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Apple Announces MacBook Air Now Starts With Increased 16GB of RAM With No Price Increase
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Remember last year when Apple launched the iPhone 15 and people were disappointed and on the same day Intel announced Thunderbolt 5?
Well, this is like that. Thats was the sleeper news of the day that most people were overlooking, and now this price drop is the sleeper news that frankly outshines the new Pros for most people. I do wish it had gotten the new chip, but I suppose it’s alright.
Well, this is like that. Thats was the sleeper news of the day that most people were overlooking, and now this price drop is the sleeper news that frankly outshines the new Pros for most people. I do wish it had gotten the new chip, but I suppose it’s alright.
Apple should have done the upgrade when they first released the M3 MacBook airs. I had to pay extra to upgrade to 16 gb of RAM. Apple, you've done me dirty.
Apple today in its new MacBook Pro press release announced that the MacBook Air lineup now starts with 16GB of RAM, up from 8GB previously.
This change applies to the 13-inch model with the M2 chip, the 13-inch model with the M3 chip, and the 15-inch model with the M3 chip.
In the U.S., the MacBook Air lineup continues to start at $999, so there is no price increase associated with the boost in RAM.
Apple:In addition, the highest-end configurations of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip now include 24GB of RAM at no extra cost, as part of a corresponding lineup adjustment.
No other changes beyond RAM were announced for the MacBook Air today.
This increase comes after Apple announced new iMac, Mac mini, and base 14-inch MacBook Pro models this week with a minimum of 16GB of RAM as well, ending the 8GB era.
Article Link: Apple Announces MacBook Air Now Starts With Increased 16GB of RAM With No Price Increase
I halfway expected the M4 Air (when it arrives) to come with 12 GB RAM on the base model too so this is a pleasant surprise.
If you bought through Apple retail store or online, most likely they won't. If you bought through MicroCenter, Best Buy, etc...they should have some type of price lock guarantee up to 30 days.
Depends on what you need to do with your computer. Don't get caught up in the RAM envy stuff.
I'll still be waiting for the M4, but nice to know that 16 GB will be standard as the $250 (here in Canada) to upgrade to 16 GB was tough to swallow...
I bought an MBA as a gift, and though I would normally wait till expected announcements to ensure I won't miss something, I had to buy it earlier. And of course I "missed something" 😒
Could be a chip volume thing... the Air was last updated in March 2024 and will probably be updated to M4 around March 2025. As the Air is now the "value" Macbook the strategy makes sense to me.
You haven’t seen any posts yet because the tab with the wall of text defending 8gb base keeps reloading on their 8gb machines
Based on this announcement the Mac Mini is looking like the best value compared to a base model M2 or M3 13" MBA. I would love to see Apple price the M2 at $699 and M3 $799 price points. You can essentially get an M4 Mac Mini and screen for less than $699 and is more powerful than the M2 or M3 regardless of portability.
Not chip scarcity - who would buy upselling base MBP 14 for 1600 when we can have Air 400 dollar cheaper doing the same.
As an MBP 14 Pro M1 Pro and Air m1 owner - i will only buy the base M4 Air to replace all my tech.
Well it is a bit annoying because I recently bought a 16GB/512GB with the back to school promo, but all in all I think I got a good deal, EDU pricing plus the £120 gift card so I'm pretty happy with what I got vs. what I paid. There's a reason the promo stopped before this event, of course!
No need to feel bad. People who had the money to purchase at the time saw value in the product at the time of purchase before the announcement. Many people I speak to, while selling Macbook's don't have an understanding of RAM requirements and SWAP memory.
Perhaps, but then we should ask, how much time do we have until that future becomes present?
I could be wrong, but I think that you can return it before 30 or 90 days.
So I would do that and get a new one.
Steve Jobs famously said:
"There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we've always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will."
I guess this did not apply to RAM.
"There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we've always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will."
I guess this did not apply to RAM.
Bummer. I paid the extra $200 back in March for the 16Gb upgrade on my 15" and now it's "free" in the same generation. Guess that's how the cookie crumbles.
Go back to Apple or the retailer you purchased and work out a deal or trade in.
I don't feel the need to do that. I got a good deal with the extra back to school gift card, I'm still happy. I understand not everyone would be
Same here, but back in March when the M3 Air launched. Curious on and pricing adjustments too.
To my knowledge, every M-series Mac is listed as Apple Intelligence compatible, including all of the 8GB models.