MacBook Air With M1 Chip is Just $599 at Walmart

[MacRumors]

In case you missed it, Walmart is currently offering the older but still very capable MacBook Air with the M1 chip for just $599 in the United States.

It seems like this deal began around Amazon's four-day Prime Day event in early July, but it flew under our radar until a reader let us know about it today.

Apple first released the MacBook Air with the M1 chip in November 2020, as one of the first Macs with an Apple silicon chip, instead of an Intel processor. The configuration being sold for $599 includes the M1 chip, 256GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM, with Gold, Silver, and Space Gray color options all available as of this writing.

To the best of our knowledge, these MacBook Air units remain in brand-new condition, with the product listing not indicating they are refurbished.

Apple discontinued the MacBook Air with the M1 chip last year, after it launched models with the M3 chip, and it has since updated the MacBook Air with the M4 chip. Prior to being discontinued, the model with the M1 chip was being sold for a starting price of $999 brand new, but Amazon sometimes offered it on sale for $899.

While the MacBook Air with the M1 chip is nearly five years old, it is still a capable machine for many average day-to-day tasks. However, it has an older design, and it is the oldest MacBook Air model compatible with the upcoming macOS Tahoe update, so those aspects should be factored into your purchasing decision.

Walmart first began selling the MacBook Air with the M1 chip for $699 in March 2024. It has since dropped the price two times — first to $649, and now to $599. It is unclear how long supplies will last, but rumors suggest that Apple has a new MacBook with an A18 Pro chip in the pipeline, and that model is also predicted to cost between $599 and $699.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart, and we may receive a small payment if you click a link in this article and proceed to make a purchase.

Article Link: MacBook Air With M1 Chip is Just $599 at Walmart

 

[firstcitazen]

Great deal. horrible place to shop. Have Best Buy or another place price match

 

[mknelson]

Those were last sold new in March of 2024. How long have these been in storage and what shape is the battery in?

Otherwise an awesome deal!

 

[Vulkan]

M1 Macs with less than 16gb of ram are going to have a hard time running Tahoe with all the animations and visual graphics improvements. My M1 MacBook Pro with 32 GB sometimes crawls with Tahoe's interface.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Those were last sold new in March of 2024. How long have these been in storage and what shape is the battery in?

Otherwise an awesome deal!

I saw a post somewhere with the battery age and it was new, so I guess they are still producing it.

 

[CalMin]

People will scoff at 8GB, but my wife just wrote her first book on with this same configuration. I offered to give her my M3 Air and she much preferred the M1's form factor. The computer never slows for her - even though she somehow ends up with a gazillion browser tabs open!

Put short - this is a great computer for non-nerds. i.e. those people who just use a computer to get stuff done via email, web, MS Office, Photos etc.. M1 Apple silicon is still fast responsive and capable. Even with 'just' 8GB.

 

[Gengar]

It’s exclusive to Walmart now. They announced that back when Walmart started carrying MacBooks (after every other retailer discontinued it).

 

[WarmWinterHat]

People will scoff at 8GB, but my wife just wrote her first book on with this same configuration. I offered to give her my M3 Air and she much preferred the M1's form factor. The computer never slows for her - even though she somehow ends up with a gazillion browser tabs open!

Put short - this is a great computer for non-nerds. i.e. those people who just use a computer to get stuff done via email, web, MS Office, Photos etc.. M1 Apple silicon is still fast responsive and capable. Even with 'just' 8GB.

I had a 16/512 variant that I sold earlier this year after buying my M4 MBP. In hindsight, I wish I had kept the Air...I also prefer the M1's form factor.

I can't tell any speed difference in day-to-day usage.

 

[JPack]

For those wondering, these are brand new units, not excess stock. It would be ridiculous to believe Apple logistics are so bad, they have boatloads of these unsold.

M1 MBA is still being assembled and sold in developing markets.

 

[Macbookey]

M1 Macs with less than 16gb of ram are going to have a hard time running Tahoe with all the animations and visual graphics improvements. My M1 MacBook Pro with 32 GB sometimes crawls with Tahoe's interface.

Apple is going to have to be cognizant of this seeing as how they are going to release a budget MacBook with A series silicon, that all rumours are pointing to 8GB RAM as standard. In some ways these decisions can really hold up software development, in others it forces refinement. Time will tell.

 

[Small White Car]

Those were last sold new in March of 2024. How long have these been in storage and what shape is the battery in?

