Why the M1 MacBook Air is the best Mac value ever

The MacBook Air lineup is stronger than ever right now, but maybe not for the reasons you think. Yes, the M2 and M3 MacBook Air are great computers. But do you know what’s also a great computer? The M1 MacBook Air, especially when it’s available for under $700.

In fact, it’s probably the best Mac value ever.

The M1 MacBook Air is a steal

Last week, Walmart announced that it was teaming up with Apple to sell the M1 MacBook Air for $699 – an incredible deal, considering Apple was selling it for $999 just a few weeks ago. Following Walmart’s announcement, Best Buy subsequently dropped its M1 MacBook Air price to $649.

While Walmart appears to have plenty of stock on hand, Best Buy’s M1 MacBook Air inventory appears to be going quickly.

The M1 chip’s performance is not quite up-to-par with the M2 or M3, but you’ll struggle to notice a difference between the M1, M2, or M3 in their base configurations. Any of them will handle the vast majority of tasks you throw at them. Only on the higher-end models do the big performance differences really show up.

One thing consistent between the M1, M2, and M3 MacBook Air is the base model configurations for RAM and storage:

• $699 M1 MacBook Air: 8GB RAM/256GB storage
• $999 M2 MacBook Air: 8GB RAM/256GB storage
• $1099 M3 MacBook Air: 8GB RAM/256GB storage

The M1 MacBook Air’s design is showing its age, but that’s primarily because of the bezels around the display. The wedge-shaped form factor is still iconic today, and some people even prefer it to the flat-sided modern MacBook Air design language.

The vast majority of people looking to buy a MacBook right now – whether they are upgrading from an Intel machine or buying their first Mac – should start by looking at the M1 MacBook Air. There are a few questions to then ask:

• Do you need support for two external displays?
  • If yes: buy the M3 MacBook Air.
• Do you need more than 8GB RAM/256GB storage?
  • If yes: Look for inventory through Best Buy/Amazon or configure a custom order through Apple.
• Do you need an extra USB-C port?
  • If yes: buy the M2 or M3 MacBook Air.

If none of those things really matter to you, then the M1 MacBook Air is the Mac for you.

I struggle to think of a Mac that’s ever been as good of a bargain as the M1 MacBook Air is right now. The M2 Mac mini shines at $599 (or $499 for education buyers), but you’ll have to bring your own display, keyboard, and mouse. The M2 Mac mini’s base configuration also starts at 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Wrap up

Another funny realization I had last week: the M1 MacBook Air is now cheaper than the iPad Pro. The price differences between the iPad Pro and MacBook Air have always been perplexing, but this takes things to a different level. I struggle to think of any reason for someone to buy an iPad Pro over a MacBook Air for the fast majority of things.

We’ve heard a few different reports that Apple might be planning a low-cost MacBook that would compete with Chromebooks. Right now, the M1 MacBook Air fills that spot in Apple’s lineup, and it does it perfectly.

What do you think of the current MacBook Air lineup? Is it the strongest Mac lineup we’ve ever seen? Is Apple making the right call by keeping the M1 MacBook Air around? Let us know down in the comments.

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