MacBook Air - page 3

Apple appears ready to start 2025 strong by launching a new low-price iPhone, a faster MacBook Air and a pair of revamped iPad models. These could come at a possible Apple winter event as early as February, though the wait might be longer.

An Apple winter event isn’t a given. The company could simply issue a series of press releases introducing the new products. No matter what, you don’t need to wait until the official announcements to know what’s in store. Here are the rumors available on all four upcoming devices.

In today’s M2 MacBook Pro setup, the user stores one of the best-reviewed sets of wireless, over-ear headphones of all time on a stand over to the side. The cans are almost easy to miss in the photograph, but well worth noticing. AirPods Max competitor Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, in a Mac setup, make for a relatively rare sight. But they’re often at or near the top of “best of” lists — not just for great sound and a comfortable fit, but especially for their vaunted noise cancellation.

For about as long as MacBooks have existed, confusion, questions and angst over how many external displays can run with them have plagued users. But at least some of the guesswork can be swept aside with a capable USB-C dock. In today’s M2 MacBook Pro setup, the powerful Ugreen Revodok connects multiple displays — three, to be precise — and other peripherals.

Wouldn’t you love to have half a dozen M-series MacBooks in your computer setup? One second thought, maybe that’s too much of a good thing. And it might only come up if you had to use most of them for work, like in today’s featured setup. A mobile device management (MDM) engineer does a lot of MDM testing on MacBooks for his job. If you use a Mac for work, he’s the guy who makes sure it keeps working efficiently and securely.

What does Apple have planned for the Mac in 2025? For the last couple of years, Apple’s been killing it with its desktop and laptop computers. The chips scream, the industrial design has never been better, and the Mac lineup is undoubtedly the best in Apple’s history. Just look at the amazing new Mac mini.

But can Apple keep up the pace next year?

Apple intends to introduce its first MacBooks with an OLED screen in 2026, according to industry analysts. And the iPad mini will allegedly go OLED that same year. Apple’s full transition to OLED will take until 2028, though.

And that’s supposedly the same year the company will introduce a computer with an 18.8-inch foldable display.

Seems like the new Macs with M4 chips just got here — and you can already get great deals on them! Why? Well, Black Friday/Cyber Monday, of course. While it’s still a couple weeks away, that never stops deals from coming earlier and earlier every year, just like holiday decorations and pumpkin-spice-flavored everything. Check out early Black Friday Mac deals, below.

Update: The deals below saw updated on the runup to Black Friday and then again for Cyber Monday.

Apple’s 13-inch M2 MacBook Air in Midnight is just $749 for Cyber Monday. I recently bought this machine myself, and I’m head-over-heels in love with it. It’s the best laptop I’ve had for years, and if you’re looking for a lightweight, everyday Mac, I highly recommend it.

Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air with M3 chip is on sale for its lowest price just days before Black Friday. The world’s slimmest laptop packs plenty of power, and a lower price tag makes it an even better buy.

If you take advantage of the Amazon deal, you can get the 15-inch MacBook Air with M3 chip, 16GB storage, and 256GB storage for $1,044—a whopping $255 cheaper than its MSRP.

The predictions of a MacBook Air in 2027 could turn out to be optimistic, according to sources in the screen panel industry. Prices for the OLED display are high, and there’s reason to question demand for the new type of screen.

An OLED MacBook Pro is expected sooner, however.

Doesn’t it seem like the B&H Photo Holiday Head Start sale gets going earlier every year? Just kidding, never heard of it — but it looks tempting all the same. Sorting by brand, we saw that you can scroll down the page to see miles of Apple holiday deals, bagging more than 100 great bargains on pretty much the whole range of products, from MacBooks to AirTags.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After a whirlwind week of M4 Mac releases, we weigh up the pros (tons) and cons (very few). Mostly it’s a lovefest as we talk about the new M4 Mac mini, iMac and MacBook Pros.

Also on The CultCast:

• What’s up with Apple putting the new Mac mini power button on the bottom? (Luckily, the internet has some “fixes.”)
• Apple surprised us by upgrading the RAM on M2 and M3 MacBook Airs — without raising the prices!
• We wrap up with a discussion of what new Apple gear we ordered after this week’s Mac-o-rama.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Apple on Wednesday increased the RAM in the base model M2 and M3 MacBook Air from 8GB to 16GB. And the enhancement comes without a price increase.

Seems like Apple’s days of being stingy with RAM are over. The Apple store no longer sells a Mac with only 8GB.