Otherwise an awesome deal!

March 2024 is when the Walmart deal started, so they were undoubtably continuing to manufacture them after that date.

Walmart Begins Selling MacBook Air With M1 Chip for $699 in U.S.

Walmart today announced that it has started selling the MacBook Air with the M1 chip in the U.S., with pricing set at a very reasonable $699. The...

www.macrumors.com

 

[CharlesShaw]

It’s exclusive to Walmart now. They announced that back when Walmart started carrying MacBooks (after every other retailer discontinued it).

Thanks. I was wondering why I'd heard it referred to as the Walmart MacBook.

 

[HouseLannister]

For those wondering, these are brand new units, not excess stock. It would be ridiculous to believe Apple logistics are so bad and they boatloads of these unsold.

M1 MBA is still being assembled and sold in developing markets.

Why would they still be building these if they plan to launch an A18 12.9" Macbook before the end of the year? Or maybe Gurman is just making stuff up again.

 

[BGPL]

I will second the horrendous customer service of Walmart, don't buy anything from them, especially over the Internet. I bought an iPhone 13 unlocked from their website and when I got it at my box, it had been sliced open and removed, presumably by the Fedex Ground delivery person. I ship a ton with FedEx - the Express folks are solid, the Ground people not so much. Walmart wouldn't give me a refund, so I called FedEx, turns out the shipper has to report the loss, which Walmart refused to do. I recorded all of these conversations in live chat with both Walmart and Fedex and submitted to my bank and they reversed the credit card charge. I will never shop at Walmart again unless it's an emergency and it's in person.

 

[WilliApple]

This is honestly not a good buy anymore, it’s just too old of a product…

I’m looking mainly at software support, in Tahoe, it’s the minimum supported MacBook Air!

 

[CalMin]

For those wondering, these are brand new units, not excess stock. It would be ridiculous to believe Apple logistics are so bad, they have boatloads of these unsold.

M1 MBA is still being assembled and sold in developing markets.

Didn't know that. Makes sense given just how well it handles everyday computing activities. I wonder if the rumored A18 MacBook will use this form factor?

 

[Eminemdrdre00]

This isn't a great deal anymore. I just got a used M3 MacBookAir with 2 years of AppleCare on eBay for $590.

 

[CalMin]

This is honestly not a good buy anymore, it’s just too old of a product…

I’m looking mainly at software support, in Tahoe, it’s the minimum supported MacBook Air!

Depends on what you use it for I suppose. I have family members rocking ~2012 era MacBooks because they need a machine for email and browsing. You know the ones... MacBook looks pristine in a case and a sleeve, with a keyboard cover who try to keep things forever by looking after them.

A $599 machine like this would last them years. They don't care about the latest software features at all.

 

[JPack]

Why would they still be building these if they plan to launch an A18 12.9" Macbook before the end of the year? Or maybe Gurman is just making stuff up again.

Same reason why Apple is still building iPhone 16 Pro today. There's still customers today that want MBA M1 at a low price.

 

[gugy]

M2 $700 AND M4 $800 at BB. I think these are better deals. M1 is capable but old.

 

[minik]

Walmart is one of those big retailers that doesn't offer Apple Pay. One with an Apple Card and shops there won't be getting the extra 2% Daily Cash.

 

[GMShadow]

Didn't know that. Makes sense given just how well it handles everyday computing activities. I wonder if the rumored A18 MacBook will use this form factor?

That's been my suspicion - they'll gutswap the A18 into the same chassis and call it MacBook SE. The tooling and design for this model is fully amortized which will help keep the cost down.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

This is honestly not a good buy anymore, it’s just too old of a product…

I’m looking mainly at software support, in Tahoe, it’s the minimum supported MacBook Air!

The minimum Air supported really isn't saying much, as it was the first M-series model. They only kept more-powerful Intel series chip for Tahoe, and it will be their last update.

 

[Crow_Servo]

I wonder if Apple will support M chip Macs for 10 years or thereabouts, to prove just how capable their in-house chips are compared to the previous Intel chips. If so, this is still a solid purchase. If not, I wonder when M1 support is dropped from future OS updates.

 

[ZZ9pluralZalpha]

It would be hilarious if this WERE the $599 MacBook all along and the ultralight A18 aspects were wholecloth inventions by various rumormongers and "analysts" 😂