The M1 MacBook Air Lives on at Walmart, Now Just $650

Last March, when Apple introduced the then new M3 MacBook Airs, they moved the base model 13-inch M2 MacBook Air into the magic $999 spot in their own lineup, replacing the M1 MacBook Air. But mid-March it was announced that Walmart would begin selling the M1 MacBook Air — in one tech-spec configuration (8 GB RAM, 256 SSD), but three colors (gold, silver, space gray) for just $700.

This year Apple replaced the entire lineup of MacBook Airs that it sells itself with M4-based models, including the $999 starting-price model. Online, Walmart sells a handful of MacBook models now, at, per Walmart’s brand, slightly lower prices than Apple itself. But the one and only MacBook they seem to stock in their retail stores is the classic wedge-shaped M1 MacBook Air — now down to $650.

It’s over four years old now, and yes, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB of storage are meager, but it’s almost certainly the best new laptop you can buy for that price. Assuming Apple thinks this partnership is a success, eventually they’ll have to replace this with a more recent MacBook Air. But I suspect the main reason it’s still the M1 Air (and hasn’t been replaced by, say, the M2 Air) is not about the specs or performance, per se, but rather simply how it looks. It looks like an older MacBook. Walmart might not get an updated MacBook with a more-recent-than-M1 chip until Apple refreshes the industrial design on its current MacBook Airs.

★ Thursday, 20 March 2025