it’s your belief, but don’t speak for everyone. Of course everyone wants more for less, but—and perhaps this isn’t your intention, however—saying that someone who happily bought something is actually getting screwed implies that they’re ignorant, and at the very least it’s telling them that they should share your values. And who has any right to tell anyone that?
And folks defending Apple (or folks who don’t care about Apple but just try to follow reason where it leads) on forums is not why Apple continues to “get away” with charging its prices. It’s the droves of people buying Apple's products and being satisfied with their purchases that allow it—that’s it. Those are the only people you have to blame.
I have a similar situation. Not about price, but I hate big phones. It frustrates me to no end that I can’t get a decent small smartphone these days (regardless of price). But I know it’s because the masses want big phones. I don’t blame them or tell them they’re wrong, I just hope someday there are enough people like me that it will make business sense for small phones to come back. But I have little hope in that so I just make do.

 

[mode11]

If many people freely choose to buy Apple products and are happy with their purchase, then how is Apple screwing them?

They're screwing them in the sense that 8GB is barely sufficient for today's usage, and the upgrade to a reasonable amount is extortionate.

If you have relatively modest requirements then the upgrade pricing is simply not justifiable, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't benefit regardless, either now or in a couple of years.

Of course you can just ignore the entry spec laptops and go straight for the 16GB / 512GB configs. This is arguably the sensible thing to do, and will likely hold its value better long term, but does lay bare the true (high) cost of Apple laptops.

I expect the upcoming ARM PC laptops will mostly have 16GB as standard, along with 512GB-1TB of storage. If they have decent battery life and x86 application support, and start selling well, Apple will grudgingly up the base RAM on equivalent Mac laptops too. But until then, they'll continue enjoying the profits.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

That new ASD is going for less than the price of the display at Apple's refurb store ($1,359), nice!

 

[Christopher Kim]

I was just looking at a 16GB 15” M3 MBA on Amazon, and the Starlight is $100 off, the rest are $50 off. Unfortunately, I’m looking for 1TB which they don’t offer, but yeah apparently 16GB does go on sale.

Apple 2024 MacBook Air 15-inch Laptop with M3 chip: Built for Apple Intelligence, 15.3-inch Liquid Retina Display, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, Touch ID; Starlight

The M3 chip brings even greater capabilities to the superportable 15-inch MacBook Air. With up to 18 hours of battery life, you can take it anywhere and blaze through work and play.

www.amazon.com

Yes, as @Steve121178 mentioned above, starting the with M3 MBA, they added the 16gb version as one of the standard models. So going forward, we should be able to find them at various retailers (Eg. Amazon, Best Buy) on sale.

Prior to that, to get 16gb in an MBA required a "build to order" (BTO) or "customized to order" (CTO) upgrade directly from Apple. And given that typically, 3rd party retailers only stocked the standard base-model versions, you could only get 16gb MBAs directly from Apple... which never go on sale.

 

[oasantos1]

The studio display is tempting.

Best Buy will price match it, and I would get the AC+ for 2 years.

 

[subjonas]

They're screwing them in the sense that 8GB is barely sufficient for today's usage, and the upgrade to a reasonable amount is extortionate.

If you have relatively modest requirements then the upgrade pricing is simply not justifiable, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't benefit regardless, either now or in a couple of years.

Of course you can just ignore the entry spec laptops and go straight for the 16GB / 512GB configs. This is arguably the sensible thing to do, and will likely hold its value better long term, but does lay bare the true (high) cost of Apple laptops.

I expect the upcoming ARM PC laptops will mostly have 16GB as standard, along with 512GB-1TB of storage. If they have decent battery life and x86 application support, and start selling well, Apple will grudgingly up the base RAM on equivalent Mac laptops too. But until then, they'll continue enjoying the profits.

16GB is minimum for me too, but I suspect there are large swaths of people for whom 8GB is plenty and will be plenty for years—maybe even the majority of Apple’s customers. But neither of us can know for sure either way without data.

Value is subjective and often nuanced, but I can’t relate to words like “screwed” and “extortion” in this context, because we’re free to purchase valid products from competitors. We (many of us here) just don’t want to because Apple products are overall better, especially with ecosystem features. But I don’t see any logic or morals that says Apple owes us any of that at any particular cost. I’ve been using almost exclusively Apple products for most of my adult life, but if tomorrow Apple quadrupled all their prices, I’d simply say “good luck, Apple” and move to Microsoft, Android, etc. It’s just a calculation.

Yes, if Apple’s competitors increase the standard memory and storage before Apple does, Apple would surely be pressured to follow. And one way or another, the standard across the industry will increase as it has always, but it will always increase slower than us techies want or expect.

 

[thealkimist]

I love all of these deals, but they never feature the 16GB RAM versions. I don't care so much about the hard drive space, but I want more RAM. Am I just stuck in an old way of thinking? I know Apple doesn't want their users to focus on higher RAM, but in years 2-EOL of my computers, more RAM seems to matter more. I am probably getting something wrong here, but I am on the brink of buying a new laptop, and I don't feel I can take advantage of these deals because I want more RAM. FWIW, my current laptop is a 2017 Mac Book Pro 13" with 16GB RAM. It still works fine, but can't upgrade to Sonoma... and I like to be current on things (software, obviously not hardware).

I think it sounds like you want more RAM

 

[svish]

Good discount on MacBook Air. M2 models are still good.

 

[mode11]

I’ve been using almost exclusively Apple products for most of my adult life, but if tomorrow Apple quadrupled all their prices, I’d simply say “good luck, Apple” and move to Microsoft, Android, etc. It’s just a calculation.

Yeah, that's what I did last summer for my desktop. Took quite a while to find high quality replacements for all the Apple apps I was using, but well worth it.