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Picked mine up yesterday after ordering online the day b4. Walked in n 3 minutes later walked out with my space grey air. I set it up but really haven’t played with it. Was surprised as to how much smaller it looked compared to my mid-2014 MacBook Pro.
 
I would totally buy this.. But I just purchased a 2017 iPad Pro.

Who knows what the Black Friday deals hold for the new MBA.
 
I would totally buy this.. But I just purchased a 2017 iPad Pro.

Who knows what the Black Friday deals hold for the new MBA.
Nice thing is micro center gives u a 15 day return window so anything better on Black Friday I’m still good for it. I also have price protection with my Citicard so all good.
 
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Nice thing is micro center gives u a 15 day return window so anything better on Black Friday I’m still good for it. I also have price protection with my Citicard so all good.
Nice that price protection is killer - Chase Freedom used to offer it but they just got rid of it.. I will have to look into my AMEX and see if they offer it. Really don’t want to open up another card, but having one with price protection is totally worth it.
 
I have had success with MicroCenter price-matching Amazon. Recently I purchased a 2 TB G-Tech Mobile external SSD and was very happy that MicroCenter gave me the price that Amazon was stating on its page rather than the original price that MicroCenter had on its price sticker. Now I always check Amazon before heading out to MicroCenter to buy anything expensive.....
 
Before Apple finally started releasing iPads for less than $300, microcenter had $100 off then current And pervious gen iPads. I got my iPad Air for $299 (instead of $399) and it served me for 3 years before I upgraded again
 
I would totally buy this.. But I just purchased a 2017 iPad Pro.

Who knows what the Black Friday deals hold for the new MBA.

I was looking to see if they were still available in NY yesterday. They were but the discount was $100. Still better than Apple's $50 off in their education store. Would love to see ANY discount on either of the new iPad Pros. We'll see what happens as black Friday approaches. AAPL is taking a beating today down 4.5% or $9.20.
 
Should be this price at retail with the old model gone.


The old motto, technically gets cheaper.

Charging more just because it’s newer is nonsense.

Because the old Air has a terrible screen and the nTB MBP is only $100 more and has a much better screen and is barely heavier.


Ok, but no.

I wish people here would stop saying what price these things should be. Sure, share what price you wish it was if you want but saying what price it should be suggests you have some market knowledge the rest of us don’t. Which we know isn’t true.

The price should be whatever the market is willing to pay. As a customer I want it as cheap as it can be. As a share holder I want it as expensive as it can be. The only fair price is the price the market ultimately decides.

And since people keep buying Apple stuff more and more, that’s the market saying it thinks Apple is pricing things pretty well.

Still, having just bought one, and having previously tried the nTB MBP, I think this Air doesn’t actually make a lot of sense - at least in my mind. The difference between it and the nTB MBP is so minimal it’s a bit silly. Much lesser processor and graphics, only a little lighter, and only $100 less with everything else pretty darn similar.

I also don’t understand why the MB starts at 256GB and the Air and the Pro start at 128. A 128GB MB at say $100 less than the 256 model (going by differences in pricing of the MBA and MBP) would make sense to me. It also would be ideal for a particular need I have, or possibly a 13” version that’s everything a 128GB fanless thin and light 13” MB might be, but sadly that doesn’t exist. Still I prefer the fanless and smaller size and weight of the MB over the 13” display, so I’m returning the Air and swapping for that.

My needs aren’t necessarily Apple’s target market, but even my needs aside, I don’t really understand this machine, so close to the lowest end MBP, even existing at all.
 
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Ok, but no.

I wish people here would stop saying what price these things should be. Sure, share what price you wish it was if you want but saying what price it should be suggests you have some market knowledge the rest of us don’t. Which we know isn’t true.

The price should be whatever the market is willing to pay. As a customer I want it as cheap as it can be. As a share holder I want it as expensive as it can be. The only fair price is the price the market ultimately decides.

And since people keep buying Apple stuff more and more, that’s the market saying it thinks Apple is pricing things pretty well.

Still, having just bought one, and having previously tried the nTB MBP, I think this Air doesn’t actually make a lot of sense - at least in my mind. The difference between it and the nTB MBP is so minimal it’s a bit silly. Much lesser processor and graphics, only a little lighter, and only $100 less with everything else pretty darn similar.

I also don’t understand why the MB starts at 256GB and the Air and the Pro start at 128. A 128GB MB at say $100 less than the 256 model (going by differences in pricing of the MBA and MBP) would make sense to me. It also would be ideal for a particular need I have, or possibly a 13” version that’s everything a 128GB fanless thin and light 13” MB might be, but sadly that doesn’t exist. Still I prefer the fanless and smaller size and weight of the MB over the 13” display, so I’m returning the Air and swapping for that.

My needs aren’t necessarily Apple’s target market, but even my needs aside, I don’t really understand this machine, so close to the lowest end MBP, even existing at all.
Apple wanted to phase out the MBA entirely and have it replaced by the MBP. The 2016 keynote made this crystal clear. At that time the new redesigned MBP started at $1,500, so clearly it wasn't going to compete directly with the then entry priced MBA at $1,000. But judging by how much smaller and lighter the new MBP was, the goal was in due time to have the entry MBP be the choice for the general consumer. It was just a question of when the price would go down low enough for that to be a reality.

The new MBA makes no sense. What I believe happened was Apple was taken aback by the feedback it received. Countless people said they just wanted an updated MBA with a retina screen. So that's what we got. The problem is price-wise, it doesn't make much sense. For $100 less retail the screen is noticeably worse than a MBP and it really doesn't weigh much less nor is the footprint any smaller than the MBP. Other than being a MBA in name, it's really just a tweaked and worse version of the MBP, albeit with a T2 chip and a v3 keyboard.

