I’d expect this to be one of those perpetually on sale Apple products everywhere but with Apple themselves.
I see my post cause quite a stir hehe. My point was effectively that the MacBookAir is supposed to be the entry level notebook. There's practically nothing to it. How else can they make a cheaper notebook without making it cr*ppier than what is already available? No ports, low quality screen, cheap plastic enclosure? If they do make it of lesser quality then my point stands firm. If they intend to keep the build quality Apple is known for then just lower the price of the MacBookAir (which they won't). So they will make a cr*ppier product to grab every penny they can for the sake of shareholders. That's fine from a business point of view but from the customer point of view it's en****ification.
Those folk who want to keep the precise iPad functionality of iPad OS can do that as that can be done quite easily via theming engines. For more advanced users who want a Mac OS on iPad, then it makes no sense to not support that as it would be cheaper in the long run for Apple. iPad users who need their simple, dumbed down interface can easily be supported by allowing real users to be productive.
Those M1 MBAs are too premium still for the price they're selling at. I think that's the issue for Apple. They see a market segment they're selling volume in but it's encroaching on later model MBAs. A buyer seeing an M1 MBA or an M5 MBA will see the chip speed is different but really nothing else so plop for the cheaper model.
Perhaps not for us as an audience but Apple makes a lot of money selling its lowest-spec devices (iPhone 16e, Base iPad etc) by the pallet-load to businesses and the education sector. A £$600 Macbook makes perfect sense to compete with the Dells and HPs of the world doing just this with Windows machines.
I agree about the price overlaps. It's so confusing these days as to which product suits you best and no matter what you choose there is always the premium. There is one massive gap though and that is a 27" (or 30") iMac specced with a pro chip around the £2k - £2.5k mark. Pretty much where a lot of graphic design studios would buy. Since they dropped the 27" many studios have stuck with what they have as the 24" is too small and has no pro chip and the studio starts at £2k without a screen. The product line and pricings are all over the place from a customer point of view. I waited YEARS for a new 27" iMac but eventually bit the bullet and bought an M4 mini and the money I saved from my usual £2.5k budget I went and bought a third party monitor. I'd have preferred an all in one solution but Apple no longer provides it or expects you to pay £3.5k for base Studio and Display.
No, I mean this is Apple, MBA sells for $999 and on a deal often for $799. Why would Apple mess around in a more budget laptop market than this and price themselves out of their markup they are known for? Doesn't sound like Apple to me. Have my doubts we see this.
I don't think it will be because Apple only ever considers their own MSRP pricing and Apple does not do sales in their own stores either. How retailers decide on pricing is none of Apple's business. Even if it's well below $799 it won't be a good deal either. You can get a slightly used M4 Air or the older M3 version and you'll be much better of with the M4 performance and all the hardware features like Magsafe and 2 Thunderbolt ports.
Not everybody tracks deals or is even aware of sales deals for Macs. They'll see it cost $999 for the cheapest Mac laptop which is out of their price range.
Most people don't buy second hand laptops in the Windows world. They want a new one with a warranty that can be dealt with when things go awry. That's why The Geek Squad make so much money for Best Buy.
You've lost the market segment at that point. Windows users are very price conscious and focus on price above all else so will see 150 bucks of difference. That's the difference between Windows users buying a Mac and Mac users doing the same.
Yet M1 MBA are selling and Apple has noticed. PC laptop makers like Dell sell those cheap laptops made of plastic not because they're good but because they sell. Dell has to have a presence in every, EVERY, market segment so they have a price point and make a laptop with components to fit it. It's a different dynamic. Putting iPhone chips into these laptops is a rounding error in production of those chips and this is the first time Apple has ever been in this position of being able to hit a lower price point but keep profit margins.
The MacBook Air starts at €1099 in Belgium. You can get them just under a thousand euros with a student discount.
Same here. No matter how cheap the M1 Air is, it is still too large(ish) and too powerful for what I expect from such a device.
I see your point. But consider that already there is talk about Apple bringing an OLED screen to the MBA. Some variation of what you’re talking about may already be underway. Especially if this new budget Ax-chipped MacBook will be available with only one build - one processor, one RAM spec and one SSD spec. Multiple colors notwithstanding. It could be built almost entirely with off-the-shelf parts. If anyone wants customization, there will be the MBA.
If it's $799, it will be €929 and around €850-870 from some retailers.
