Rumor: Apple to Launch $800 MacBook Air Later this Year

News
By Jane McEntegart
published

Is Apple prepared to lower the price of its entry-level MacBook Air in order to get a larger chunk of the ultrabook pie?

Apple's products have long been known for their high price tags. The company's MacBook Air line is priced significantly cheaper than its full-fledged notebook line (the MacBook Pro) and it starts at an already pricey $1000. It can run up to as much as $1700 if you go for the top of the line model. However, rumor has it Apple could be considering a cheaper MacBook Air that would see the base model fall to $800.

According to a report from Digitimes' sources, Apple is hoping to better compete with the Windows 8 ultrabooks launching later this year and is willing to offer a cheaper MBA in order to do it. While early ultrabooks were closer to the $1000 mark, prices are steadily coming down. These days, it's not difficult to snag an ultrabook for under $800.

The cheaper MBA is apparently going to be released in the third quarter of this year, but it's not yet clear if Apple plans to launch a whole new budget MacBook Air, or if this rumored $800 model will actually be the $1000 with a $200 price cut. The company doesn't exactly price new merchandise to sell but it's no stranger to dropping prices on older products.

CES this past January was ultrabook central and we're expecting to see another slew of super-slim extra light laptops at Computex in June. With AMD's Trinity APU launching this month, the ultrabook market is heating up fast. Will a $200 price cut from Apple be enough for Cupertino to stay competitive.

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Jane McEntegart
33 Comments Comment from the forums
  • thety6on
    Knowing apple, they probably won't just cut their prices to match those of their competitor's. They'll probably make up for it with lower quality components. Maybe, just maybe, they might put an Intel atom into their new macbook air *GASP*
    Reply
  • or-ex
    So the 1,000$ Macbook air has a 64gb ssd, and 2gb of ram. What the hell is this one going to have??? 32GB ssd and 1GB of ram???
    Reply
  • freggo
    I don't see a PC type buying it even at that price.
    Nothing anti-Apple here; it is simply that they operate differently and you have to relearn everything about computers you -thought- you knew. It's not like switching from a Thosiba laptop to a Dell.
    And then there are the interoperability issues. Your investment in PC software is lost as it will not work. Making the two systems talk to each other and exchange documents can be a challenge, especially to the mass market user.
    I think it would take a much lower price point to convince the general PC public to seriously considering a market share changing switch.

    Reply
  • frostyfireball
    Considering how many Macbook Airs I see around compared to Windows Ultrabooks, I'd say the price the Macbook Airs are going for right now are quite reasonable. People are quite willing to buy them even if they might command a 100-200$ price premium. Because of this I can't see Apple selling a new generation Intel IB based Macbook Air at 1000$, while stocks last selling the current SB based Macbook Airs at a reduced price sounds more likely to me.

    Apple could be giving AMD another chance and going with a 17w Trinity APU now that the yield/supply issues are gone for a budget Macbook Air, that would be an attractive package.
    Reply
  • Parsian
    nonsense, that is a MAJOR DISRESPECT to prophet STEVE JOBS.
    Reply
  • computernerdforlife
    Someone had an Apple dream last night of lower prices. Welcome back to the awake world.
    Reply
  • damianrobertjones
    Mistake. The benefit of buying a machine with a premium arrives when your friends find out, "Oh, you bought a mac ohh you're so special as they're pricey!"

    Lower the price and the illusion and marketing pizzaz vanishes.
    Reply
  • Sacr
    Apple has never been one to underprice the competition. Their products will maintain similar specs with very little modifications done to the standard hardware. A few software changes here and there is all it will take to make a bunch of cultish buyers to rush their outlets.
    Reply
  • eddieroolz
    A $800 Macbook Air would be very competitive with the ultrabook crowd, I think.
    Reply
  • trumpeter1994
    Knowing apple's price for hardware habits, it will probably have like a Pentium at like 2.2ghz that gets blown out of the water buy pcs half its price.
    Reply