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Apple Looking to Launch $799 MacBook Air in 3Q 2012?

Does Apple need to drop the price of the Macbook Air to remain competitive? Absolutely not.

Would it be intelligent to drop the price to encourage converts to the Mac ecosystem and gain market share? Absolutely.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this at all. It might simply be a move to sell the older model at a reduced price, a la iPad and iPhone.
 
How? By securing a load of deals with schools who are looking for alternatives since Apple cut off the white MacBook. Smaller profit margin but a lot more sales. That will translate to more sales in the general market because of the lower price.
 
iZac said:
Discounting whether there is truth to this or not, surely the current bottom spec Macbook Air is now $200 cheaper to manufacture than it was last July? Apples new strategy seems to be to keep on the base model of the last generation at a discounted price.
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I doubt this will happen at all, but this is the option I see as most likely should it occur. It costs Apple zero R&D dollars to produce and the price drop could get many new users who don't care about/need the newest and greatest.
 
This is a dangerous game that Apple is starting to play, lowering their margins.... I'm not so sure that Steve would have approved. However, now that the bean counters are firmly captaining the ship, this appears to be the course of things. ...on the other hand, I'm sure there'll be new drool-worthy premium models available to tempt the upgrader.

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griz said:
How? By securing a load of deals with schools who are looking for alternatives since Apple cut off the white MacBook. Smaller profit margin but a lot more sales. That will translate to more sales in the general market because of the lower price.
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Ah good times. I was indoctrinated into the Church of Apple with the Apple II, we played matching games and Oregon trail. I'd take that over facebook and twitter any day!
 
Keep stock of the 11" Sandy Bridge i5 low end model when the Ivy bridge models come out?

I feel by 3Q 2012 it will be a bit overpriced at $999, considering it only has 2GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD.

Of course that would be a little confusing, as they would have both Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge i5's and a $200 price difference for the upgrade, which would make it hard for some customers to understand when they both have "i5's"
 
From a business standpoint that would make no sense for Apple to try and reach that price. It would unquestionably cannibalize sales of iPad and make the transition to "post-PC era" that Apple is trying to shovel us into much more difficult.

In other words, I'll believe that when my chit turns purple and smells like rainbow sherbet.
 
Not going to happen. Apple wants to push iOS devices more than Macs. Still, it would be really nice.
 
I'm currently thinking about getting myself a MacBook Air for when I enter University this year. For me, a cheaper model would be great! Not only because it'd be more affordable but also because I think I would feel quiet nervous about bringing a 1000€ machine with me to campus every day... :-/
 
Small White Car said:
So what if it does?

The average selling price of the iPad is somewhere close to $600, I think. If those people decided to start buying $800 laptops instead...would that be bad?
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This. Apple has said in the past that it doesn't care about "cannibalizing" laptop sales with sales of iPad's...and it makes sense.

The fact that the customer is deciding between an iPad and Apple laptop is exactly what Apple wants people to do.
 
On this category, mobility is paramount. Just bring the 400 to 600 g MacBook Air. Ideal for Keynote and PowerPoint presentations. The Mac in your pocket or purse. Always. For heavy work, just get a MacBook Pro.
 
Kontext said:
Not only because it'd be more affordable but also because I think I would feel quiet nervous about bringing a 1000€ machine with me to campus every day... :-/
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Don't worry about that, tons of people already do that and with more expensive stuff :p
 
KnightWRX said:
Too many compromises for Apple to reach that price-point IMO.

But you never know. An 11 inch using Sandy-bridge left overs at high discount from Intel ?
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The current MBA 11" base-model is overpriced, being a $1000 machine it should have 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD. I think they'll sell the current base-model at $799 and the $999 model will include 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD.
 
griz said:
How? By securing a load of deals with schools who are looking for alternatives since Apple cut off the white MacBook. Smaller profit margin but a lot more sales. That will translate to more sales in the general market because of the lower price.
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Yes... and it might keep some schools in Macs until the price can come down closer to the white MacBook with similar storage and memory specs. I just wish there would be more than 2GB of RAM. Our school district can cope with smaller storage since we have server accounts for all students, but we want more memory... especially since it is non-upgradable.
 
Personally, I find the concept in this article rather unlikely; Apple has figured out pretty much what the market will bear to still offer decent profits and reliable devices. Cutting the price by $200 is almost guaranteed to sacrifice something essential to making the MacBook Air what it is, whether that be the quality of the components or the service behind it. Even a $100 price cut seems a stretch since no other laptop in its price range (or below) performs as well for as long.

On the other hand, looking at certain parts orders and extending on what the prognosticator's typical analysis tools use to make their projections, what I see is the possibility of a larger tablet rather than a cheaper notebook. What are the chances of seeing not an $800 MacBook Air but rather a 13" iPad starting at $800? This seems far more likely to me.
 
What if it was to attack Google's Chromebook. Here me out. What if this little machine had only enough storage space for the OS and a couple apps. Or enough for the OS and enough iCloud that could hold the apps that people used. Put everything on iCloud. iTunes in the Cloud, Work in the Cloud, Calendar, etc, etc. It would need like 8GB of storage space for the OS and that's about it. And put 2GB of RAM, which is incredibly cheap now.

Using a old Sandy Bridge, I think that Apple could do it for $799. Will they? Probably not this year, I can see them moving this way in the future though!
 
I can see the potential from a drop because of reduced SSD and RAM prices, but a $200 drop seems optimistic.

The 14" Air rumour mentioned would be nice if it meant fitting it into a 13" chassis. Reducing the bezel for a larger screen would be great for usability and aesthetics.

striker33 said:
$799? No doubt that will equate to £799 here in the UK.

Le Sigh.
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The MacBook Air already starts at £849 compared to $999. The only thing Apple do a direct $ to £ on is the Apple TV. Although that is one thing too many, it is much better than the treatment we get from some other companies.
 
What are the most expensive components in a MacBook Air, besides SSD and CPU? To slash prices without hurting their profit margins, Apple would probably need those component's prices to drop significantly, right?
 
Wow, that would be great.

$799 Macbook Air (11")
$249-$299 iPad (7.85")

Apple would sell like CRAZY!
 
Epic Xbox Revie said:
What if it was to attack Google's Chromebook. Here me out. What if this little machine had only enough storage space for the OS and a couple apps. Or enough for the OS and enough iCloud that could hold the apps that people used. Put everything on iCloud. iTunes in the Cloud, Work in the Cloud, Calendar, etc, etc. It would need like 8GB of storage space for the OS and that's about it. And put 2GB of RAM, which is incredibly cheap now.

Using a old Sandy Bridge, I think that Apple could do it for $799. Will they? Probably not this year, I can see them moving this way in the future though!
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I don't think Apple would adopt a Chromebook type of device at all...

1) That doesn't fit into their "app" strategy that they currently use on Macs (of course) and iOS devices.

2) I don't think the Chromebook has proven to be a success. In fact, it seems like a flop.

3) What you are describing can already be achieved by buying an iPad with a keyboard. The only difference is that the apps are not in the cloud.
 
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