5 Reasons to Buy a MacBook Air Now Instead of Waiting

Apple's next MacBook Air is several months away, but if you've been holding off on an upgrade, here's why now could actually be a good time to buy. The Current Air is the Best Value Mid-Tier Mac The M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,299 following Apple's recent $200 price hike, but Amazon is already knocking $100 off, bringing it down to $1,199. The base model's 16GB of RAM means it's no longer hobbled out of the box, and in terms of capability for what you pay, nothing else in the Mac lineup comes close – not even the $699 MacBook Neo, whose A18 Pro chip, capped 8GB of RAM, and lack of Thunderbolt 4 make it a different class of machine entirely. Don't forget: Apple is also offering M5 MacBook Air models in its refurbished store, with up to 15 percent off regular prices. Prices Are More Likely to Rise Than Fall The $200 price hike Apple applied in late June to the MacBook Air was a direct result of the ongoing global memory chip shortage, and there's no sign that the pressure is easing. If component costs stay elevated into next year's M6 refresh, there's a real chance that the next MacBook Air launches at an even higher price than today's model. Grabbing an M5 Air now could therefore be tantamount to getting ahead of the next hike. No Air Refresh is Imminent The next 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models aren't expected until early next year at the soonest, and they're likely to be an M6 chip bump rather than a redesign – so that's at least six months of waiting for a fairly modest spec-sheet upgrade. The bigger change is an OLED display, but that's even further out: Apple is reportedly bringing the Mac lineup's long-rumored OLED transition to the MacBook Pro first (complete with a touchscreen), and the latest rumors suggest an OLED MacBook Air won't arrive until 2028 or 2029. If a touchscreen OLED panel is what you're holding out for, you're really angling for a MacBook Pro, not an Air. The Timing Could Work in Your Favor Apple's back-to-school discounts, now live in the U.S., mean that education discounts and gift card promotions can cut the device's retail pricing. With those discounts in hand, it could work out to be the lowest price MacBook Air you can get before the next refresh (and who knows what price hikes that could bring). It's Already More Mac Than Most People Need Apple Silicon long ago passed the point where the MacBook Air struggles with everyday work. The M5 chip handles photo editing, light-to-medium video work, and heavy browser sessions without breaking a sweat. The chip's architecture is designed with AI computing in mind, and it also runs silent with no fan. Not only that, it will get macOS updates for years. For most buyers, the current Air won't feel slow before they're ready to replace it anyway. Bottom Line Wait if you want OLED or an M6-equipped machine. But otherwise, the M5 MacBook Air you can buy today is better than waiting for a marginally faster one arriving sometime in the first half of 2027. Popular StoriesApple to Overhaul Mac Lineup With 11 New ModelsApple is preparing to refresh every Mac it sells over the next two years, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The plans come amid a Mac resurgence, with sales projected to climb for a third consecutive year, partly thanks to a growing following among users who lean on the machines for demanding, agent-based AI workloads. The wave of new Macs will begin this fall with a refreshed...iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New FeaturesIt is now late July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are less than two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro...Apple Will 'Watch Everything Burn' When AI Bubble Bursts - Ed ZitronMemory prices have doubled, Macs and iPads have gone up, and iPhones are expected to follow. Ed Zitron – who writes the Where's Your Ed At newsletter, hosts the Better Offline podcast, and has been described by Politico as the AI boom's most "acerbic gadfly" – has spent years arguing the buildout driving those costs will never pay for itself. We asked him what happens to Apple if he's...