Apple is banking on the MacBook Air name. I am convinced of this. This model sold so well in the past that they think a refreshed edition will sell, in part, on name alone. People loved their old MBA and they will want the new one. Maybe that will work. I don't know. But it's way too closely priced. What would have made a lot more sense was to get rid of the old MBA and start this one at $1,000. For $300 less than a MBP it makes sense you are getting a worse screen. For $100 less, not so much.
 
Apple wanted to phase out the MBA entirely and have it replaced by the MBP. The 2016 keynote made this crystal clear. At that time the new redesigned MBP started at $1,500, so clearly it wasn't going to compete directly with the then entry priced MBA at $1,000. But judging by how much smaller and lighter the new MBP was, the goal was in due time to have the entry MBP be the choice for the general consumer. It was just a question of when the price would go down low enough for that to be a reality.

The new MBA makes no sense. What I believe happened was Apple was taken aback by the feedback it received. Countless people said they just wanted an updated MBA with a retina screen. So that's what we got. The problem is price-wise, it doesn't make much sense. For $100 less retail the screen is noticeably worse than a MBP and it really doesn't weigh much less nor is the footprint any smaller than the MBP. Other than being a MBA in name, it's really just a tweaked and worse version of the MBP, albeit with a T2 chip and a v3 keyboard.

Apple is banking on the MacBook Air name. I am convinced of this. This model sold so well in the past that they think a refreshed edition will sell, in part, on name alone. People loved their old MBA and they will want the new one. Maybe that will work. I don't know. But it's way too closely priced. What would have made a lot more sense was to get rid of the old MBA and start this one at $1,000. For $300 less than a MBP it makes sense you are getting a worse screen. For $100 less, not so much.

I’d agree with most of that except I’d say even at a significantly lower price it doesn’t make sense. The price difference is minimal because the physical and tech differences are minimal. In my opinion that’s the issue.

I think the MB was the mistake. I don’t really understand why that has to cost as much as it does but i suppose there are reasons. Still, that, at any price, plus a 13” version of it (the lesser processors, the thinner lighter - than the new MBA - and fanless design, and does an MBA really need thunderbolt?) those two machines (12” and 13” thin, light, fanless) make a whole lot more sense for the MBA name.

Historically the lineup was:
  • The MB was the cheap entry level one (even if not thin and light, and often less thin and light even than the smallest MBP)
  • The MBA was the super thin light one at a somewhat premium price for the compactness.
  • The MBP was the expensive Pro one with all the power.
So what’s currently the MB with MBA name, at any price, and some other cheaper (even if bigger) MB, together would make a whole lot more sense to me.

(Admittedly the 2016-7 Pros fell a little short on the “all the power” thing but I think they got it darn near right with the 2018 ones.)
 
I’d agree with most of that except I’d say even at a significantly lower price it doesn’t make sense. The price difference is minimal because the physical and tech differences are minimal. In my opinion that’s the issue.

I think the MB was the mistake. I don’t really understand why that has to cost as much as it does but i suppose there are reasons. Still, that, at any price, plus a 13” version of it (the lesser processors, the thinner lighter - than the new MBA - and fanless design, and does an MBA really need thunderbolt?) those two machines (12” and 13” thin, light, fanless) make a whole lot more sense for the MBA name.

Historically the lineup was:
  • The MB was the cheap entry level one (even if not thin and light, and often less thin and light even than the smallest MBP)
  • The MBA was the super thin light one at a somewhat premium price for the compactness.
  • The MBP was the expensive Pro one with all the power.
So what’s currently the MB with MBA name, at any price, and some other cheaper (even if bigger) MB, together would make a whole lot more sense to me.

(Admittedly the 2016-7 Pros fell a little short on the “all the power” thing but I think they got it darn near right with the 2018 ones.)
The MacBook should be called the MacBook Air.

The new MacBook Air's should not exist whatsoever. Way too similar and inferior to the MBP.

I would do a 12" and 14" MacBook Air plus the current MBP lineup.
 
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The MacBook should be called the MacBook Air.

The new MacBook Air's should not exist whatsoever. Way too similar and inferior to the MBP.

I would do a 12" and 14" MacBook Air plus the current MBP lineup.
I think Apple strictly made a new air due to marketing. A lot of people have held onto their air waiting for a new one.
So why not make a new one and try to get people to upgrade to it and make it $100 cheaper.
 
I think Apple strictly made a new air due to marketing. A lot of people have held onto their air waiting for a new one.
So why not make a new one and try to get people to upgrade to it and make it $100 cheaper.
Yes absolutely. They are banking on the name of the machine to drum up sales. I would argue that value wise it's a terrible purchase compared to the base MBP. But the average consumer probably won't be aware of this and will instead just buy a new Air because they have one currently. Really a shame for consumers. Dirty by Apple.
 
Yes absolutely. They are banking on the name of the machine to drum up sales. I would argue that value wise it's a terrible purchase compared to the base MBP. But the average consumer probably won't be aware of this and will instead just buy a new Air because they have one currently. Really a shame for consumers. Dirty by Apple.
If it were $1000 it would be a better buy. I’m happy with mine as I got it for $1000 from microcenter. But it really should be $1000 base.
 
I was looking to see if they were still available in NY yesterday. They were but the discount was $100. Still better than Apple's $50 off in their education store. Would love to see ANY discount on either of the new iPad Pros. We'll see what happens as black Friday approaches. AAPL is taking a beating today down 4.5% or $9.20.
Hey, I just checked the site and they are still at $999 at Micro Center in NY. The ones that are just $50 off are the old Mac Air.
 
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