M1 MacBook Air Gets No Price Drop, 8-Core GPU No Longer an Option

Apple today introduced the 2022 MacBook Air, which features a redesign and an updated chip. The new machine includes a MacBook Pro-like chassis, a larger display, support for more memory, and the M2 chip.

macbook air m1 unboxing feature
Those features bring an increased price tag, with Apple selling the updated ‌M2‌ ‌MacBook Air‌ at $1199 for the low-end version. Typically new devices bring price cuts for older devices that stay in the lineup, but that's not the case for the ‌MacBook Air‌.

Apple is continuing to sell the prior-generation M1 ‌MacBook Air‌ for $999, which is the same price as before. There have been no price cuts for the ‌M1‌ ‌MacBook Air‌, and the lineup starts at $999.

The ‌M1‌ ‌MacBook Air‌ is Apple's cheapest notebook, and it has not been updated in any way. It continues to feature an 8-core ‌M1‌ CPU and a 7-core GPU, with no 8-core GPU option available anymore.

Apple's new entry-level ‌M2‌ machine that's priced at $1199 features an 8-core CPU, an 8-core GPU, and a 256GB SSD with the upgraded version with an 8-core GPU, 10-core GPU, and 512GB SSD priced at $1499.

Apple is also selling the 13-inch MacBook Pro with an ‌M2‌ chip and that machine is priced starting at $1299, $100 more expensive than the base ‌M2‌ ‌MacBook Air‌.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forum: MacBook Air

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...

Top Rated Comments

Apple_Robert Avatar
40 months ago

Epic Fail!
The so called M2 is NOT the M2 chip Apple wanted to ship. It's really just an M1.5, or worse.

Some proof: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/10/m2-macs-with-tsmc-4nm-process/

Excerpt:
"oft-accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Tuesday tweeted that a 2022 version of the MacBook Air will still use the M1 chip, although he suggested it could be a modified version of the chip without elaborating further"

Nailed it: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/08/kuo-macbook-air-2022-m1/

Explains everything because Apple did indeed just update the MacBook Air just as Kuo predicted (8-core CPU and 10-core GPU). The new M chip should be called the "M1 SE"

This is nothing short of an epic Failure for Apple.
You have no proof as to what Apple has intended. And as to the new MBA, I don't see failure on Apple's part barring some kind of manufacturing defect glitch. I see a Mac that should sell very well.

The only people obsessing over the chip are people like yourself on MR and elsewhere. Your average consumer doesn't care nor should they.

What is a failure is your rant.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tagbert Avatar
40 months ago

Epic Fail!
The so called M2 is NOT the M2 chip Apple wanted to ship. It's really just an M1.5, or worse.

Some proof: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/10/m2-macs-with-tsmc-4nm-process/

Excerpt:
"oft-accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Tuesday tweeted that a 2022 version of the MacBook Air will still use the M1 chip, although he suggested it could be a modified version of the chip without elaborating further"

Nailed it: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/08/kuo-macbook-air-2022-m1/

Explains everything because Apple did indeed just update the MacBook Air just as Kuo predicted (8-core CPU and 10-core GPU). The new M chip should be called the "M1 SE"

This is nothing short of an epic Failure for Apple.
How so? It sounds like the CPU OS 18% faster and the GPU is 40% faster that is beyond the M1. That sounds like they used the A15 cores which is what we expected for the M2. What would an M1.5 be anyway other than rumor fodder?
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
developer13245 Avatar
40 months ago

How so? It sounds like the CPU OS 18% faster and the GPU is 40% faster that is beyond the M1. That sounds like they used the A15 cores which is what we expected for the M2. What would an M1.5 be anyway other than rumor fodder?
Imagine Tim Cook standing on stage in front of a "Single core performance" comparison graphic that shows ZERO percent improvement. Think about that for a while and maybe you'll all begin to understand.
Marketing can call it whatever they want, but in reality it's an M1 chip with more GPUs and memory.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
developer13245 Avatar
40 months ago

Have you heard of Tick Tock refresh cycle?
Intel invented the Tick Tock refresh cycle. Should Apple copy Intel's strategies as they develop Apple Silicon?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TinyMito Avatar
40 months ago

Epic Fail!
The so called M2 is NOT the M2 chip Apple wanted to ship. It's really just an M1.5, or worse.

Some proof: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/10/m2-macs-with-tsmc-4nm-process/

Excerpt:
"oft-accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Tuesday tweeted that a 2022 version of the MacBook Air will still use the M1 chip, although he suggested it could be a modified version of the chip without elaborating further"

Nailed it: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/08/kuo-macbook-air-2022-m1/

Explains everything because Apple did indeed just update the MacBook Air just as Kuo predicted (8-core CPU and 10-core GPU). The new M chip should be called the "M1 SE"

This is nothing short of an epic Failure for Apple.
Have you heard of Tick Tock refresh cycle?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
R3k Avatar
40 months ago

Epic Fail!
The so called M2 is NOT the M2 chip Apple wanted to ship. It's really just an M1.5, or worse.

Some proof: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/10/m2-macs-with-tsmc-4nm-process/

Excerpt:
"oft-accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Tuesday tweeted that a 2022 version of the MacBook Air will still use the M1 chip, although he suggested it could be a modified version of the chip without elaborating further"

Nailed it: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/08/kuo-macbook-air-2022-m1/

Explains everything because Apple did indeed just update the MacBook Air just as Kuo predicted (8-core CPU and 10-core GPU). The new M chip should be called the "M1 SE"

This is nothing short of an epic Failure for Apple.
Think beyond the chip. Plenty of other upgrades to the computer.
Epic Fail? Unless I see their stock price diving I'd have to disagree.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)