Will the redesigned Air ever get a price drop in the next refresh?

[Funny Apple Man]

Will the price of the redesign drop in every refresh until it goes back to $999, or will it stay at $1,199?

Some are suggesting that with inflation, ongoing chip shortage, and the second price hike of producing chips from TSMC means that the price drop will never happen. It sucks but it does make sense. Knowing Apple, they don't really want to lose a bit of their profit margin.

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/07/05/apple-silicon-supply-chain-faces-price-hikes/

If that's the case where the price will stay $1,199, then what will happen to the $999 MacBook Air? Are they just going to stop selling a $999 MacBook for good? Maybe they could sell the previous gen Air for $999 for every new one that comes out. Or could it be that the 12 inch MacBook might replace it since Gurman did mention of it coming back.

Apple Working on 15-Inch MacBook Air and 12-Inch MacBook for 2023

Apple is working on a 15-inch MacBook Air that could be released as early as next spring, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The 15-inch...

www.macrumors.com

 

[apocalyarts]

There won't be a price drop, but the MacBook Pros will get a price increase with their next iteration. 1,199 is the new 999 for years to come.

 

[MajorFubar]

Apple are so confident with their performance of the M-series chips, and from a financial point of view have so much R&D costs to recover, that I don't think they'll ever release a macbook in the sub 900 category ever again.

Pro-capitalists tell you that capitalism drives prices down through competition. What actually happens in real life is manufacturers have a look at how their product performs in comparison to competitors' products performing roughly to the same level and price it in the same ballpark, even if they could give it to us for half the price.

But with that said there's the not-so-small issue that literally every single subcontractor involved with making the components in these devices want to make a profit, and that also dictates to a huge extent the price Apple can charge. Apple like to spin us a yarn that they make both the hardware and software, in reality they make not very much hardware at all. I can't even say if their laptops' unibody chassis are even made literally by Apple.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Apple does have a tendency to raise prices on new models, and in some cases lowering the prices slightly with the following revisions. That being said, Cook loves money and set numbers to meet, and we have strong inflation and delivery problems in the foreseeable future, so I don't think they will lower prices for the MBA in the next 1-2 years. And then they switch to OLED or Mini-LED, and then they definitely won't get lower prices..