Apple announces cheaper MacBook Air with 512 GB faster storage, M5 chip, and N1 chip

[RockRock8]

Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with M5

Apple today announced the new MacBook Air with M5, bringing exceptional performance and expanded AI capabilities to the world’s most popular laptop.

www.apple.com

The previous model M4 has 512 GB of storage for $1199. The new M5 MacBook Air has 512 GB of 2X faster SSD storage for $1099, including a brand new chip and WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support using the N1 chip.

Yes I rewrote the headline, because many people are claiming it's a price increase. Technically, because the base model isn't $999, but you're also getting what was even faster storage speeds previously $1199 for $1099, plus a lot of updated hardware. I think this is fair and is fair to describe as a price decrease.

Social media comments on places like The Verge have said previous configurations that were $1599 are now $1499, so while the base model technically increases, it seems price has decreased across the board.

 

[leman]

It's certainly a price increase, but at the same time the base model now has a better value proposition then it had in the past couple of years. Low base storage was one of the most criticized aspects of Apple's entry-level lineup. I'd say at this price point it compares quite favorably to other premium ultraportables.

 

[Cmaier]

Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with M5

Apple today announced the new MacBook Air with M5, bringing exceptional performance and expanded AI capabilities to the world’s most popular laptop.

www.apple.com

The previous model M4 has 512 GB of storage for $1199. The new M5 MacBook Air has 512 GB of 2X faster SSD storage for $1099, including a brand new chip and WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support using the N1 chip.

Yes I rewrote the headline, because many people are claiming it's a price increase. Technically, because the base model isn't $999, but you're also getting what was even faster storage speeds previously $1199 for $1099, plus a lot of updated hardware. I think this is fair and is fair to describe as a price decrease.

Social media comments on places like The Verge have said previous configurations that were $1599 are now $1499, so while the base model technically increases, it seems price has decreased across the board.

If this year’s Porsche 911 costs $170k and last year’s costs $150k, it’s a price increase even though this year’s comes with corinthian leather and 0-60 time decreases from 3.5 to 3.1 seconds.

In computers, we expect capabilities to go up every year, so that’s not, in itself, an excuse to raise prices. (We also expect computer prices to go down over time)

Is the new Air a better value? Yeah, almost certainly. The Air was already the best computer for most people, but low base storage made it a problem for certain users. Now it’s the best computer for even more people, and the price increase doesn’t really change that.

I am looking forward to seeing what the lineup looks like in about a year and a half when my kid goes to college. She’s got an M1 MBA right now, so I’ll definitely buy her a new MBA for that, unless the Neo ends up looking particularly attractive. By my rough estimates, an A18 Pro based Neo probably has similar performance characteristics to her M1 MBA, though, so I’d rather get her an MBA knowing it likely will serve her well for her entire college (and possibly grad school) career.

 

[RockRock8]

If this year’s Porsche 911 costs $170k and last year’s costs $150k, it’s a price increase even though this year’s comes with corinthian leather and 0-60 time decreases from 3.5 to 3.1 seconds.

Uh yeah you're ignoring the last part of my post lol. Even for custom configurations it looks to be cheaper. It isn't just the entry level model. Across the board it seems to have gotten cheaper, but if you have evidence otherwise I'd love to read it and learn!

Previous models with 512 GB are $1199. To get the same 512 GB you only need $1099 now. This is even better than what they did for iPhone Pro, which just eliminated the lower storage tier and kept the same price for the upper storage config.

Is the new Air a better value? Yeah, almost certainly. The Air was already the best computer for most people, but low base storage made it a problem for certain users. Now it’s the best computer for even more people, and the price increase doesn’t really change that.

Yes I agree