Mac Trade-Ins Surge Amid MacBook Neo Launch

[MacRumors]

Apple this week saw an unusual surge of Mac trade-ins amid the launch of the MacBook Neo.

A reliable source speaking to MacRumors revealed that the quantity of Macs traded in at Apple retail stores this week increased over 100% compared to previous weeks, likely driven by demand for the MacBook Neo and M5 MacBook Air.

Older, low-end models dominated this week's trade-ins, suggesting that customers are upgrading to the MacBook Neo and the M5 MacBook Air, rather than the new MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.

The scale of increase is noticeably different from most previous Mac launches. While the launches of new Macs understandably cause a slight surge of trade-ins, the increase is typically much smaller than the one seen this week, suggesting heightened consumer enthusiasm for the new models. Evidence suggests that this is the biggest surge in Mac trade-ins since the launch of the first Apple silicon Macs between 2020 and 2021.

Article Link: Mac Trade-Ins Surge Amid MacBook Neo Launch

 

[turbineseaplane]

Love it!
Fill up that refurb store!

Still watching for my elusive M4 MBA 15" with 16/2TB combo.

 

[KENESS]

That it is mostly older low-end models mostly is a good sign for the product mix as a whole I think. It means people want to keep up to date with a new machine, a new warranty, etc, but know their needs aren't overly demanding. It also means the Neo isn't cannibalizing more expensive machines, as people are basically just upgrading older equivalent machines.

 

[Non-Euclidean]

"Apple Specialists are outraged at the number of people turning in MBPs for Neos. When told that a customer intended to use a Neo for travel, a nearby Genius started crying."

 

[HouseLannister]

How old/low end are they taking? Are we talking Intel MacBooks, M1s, or newer stuff?

 

[Apple_Robert]

Surprised the surge happened so quickly.

 

[t0rqx]

This is Apple Marketing department at full throttle. Stores are still empty.

 

[contacos]

I assume my MacBook Pro 2021 with M1 Pro is still better right? for the 16 GB ram alone

 

[jarman92]

This is Apple Marketing department at full throttle. Stores are still empty.

No Apple Store has been close to "empty" in like 20 years.

 

[Siliconguy]

Excellent. Used M1 and M2 machines will be dropping in price and Asahi Linux is nearly feature complete. As of a few days ago prices on Ebay still hadn't reflected that a new 8/256 laptop is only $600. But that will change.

 

[anthonymoody]

Trade-in credit is so abysmal these days. I know selling yourself can be a PITA. But yeesh. This is a case where I'd definitely sell mine myself when I'm ready for the next shiny new thing.

 

[turbineseaplane]

No Apple Store has been close to "empty" in like 20 years.

Oh yeah they have .. I've been in 'em

 

[biggest father1]

I wish I could trade in my 15 inch 2017 MacBook Pro for some kind of value as I think the Neo smacks the pants off this MacBook Pro. Lol

Edit: At least I have thunderbolt with my MBP still!

 

[awshucks]

How old/low end are they taking? Are we talking Intel MacBooks, M1s, or newer stuff?

I just ran some SNs on Apple's site and the oldest MBA they'll give money for is the 2018, only worth $95. Oldest MBP is 2017, worth as low as $40 for the base model.

 

[KPOM]

This is Apple Marketing department at full throttle. Stores are still empty.

Apple sells 1/10 as many Macs as iPhones. Even a 20% increase isn’t going to lead to lines in stores like we see on iPhone launch day (and even those are much shorter as the novelty has understandably worn off).

 

[turbineseaplane]

I just ran some SNs on Apple's site and the oldest MBA they'll give money for is the 2018, only worth $95. Oldest MBP is 2017, worth as low as $40 for the base model.

I should put my 15" 2015 MBP into the Apple "how much we'll give you" site so I can see this pop up on screen👇

 

[awshucks]

I wish I could trade in my 15 inch 2017 MacBook Pro for some kind of value as I think the Neo smacks the pants off this MacBook Pro. Lol

Edit: At least I have thunderbolt with my MBP still!

I looked on eBay and found some M2 base model 15 inch for about the same price as a new Neo, and you get the same 8GB/256GB, unless you shop for a higher spec. M2 has bigger screen, Thunderbolt, faster chip, and MagSafe if you care about that.

 

[hieranonymous]

Based on my own informal survey of social media, Reddit, YouTube, the Neo is generating a lot of excitement among Apple and non-Apple users alike.

 

[Siliconguy]

I assume my MacBook Pro 2021 with M1 Pro is still better right? for the 16 GB ram alone

Most likely, unless you think it weighs too much, or the battery is near end-of-life AND you realize you bought way more computer than you actually need.

I can imagine a case where trading in a 2021 Pro for a Neo could make sense, but it's not likely.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Excellent. Used M1 and M2 machines will be dropping in price and Asahi Linux is nearly feature complete. As of a few days ago prices on Ebay still hadn't reflected that a new 8/256 laptop is only $600. But that will change.

For me, the biggest drawback of the Neo is that it can't run Sequoia.

 

[CEmajr]

Good news. The Apple refurb section has been dry lately in terms of MacBooks.

 

[Happy_John]

This really isn’t surprising. The sticker price of the Neo is, for Apple, extremely low, and any further money off from a trade-in makes it even lower.

I wouldn’t bother trading in an older Apple mid- or entry-level device against the price of a new Mac Book Pro or Studio because I’ll still have to pay a lot of money, and it might be better to hang on to the older device.

In this case, $100 off $599- is quite attractive.

 

[awesomecat]

I should put my 15" 2015 MBP into the Apple "how much we'll give you" site so I can see this pop up on screen👇

View attachment 2613170

"oh yeah we'll recycle it, please don't install linux or anything on it, just throw it away! it's completely useless!"

 

[Heat_Fan89]

The new MacBook No 🥳

 

[Heat_Fan89]

I should put my 15" 2015 MBP into the Apple "how much we'll give you" site so I can see this pop up on screen👇

If you're into Linux, then I would keep it. The AS Mac doesn't fully support Linux unless that has recently changed. My 2012 Mini is happily running Ubuntu and I will convert my 2018 Mini with 32GB of RAM to Ubuntu as well. Ubuntu is one of the more complete and stable Linux distributions and if you are into adding themes, you can even make it look like macOS.