As we’ve pointed out in product news coverage and reviews, Edifier is one of those smaller companies that always seem to come across with great value. Its audio gear is solid and sounds great, but it’s on the inexpensive side of things. And that’s the case for the Edifier powered speakers in today’s MacBook Air setup. The workstation features a penguin plush toy that doesn’t just use an Edifier box as a chair, according to the user. The stuffed animal apparently rocks out, too.

While some M4 Macs may arrive in the next week, Apple also gears up for a bigger expansion of its M4 chip rollout, including the M4 MacBook Air coming in early 2025, according to a new report. However, it may push back launch plans for the next Mac Studio desktop computer a few months into next year, amid other release plans next spring. Those include a redesigned iPhone SE and a new entry-level iPad (11th generation). If you’re curious about the Mac M4 lineup and its expected features, take a look at this in-depth coverage.

If you’re wondering when will iPhone SE 4 come out, speculation suggests a release could be just around the corner.

We see more laptop-based computer setups using the machine in clamshell (mode) on a vertical stand than we see setups with open laptops. But they’re both pretty popular options. Today’s M3 MacBook Air sits on a tray attached to the same arm that holds the ultra-wide external display. So they float together above the desk. That monitor arm laptop tray situation wouldn’t work for everyone, but it’s a cool way to add a second display when you need one (and you have an external keyboard so you don’t have to use the laptop’s).

With the fall edition of Amazon Prime Day falling on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, it’s a great time to nab yourself a coveted M3 MacBook Air. Discounts abound on both 15-inch and 13-inch models, with an array of specification choices. See the deal links below. Most of the deals cover all four colors — midnight, silver, space gray and starlight. And don’t miss our full guide to Apple deals for Prime Day.

UPDATE: On Wednesday we updated fluctuations in prices and color availability for various models, below. And though prices on some items fluctuate, Amazon has extended many deals beyond Wednesday.

Lots of Mac users pump up their computer setups with pricey, high-powered speaker systems. But it doesn’t have to cost much to provide a bigger, fuller sound than most computers or monitors can provide on their own. Today’s MacBook Air user enjoys Sanyun Bookshelf Speakers, which pump out 60 watts of sound using proprietary technology, and look pretty good doing it. And you can get a pair for less than $70.

Launched in June, Apple’s annual Back to School promotion is still in full swing — but time is running out. The Apple Back to School promotion ends soon, as in Monday (September 30), so eligible students and faculty members have only a few days left to receive up to a $150 gift card on select Mac and iPad purchases. Apple also offers a 20% discount on AppleCare+, its premium support and repair service.

Many users out there on social media can’t seem to get enough external displays into their computer setups. Sometimes we see as many as six big screens. But don’t forget a simple way you can always add another small screen. Namely, don’t just add your MacBook open on the desk or on a stand. Include your iPad, too. Today’s M1 MacBook Air user proudly has his M4 iPad Pro mirror on Studio Display as it sits in the mix on a Twelve South stand.

Macs have gained ground in the gaming world with the rise of Apple silicon chips, as those M-series chips massively boost performance. But sometimes you just want to play on a console rather than your computer. Today’s MacBook Air user switches to Xbox One for gaming. And he gave simple advice, below, to curious commenters who wanted to know how he gets the system to work with his Studio Display. He describes his method below.

On Wednesday we drooled shamelessly over an M2 Ultra Mac Pro driving a Pro Display XDR and two Studio Displays, a rig that prices out somewhere around $20,000. So on Friday it’s back to financial reality for us, none too soon. And in today’s MacBook Pro setup from a college student, part of that thrifty reality means deploying a ridiculously affordable SupTek Monitor Mount for the external display. The user recommends it. Why? It just works.

Looks like now’s a good time to grab yourself a very cool and quite powerful laptop you can take anywhere. That’s because Amazon invites you to select from various models and take $250 off 15-inch M3 MacBook Air. That includes any model with the specs to suit your needs. For example, you might want to go for the recommended 16GB of unified memory to help ensure the laptop keeps handling tough tasks for a while — like all that Apple Intelligence stuff gearing up to change people’s lives.

Right now you can take your pick on great deals on M2 and M3 MacBook Air models at Amazon — including up to $250 off some choices. Select from the deals below to get your dream machine, each powered with an M2 or M3 chip.

Your old computer might have gasped its way through last semester, but if you’re getting ready for fall classes, it might be time for a machine that can handle more than two Chrome tabs. No, that doesn’t mean you must take your financial aid and hand it all over for a big fancy computer with a big fancy price tag. Instead, check out the specs on a refurbished Intel MacBook Air.

You can get this near-mint MacBook Air for just $449.99.