Amazon is taking $200 off Apple's new 15.3-inch MacBook Air notebooks for back to school season, providing fresh all-time low discounts on these computers. You can get the 256GB 15.3-inch MacBook Air for $1,099.00, down from $1,299.00.Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Amazon's deal beats the previous record low by $100. This sale is available in all four colors: Space Gray, Midnight, Starlight, and Silver. All models are in stock and have an estimated delivery date between August 9 and August 12. Additionally, Amazon has the 512GB 15.3-inch MacBook Air on sale for $1,299.00, down from $1,499.00. This one is available in one color (Starlight), and has an estimated delivery date between August 9 and August 12. Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

Article Link: Deals: Apple's 15-Inch MacBook Air Hits New Record Low Prices at $200 Off, Available From $1,099

You got 256GB in both of the links. 2nd should be 512???

Pretty good value for the 512, but the 3nm is where this version of the Air will really shine.

smoking monkey said:

You got 256GB in both of the links. 2nd should be 512???

Pretty good value for the 512, but the 3nm is where this version of the Air will really shine.

Which is not far away according to these deals. Amazon was never quick enough to match the EDU deal for general population for a new model.

M3 15" MBA will be dropping soon. Maybe as soon as October. This is why a lot of people, including myself, speculated that 15" MBA would launch with M3 at WWDC. Otherwise, there are only 4 months between M2 and M3 MBA 15".

The alternative is that Apple will delay introducing M3 for 15" MBA by a few months so they don't piss off the M2 buyers so soon.

For example:

October: M3 MBA 13", M3 Mac Mini, M3 iMac
January: M3 MBA 15", M3 Pro, M3 Max
WWDC 2024: M3 Ultra, maybe M3 "Extreme"

senttoschool said:

M3 15" MBA will be dropping soon. Maybe as soon as October. This is why a lot of people, including myself, speculated that 15" MBA would launch with M3 at WWDC. Otherwise, there are only 4 months between M2 and M3 MBA 15".

The alternative is that Apple will delay introducing M3 for 15" MBA by a few months so they don't piss off the M2 buyers so soon.

For example:

October: M3 MBA 13", M3 Mac Mini, M3 iMac
January: M3 MBA 15", M3 Pro, M3 Max
WWDC 2024: M3 Ultra, maybe M3 "Extreme"

Click to expand...

Pure speculation regarding mba 15 incb m3

StoneJack said:

Pure speculation regarding mba 15 incb m3

That's right. I'm not an insider. I only speculate.

Evidently, it's not selling well.

vertsix said:

Evidently, it's not selling well.

I also wonder how many people ordering are actually opting for 16gb RAM upgrades, so the "stock" models are not selling well.

mattopotamus said:

I also wonder how many people ordering are actually opting for 16gb RAM upgrades, so the "stock" models are not selling well.

Probably in-line with others. It was just a recent news leak from production line that they(apple) are going to tone down future production, since the demand was lower than expected. Nobody knows how bad the situation is.

I think it is fine and makes money - it is just not a super hit.

mattopotamus said:

I also wonder how many people ordering are actually opting for 16gb RAM upgrades, so the "stock" models are not selling well.

Hopefully a ton. I'm still of the view that Apple basically should not have released the 15" at 8gb of RAM. And I predict that in a few years there is going to be some large number of Apple users (like in the millions) who have really excellent Apple computers that seem like they have years of life left in them, but which are hamstrung by the devices having only 8gb of RAM.

It's a great model. Even better at the lower price.

TallManNY said:

Hopefully a ton. I'm still of the view that Apple basically should not have released the 15" at 8gb of RAM. And I predict that in a few years there is going to be some large number of Apple users (like in the millions) who have really excellent Apple computers that seem like they have years of life left in them, but which are hamstrung by the devices having only 8gb of RAM.

Yea, 16GB is definitely the better bet for longevity. 8GB is still fine for the everyday user today (and by that, I mean the majority of users who are browsing the web, writing, running basic productivity things, using their computers for meetings and school, etc). But five years down the line, it's gonna be tight.

Most of the computers that are still in use 7-10 years after their release were able to have their lifespans extended by virtue of having upgradable RAM. With that now being a thing of the past, we aren't going to see quite the same level of longevity that we've seen before.

I recently looked at the original 2013-era retina MacBook Pros (the first ones to ever be released), and they also came with 8GB of RAM on the base config AND had the same $200 upgrade price for 16GB. That upgrade price hasn't changed, and it's been 10 years.

StoneJack said:

Pure speculation regarding mba 15 incb m3

senttoschool said:

That's right. I'm not an insider. I only speculate.

That why this site is called 'MacRumors' and not 'MacThingsConfirmed' or 'MacFacts'. Speculation is a big part of what this site is about.

People are too obsessed with RAM. OSX is not Windows; you don't need 16Gigs for 'everyday' computing that MOST people do. And just for the record; a SWAP is not evil, it's a feature.

ArkSingularity said:

Yea, 16GB is definitely the better bet for longevity. 8GB is still fine for the everyday user today (and by that, I mean the majority of users who are browsing the web, writing, running basic productivity things, using their computers for meetings and school, etc). But five years down the line, it's gonna be tight.

People were saying the same thing back in 2017/2018 and here we are 5-6 year later with 8 GB still the baseline...

arcite said:

People are too obsessed with RAM. OSX is not Windows; you don't need 16Gigs for 'everyday' computing that MOST people do. And just for the record; a SWAP is not evil, it's a feature.

