Updated March 17: Article originally posted March 16.
If you thought Apple was done disrupting the laptop market with the launch of the M3 MacBook Air, think again.
The recent launch of the M3-powered MacBook Air allowed Apple to push the M2-powered Air into the world. Traditional $999 entry-level spot. That meant that the M1 MacBook Air, which had held the position since its release in 2020, was put to pasture.
At least, that’s what we thought. Apple hasn’t stopped manufacturing its M1 MacBook Air, and consumers looking for a new M1 MacBook Air have an unexpected option.
american retail store Walmart is working with Apple The company will also sell a MacBook Air equipped with the M1 for $699.
Updated: Sunday, March 17th: Lance Ulanoff took a closer look at this offer, especially the specifications of the M1 MacBook Air on sale. As you might expect, this is the minimum spec for a MacBook Air. It’s the first Apple Silicon Mac chip, the M1. RAM is limited to just 8 GB and storage is limited to 256 GB. These are low numbers even by macOS standards.
Still, Ulanoff insists there’s still a lot of value in a $699 laptop.
“…its 3.5 GHz system, the ability to run virtually any Intel-enabled app, the ability to handle almost any task you throw at it (including editing multiple 4K video streams simultaneously), and 15 hours of battery life. (20 hours if you only watch videos) and weighs 2.8 pounds, making this a strong contender for laptops that cost at least twice as much. Even with just 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. .”
Of course, another important feature to consider is your target audience. Walmart provides a path into the Apple ecosystem that has previously been out of reach for laptop buyers. I’m sure Apple will welcome them into its velvet garden of online services.
This will be the first time Walmart will sell Mac hardware directly to customers. It’s also one of the rare occasions his new Apple products are sold outside of Apple. These are not returns, working with excess inventory, or resold refurbished laptops. Apple has the M1 MacBook Air in refurbished stores, but its price is $749, an attractive discount compared to the M2 MacBook Air, but Walmart can’t beat even that low price.
It’s an attractive branding exercise. Apple has carefully kept the MacBook Air’s visible entry-level price at $999 during his Apple Silicon period for macOS laptops. For some models he could get a $100 education discount, but it would be hard to find. This is stated on the website. In partnership with Walmart, even his three-year-old laptop can now be powered by a powerful ARM-based laptop at an incredible price considering the performance potential, without significantly compromising Apple’s premium feel. We will be able to provide you with a laptop.
The potential to steal sales from both Windows PCs and Chrome OS laptops is a nice bonus for Tim Cook and his team.
These laptops will first be available through Walmart.com before retail sales in select stores. If you can put up with the quirks of macOS and are willing to participate in Apple’s private ecosystem, this is probably the best performing laptop for $699.
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