I think 8 GB is fine for many people, but I’m more annoyed that most 3rd party retailers don’t have any 16 GB models for sale. I think B&H does? Is there anywhere else?

kiranmk2 said:

People were saying the same thing back in 2017/2018 and here we are 5-6 year later with 8 GB still the baseline...

Yes, people were. And PCs are now offering 16GB standard on most models in the $800+ range, and Apple themselves is now offering 16GB as a baseline in their new 14" and 16" pro lineups. Even their iPads, which have historically been given much less RAM, are now given 8GB as a baseline.

8GB is still perfectly fine for the majority of everyday users today (I've used both, the 8GB models can be pushed much further than some might think based on some of the discussions that happen online). But if we're looking at industry trends (as well as increasing RAM usage on typical workloads), 8GB is already beginning to be phased out on higher end configurations across the industry.

I guess it shouldn't surprise anyone that the only configs that ever get a discount are the ones that suck. People aren't going to buy a premium computer in 2023 with 8GB of shared ram or a 256gb SSD.

Apple should stop wasting everyone's time with these configs and set a good baseline (16gb/512gb) for every computer going forward.

TallManNY said:

Hopefully a ton. I'm still of the view that Apple basically should not have released the 15" at 8gb of RAM. And I predict that in a few years there is going to be some large number of Apple users (like in the millions) who have really excellent Apple computers that seem like they have years of life left in them, but which are hamstrung by the devices having only 8gb of RAM.

They should have made 16GB the standard with the move to apple silicon

senttoschool said:

That's right. I'm not an insider. I only speculate.

Mark Gurman, is that you?

Gherkin said:

I think 8 GB is fine for many people, but I’m more annoyed that most 3rd party retailers don’t have any 16 GB models for sale. I think B&H does? Is there anywhere else?

It most certainly is for casual users which tend to be the majority.

ArkSingularity said:

Yea, 16GB is definitely the better bet for longevity. 8GB is still fine for the everyday user today (and by that, I mean the majority of users who are browsing the web, writing, running basic productivity things, using their computers for meetings and school, etc). But five years down the line, it's gonna be tight.

Most of the computers that are still in use 7-10 years after their release were able to have their lifespans extended by virtue of having upgradable RAM. With that now being a thing of the past, we aren't going to see quite the same level of longevity that we've seen before.

I recently looked at the original 2013-era retina MacBook Pros (the first ones to ever be released), and they also came with 8GB of RAM on the base config AND had the same $200 upgrade price for 16GB. That upgrade price hasn't changed, and it's been 10 years.

Click to expand...

Five years down the line, it’s going to be DISCONTINUED. Because Apple. Unless there is a severe shakeup somewhere in management, Apple will continue peeing on its few remaining loyal customers. Until Apple disavows and apologizes for the marketing strategy of the past few years, of entirely arbitrary abandonment of perfectly good hardware, as a sales tactic, I’ll never again buy new Apple hardware.

ArkSingularity said:

Yes, people were. And PCs are now offering 16GB standard on most models in the $800+ range, and Apple themselves is now offering 16GB as a baseline in their new 14" and 16" pro lineups. Even their iPads, which have historically been given much less RAM, are now given 8GB as a baseline.

ArkSingularity said:

8GB is already beginning to be phased out on higher end configurations across the industry.

You mentioned it right: Higher End configs. People forget that buying a Mac they are buying a premium product that comes with the higher cost for branding.
Base Airs are base-lower end computers in the Apple world - think of it as the same $500-$800 Windows laptops + metal finish/better speakers/better screen for additional $500. That is how you get lower config Air for $1200 with 8 GB of Ram.

Back in the day I had an option of buying gaming 15.6 inch Dell laptop for $1000 versus $1300 13 inch Air. I went with Win machine knowing that the premium is not worth it to me while gaming was.

Summary: You typical $800-$1200 win laptops do correlate with $1500-$2000 Apple laptops with the same specs because you pay premium for materials/screen/speakers/OS and branding and that is only one can get 16GB as a base.

We’ve been looking at getting a new MacBook Air ; will more than likely wait until the M3 phase is released and have another look . Not power users by any means however whatever we decide to spend our money on we‘d like it last a good few years , I’m still running a late 2013 Imac . We would certainly get the 16GB with a min of 512gb drive to enable it to perform to our needs as long as possible . When I called an Apple rep a while ago they were really pushing the minimum spec “ Yes we worked out based on what you’ve told us you’re using it for that’s all you’ll ever need “!

ctjack said:

You mentioned it right: Higher End configs. People forget that buying a Mac they are buying a premium product that comes with the higher cost for branding.
Base Airs are base-lower end computers in the Apple world - think of it as the same $500-$800 Windows laptops + metal finish/better speakers/better screen for additional $500. That is how you get lower config Air for $1200 with 8 GB of Ram.

Back in the day I had an option of buying gaming 15.6 inch Dell laptop for $1000 versus $1300 13 inch Air. I went with Win machine knowing that the premium is not worth it to me while gaming was.

Summary: You typical $800-$1200 win laptops do correlate with $1500-$2000 Apple laptops with the same specs because you pay premium for materials/screen/speakers/OS and branding and that is only one can get 16GB as a base.

Click to expand...

You're not wrong. My argument remains the same: Many consumers justify the higher cost by seeing their purchase as an investment, and want to keep their devices running well for many years. For users who want to keep their Macs for a long time, 16GB is a good investment.

Granted, Apple will likely discontinue full software support around the same time, but OS versions generally get three years of additional security updates before they're officially EOL.